Mundie Moms

Friday, October 31, 2014

In The After Light by Alexandra Bracken, Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!


Happy Halloween! 
Welcome to the next stop on the In The AfterLight blog tour
I'm so thrilled be apart of the tour, hosted by Disney Hyperion. Today's stop features a giveaway for a SIGNED copy of Never Fade and my review for Alexandra's newest release.


By: Alexandra Bracken
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Released on: 10.28.14
Add it to Goodreads
Pick it up From: Amazon | B&N

Ruby can’t look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government’s attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds. 

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America’s children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the “rehabilitation camps” housing thousands of other Psi kids.


Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

Fans of Alexandra Bracken's Darkest Minds series are in for a wild ride with In The After Light, as this series comes to an exciting, unpredictable end. 

Normally I don't have a hard time summing up my feelings over a book, but being that I'm still digesting everything I read, and that ending, I'm struggling to put everything into words. Keeping this spoiler free will be hard, but here goes. Alexandra Bracken has done a fabulous job at creating an intriguing, dangerous world that fans of YA sci-fi/dystopian books will enjoy. From her fascinating world building, to her lively cast of unforgettable characters, Bracken has done a suburb job at the way she developed her story, and characters over the course of the entire series. Just as I think I might have things figured out, Bracken quickly made me realize that, that wasn't the case at all. 

Ruby is an interesting character, and someone I've rooted for since the get go. I've really like the way she's grown over the course of the series, and how she story wrapped up. Though it's not without betrayal, heartbreak, and some crazy events. I felt that in this particular story, both she, and her group of friends all have to learn to face their fears, and the consequences of their earlier actions, head on. If these characters weren't already all broken in some manner, I would say what they deal with and have to over come personally would break them. Instead, I felt that they're learning to face the demons from their own pasts, and accepting the consequences of their actions from the previous two books in the series. It makes them stronger, and strengthens each of them in a different way. I liked seeing how each of them grows and matures through everything they go through and deal with in this book.  

Bracken's world building is awesome. Her writing is awesome. From the world building to her characters, to the story itself, everything is written in vivid detail. I love it when an author creates a story/series where everything comes together. All the details no matter how little or big are in the story for a reason. It was easy for me to visualize the world, the characters, and get sucked into all that was going on in this series, and this book. In The After Light is one crazy, wild ride. It will either have your heart hammering in your chest from the adrenaline ride, leave your heart breaking with some of the shocking reveals, and then there are the moments that you will cling to the pages to find out what will happen next. 

In summary, In The After Light is an awesome, thrilling conclusion to an exciting series. The Darkest Minds sucked readers in, Never Fade had readers wanting more, and In The After Light will leave readers wishing the series wasn't over. If you read The Darkest Minds, and Never Fade, then you definitely need to pick up In The After Light! *There is language in this book (including the f-word) that might not make it suitable for younger YA readers.

Check out the book trailer:




About The Author



Alexandra Bracken is the New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds and Never Fade. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study history and English at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Alex now lives in New York City, where you can find her hard at work on her next novel in a charming little apartment that’s perpetually overflowing with books. 

Find Alexandra on Twitter | Website | Tumblr | Facebook

 Enter to WIN
Enter to win a SIGNED copy of Never Fade. 

GIVEAWAY ENDED / WINNER CONTACTED

Follow the Tour:
Monday, October 27th – IceyBooks: Author Interview
Tuesday, October 28th – Xpresso Reads: Author Dream Cast
Wednesday, October 29th – A Dream Within A Dream : Review 
Thursday, October 30th – Chapter by Chapter: Author Interview
Friday, October 31st – Mundie Moms: Review

*Visit each stop, as each stop is hosting a giveaway!!


Happy Halloween!


