HoN Comic release date! (And other news)

Well, I`m not sure if I can speed up the posting-schedule a little bit, because everything is spinning out of control and I need to adjust myself to having actually A LOT to do.
Bye, bye boring holidays, hello stress.

And now to the news: I posted about the House of Night comics written by PC and Kristin cast as soon as I got the news about them. And finally we have a release date and the cover for the first issue:

The first issue will be on sale November 9th. From then on a new issue will be released every month, ending in March 2012.
Are you eager to get your hands on this one, since Pc said on her blog that "You get Z and the early nerd herd, and you also get ancient vampyre stories woven within the modern story"

Read the first post for more information about the comics.

Also I started  City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (finally! I know I'm late) and I can't wait to post my review for you. But until I'm finished I just have to say: This is pure awesomeness!! 

Greetings and a lot of fun with all those fabulous books out there!
KJ

Paranormalcy movie!

First of all I'm really sorry for the long silence, but school started for me this week so things are getting a little busy over here.

I have amazing news for all fans of author Kiersten White: Her book Paranormalcy has a director! She announced that they are planning to turn the book into a movie and Ray Kay signed up to direct it. He worked on music videos before and I'm really excited about this fabulous news :)
They haven't started casting yet, because they are currently working on the screen play. For more infos visit Kiersten's blog.

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

What about you? Can you wait for a Paranormalcy movie any longer or do you think they will turn down the whole project, anyway?
Greetings
KJ

Destined Cover...

Hey there :)
So while we had a new cover yesterday we will have a new cover today :)
PC and Kristin Cast just released the new cover for Destined the sixth and final book in the House of Night series. Check it out:

What do you think about this?
Honest opinion? I liked the first ones more than this... But if you like it that's of course your choice ;) I just don't think it would attract my attention in a bookstore.
Greetings
KJ

Hallowed UK Cover

Seriously how amazing is this?
I just got the news that Cynthia Hand shared the cover of the UK edition of her novel Hallowed with us on her blog. And, seriously? How beautiful is this cover?

And oh my gosh, there is actually a boy on it. Haven't seen a boy on a cover for a long time. But it's not just any boy it's Christian, who you should know if you read her novel.
Visit her blog to find out what Cynthia Hand thinks about this wonderful cover and what role Christian is going to play in this novel.

Greetings and more to come later :)
KJ

What she's been doing...

Well I wondered a little bit, what Libba Bray the fabulous author of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy and many other books has been doing, so I headed over to her blog searching for some little info I could share with you.

Forgive me, if my writing is a little messy today, but school's starting tomorrow and my sleep rhythm is out of control and everything feels just weird...

Well, now that this has been said here is the information I promised.
Libba Bray just did a fabulous Q&A on her blog, which is really hilarious (and sometimes a little bit weird ;D). So you should definitely check it out following this little linky-thingy.
She is currently working on a new four-book series which is called The Diviners. She describes the series like this:  "It’s taking me back to my love of horror and sprawling, historical dramas. By that I mean that when I realized my historical story was becoming a sprawling mess, I felt a sense of true horror."

The first book is planned to come out fall 2012 and is set in New York City in the 1920's.
So I guess we just have to wait a little longer, but we can always re-read one of her other books ;)

Clockwork Prince extra and City of Lost Souls teaser

Morning guys :)
Cassandra Clare published her monthly teaser for her upcoming novel City of Lost Souls, which will be the fifth installment in the Mortal Instruments series.
She also published an extra for her other upcoming novel Clockwork Prince, the second installment in the Infernal Devices series and sequel to Clockwork Angel. The extra is called Of Loss: Will Herondale's perspective on the attic scene from Clockwork Angel
So go to her blog to check them both out or read below to find something about the Mortal Instruments.

The Mortal Instruments series started with City of Bones back in 2007

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Is this another series on your to-read shelf or are you eager to get your hands on the new releases, because you can already quote the others?
Greetings
KJ

The lost chapter of Adrian Ivashkov...

Richelle Mead started her Bloodlines challenge last week where she, based on a bet with a friend, promised to release the first chapter of Bloodlines from Adrian Ivashkov's point of view IF there would be 10.000 pre-orders by the end of the week.
And because VA fans are (as most fans in general) totally amazing and reached that goal. So for more information go and visit Richelle Mead's blog. You will find there a link, that takes you to Adrian's lost chapter.
Confused about the chapter thing?
Richelle Mead explained, that she originally intended to write the whole novel in third person ("he does this and that") changing the person with every chapter (e.g: First chapter is with Adrian's perspective, second with Sydney's...). But she got problems with that and changed the concept into first person ("I do this and that") and choose Sydney as the only narrator.
That makes Sydney's chapter the official version, which you can read on Richelle Mead's site, too.
Bloodlines will hit the shelves on August, 23.
And, you may ask, what is Bloodlines? Well the answer is easy, that is Bloodlines:

Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning... 

So head over to Richelle's site, read the chapter and tell me what you think about it :)
Greetings
KJ

Waiting on... The Poison Diaries - Nightshade

Welcome to a new round of Waiting on... Posts, where I introduce you to some new books, I can't get my hands on fast enough :)
Today I want to present you a series, I think you should definitely check out.
Why now? Because I saw this amazing trailer and because the release date of the second novel gets closer and closer...

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood and The Duchess of Northumberland was the first book in this trilogy and you should really check out the incredible site they made for it.
Or you just check out the following post, bringing you the description of book one and the official series trailer...

In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure -- or kill.

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . .

The second novel in the series The Poison Diaries, Nightshade is expected to come out on December 10, 2011 by Harperteen.

