Prom and Other Terrors - A Giveaway!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I've got a fun spring giveaway for you.  April brings to mind flowers and showers and best of all - prom!  That crazy, fun, romantic, scary, depressing, you-name-it-emotion high school rite of passage.  I remember worrying so much every year about whether I'd go to prom.  It's amazing the feelings that still come when someone says the word "prom."  The anticipation, the worry that you won't get asked, the worry over dresses and boys and whether or not you'll get kissed (what can I say, prom for me was pretty innocent). 

And to celebrate this experience, HMH has four prom books to give away to one lucky reader!  You can find HMH on Facebook and on Twitter - go check them out.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

The contest will end on April 22 and I'll announce a winner on the 23rd.  HMH will send the prize directly to the winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me one good or bad thing about your own prom experience (or lack of experience, as the case may be).  Then just fill out the form below.  US addresses only and you must be 13 or older to enter.  And if you're very lucky, I'll post a nice photo of my friends and myself dressed up with our "dates" (that ought to keep you intrigued for a few minutes anyway).  Good luck!

So, tell us your prom experiences!  The good, the bad, the ugly. 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Everneath ARC Winner!

Just wanted to let you all know, I did pick a winner for the Everneath by Brodi Ashton ARC and it is...
 

Cheyenne T.

 
I've contacted Cheyenne and I'll be sending the book out ASAP, so she can get it read right away.  Thanks to everyone for entering and I hope you all get a chance to read the book when it comes out later this month.  It's worth it!
 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton and GIVEAWAY!!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: January 24, 2012
ISBN: 9780062071132
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Nikki disappeared months ago without a word and then she suddenly returned home. No one knows where she went or what happened while she was gone.  Now, she must try to pick up the broken pieces of her life with her father, little brother, and her boyfriend, Jack.  But what none of them know is that she is leaving again, and this time she has no choice.  Can she say goodbye properly this time or is it too late for those she loves?

Things I Liked:
I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.  I follow Brodi's blog quite regularly and I really love her humor and fun.  Her book is definitely not a laughing-throughout book, but it was still fabulous.  I loved Nikki and the way she was coming to recognize all that she did to her family and friends when she left.  I thought it was particularly interesting to see the connections between actions and choices and consequences - that's something that a lot of teens (and adults) don't always consider.  The romance was just perfect, a sweet combination of passion and caring that makes it more realistic.  I just thought it was a such a great story, not crowded with too much action and adventure, but full of slow sweet moments, interactions, and feelings.  That's not to say that stuff doesn't happen (boy, does it), but it had more than just action.  I really liked the mythos, the way the Persephone myth played into the story and yet was changed.  Without ending on a cliffhanger, it manages to make me want to know more about what will happen next and how things will work out.  Great debut worth the read (not to mention, you can ogle the cover - simply gorgeous)!  Some favorite parts:

We'd pluck the spiky chestnuts, leaving their green outer shells intact, and throw them at the neighbor boys.  I always took particular care in aiming for Jack's head.  He told me later that he rode his bike by my house on purpose.  I asked if him if he liked pain. P 44 of ARC

"Because it's not the supernatural abilities that set mythical characters apart."  She leaned forward.  "It's the decisions the human characters make, in impossible situations, that have us still talking about them centuries later.  Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with." p 133 of ARC

Friends don't eat friends' souls. p 223 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
It has a bit of awkward phrasing here adn there and the ending was something I saw pretty far in advance, but it had plenty lovely writing and twisty turns, so I was unable to put it down from beginning to end.  Just what I love in a good mythological retelling - new twists with some of the same basic backbone.

Read-alikes:
Some other Persephone retellings:
Abandon by Meg Cabot
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
a handful, not much though

mrg-factor: X 
kissing and such like, nothing explicit

v-factor: -> 
a little bit, nothing gory

Overall rating: ***** 

AND, lucky for you, I got an extra ARC and thought I'd share the love so you can get your hands on this one (hopefully) a bit early.  All you have to do is fill out the form below.  I'm offering an extra entry for those who spread the word about this, just provide a link to where you shared (twitter, blog, whatevs).  I'll close the contest about January 2nd and ship it out ASAP.  (US only, sorry I'm still poor.) Good luck!