Happy Halloween! 
We hope everyone has a great day! 
If you're dressing up as on of our favorite Shadowhunters or literary characters, we'd love to see your pictures! Tag us on Twitter via @MundieMoms so we can see them, and share them. 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Morganville: The Series; The Morganville Vampires Comes to Life, An Exclusive Behind The Scenes Look At The TV Series


I'm so thrilled to share with you an exclusive behind the scenes footage from an episode from Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series, Morganville: The Series. That's right, her book series has been brought to life by passionate fans who wanted to see their books come to life on TV! Not familiar with the series? Here's a little bit about it:

Morganville: The Series – The show stars fan favorites Robert Picardo as Oliver (Star Trek: Voyager) and Amber Benson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as Amelie, as well as Lindsay Seidel (Claire), Jordan Taylor Farris (Shane), Haileigh Todd (Eve), Ben Easter (Michael), Nikki Donley (Hannah), Afomia Hailemeskel (Monica), Jessi Mechler (Gina), Taylor Murphy (Jennifer), Gregory Connors (Brandon) and Chase Ryan Jeffery (Myrnin). It is directed by Blake Calhoun, known for his award-winning and groundbreaking digital series Pink andContinuum, and the show was filmed on location in Texas on a Blackmagic camera.

Check out the behind the scenes footage: 



Check out these behind the scenes pictures from the Glass House Ghost scene:







About Morganville: The Series

Morganville: The Series Revitalizes Vampire Genre Just in Time for Halloween
Rachel Caine’s Snarky Vampires Perfect for Geek & Sundry’s October Line-up

Geek & Sundry: Rachel Caine is adapting her Morganville Vampires books – fifteen (15) total – for a hilarious fright fest of a web series. Each episode of the first season is expected to be 8-12 minutes long, bringing the entire season to about an hour and is freely adapted by Rachel from the first novel – Glass Houses. The first season will begin airing on Geek & Sundry October 27th with a prime schedule planned out… the hope is that the first season finale lands on Halloween day.

Thanks to a passionate fanbase who fully supported the Kickstarter project (and whose funds were then matched by Felicia Day’s Geek & Sundry), Morganville Vampires: Book Series became Morganville: The Series and utilized one of the fastest, most innovative platforms for upcoming shows. Through the expansive reach of Youtube, Rachel’s fans can enjoy the show without the long wait that comes through traditional television and also, reach a worldwide audience faster. All around it made the most sense for a book series of this size and caliber.

Even though web series are seen as non-traditional formats, the casting process and scouting for film locations remains normal. Auditions were held in Dallas, LA, Austin, New Orleans and some digital (to give fans of the books a chance at the spotlight too). Rachel wrote all the character monologues for the auditions. The entire show ended up being filmed on location in Dallas, Texas in four separate venues, including a coffee shop, a turn-of-last-century Victorian home, a hospital, and a university. Nearly every episode ends with Rachel’s infamous cliffhanger endings!

Switching from book to film writing was easier than Rachel expected. The very first thing she did, ended up setting the stage for the adaptation process and made it easier for her to focus on the story she wished to tell. Rachel says, “The first thing I tried to do, since I wrote the book in 2006, was to write down everything I remembered from it without re-reading it. That was fascinating, because what I wrote down was really the core story, and that turned out to be what needed to be told in the show. So while I did go back to the book, I did it for the purposes of review, not inspiration.”

Fans might be wondering how a 10-day-shoot in April 2014 could possibly yield a story they recognize, Rachel is confident the series delivers and explains, “For practical purposes, you can only have so many characters in a show with this running time, so some characters from the novel, while really interesting, ended up not being central to the plot (like Miranda). However, I did think it was important to introduce Myrnin, who is a fan favorite character, into the mix early, so he makes a short appearance this season.”

Watch the Trailer:



Check out the first four episodes here:

To find out more, check out these sites for the scoop on Rachel Caine, The Morganville Vampires Books and Morganville: The Series.


About Rachel Caine
Is a fictional character herself … a pen name of writer Roxanne Conrad. Since 2003, Rachel has written in the adult Urban Fantasy genre (the Weather Warden,Outcast SeasonRevivalist and Red Letter Days series) as well as in Young Adult fiction (the Morganville Vampires series and award-winning novel Prince of Shadows). She is the author of more than forty novels and many short stories, and is regularly featured in anthology collections, most recently the Charlaine Harris edited Dead But Not Forgotten.

