Waiting on Wednesday DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by DARYNDA JONES @Darynda @mackidsbooks @stmartinspress

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Darynda Jones, author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right, brings us Death and the Girl Next Door, a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?  Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

About the Author

Winner of the 2009 Golden Heart® for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript First Grave on the Right, New York Times bestselling author DARYNDA JONES can't remember a time when she wasn't putting pen to paper.

 Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312625200
• ISBN-13: 978-0312625207

ABSOLUTELY ADORED Darynda's Grave series -- 

(I just ordered book 3) and I can't wait to see how she tackles YA!  

GIVEAWAY Young Adult Hop WIN Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Welcome to the YOUNG ADULT Giveaway Hop! 

This hop is hosted by: 

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE) 

Reading Teen (HERE)

There are over two hundred blogs participating and each has their own entry rules with geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts August 8th and and runs through August 14th,  midnight. 

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:

WANT TO WIN THIS SET OF (ARC) BOOKS?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address

Contest ends on 8.14.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries with be deleted.  

This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE book is available.

Complete the below form 
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BOOK REVIEW Glitch by Heather Anastasiu @h_anastasiu @StMartinsPress

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2012 | Series: Glitch - Trilogy

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In Heather Anastasiu's action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

About the Author

HEATHER ANASTASIU grew up in Texas and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and young son. She spends most days most days writing at a coffee shop or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

SOURCE: PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT


Zoel lives in a controlled environment, where brains are reprogrammed and people are essentially worker bees, doing nothing but following orders and barely existing.  In a post apocalyptic United States, people have been told that the world is unsafe and they must exist in a bunker like world, underground and never seeing anything but their own small little space.  They are fitted with computer chips that override emotions as well as desire and violence.  Much like communist China, the world they live in revolves around "self reporting" their glitches so their brains can be repaired or decommissioned.  


The people are told this is to keep them safe and Zoel, believes it all until she starts to have episodes where reality shines through and she feels things and has thoughts.  She thinks she is alone until she meets Max and others who also are "glitching".  Now, nicknamed Zoe by the others, she learns that glitchers have powers, hers being telekinesis.  The story revolves around Zoe becoming a resistance fighter and taking on the government who rules with an iron fist when she learns about how corrupt their system is.  


This is a fresh take on a dystopian theme that has become a base for a lot of young adult books lately.  Kids find they are being abused / used, rise up to fight the power with some sort of paranormal help and try to win back control to become human again.  I really enjoyed all of the characters and their struggles and look forward to the next in the series.  This should be fine for even the youngest of teens with a bit of violence, a teen pregnancy, some kissing but nothing graphic.  If you enjoyed Under the Never Sky or The Selection, this should be on your list!  

Details Reading level: Ages 13 and up Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 7, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1250002990 ISBN-13: 978-1250002990 Hey! If you are planning on ordering or preordering any of these books, consider using my Amazon links below to help support BookHounds.  I get a small (very small) percentage of anything you buy if you use my links to start your shopping!

Book Trailer Tuesday + Audio Book Clip WAKE by Amanda Hocking @macmillanaudio @stmartinspress

Enjoy!  Here is the first chapter for your listening pleasure!

Guest Post ANGELA McGARRYon Pushing the Limits @katiemcgarry @harlequinteen

Be sure to check out my review and a chance to win a copy HERE

Hi! I’m Angela McGarry: wife, mother, full time web developer, Katie’s sister-in-law and, thanks to Katie, I’m now an aspiring singer/songwriter. In my spare time I love to read, so when Katie gave me her book, Pushing the Limits, I was ecstatic.  From the first chapter, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are so real.  I instantly bonded with Echo, and could see myself falling for a guy like Noah when I was in high school. 

I read Pushing the Limits in less than two days (my kids had cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner those two days), and as soon as I sat down at the piano, the words just came out.

“I’m shattered, I’m broken, I’m scarred, Can you really see me?”

That’s Echo. Everything that she feels; everything that she sees herself as. I think every girl goes through this feeling in high school. Granted not everyone has the same scenario as Echo, but that feeling deep down in our gut is all the same. Does anyone know I exist; do I want them to know I’m even here?

The first time I played “Can You” for Katie I was a little nervous, having never done anything like this before, and I didn't want to let her down. I finished and turned around expecting feedback, and she was crying. It was one of the most impactful moments of my life (she probably didn’t know that until now).  I actually affected someone, through my words, my music, my voice, something I never thought possible…and I loved that feeling.  I can only imagine what Katie feels like having her book sold in so many countries, to so many different types of people.  You put your heart and soul out there on the line writing a book or a song…then you pray that people like it.  Katie gave me that push of encouragement I needed to take “Can You” to the next level.  Who knew a tear could do so much? J

Katie loved the song, and I loved that she loved it!  From there I found musicians to play the music, and came up with a harder “rock” version for the other side of Echo that doesn’t always show.  All of us girls have the quiet side and the louder side that sometimes isn’t seen.  Both the ballad and the rock version of “Can You” are available for purchase through iTunes and various other digital media distribution sites.  There are also previews of both versions on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIZgnIP9qEU and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSF0Fh0cEyY.