Contest closed.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson + Giveaway

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson
Publisher: Lake 7 Creative
Publication date: October 2011
ISBN: 9780977412235
Source: ARC provided by author

In this choose your path story, you become Buck, a dog about to set out on a perilous journey.  Throughout his travels and becoming a sled dog, the reader is given options to choose just what they would do and then see where they end up. 

Things I Liked:
This was a fast and fun read.  I'm going to admit that I think I've read maybe one other choose-your-story type of book and I honestly can't remember it.  Jumping right into the action of Buck's frontier adventure, kids will lose themselves in the excitement and danger of this cold, deadly place.  Interesting choices are laid before you and following each to see just where you will be was fun even for this boring old grown-up.  I definitely think this book will appeal especially to boys longing for adventures and it's a great introduction to London's classic tale.

Things I Didn't Like:
There were some places here and there that the writing was awkward and might be a bit hard for younger readers to follow.  Also, it was quite violent as the dog faces some very frightening foes.  It might be especially traumatic to animal-lovers and sensitive kids, since being written in second person can make it feel more personal.  I did notice, however, that the author noted the violence was toned down in the final edition.  A fun adventure story, all these things considered!

Read-alikes:
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Choose your own adventure books by various authors

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none 

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: ->-> 
some incidents of animal fights and animal abuse

Overall rating: *** 

And, I've got a chance for you to win a copy of this book for the adventure-seeking tween in your life (or, you know, yourself).  Open to US only, fill out the form below by November 5th. 

For more stops on the tour, visit Ryan Jacobson's blog.

Were you a choose your own path/adventure/story reader?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge: Book Puzzle

Mini-challenge closed and winner chosen! Thanks for playing! 

Welcome reader-a-thon-ers!  I'm super excited to be hosting this mini-challenge again.  Hopefully this will be a fun break from your reading that will let you exercise other parts of your brain!  

For this challenge, you will be creating a Book Puzzle.  Essentially, this is a series of pictures, graphics, or photos that you put together that will describe a book title.  I have been doing a biweekly game called Name That Book where I create book puzzles and let people guess the titles.  Here's an example from that first one:

This series of pictures illustrates the title Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. 

Now it's your turn to create your own Book Puzzle (or you can create more than one - they are quite fun).  Once you've posted your puzzle on your blog, come back and leave me the direct link to your puzzle in the Mr. Linky below.  And be sure to visit others' puzzles - it's lots of fun to guess!  

I'll be picking a winner (randomly of course, I'm not good at judging awesomeness) who will be able to choose two books from photo below (sorry I'm so lazy I just take photos - let me know if you can't read titles).  This is open only to US addresses and you have until the end of hour 6 to enter.  Now go forth and create!

(Don't laugh at my dreadful TBR shelf):

[For more examples or some inspiration, take a look at last read-a-thon's Book Puzzle participants, check out other episodes of Name That Book, or check out Name That Book episodes from Stephanie Reads.]

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin Winner!

Sorry I forgot to post the winner for this contest earlier!  The winner was:
 

Chen C.

 
I've emailed you and sent your mailing address to the publishers, so it should be on its way soon!  Thanks everyone who entered the contest.
 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

BBAW Day 4: Readers and the Seven Realms

Another day of BBAW fun and I am excited for this topic. Today BBAW asks: Has blogging changed the way I read?

The short answer: Yes.

To elaborate on this, my post today is the perfect example.  Today, I am talking about my love for the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.   But not in the same way I would have before the blog.  Not only do I talk about the love, but now I have the chance to literally share it.

See, back in the pre-blog days, I'd occasionally rave to people about awesome books.  Now, I can rave, I can interact with authors, and I can participate in book celebrations, like this one.  It adds a whole new dimension (or two or three...) to the reading experience.  I love the author interactions, the celebrations and read-alongs and countdowns and cover reveals and giveaways that populate the book blogging world.  I love to host and to simply participate.  All these things have increased my enjoyment and give depth to my reading experience.  And, of course, it's fun too! :)  So, to illustrate, here we go:

As you may recall, I've raved about this series before (specifically The Exiled Queen and The Gray Wolf Throne)- it's pretty much everything you could hope for in an epic fantasy, especially a world so rich and deep it's almost impossible to distinguish it from our own.  It's the kind of book that you fall into and emerge calling yourself Frodo or Arwen or dressing in robes and clutching wands because you're so obsessed with the characters.  A story that will bring something new every time you reread it.