@EpicReads's The 13 Most Anticipated YA Novels Publishing in November 2014


Each month Epic Reads puts together a list of the following month's most anticipated releases. I thought October was crazy with awesome releases, but November proves to be equally crazy. Crazy is in if the holidays weren't upon us I would be tempted to get more than the few books I've already pre-ordered. 

Here are my top 6 MUST HAVE BOOKS from Epic Read's The 13 Most Anticipated YA Novels Publishing in November 2014.




  1. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson & Sarah Rees Brennan, published Margaret K. McElderry Books, out on 11.11.14 
  2. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers, published by HMH Books, out on 11.4.14
  3. Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz &  Michael Johnston, published Putnam, out on 11.18.14
  4. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray, published by Harper Teen, out on 11.25.14
  5. Empire of Shadows by Miriam Forster, published by Harper Teen,  out on 11.4.14
  6. On Edge by Allison van Diepen, published by Harper Teen, out on 11.25.14
 Check out Epic Reads's full list of most anticipated releases for next month here. Which November releases are you looking forward to reading?

Love Magnus Quote Vote by @WalkerBooksUK #LoveMagnus


We're only a couple weeks away from the release of The Bane Chronicles!
Walker Books UK invites your to partake in the Magnus Bane Quote Vote. 
Check out Walker Books's invitation to join in and help them choose which fan favorite Magnus Bane quote will rein supreme. 


Want to vote? 
Check out the quotes that will be up for a battle. 
* Click the image below to enlarge it so you can see which quotes will be voted on and when.


Each week @WalkerBooksUK via Twitter will tweet out an image containing the two quotes. Fans will then have 24 hrs to RT their post and choice their favorite. The final quote battle will be tweeted on November 10th! Be sure to follow Walker Books UK on Twitter and vote!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Age of YA by @EpicReads


In case you guys didn't already know this, I LOVE Epic Reads! They always have something exciting for us YA fans, and this week they shared a post called THE AGE OF YA! Seriously, go check it out. Thank you to Epic Reads, I've also shared it below. I LOVE THIS post they did. *List and graphics from Epic Reads.


All Fall Down, An Embassy Row Novel by Ally Carter; Waiting on Wednesday #229



By: Ally Carter
Published by: Scholastic
To Be Released on: 1.27.15
Series: Embassy Row #1
Add it to Goodreads
Find out more about the book & read the first two chapters HERE


Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:
1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her–so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door who is keeping an eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace–no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do.

Her past has come back to hunt her . . .  and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world all stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

All I needed to know about this book that was Ally Carter wrote it, and I was sold! Both Sophie & I are HUGE fans of Ally's and have loved everything she's written. I can not wait to sit down and find out what Ally has in store for me with this book. Just from reading the book's synopsis, I think I'm really going to like Grace. Go HERE to find out how you can enter to win an arc of All Fall Down from Ally Carter!

What book are you waiting on?

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A Blogger's Stance On The Blogger Black Out

(Image found via Google)

Normally I'm not one to post about stuff that is going, nor do I try to engage in all that happens within the blogger world. I know that sounds bad, but life is crazy busy, and there are times I feel like it's all I can do to sit down and right a review. Not to mention that stack of books I've already read that are still waiting for reviews, and giveaways that are still waiting for winners to be announced, and all the emails that I currently need to answer. Earlier this morning there was something that was brought to my attention about the Blogger BlackOut.

I'll be honest, I didn't even know what this was until a friend told me what it was recently on Twitter. I've had so much going on in my real life, not that blogging isn't real, but you know what I mean, that I missed all the info about the Blogger Black Out. I didn't realize it was this week until this morning. When my friend first told me about it, it was something I told my friend I would support my fellow bloggers on, but something I wouldn't take part of. Why? Because I have prior commitments to authors, and publishers this week, and I am going to keep those commitments. Does that mean I'm not a supportive blogger to my fellow bloggers? Not at all.

I fully support my blogger friends who are on both sides of the black out. What saddens me are those who are coming out against those who are taking part in the black out and those who are coming out against those who won't take part in the black out. Why can't we all be more supportive of each other during times like this, and realize that everyone has a reason for either taking part in it or not. Not taking part doesn't mean we don't support those who do.

