Finnick Fans, gather up ahoy!

**INCENTIVES POST IS NOW UP!**

First things first: I'm sorry for not updating this blog as much as I would like to--though, I did go to ALA and I've typed up the wrap-up post already. :) Now just got to format it and we're all good to go!

Second, but MUCH MORE important than the first thing... I'M FINNICK ODAIR'S ADVOCATE FOR THE YA CRUSH TOURNEY #2!!! Yes, THAT Finnick! The Finnick of Catching Fire and Mockingjay and who is basically the embodiment of awesome.

What does this mean? Well, the YA-Sisterhood's amazing girls (who are also fantastic friends) host this annual YA Crush Tourney, which basically is a tournament of fictional Young Adult boys. People nominate crushes, the top ones make it into the tournament, and battle lines are drawn. Essentially, what I really mean is that we all must vote for Finnick because 1) if you've read all the way to here (which admittedly isn't very far), you probably are a Finnick Fan, and 2) Finnick is crushable as HECK. And I don't mean crushable as in being able to be crushed... I mean crushable as in

BECAUSE CLEARLY FINNICK FINISHES FIRST! (alliteration!!!)

BOTTOM LINE: WHEN THE TIME COMES, I WANT YOU TO VOTE FOR FINNICK ODAIR! I will put a link, do an advocate post, have pretty buttons, grant awesome incentives, annnnnd I've got Finnick, so there really ARE NO REASONS for you to NOT vote for Finnick.

So, how do can you help? The easiest way is by making these buttons your Twitter avatars, Facebook profile pictures, buttons on your blog, and I will edit this post later with Facebook covers for you to use, too! now I've got Facebook covers for you, too!

Facebook cover:

Profile pictures/Twitter avaters/other uses:




<center><a href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/finnick-fans-gather-up-ahoy.html"><img alt="Vote for Finnick!" src="http://i.imgur.com/yDX2u.jpg" title="Vote for Finnick!" width="200" /></a></center>




<center><a href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/finnick-fans-gather-up-ahoy.html"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/XH9K9.jpg" alt="Vote for Finnick!" title="Vote for Finnick!" width="200" /></a></center>




<center><a href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/finnick-fans-gather-up-ahoy.html"><img src="https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/553148_464666843563303_929766995_n.jpg" alt="Vote for Finnick!" title="Vote for Finnick!" width="200" /></a></center>




<center><a href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/finnick-fans-gather-up-ahoy.html"><img src="https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/319441_464661723563815_1428358432_n.jpg" alt="Vote for Finnick!" title="Vote for Finnick!" width="200" /></a></center>




<center><a href="http://thereviewsnews.blogspot.com/2012/06/finnick-fans-gather-up-ahoy.html"><img src="https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/557624_464659310230723_1591698491_n.jpg" alt="Vote for Finnick!" title="Vote for Finnick!" width="200" /></a></center>

As you can tell from the last button (and yes, that is a picture of a guy who looks like Finnick to me in the background), the official Twitter hashtags we will be using are: #FinnickFanatics, #FinnickForFirst, #TeamFinnick, and #YACrushTourney. As you can also tell, the first round of the tournament for Finnick is on July 13th!

Let's reiterate that:

JULY 13th! Rally your friends! Your family! Your co-workers! Your schoolmates! Your cat! RALLY THEM ALL! Finnick will be going against Kaidan from Sweet Evil, so y'all know that we gotta get our heads focused on the Game, yeah? (bad pun intended)

And that's it for now! E-mail me at thereviewsnews(at)gmail(dot)com or tweet me @JustJuliHelms if you have any questions!

P.S. If you love Finnick, spread the word and I need your help, too! Ahoy mateys! Let us join and pretend to be pirates because they have something to do with the sea and you know Finnick loves the sea FIGHT FOR FINNICK! (alliteration awesomeness!)

Cover Reveal: ALL THE BROKEN PIECES

Covers are like cheese. Sometimes they have giant holes in them and it's more likely that the mice got to them first and kinda ruined their ideals. Other times they're freaking delicious and you can't take your eyes off of them.

Okay, okay, that was a failed simile, but you get my point, no?

Today, I have the pleasure, among with many other, super awesome bloggers, to reveal to you a cover that is definitely the second kind of cheese and cover: the absolutely, fantastically fabulous type.

Let's take a look at the summary of the story, All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen, shall we? 

All the Broken Pieces: A Gothic mystery, this is the story of Olivia, who wakes up with mysterious voices and urges she’s not used to. Turns out there’s another voice in her head—but where exactly did she come from?

Imprint: Entangled Teen; Audience: Young Adult; Novel length: 304 pages; Format: Trade paperback and eBook; Publication Date: December, 2012.

Doesn't that sound a-maz-ing? Here's the cover after the jump!

Eye for eye, but just a bit crazier

Burn for Burn
By: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release date: Sept. 18th, 2012 via Simon & Schuster BFYR

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs.Nelson's (go indie stores!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

For fans of Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries, Burn for Burn is a must-read. Drama and reality collide in this novel that delicately balances what's known and the supernatural: a mixture I usually support and love, such as in the case of Fracture. However, there are reasons Burn for Burn didn't have me trapped in its story, and those reasons ultimately burned (terrible pun intended) my love for the story.

Guest Post: FALLEN Review by Monica of COVER ANALYSIS!

Hey y'all!

So a few months back, I asked my good friend Monica of Cover Analysis if she would like to do a guest review on my blog. At the time I was buried beneath a ton of schoolwork and stuff so I didn't have time to update the blog as often as I would like to. Monica, being the awesome person she is, said yes. But then of course I failed at scheduling the post, too, so here it is today: Monica's review of Fallen by Lauren Kate, both hilarious and a spoof of awesomeness!

Fallen
By: Lauren Kate
Reported by: Monica Lopez

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs.Nelson's||Barnes&Noble||Amazon

*~*~*~*

Juli has some great reviews for you guys but unfortunately they due for later in time and not now but NO NEED TO WORRY! I'm here! Monica from Cover Analysis!


So, without further ado, let's get to the review!!

Insignia--The Legacy for Harry Potter Fans. Seriously.

Insignia
By: S. J. Kincaid
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: Won from Lindsay Cummings
Release date: July 10th, 2012

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters—but what will it cost him?

Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of humanity and technology.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (indie stores FTW!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

Insignia is insane. It is beautifully simplistic and complicatedly evocative. Crushingly despairing and hilariously witty. Intelligently phrased and bluntly honest.

I am completely, head-over-heels in love with it.

Why I am probably the world's biggest coward: AKA, my review of DANGEROUS BOY

Dangerous Boy
By: Mandy Hubbard
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release date: Aug. 30th, 2012 via Razorbill/Penguin

A modern-day retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a chilling twist.

Harper has never been worried about falling in love, something she is skeptical even exists. But everything changes when Logan moves to town, and to Harper's shock, the two tumble into an intense romance. It's everything she never thought she wanted.

Then she meets Logan's twin brother, Daemon, who was expelled from his last school. True, he's a bad boy, but Harper can't shake the feeling that there's something deeply sinister about him--something dangerous. When Logan starts pulling away, Harper is convinced that Daemon's shadowy past is the wedge being driven between them. But by the time she uncovers the truth, it may be too late.

The author of Prada & Prejudice, You Wish, and Ripple delivers a modern-day retelling of a famously gothic tale, full of suspense, lies, and romance.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (GO INDIE STORES!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

Having never read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and not knowing anything about the story, I was massively unprepared for Dangerous Boy. For those of you who have read my Scary School review... this book is definitely type 1 scary for me. It's a thriller that's punctuated by staccatos of humor painted against a background of simmering horror. It's got great, developed characters and shocking twists for the reader to revel in.

And it's got one heck of a scary story that was never meant for me.

Erasing Time

Erasing Time
By: C. J. Hill
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Tour
Release date: Aug. 28th, 2012 from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins

In this high-action and romantic futuristic adventure, there is no escape from the future for two contemporary girls pulled out of their own time.

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The moblike Dakine fights against the government, and somehow Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in the middle. The only way to elude them all is to trust Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's (support indie stores!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

Erasing Time is the most realistic dystopian novel I have ever read. There are word evolutions, government changes, but not only that, they make sense. I'm not saying other dystopian stories aren't conceivable; simply that the changes utilized in Erasing Time are already ones we can see building today.

The Perfect type of Scary

Scary School
By: Derek the Ghost
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: The Very Kind Derek

You think your school's scary?

Get a load of these teachers:
"Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire
"Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess
"Mr. Snakeskin"--science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie
"Mrs. T"--break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex"

Plus gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose

The world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch

And the narrator is an eleven-year-old ghost.

Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends--including Petunia, Johnny, and Peter the Wolf--and figures out that Scary School can be just as funny as it is spooky.

-Summary from Goodreads
Purchase: Mrs. Nelson's (support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

I'm a scaredy cat.

It's an universal fact, really. I get scared outta my wits for the simplest things. But over the years, I've come to discern that there are two types of scary:

1) The OH I AM GOING TO SCARE YOU ALRIGHT type: This one's so common, its ratio to Type 2 is like 99:1. It's the horror movie you're psyched to see and then scared to death of. It's the jokes your friends whisper and then you have nightmares about. (Really, why would you have friends who do that, anyway?) It's the scary thing that scares you in a memorable way, alright...

A terrifying, never-again-am-I-going-back-to-this type of scary.

That is not Scary School.

2) The OH, THAT WAS SCARY BUT SO FUN! AGAIN! type: This is the entertaining type of scary that kids love on Halloween. It's scary but you expect it, and it's got a plate of humor as a side dish and fun as your drink. It's scary but it's the type of scary that makes you laugh and not make you have a heart attack rivaling a tornado.

That is Scary School.

#MMBlogTour Blog Tour with Sherry Soule!

And the winner is... 

BETH! 

Beth, please reply to my email within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks, everyone, for entering! :)

Hey everyone! Today I'm honored and pleased to share with you my stop on the tour for Sherry Soule's Moonlight Mayhem! There will be a giveaway of EPIC proportions and an incredibly awesome quiz, but before we get to all that fun stuff, let's take a look at the book, shall we?

Moonlight Mayhem

By: Sherry Soule

Otherworldly Creatures. Dazzling Magic. Fiery Romance.

Shiloh Ravenwolf thought she was getting used to the strange events in Whispering Pines, until the full moon brings another surge of supernatural threats to her coastal town. Ferocious wolves, deadly necromancers, and shambling zombies have descended upon the neighborhood, so Shiloh needs to gain control of her magical abilities—fast!

It sucks that she has a crippling fear of the dark, which for a demon hunter can be an epic problem.

When her classmates are attacked by a mysterious creature and her father is murdered, Shiloh vows vengeance. Forcing her phobias aside, she forms an unlikely coven of supernaturally gifted teens to help her eradicate this menace. Except that's not all Shiloh has to worry about. She’s battling a different monster within herself and struggling not to become the very thing she fights:evil.But with demon blood inside her—anything can happen…

-Summary from Author

Awesome, right? I have more information about the book later on in the post, but I know y'all itchin' for something fun, so here's the awesome quiz, brought to you by Sherry herself!

Interview & Giveaway with S. J. Kincaid

There are three things you should know about me:

1) Insignia is one of my favorite books. Ever. As in, of all freaking time.
2) S. J. Kincaid is beyond amazing. She's so chill. I mean, I'll be freaking out and fan-girling and she's just like,

3) Oh yeah. When I went to RT back in April, Ms. Kincaid showed up. AKA I never expected it. It was a surprise, and when I saw her I literally became just like the dude on the right

so.... yeah. AND SHE SAID SHE'LL DO AN INTERVIEW WITH ME. SERIOUSLY.

Anyhow! After the jump, not only will you have a ton of awesomeness delivered just to please your palate, but Ms. Kincaid is also generous enough (as she is) to give away some Insignia-related swag.

The beasts in our hearts--TIGER LILY book review

Tiger Lily
By: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC from publisher: HarperCollins (I <3 you, Harper)
Release date: July 3rd, 2012

15 year old Tiger Lily, proud and fierce, wild and misunderstood, doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland, and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, big-hearted but hard to reach, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything - her family, her future - to be with the haunted, hunted, courageous boy who loves her. When - as a punishment for her rebellious ways - she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of PEACHES comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

-Summary from Goodreads
Pre-order: Mrs. Nelson's||Barnes&Noble||Amazon

I devoured this book the way a starved man engulfs food. 

Fairy Good or Not?

The Fairy Godmother Dilemma: Catspell
By: Danyelle Leafty
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: Author
Disclaimer: Thanks to Danyelle for sending me a complimentary copy, but that of course does not influence my opinion in any way.

Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.

Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.

-Summary from Goodreads
Buy: Barnes&Noble||Amazon

With all the fairytale renditions emerging lately, Catspell has one advantage on its side: it's not so much of a dark and sinister retelling as it is a Disney-ish clever and witty story. Oh, that and the princess doesn't want a prince. Alluring, no?

What's a human gotta do?

The Hunt
By: Andrew Fukuda
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via tour
Release date: May 8th, 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.
 
Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

-Summary from Goodreads
Mrs.Nelson's (support my local indie store!)||Barnes&Noble||Amazon||Book Depository

A thrilling, fast-paced novel echoing elements of violence and humanity, The Hunt is an engaging dystopian novel that is, finally, a book I can claim will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games.