Emily of Emily's Reading Room invited me to join in this Seven Realms celebration by posting part of a puzzle that when put together will spell a secret word that will allow you to enter to win a set of signed Seven Realms books.  You can also change your Twitter avatar to one of the pictures below (each one represents a group from the books) and tweet using the hashtag #sevenrealms for more chances to win!

My piece of the puzzle:

You can find the links to the other pieces of the puzzle at Emily's Reading Room.

Once you have the word, email it to Emily (emilysreadingroom(at)gmail.com) with the subject: Seven Realms Week.

Below are the images to use for Twitter.  The crown represents the Queen’s Guard, the ring represents the Clans, and the amulet represents the Wizards.  On Facebook you can change your profile picture as well, and post on the Provo City Library’s Facebook Page they are offering another set of the books, signed.

So, what has blogging changed in your reading experience?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Giveaway: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

I've not yet had a chance to read All These Things I've Done yet, but just the description has me dying for more.  So, when offered the chance to host a giveaway for this title, I was super happy to share!  My copy of the book is still on The Pile, but believe me, it is calling to me from there.  Check out this description:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame.  Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

And if that's not enough to tease you into it, here's the trailer:



One lucky winner will get a copy of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, courtesy of Macmillen Children's! Just fill out the form below (US or Canada only). Contest ends September 18th. Good luck!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Cliquey Clique: Giveaway Winner

I know you are all waiting with baited breath to know if you won Populazzi.  First, though, I wanted to list off all the delightful books you mentioned as your favorite (or one of your favorites) high school clique book.  I haven't read many of them myself, but if you're in the market for one, here are some suggestions (we got some movie suggestions too!):

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
before i fall by Lauren Oliver
Breakfast Club (movie)
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
The Clique series by Lisi Harrison
Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell
The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (got three rec's!)
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Mean Girls (movie)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (I think, no author was listed) 
Private Series by Kate Brian
Rival by Sarah Bennett Wealer
Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal (oh a true classic)
Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

And with that out of the way, the winner of the Populazzi ARC is:

Sarah R.

Anybody else have cliquey high school suggestions?  Maybe one that won't horrify me with its cruelty?  

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Populazzi by Elise Allen and Giveaway!

Populazzi by Elise Allen
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: August 2011
ISBN: 9780547481531
Source: ARC provided by publicist

 

When Cara moves to a new school her junior year, her friend Claudia is convinced this is her chance to become one of those girls - a member of the populazzi.  If she can work her way up the ladder of relationships, she can maybe even make her way to being the Supreme Populazzi.  But, instead of things being as simple as that, her steps on the ladder become more difficult and painful.  Can she make it to the top and will she be who she wants when she gets there?

Things I Liked:
I really enjoyed the way Cara changed over the book.  While she made some stupid mistakes, I was glad they were glaringly obvious to her (well, sometimes).  I think they were the kinds of things people who are generally good do when they don't stop to think about consequences.  The characters felt and acted like real teens.  And the story, while a bit predictable, was interesting and totally made me remember (somewhat reluctantly) my own insecure high school feelings.  Definitely a book that will make you think about relationships and what's most important.  And I have to admit, I really loved Archer.  I liked this little hint of interaction between Claudia and Cara:

I wished I'd been middrink, so I could give her comment the spit-take it deserved.  "No way," I said.  "Can't do it.  If I do, he'll think I want him again, and he'll get that sad look on his face because he'll feel like he has to let me down gently and I swear, Claudia, I would rather drink hot glue." p 96 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
While I did enjoy the story and can follow the reasons behind Cara's actions, I got rather annoyed at her stupid choices.  It made me so frustrated, I wanted to scream at some adult in her life to take notice and try to help!  And don't get me started on her parents.  The ending seemed a bit neat, with Cara's decisions almost coming out of the blue.  I'm thinking I'm a bit torn on this one, enjoying it but also annoyed by it.  Definitely I'll be thinking about the characters and their choices for a while.

Read-alikes:
It Started With a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech
She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
fairly regularly throughout, but nothing too strong

mrg-factor: XX
they talk, joke about, and do nearly everything but not in descriptive detail

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *** or ****

AND, I've got an extra ARC of Populazzi to giveaway! Rules:
Must be 13 or older to enter.
US only, I'm still poor.
Enter by August 23.
Fill out the form below (including the question):

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Giveaway Winners and Review-a-Thon!