Blogger and author support is something that is so crucial to what we reviewers do. I love the authors who have spoken out and have been supportive of the bloggers who are choosing to take a stand this week, and not post. Really, I am a bit envious of my friends who are taking a blogging break this week. I wish I could just step back and not worry about deadlines, emails, and reviews this week. Bloggers do not get paid for what they do. Well most of us don't. I don't. I can only imagine how nice that would be to get paid to write a review, or support the host of books I've featured on my blog. I do what I do, because I love it. I love reading, and connecting readers with books. I love my blogger friends who have connected me to books I wouldn't have other wise picked up. I love the authors who have connected me with their books, and fueled my love of reading even more.

 It would be nice to take a step back and not deal with all the emails I get from authors who are seeking my review of their book, and the ones who are rude and nasty when I tell them I can't as my review schedule is full. Yeah, there are some pretty horrid authors out there who seriously don't get it, and make it hard to want to continue doing what I do. It's sad it's always the mean ones who almost ruin it for all the great ones. Then there are the awesome authors who totally get it. They get what we reviews/bloggers do. They, along with the host of MM supporters, are ones who make what I do worth it. These authors get the long hours bloggers/reviewers put into their bloggers that help support their books. They get that many of us work, and are parents, and have a million things we have going on. They get that our time is valuable that when we feature their book on our blog, there are ton of others ones that we could be featuring instead. They get why some bloggers are doing the blogger black out.

There are so many different sides to the blogger/author relationship. I as a blogger understand the blogger black out. I get it. The reason why I'm choosing not to take part in it has nothing to do with my lack of not supporting my fellow bloggers. I support them! For me personally, I have reviews and promotional posts that I promised would get posted this week, and I don't want to break my word on that. I am taking a stand and won't be featuring certain authors, who will not be named, because of certain things they've done/said, that I won't mention on here, because I don't care to support their crazy antics by mentioning it on my blog. This week my blog won't be without posts. There are some awesome authors, publishers, and bloggers whom I gave my word to, and I will be posting, and promoting the things I said I would. I hope that as the week continues, bloggers and authors will continue to support each other, whether someone is choosing not to post this week or not. Everyone deserves a break, no matter what the reasoning behind it is.

To the authors who are coming out against bloggers for not posting this week, you're welcome for the free service you get on these blogs. Your book is only one in a sea of thousands of books that bloggers can be promoting, free of charge, and yet because we love what we do, we promote it. We don't have to. We do what we do because we want to. We love it. For the same reasons we don't except you to write 365 days a year without taking a break, you shouldn't except bloggers to not take a break. More importantly, in light of recent events, you shouldn't except anything less than bloggers rallying around each other in support of something that unnerved many of us, and made us further question what we do. Yes I know there is two sides to every story, but that's not what this post is about. It's about supporting each other. Thank you to those who do support us, whether we're enjoying a week away from our blogs or sitting here chugging along with our posts.

TALON by Julie Kagawa, Book Review




By: Julie Kagawa
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: October 28th, 2014 - TODAY
Rating: 5 Stars - I LOVED IT
Source: arc to review from publisher in exchange for my honest review
Add it to: Goodreads 


Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.
Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

A fantastic modern fantasy! Talon has all the makings of another Julie Kagawa sensation read. With romance, danger, betrayal, and that fabulous ability Kagawa has with blurring fantasy elements with real world elements make Talon my favorite Julie Kagawa to date. Not surprisingly, Kagawa had me falling for all of her characters. Whether they were deemed good, bad or traitors to their organizations, I felt like I understood each of the characters, and started to fall for them the same way Ember was. 

Talon has found a spot among my bookcase that houses my favorite fantasy books. What Julie Kagawa has done with her dragons is awesome. When it comes to fantasy books, I love it when the world I'm reading about comes to life so easily, and makes the story feel like it's a possibility within the real world. That to me is the signs of a gifted story teller. I think it would be awesome to live in a world where Dragons blended in with humans, and in a secretive way their worlds collided with our own. I'm just saying. After you read Talon you might be thinking the same thing. Now if only I could get to a beach and search the skies for Riley.... *coughs* Sorry, back to my review. 