A wonderful week full of words to everyone :)
Greetings KJ

The Children of Erin

Die Kinder von Erin. by Helmut W. Pesch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of the Reading is my Escape Monthly Challenge. It was actually a re-read but I read it so long ago, that I couldn’t remember a lot of it, besides the fact that I loved it. Ad here again I read it in almost one sitting.

“Die Kinder von Erin” which in English means “The Children of Erin” is the second instalment in a series by Helmut W. Pesch.

In the first novel “The Children of the Nibelungen” the protagonists, Siggi, Gunhild and their English friend Hagen were in Germany travelling with the help of an ancient ring into the mythical world of the Nibelungen. Each kid personalized one of the main characters of the old legend about Siegfried the Dragon killer with the same name. (Hagen started to act like the Hagen of the old legend, Gunhild like the mythical version of Gunhild and Siggi, well you can guess that…) While delving deep into the ancient legend the problems of their heroes endangered the kids, as they witnessed the beginning and the ending of an old tale.
So in the second book, one year later the three are on vacation in Dunvegan Castle, and old baronial castle in Ireland.

While the short prologue leaves us wondering who this mysterious man is and why he waited to long for the kids, magic starts in the first paragraph of chapter one. The beautiful melody of a harp wakes Gunhild in the middle of the night and calls her into the ancient world of Erin, the mythological Ireland.

Just like one year before it is the night of the summer solstice and the veil of our world and the Otherworld is thin. Gunhild doesn’t know, it she is ready for yet another adventure. She remembers the beauty that comes with the magic, but also tears and blood. And she doesn’t know if she is ready for the feelings between herself and Hagen that are again growing stronger. Her little, 15-year old, brother Siggi on the other hand is ready to jump into any new adventure to prove once again that he is a real hero. Siggi as the Sunny boy is the perfect counterweight to the more melancholy Hagen. They couldn’t be any more different, yet the characters are working perfectly together.
When dangerous creatures enter the castle Gunhild and Hagen have no other choice than fleeing into the night. Accompanied by the full moon and followed by monsters from the Otherworld they are running for their lives. Their last chance: A Gate in a hill, known to belong to the old goddess of Erin…

While Helmut W. Pesch has a wonderful writing style the glossary at the back of the novel is full with gaelic words and how to pronounce them, maps and names of heroes, places and gods from Irish mythology.
So it is indeed a great resource for further studies and a good place to start delving deeper into the mythological world of the Celts.
The author is able to weave old legends (like the stories about sidhe) into a new tale, a story that you almost believe as true…

He is able to hide all those themes that are typical for Celtic mythology in his story like he was part of it himself. Which makes his characters even more real and believable. When Amergin tells Siggi the old story about Erin and says “I know it, I was there…” (which he says a lot) You believe him that he knows, that he was there. Because Helmut W. Pesch knows what he is talking about, though I’m not quite sure that he was there…

After I read a book I’m always wondering when the author caught me and if there was a time when I could have walked away from the book without ever looking back again. Helmut W. Pesch, the author of this fabulous piece of work got me interested with the quote he put at the beginning:

“Fantasy is a journey into the subconscious of the human mind. She can be dangerous and she can change you” by Ursula K. Le Guin (freely translated)

And after the first chapter there was no getting away from this one. And it got better and better with every page.
Back in the days when I read it for the first time I would have given it five out of five stars. Since I’m now older and the book is for a younger audience (13+) I will give it only four stars. But it is still a recommendation to everyone who loves fantasy and ancient stories, no matter which age. And it was definitely a close call between five and four stars.

And now I’m leaving you guessing what the third (and the in my opinion best book of the series) “The Children of Avalon” may be about. Here is a little tip: They are finding a sword at the beginning of the book…
And thanks to Helmut W. Pesch for a night without sleep and a wonderful tale that will surely follow me around a little longer and reminded me once again why I love fantasy, especially the old European legends so much.

Greetings and a wonderful August full with words and stories
KJ

View all my reviews

Dreamland Trailer...

Alyson Noel announced on her blog that there is a new trailer for Dreamland:

Dreamland is the third book in the Riley Bloom series, which follows the adventures of a character from Alyson Noel's bestselling The Immortals series.
If you don't know what this series is about, here is the description of the first Riley Bloom book:

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley...

 
After Radiance and Shimmer, Dreamland will release on the 13 September 2011.
Have you read this series or are you still reading the Immortals?
Let me know, what you thougth about those books...
Greetings
KJ

One Day only Scavenger Hunt!

A lot of those YA authors we love are taking part in a huge scavenger hunt today! It is a one day only thing, where you hop from each author's blog to another to read exclusive one day only material from their novels. Than you just find the word written in red, write it on a note and hop to the next blog.
At the end of it you sort all those little red words into a big puzzle and enter for a chance to win a grande price...

Here is a complete list of all those fabulous authors participating:

JOSEPHINE ANGELINI
TERA LYNN CHILDS
ANGELA CORBETT
KADY CROSS
HEATHER DAVIS
DJ DESMYTER
BREE DESPAIN
LEIGH FALLON
MARLEY GIBSON
ABBI GLINES
COLLEEN HOUCK
TARA HUDSON
ELANA JOHNSON
SOPHIE JORDAN
MYRA MCENTIRE
ALEXANDRA MONIR
LISA NOWAK
AMY PLUM
BETH REVIS
LISA & LAURA ROECKER
INARA SCOTT
JERI SMITH-READY
LANI WOODLAND

Ready? Visit author Beth Revis to start your hunt!

Greetings and good luck
KJ