Thanks to everyone who played the Name That Book game for a chance to win a book.  It's definitely not the most popular feature out there, but I have a lot of fun coming up with the puzzles and hopefully some of you enjoy guessing them.  Before I announce the two winners, here are the answers for those who are dying to know:

Book 1: The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
Book 2: Divergent by Veronica Roth (I got a good kick out of this puzzle)
Book 3: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Book 4: Supernaturally by Kiersten White (another fun one, I thought)

The first person who got all the answers right was:

Lieder Madchen

And the random choice winner from those who got them all correct was:

Jessica @ Books: A True Story

I've contacted both of you and your book choices will be wending their way to you shortly!

Now on to some details of my review-a-thon participation!  Thus far, my plan is to post two reviews a day this week.  One will go up in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.  There are also some mini-challenges and other fun stuff that the Review-a-Thon hosts (The Book Monsters) are planning (see below for the first one).  Thanks again for stopping by my blog!

Mini-challenge #1:

1. Are you happy with your review format currently?
I'd say for the most part, yes.  I do get a bit tired of the same old same old.  I'm planning to do a post with several short reviews sans the usual items like ratings and like/dislike, like the cute twitter-style reviews other blogs do.  We'll see if that ever happens. 

2. Scrutinize it a little more, maybe compare it to other blogs you like, anything you think you might change?
I think if I were to change things, it would be adding more info about the books and authors (# of pages or links to author websites or stuff like that).  I like having ISBN, though I wonder if anyone else cares - especially since its only for one specific printing.  I also still really struggle with the summary.  I have such a hard time coming up with non-dreadful summaries and I wish could write short, witty one or two liners.  I tried for a while, but ended up becoming long-winded again.  Thoughts?

3. Implement some basic changes and tell us what you think. Or, you can tell us one or two aspects of your reviews that you like.
I'm rather fond of my like/dislike dichotomy.  I think just knowing I write reviews like that helps me notice things about books that I both like and dislike.  Though, sometimes I think it makes me seek out stuff I don't like about a book and I'm not sure I like that.  I'm also happy with the read-alikes.  Not sure I'll make any changes at this point, unless they're very minor. 

Anyone have suggestions to improve my review format?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

One Last Plug for the Giveaway...

Just couldn't help offering one final plug for my Name That Book giveaway.  You have today and tomorrow to enter and not many people have entered, so your odds are really good.  (Hm, I think this may be an indication of the non-awesomeness of this contest.  Oh well.)  There are some fun books you could win (including Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Possession by Elana Johnson, Fallout by Ellen Hopkins, Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski, She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott - check out this photo to see more options), so give it a shot if you'd like.  And for those who are just dying to know the answers, I'll post them Monday morning.  Carry on!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Name That Book, Episode 16, and a Giveaway!

Name that Book is a biweekly game where you get to guess a book title from the photo clues.

In celebration of having posted 400 book reviews (Friday's review of Secondhand Charm was #402), I decided I needed to do a giveaway!  And what better way than making you guess for my Name That Book game?  I tried to be as creative and fun as possible for this episode (though you guys are so good at this that they will probably be totally easy) and I included four titles instead of the usual two.  Here's how the contest will work:

I'll choose two winners.  The first person to get them all right will win their choice of a book from the pile pictured above.  Then I'll randomly select another winner from the group of people who got them all correct and they will choose a book from the pile too.  It's open only in the US, to those 13 and older, and you can enter until Sunday, August 6th, and I'll announce winners the next day.  Good luck!  (And remember not to leave any guesses in the comments :)
 
Book 1:

Book 2:

Book 3:

Book 4:

Contest closed. Here are the answers to the Name That Book puzzles.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Winner of the Ruby Red by Kirsten Gier Giveaway + Read-a-thon

Thanks to everyone who entered the Ruby Red by Kirsten Gier giveaway!  I've seen loads of these all over the internets, so thanks for entering mine too.  Without further ado, here's my winner:

Amanda of A Bookshelf Monstrosity!

