Mundie Moms

Friday, March 31, 2017

FORWARD INTO DARKNESS By Marlene Perez / Cover Reveal + Read The Prologue #ForwardIntoDarkness

Welcome to today's cover reveal for Marlene Perez's FORWARD INTO DARKNESS, being released on April 25th, 2017 by Paper Lantern Lit's Studio imprint. Today's cover reveal also includes a sneak peak into the book. 

CHECK OUT THIS COVER!




I love this cover! I love the silhouette of the wolf mixed with the falling snow. I also love the little details on it, like the snow building up the tops of some of the letters. I'm a sucker for a wolf cover, and a good fantasy read. Yes, I'd pick up this book based on the cover alone.

What do you think about the cover? 

Along with today's cover reveal, we're also thrilled to share the book's prologue. After reading it, I definitely want to read more. Read more below! Be sure to leave us a comment letting us know what you think of the cover. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

For Valencia Paine, the world is as small as her family’s estate. Confined to the grounds because of unrest from the human-animal hybrids whose labor runs the city, Valencia observes life in Sombria from the other side of a wrought-iron fence.

Her father, a powerful scientist in Sombria’s popular—and oppressive—regime, claims it's for her own protection. But Valencia isn’t content to stay cloistered inside a cold, lonely mansion, with only books for company. When she slips away and encounters Mateo, a mysterious stranger with ties to the city's hybrids, she finds herself drawn into a life forbidden to her--and into a resistance movement that defies everything she thinks she knows.

As her father tightens his control of her by arranging a marriage to Henri, a rising star in the regime, Valencia becomes more determined to discover the truth. Will her defiance change her—and her world—forever?

With thrilling twists and romantic interludes, this fantasy is perfect for fans of Ransom Riggs and Marie Lu.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR





Marlene Perez is the author of paranormal and urban fantasy books, including the best-selling DEAD IS series for teens. The first book in the series, DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK, was named an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers as well as an ALA Popular Paperback. DEAD IS JUST A RUMOR was on VOYA’s 2011 Best Science Fiction, Horror, & Fantasy List. Her novels have been featured in Girl’s Life, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan. The Disney Channel has optioned the first three books in the DEAD IS series for television. 

She grew up in Story City, Iowa and is the youngest of twelve children. She lives in Orange County, California with her husband and children. Visit Marlene at www.marleneperez.com.


READ THE PROLOGUE for FORWARD INTO DARKNESS 



PROLOGUE

Before I leave the compound, I feel for the key my father gave me. It was a birthday gift; the key to the kingdom, he said. The key hangs on a long silver chain that is so finely crafted, it’s gossamer light around my neck.
Our compound, which could be considered a little kingdom on its own, is in the heart of Old Sombria. The wrought-iron fences are high and the gates are kept locked at all times. Crimson roses grow unchecked, their scent perfuming the air, and their vines, thick as a mermaid's hair, covering most of the fence.
I reach the gate and take off my necklace purposefully. I hear rusty metal scraping and I jump, but the sound does not come again.
I insert the key into the heavy brass lock and turn it. Nothing happens.
My eyes fill with tears. “But he said he trusted me,” I whisper to myself.
My key does not work, but there is a secret way out. I saw it in my dreams one night, and I found it at daybreak, but have never been brave enough to actually try it. Until now.
I push through the undergrowth, ignoring the pain as a sharp thorn pokes at my ribs. I find the hole under the fence and squeeze through the small opening. I stand up and I’m in the city proper. I am entranced, but there is no time for gawking.
I walk to the west gate of the city, wearing my plainest gown and sturdy shoes. The exit is about a mile from my home. I make it through without incident. The air is fresh and fragrant and green.
If I avoid the main road, the village is about a half-hour walk from Sombria. But I move swiftly, in a race with the setting sun.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

HEAR THE WOLVES by Victoria Scott / Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway


Hello and welcome to the next stop in the HEAR THE WOLVES blog tour! I'm so thrilled to have Victoria Scott on the blog today to talk about her newest release, which is also her debut middle grade book! Hear the Wolves was released yesterday and it's a fabulous read! Before I share my interview with her, here's a little bit about the book. Don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the post!

ABOUT THE BOOK



By: Victoria Scott
Published by: Scholastic Press
Released on: March 28, 2017
Purchase from: AmazonBarnes & NobleiBooks
Add it to Goodreads

It’s survival of the strongest in a contemporary, girl-versus-wild middle-grade debut from Fire & Flood author Victoria Scott!

Sloan is a hunter.

So she shouldn’t be afraid of anything. But ever since her mom left the family and she lost hearing in one ear in a blizzard, it’s been hard to talk to people, and near-impossible to go anywhere or do anything without her dad or big sister within eyesight — it makes her too scared to be on her own.

When they leave her home alone for what should only be two nights, she’s already panicked. Then the snow starts falling and doesn’t stop. One of her neighbors is hurt in an accident. And the few people still left in Rusic need to make it to the river and the boat that’s tied there — their only way to get to a doctor from their isolated Alaska town.

But the woods are icy cold, and the wolves are hungry. Sloan and her group are running out of food, out of energy, and out of time. That’s when the wolves start hunting them . . .


AUTHOR INTERVIEW 




I absolutely love wolves. I am fascinated by the research you did on them and I'm also a little jealous you got to hang out with wolves. If there was one thing you could tell us that you learned about wolves, what would it be? 

I’d tell you that though wolves have their own unique howl, that when they do it as a pack, they’ll hit the same frequency so that nearby packs think they are larger in number than they are, and won’t intrude on their territory. I thought that was so cool! 


What came first with this story: the story, the setting or a character?
The wolves came first. A blizzard was about to hit the East Coast, and it was all over the news. I went to bed that night thinking about that blizzard, and what would happen if people couldn’t leave, and if wild animals still lived in close proximity like they do in Alaska. What would happen if the snow never let up? Or if people ran out of food and supplies? That night, I dreamed of wolves.

Character wise, which of your characters would you have entrusted if you found yourself in a similar situation as they were?
I’d choose the main character, Sloan, all the way! She’s extremely intuitive when it comes to surviving in the woods, and she’s an excellent shot.  

Your world building always rocks! I always find myself easily picturing the world your stories are set in. I really loved this setting. I grew up exploring the outdoors. If have to ask, are you an outdoorsy person?
Not at all. But I grew up partly on my family’s ranch in Blanco, Texas. My dad kind of forced me to be outdoorsy when I was younger, and he taught me how to build a fire, how to find your way back to our cabin, and how to fire a rifle. That stuff comes in super helpful now that I live in one of the largest cities in the US. Ha!  

I love that you have both YA and MG books. I hear MG is a little easier to write. Would you agree with that?
OMG, nooooooo! I would never, ever agree with that. Ha! This book was more difficult to edit than all my other books, combined. But I’m proud to have tackled both!

Do you have a favorite line you can share with us?
Sure! Here’s one from the opening page:
“We should have known then, when that piece of news was shared neighbor-to-neighbor over black coffee and fried eggs, that we weren’t long for this frostbitten world.” 


Will readers be able to catch you on tour or at any upcoming book festivals?
I’ll be signing copies of Hear the Wolves at TLA in San Antonio in April, and I can’t wait to be back in Texas. Hopefully I’ll see you there!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Scott is the author of eight novels including Titans, Fire & Flood, Salt & Stone, the Dante Walker trilogy, Hear the Wolves (March 2017), and Violet Grenade (May 2017). She is published by Scholastic and Entangled Teen, and is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties.
Victoria’s latest novel, Titans, received two starred reviews, and Fire & Flood has been selected as a 2017 Spirit of Texas Reading Program book. Victoria’s novels have been bought and translated in fourteen foreign markets. The author currently resides in Philadelphia, and loves hearing from her readers.




ENTER TO WIN

3 winners will receive a finished copy of HEAR THE WOLVES, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW THE TOUR

Week One:
3/20/2017- YA Books Central- Interview
3/21/2017- Just CommonlyReview
3/22/2017- Falling For YAGuest Post
3/23/2017- MEREADALOTReview
3/24/2017- BookHounds YAInterview


Week Two:
3/27/2017- A Backwards StoryReview
3/28/2017- A Gingerly ReviewExcerpt
3/29/2017- Book BriefsReview
3/30/2017- Mundie MomsInterview
3/31/2017- Library of a Book WitchReview

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Lord of Shadows Limited Edition *UK* Edition Available For Pre-Order


The limited, UK edition of Lord of Shadows is now avaiable for pre-order at Waterstones. I highly recommend pre-ordering this edition. It's my favorite of all the various TDA series editions. I ordered the Lady Midnight edition last year and have already pre-ordered this edition. Pre-order your copy HERE

ABOUT THIS EDITION:


Exclusive limited edition hardbackA limited edition hardback of Lord of Shadows, exclusive to Waterstones. Every copy will be hand-stamped with a rune that incorporates Cassandra Clare's signature and include a deleted scene featuring Emma and Julian and an exclusive map from the Shadowhunters world. There is a print run of only two thousand copies of this deluxe hardback.

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare's Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows is a Shadowhunters novel. Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she'd be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again? And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters' demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear-before it's too late.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 9781471165269


There is also a paperback special edition avaiable that has sprayed blue edges and contains an extra scene. You can get that here

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

OUT TODAY! 3/28/17 New YA Releases


Today is an awesome release day! There are some fantastic new releases that I absolutely loved reading, and I'm so thrilled that they're finally out. That means I can finally get my hands on the published books, and I'll be waiting patiently for my pre-orders to arrive. Check out today's list of new releases. 

 
  1. A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi, St. Martin's Griffin
  2. Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves, Knopf Books for Young Readers
  3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini TaylorLittle Brown 
  4. 100 Hours by Rachel Vincent, Katherine Tegen Books 
  5. Summoner Rising by Melanie McFarlane, Month9Books
  6. Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg, Arthur R. Levine Books
  7. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman, Harper 
  8. Almost Adulting by Adren Rose, Harper 
  9. The Body Market by Donna Freitas, Harper 
  10. Just a Girl by Carrie Mesrobian, Harper Teen 
Which new releases will you be picking up?

THE GLITTERING COURT Release Day Blitz


Welcome to today's THE GLITTERING COURT Release Day Blitz. We've teamed up with Penguin Teen to celebrate the paperback release of Richelle Mead's The Glittering Court. It's a little hard to believe this book has already been out for about a year now. Today's blitz includes a giveaway you don't want to miss. Details for it at the end of the post. First, here's a little bit about the book.

ABOUT GLITTERING COURT


Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

ABOUT RICHELLE MEAD 


RICHELLE MEAD is the #1 New York TimesUSA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Vampire Academy series and its spin-off series, Bloodlines. Originally from Michigan, she now lives in Seattle, Washington.

ENTER TO WIN

Enter for a chance to win one (1) of ten (10) copies of The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (ARV: $10.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 28, 2017 and 12:00 AM on April 5, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about April 7, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. 

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SUMMONER RISING by Melanie McFarlane / Release Day Blitz #OfTheTrees


Welcome to today's SUMMONER RISING release day blitz. We've teamed up with Month9 Books to celebrate Melanie McFarlane's newest release. Don't miss today's excerpt and the giveaway at the end of the post. First, here's a little bit about the book. 

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Melanie McFarlane
Published by: Month9Books
Released on: March 28th, 2017
Series: Laws of Summoning #1
Purchase from: Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play Books | Indiebound
Add it to Goodreads
Law One: A summoner is responsible for all creatures it lets through from the netherworld.
Dacie Cantar wishes someone had explained the Laws of Summoning to her before she watched a shadowy creature crawl out of a painting at the local arcade. At least it explains the strange things she's witnessed since moving in with her great-aunt, after her mother’s untimely death. But who wants to be followed by shadows the rest of their life? Add that to being stalked by a strange boy at school, who just might be her Tovaros (aka soulmate), it’s about all Dacie can handle in her new life. 

As she nears her seventeenth birthday, will she be ready for her new responsibilities, or will the shadows that stalked her mother until her death, finally consume Dacie, too? And then there’s Law Two…


READ AN EXCERPT
When we pull up at the front of the house, everything is dark. Katya must be out. I stay quiet as I close the door and walk onto the front porch.
“Don’t be mad,” Tryan says grabbing my hand and pulling me back against his chest. He looks down into my face. “Demons aren’t trustworthy,” he says. “Just remember that.”
I relax my body against his and Tryan leans down and kisses me. His lips are soft and gentle, and I melt against him. The stress of this last month melts away.
A shiver runs through my body and Tryan mistakes it for a chill. “Let’s go inside,” he says, pulling my hand toward the door.
As Tryan grabs the handle, the door creaks open. It’s not locked? He looks back at me with a frown creased across his brow. I push past him into the house.
“Katya?” I call out into the darkness. Nothing. Lights flicker into the kitchen through the open patio doors on the other side of the house.
“Come on,” Tryan says pulling me outside with a finger to his lips. “This way.”
We slowly creep around the side of the house, following the flickering lights to the back yard. Between the tall fence and the wooden siding of the house, we’re sitting ducks. We slow down as we reach the back corner and Tryan grabs my hand.
“Let me go first,” he says. “Please. Trust me.”
I nod and hold back as Tryan passes in front of me. He peers around the corner, then holds up a hand for me to stop as he disappears into the backyard.
I shuffle around the corner, but Tryan is nowhere to be seen. Lights are hanging along the fence to the back of the property, flickering on and off.
“Tryan?” I whisper. No answer. I look back. Where is he?
“Tryan?” I call out a little louder this time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melanie McFarlane is a passionate writer of other-wordly adventures, a little excitable, and a little quirky. Whether it’s uncovering the corruption of the future, or traveling to other worlds to save the universe, she jumps in with both hands on her keyboard. Though she can be found obsessing over zombies and orcs from time to time, Melanie has focused her powers on her YA debut There Once Were Stars, and her YA urban fantasy Summoner Rising.

She lives with her husband and two daughters in the Land of Living Skies.

ENTER TO WIN

1 winner will receive a DVD of THE CRAFT, US Only.



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