Through Ember, Riley and Garrett's points of views, Kagawa gave me everything I needed to know about them, their worlds, and what each of their missions were. They each come for a different organization that make up the world of Talon. I felt like I really got to understand all three of these characters, and understand what drove them to make the decisions they did. In true Kagawa fashion, she gave me a story that broke down the barriers within it's world and crossed the boundaries of forbidden love and the impossible with three stubborn, incredibly strong characters whom once they learned the truths of their worlds, wanted to make a change, and fight for not only what they felt was right, but want to follow their own hearts without enforced rules. I loved how Kagawa was able to elegantly weave together three different points of views to tell a story. Few authors have the ability to master the multiple points of views, and still bring their story to life so effortlessly like Julie Kagawa has done with Talon. 

Ember is a character that I first deemed as a rebel, but she quickly proved there is much more to her than that. I loved getting to know her. Regardless to what she's being taught, and told she can and can't do, there's this side of her that knows she has to decipher what's right, and follow her instinct and heart. I admire her courage in doing that, even though the odds are against her, and she has a bother to think about. Her actions will have deadly consequences. I liked Garrett. He's someone whom I wouldn't want to get on his wrong side, but like Ember, he battles with what he's been taught/trained to do and with what he's feeling, and learns is the truth. Then there's Riley. Yep... loved him from the moment he rode his motorcycle into the scene and gave Ember a heated knowing look. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted from him. There's so much more to Riley than what we get to know in Talon. Trust me, what you learn about him will definitely hook you, and make you wish you had the sequel, ROGUE, in your hands already.

TALON was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more. I think Julie Kagawa found her niche with this book. I've loved all her other series, but her dragon series is by far my favorite. Talon has fantastic world building, unforgettable characters, and a story that hooked me, and gave me everything I wanted, and leaves me wanting so much more. GO PICK THIS BOOK UP! 

Top Ten Tuesday #9: 10 Books To Read / 10 Movies To Watch To Get In The Halloween Spirit

This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

Welcome to this week's Top Teen Tuesday post. This week's topic is 10 Books To Read / 10 Movies To Watch To Get In The Halloween Spirit. For some reason this week it was far easier for me to come up with 10 movies than it was 10 books. 

10 YA Books I'd recommend reading this Halloween that all contain things that can go bump in the night.... 
  1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
  2. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
  3. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
  4. The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan
  5. The Grave Yard Book / Caroline by Neil Gaiman
  6. The Coldest Girl in Cold Town / Doll Bones by Holly Black
  7. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  8. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
  9. Unbreakable / Unmarked by Kami Garcia
  10. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Of course if you want a series with Shadowhunters, demons, werewolves, vampires and the like, I totally recommend The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare ;) 


****************

10 Family Friendly movies that I would totally have an all night movie marathon and watch with my kiddos on Halloween:
  1. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
  2. Ghost Busters
  3. The Nightmare Before Christmas
  4. Beetlejuice
  5. Harry Potter
  6. Hocus Pocus
  7. The Adam's Family
  8. Casper
  9. Goonies
  10. Pirates of the Caribbean 
If I wanted to freak myself after my kids are in bed, I'd stay up and watch all the episodes of SuperNatural that I've missed. I swear the last time I watched an episode, which has been awhile, I was a little jumpy walking through my house with all the lights off. haha 

What's one your Halloween reading / movie watching list? 

Monday, October 27, 2014

Atlantia by Ally Condie, Book Review



By: Ally Condie
Published by: Dutton Books
To Be Released on: October 28th, 2014
Source: arc from publisher in exchange for a honest review
Rating: 4 Stars- I Enjoyed It!
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | B&N 
Add it to Goodreads

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths. (quoted from Goodreads)

I love it when I'm excepting one thing with a book, and get something completely different. Ally Condie treated me to something I was not excepting. When I first read that Atlantia had Sirens, I, for whatever reason, thought mermaids. For the record, there are NO mermaids in this book. What this book has, however is an unpredictable plot line, a pretty cool world, some great characters, a well paced romance, and a few twists. 

Atlantia's world is two worlds in one. There's an Above and a Below. As in an UNDER SEA WORLD!! Who doesn't want to visit a world like that? I mean there's a reason why I picked #TeamBelow in Penguin Teen's blog tour for Atlantia (read about that here). There are both humans and sirens whom make up these worlds. Though many of the sirens live below, and for a reason. Mixed into this world is a history that is complex. For Rio, all she's ever wanted to do is go to the Above. When her mother dies, her sister leaves her, and she's left alone, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of something she never thought possible. 

With more questions than answers, Rio sets out to figure out a way to get to the Above, save her sister, find out what really happened to her mother, and embrace a secret she closely guards. Rio soon realizes that things are not as they have always seemed. Betrayals, twists and learning to follow her own heart, vs what she needs to do, make Rio into a character who becomes much stronger than she first seems. I liked Rio. I liked learning more about her, and the history of the sirens, and why the world is split into a Below and an Above. I also loved that at the heart of this story is a story of love. Not in the sensual love or romantic love, love there is some romance, but love as in the love only sisters can have. That played a crucial role in this story.

Ally Condie is a talented writer. Her writing is layered, and beautiful. She's one of the few authors who's writing makes it impossible for me to quickly read through her book. Instead of quickly telling a story, and filing me in on the details later on, Ally paces her story telling, and includes all the details as she's going. Nothing is missed. Everything little detail great or small is fit into her story, which works perfectly for Atlantia.  There is a lot to the story of Atlantia, which means there are time the story moves quickly, and other times the story is slower passed. There are things that need to be explained, and built up in order for the story to come together nicely. During the times that the story moved a little slower I didn't feel quite as engaged with it, nor was I as interested as I was when the story flowed more easily. 

Overall the story is great. I liked it. I liked how unpredictable it was for me. Especially the ending. I liked reading about the siren history, and getting to know Rio, and some of the other characters. The romance in the book was just right and kept me wanting more. But, there was something that I needed a little bit more of to really love the book like I wanted to. I can't even say what the something was. I'm a fan of Ally Condie's. I like her books. I like that Atlantia was not was I was excepting it to be. I love that in a YA book market that is saturated with series, this is a standalone. However, I will say that I wish this book had been stretched out to a duology, as I wanted a little more. 

If you're a fan of Ally Condie's, I would recommend picking up Atlantia. 


Check out my Team Below giveaway

ATLANTA by Ally Condie, #TEAMBELOW International Giveaway!!


We're 1 day away from the release of Ally Condie's new release, ATLANTIA!!! To celebrate the release, Penguin Teen created an excited tour for Team Above & Team Below. You can read about it here. In support of my fabulous team, #TEAMBELOW, I'm hosting a giveaway! First, check out each of #TEAMBELOW's posts below:


TEAM BELOW
September 28 – Mundie Moms Q&A
September 30 – I Read Banned Books Guest post
October 2 – Katie’s Book Blog Short Q&A
October 4 – YA Book Queen Review
October 6 – Bloody Bookaholic Fancasting
October 8 – Novel Thoughts Blog Guest post
October 10 – Fangirlish Review
October 12 – Ravenous Reader Review
October 14 – Novel Novice Playlist
October 16 – Gone with the Words Q&A
October 18 – Paper Cuts Guest post
October 20 – Eve’s Fan Garden Playlist
October 22 – Bookish Broads Q&A
October 24 – Reading Lark Review
October 26 – The Compulsive Reader Images that Inspired Atlantia

The Giveaway


Two beautiful Atlantia necklaces for both Team Above and Team Below. Both necklaces are boxed and ready to send out to one lucky winner! This is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!!!

To enter, please fill out the form below:

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED & WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED

About The Book


By: Ally Condie
Published by: Dutton Books
To Be Released on: October 28th, 2014
Add it to Goodreads
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Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths. (quoted from Goodreads)

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