I'm actually really happy Amanda won, cause she's one of my regular commenters, so that makes her extra special on my blog :)  Congrats!  I've sent you an email and I've sent your address along to the publicist, so hopefully it will be winging its way to your house soon!

Secondly, I've decided to join the Spring into Summer read-a-thon hosted by Enna Isilee of Squeaky Books.  Because honestly, I'll have plenty of time to put into it (I think).  Here's some further info about it:

There will be awesome mini-challenges and a TON of giveaways! In fact, just for signing up you are entered to win a $25 gift card to Amazon! SO GO SIGN UP! And if you say that melissa @ 1lbr sent you, you'll get 5 extra entries to win that gift card!

My plan is to read on Friday and Saturday for as long as I can handle it. I think I'll aim for at least 3 books, though hopefully it will be more like 4 or 5.  I'll try to tackle this list o' books:
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway
The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante
Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
And anything else that might strike my fancy (I've been working my way through Enthralled, so that might make an appearance too.)

What about you? Anyone else joining in?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Winners in The Dark City Giveaway!

It's time to announce some lucky winners!  I've already sent out the emails, but just so everyone knows, here are the three winners in The Dark City by Catherine Fisher giveaway:

Scoot

Lindsaywrites

Amy S (won my ARC)

Congrats, you three!  I've sent your addresses to the publicist and I'll be getting my ARC out soon too.  And big thanks to Big Honcho Media and Penguin for letting me host this giveaway!  And you can now get your hands on the second book in the Relic Master series, The Lost Heiress.

Don't feel sad if you didn't win, you still have one more day to enter my Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier giveaway!  Thanks to everyone for stopping by my blog - I really appreciate you readers and commenters :)

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier Giveaway!

 

I haven't had the chance to read Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier yet, but I'm super excited to give you guys a chance to read it!  Here's some info about the book first (ie the official description):

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

I'm always excited to find a new excellent time travel story, so I'm looking forward to giving this one a try.

And here's the book trailer as well, to give you even more of a feel for it:

One lucky winner will get a copy of Ruby Red, courtesy of Macmillen Children's! Just fill out the form below (US or Canada only). Contest ends June 15th. Good luck!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: The Dark City by Catherine Fisher AND Giveaway

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

I know this series is published and publicized as teen, but I think it has great appeal for tweens who love a rich fantasy.  It was remarkably easy to read as well and will definitely have broad appeal in its age ranges - for both teens and tweens.

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
Publisher: Dial (Penguin)
Publication date: May 2011
ISBN: 9780803736733
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Summary from the publisher:
"Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it."

Things I Liked:
As you know, I adored Catherine Fisher's other books, Incarceron and Sapphique, so I was super excited to get an ARC of the first in this "new" series.  In some ways, it felt similar to her other books, but in many ways it was different.  It has the same unique and interesting world that has many secrets to be unraveled.  Initially, it seems Anara is just another fantasy world with no relation to us.  As the story unravels, bit by bit, hints are dropped here and there that give us a glimpse of much more.  I love the complete world Fisher has created and the feeling of so much history behind it.  I think that is one mark of really great fantasy, when the world that's created has such depth and history that it almost feels real.  I was definitely sucked into this new story and I can't wait to fit more pieces into the puzzle of this series.

Things I Didn't Like:
While it did have some similarities to Incarceron and Sapphique, it lacked the complexity and depth that series has.  It is more simplistic and definitely doesn't have (at least not in this first book) the same level of writing and the characters are not quite as intriguing.  Still, a fantastic new series for fans of Fisher and good fantasy.

Read-alikes:
Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Reminded me of Beyonders by Brandon Mull

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
that I recall...

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
a bit, but nothing graphic

Overall rating: ****

I'm super excited that the sequels will be released so closely to one another!  That's definitely an added bonus.  To learn more about the series, visit the Relic Master website.  The release dates for the next three books are:
Book Two: The Lost Heiress, June 14
Book Three: The Hidden Coronet, July 12
Book Four: The Margrave, August 9

For the giveaway, I have two copies of The Dark City, thanks to Penguin and Big Honcho Media, to give away!  Also, I managed to get two ARCs of the book, so I have an additional copy of my own I'm giving away.  So, three copies up for grabs!  To enter, fill out the form below.  (US only, must be 13 or older to enter.)  You have two weeks to enter, until June 14th!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage