Cover Reveal: OPAL by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You know what's an awesome alien (alliteration!) series? The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. And I'm lucky enough to be revealing it today! (Image is after the jump.)

UNSPOKEN humor = the best humor

Unspoken
By: Sarah Rees Brennan
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Publisher/Netgalley
Release Date: It's out! Go buy it ASAP!

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

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

I've met Sarah Rees Brennan a total two times, both times at the RT Teen Day event. The first time I met her was back in 2011 at the Los Angeles RT Convention. At the time, I didn't read a lot--I loved reading, I just wasn't obsessed with it--but I fell in love with Ally Carter's books and saw on her website that she was going to be at RT, so I went, with the sole intent of wowing Ally with my Supreme Coolness and Complete Un-awkwardness (hahahahaha I must've been way more ignorant than I thought I was), but of course, I ended up being both Supremely Uncool and Completely Awkward. 

Which would have been really sad. EXCEPT SARAH REES BRENNAN WAS THERE.

And she made my day.

You know those people in your life who are just so full of this untamable energy that they seem to explode whenever they're by you? The type of people who make jokes that are so funny that you can't even breathe, and they're just smiling all crookedly at you 'cause they're just glad to have entertained but isn't really sure just how they so completely blew you away?

Well, Sarah is one of those people. In fact, if that type of person had a name, the name would be Sarah. 

SILVER Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Silver
By: Talia Vance
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Netgalley/Publisher
Release Date: Sept. 8th, 2012 from Flux

An Irish heritage, Celtic myth, and deadly beauty

In eighth grade, Brianna did something so dreadful she was suspended and homeschooled. No one could explain what happened that night . . . except Brianna's Irish grandmother, who gave her a silver charm bracelet and told her to wear it until she turned seventeen. Ever since she slipped it on, Brianna has felt like she's invisible. People stare right past her as if she doesn't exist. And that includes Blake Williams, the one boy she can't resist.

But everything changes in one frozen, silver moment when Blake sees her--and recognizes what she's been hiding. Brianna is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth. Yet before she can fully understand who or what she is, Brianna accidentally binds her soul to Blake--whose tribe has spent the last thousand years hunting Danu's descendants to protect humanity.

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

When describing Silver, the words clever--or perhaps witty--astounding, and bewilderingly intense come to mind. In this fascinating tale tangling threads of ancient Celtic myth and an authentic yet strong heroine, Silver manages to do three things: 1) make itself feel as valuable as silver (pun intended), 2) sincerely pluck out the nature of desire and growth of teenagers--therefore inducing twisted plots and often frustrating, but understandable, decisions, and 3) transform the mythological genre into a new excitingly unique and incredibly detailed creature.

I spy... a new mythological creature in YA?!?

Valkyrie Rising
By: Ingrid Paulson
Reported by: Julianna Helms
Source: ARC via Tour
Release date: Oct. 9th, 2012 from HarperTeen

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

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

Quick, quick! Grab your reins and your deer--we've got an original mythological creature in La Ville de YA!

Okay--seriously though. Even as I didn't fully enjoy Valkyrie Rising, I have to admit that it's got some fantastic mythology and setting that we very rarely see in a market as crowded as YA. I can go on and on about why I think that is, but then this would not be a review but rather a rant of utter pointlessness, so let's just skip right to the good stuff, yeah?

The two biggest points Valkyrie Rising has going for it is its mythology and setting. But let's save the praises for last, because unfortunately, this book did not claim me an infatuated fangirl overall.

Authors are Rockstars Tour Stop: Chloe Jacobs!

Welcome to my stop on The amazingly AWESOME Authors are Rockstars August 2012 Tour! Today, I have the absolute honor of representing District- I'm sorry, the commending "welcome" threw me off-track (or should I say off-tour? Ha... ha?). All kidding aside, though, GUESS WHAT? I'm hosting the amazing 

CHLOE JACOBS

today! Chloe is the author of the upcoming Greta and the Goblin King. Even though I haven't read it yet, I can already tell Chloe is a rockstar because

1) the guest post the sent me was just made of awesome,

2) she's giving away a special little something for this stop! How nice is that?

3) Who doesn't love goblins? And to write an entire book about them! *stutters* I think that's too much awesome for my soul.

When I got the news that I was to host Chloe on this tour, you can imagine that I was excited! I knew I wanted to ask Chloe for a guest post, but there are so many topics out there--and many cliché, over-done ones, too, that I knew I wouldn't want to do--that it really got me thinking. In the end, I decided to go with this topic: 

What do you think makes or break a book? So many good books are out there today, and agents, editors, and reviewers alike have talked about what they think separates amazing from good, or great. What do you think on the subject and how does that influence your writing and choices?

Chloe graciously replied with a fascinating and intriguing post. Read it after the jump!