This awesome experience for Katie has also opened doors for me in my music journey…one that I hope will only continue.  Pushing the Limits affected me in a way no other book ever has: it  rekindled a fire in my soul for the love of music.  It is my hope that all readers will have the same reaction to this remarkable book as I did.  It truly makes you look at the world through different eyes.

BLOG TOUR STOP #6 Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry @katiemcgarry @harlequinteen

Check out my review and a chance to win this book HERE

Stop #6

Echo and Noah both attend the same high school, but that’s where their similarities seem to end.  Their paths cross however, when, on the first day of school after winter break they both meet their newly appointed school social worker.  Katie McGarry wrote Pushing the Limits in alternating points of view, one chapter by Echo, the next by Noah.  Check out the excerpts below, taken from the first chapters of Katie’s debut novel.  Want to read from the beginning? Every stop on the blog tour features new excerpts – the complete tour schedule can be found here: http://harlequinblog.com/2012/07/two-essential-ways-to-build-your-characters/.

Echo:

“Is there a bathroom nearby?” Ashley interrupted. “The baby loves to sit on my bladder.”

More like Ashley loved to make everything about her. Mrs. Collins gave her a strained smile and pointed to the door. “Go out to the main hallway and take a right.”

The way she maneuvered out of her chair, Ashley acted as if she carried a thousand-pound ball of lead instead of a tiny baby. I shook my head in disgust, which only drew my father’s ice-cold stare.

Noah:

“Noah?” Mrs. Collins called me into her office.

The last guidance counselor had major OCD issues. Everything in the office perfectly placed. I used to move his plaques just to mess with him. There’d be no such entertainment with Mrs. Collins. Her desk was a mess. I could bury a body in here and no one would ever find it.

Taking the seat across from her, I waited for my ass-chewing.

“How was your Christmas break?” She had that kind look again, sort of like a puppy.

“Good.” That is if you considered your foster mom and dad getting into a screaming match and throwing everyone’s gifts into the fireplace a good Christmas. I’d always dreamed of spending my Christmas in a hellhole basement watching my two best friends get stoned.

******Please visit I Read Banned Books for the next excerpt from Echo and Noah.******

GIVEAWAY + REVIEW Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry @harlequinteen @katiemcgarry

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2012 | Series: Harlequin Teen

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.


About the Author

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

 Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen (July 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210493
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210497

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS 

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT


WOW! Just absolutely amazing!
Echo has gone from popular to freak in one summer.  After a horrible accident that leaves her with emotional and physical scars, her home life is in shambles.  Her father has left her mother for her babysitter and Echo still can't remember the accident that was caused by her mother.  Noah fights, drugs and sleeps his way to numbness after a fire has claimed his parents and put him and his two brothers into foster care.  After stopping his foster father from hitting his offspring, Noah is blamed and deemed unsafe to be around his younger brothers.   Both have been forced into therapy by the state, and it is Mrs. Collins, the therapist, pairs extremely smart Echo with Noah in order to tutor him so he can get into college. 




They both fight the feelings that are developing between them since neither on really seems to want any emotional connection because of the abuse each has suffered. I was crying by page 25 and then periodically throughout the book -- all in a good way. This was balanced out by some really sweet and funny moments.  I normally tear through books but I found myself really taking my time with this one since I didn't want it to end.  As Echo starts to overcome her post traumatic stress brought on by the accident, she starts to show her scars as well as opening up herself to feel again with Noah's help. The loss of her older brother also plays a part in her mental undoing.  


The story is told in alternating voices and chapters between Echo and Noah and we come to find out the truth behind Noah's reluctance to feel anything himself.   Noah realizes that in order to get custody of his younger brothers, he needs to clean up his act. The horror of being a foster child is well described here.  The whole thing comes together when they both realize that what they are both searching for in the end.  Noah's best friends and fellow foster children help form a family that try to keep him together.  Overall, this is a wonderful coming of age tale best suited for older teens.  There are mentions of drug and alcohol use, language, sexual situations as well as child abuse.  If you have enjoyed Jennifer Echols or Jodi Picoult, then you are going to love this one as well. This is in my top ten for the year. 

Hey! If you are planning on ordering or preordering any of these books, consider using my Amazon links below to help support BookHounds.  I get a small (very small) percentage of anything you buy if you use my links to start your shopping! 

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS  BOOK and a REALLY COOL bookmark? 

Complete the below form 

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a US or Canadian mailing address  (Sorry, NO PO Boxes )

Contest ends on 8.20.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
One winner per household. Duplicate entries will be deleted. 

This giveaway is sponsored by Harlequin Teen and ONE copy is available.

Check out the other blog tour hosts HERE for more giveaways!

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