So many covers...

Hello :)

Many many authors revealed covers for new books during the last week, and instead of posting each and every one of them I thought I show you which three I like the most and for which books I'm most excited for.
Over on epicreads they did a summary of all covers that were revealed by HarperCollins authors last week, which were eleven covers. To see all of them visit the site.

It was really hard to pick just three covers, they were all beautiful and amazing! So go and check them out and even more important check out all those awesome authors!

Wendy Higgins revealed the cover for Sweet Peril which will be the sequel to her story Sweet Evil. Here is the summary taken from Goodreads: (If you did not read the first one, beware of spoilers!)

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a claim. She’d been naive about a lot of things. 

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

MTV developing Unraveling

So here is the news:

The Hollywood Reporter just announced that MTV wants to turn Elizabeth Norris' novel Unraveling into a series! With Awkward and Teen Wolf MTV has two very well working scripted series and it seems that they want to add another to the list.
For more infos on the deal, for example who will be producing it visit this site.
A huge "Congratulations!" to Elizabeth Norris for this awesome step, it is great that her debut novel has such a great chance.

And to all fans of the series: This does not mean that the series will definitely happen. It is just a project right now, there will be a pilot and than we'll see...
And for those of you who do not know the book:

"Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed--as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows--with every fiber of her being--that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something--but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened--the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life--points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets--and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming."

Are you excited for this series?
Love and Words

Summary and Cover taken from Goodreads

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: Book one in the Matched series
Summary (taken from Goodreads): Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

This book is a great story and I really enjoyed reading it. Please beware that the following review is full with words like "wonderful", "great", "love",... Isn't it funny that I cannot find the words to express how much I enjoyed a book where words were so important for the story?

Let's start with my favourite quote:

Is falling in love with someone's story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?

What I liked the most: The society. Yes, you read that right. I liked the dystopian society the most. The society is everything I never want to happen. You are not allowed to think for yourselves, make your own choices or create something new.
The society, every part of it, and most of all the people in it were was well and completey thought through. The feelings Cassia had for the society, her doubts, and her hopes were understandable and I felt for her and with her through the entire book. She went through a great character development and I cannot wait to see were her ways will lead her in the next installment.

But my favourite character would be Ky. In a world that was so bad to him, where no one knew his true story he was still able to keep faith and stay who he truly was.

My favourite scene was definitely the one where Cassia read the poem for the first time. It showed how much power and energy words can have, one of the many reasons I love poems. The scene was beautifully writtten and like a poem itself, really poetic.

Ally Condie has a lovely writting style and I really liked the pictures she created and how she interwined the past of her characters with the present.

The book really got me thinking about a lot of thinks. Not many YA books were able to do that lately. I thought about how important choices are for us. In the society they seem to live a great and healthy life, but aren't the bad experiences we make, all the heart break, and all the pain important for who we are and who we are going to be, too? Aren't they an important part of life, too?

Fun fact: A fun fact about Matched would, for me, be the colors of the three books. There are free important tablets in the society that everyone need to cary around with them. A green one, a blue one, and a red one. And the book covers are green, red, and blue.
So while I wait here until I can get my hands on book two, I try to make predicitions on the future of Cassia based on what the tablets do to you. :D

Philosophic, romantic, and poetic, a wonderful dystopian novel.
Love and Words
KJ

View all my reviews

Divergent Casting Rumor!

Aloha :)

There are a lot of rumors or fan suggestions around the internet about who should play who in the Divergent movie. The newest rumor:

Shailene Woodley may play Tris.

The movie will be directed by Neil Burger for Summit Entertainment and is based on Veronica Roth's Divergent.
Tris is the 16 year old protagonist of the book

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

What do you think about that may-be casting choice? I haven't read the book (but plan on doing so) so I'm not sure if she fits the role, but I like her as an actress.
For more infos on the rumor visit this site and for more infos on the book visit Goodreads.

Love and Words
KJ

Source for the picture, copyright by Just Jared, no copyright infrigment intended.  Summary taken from Goodreads

Some news about the blog...

Hello everyone :)

So I changed a few things around here and just wanted to give you a quick update:
First of all there is now a "Upcoming Releases" where you can find out which book releases when. There are still many books missing and while I try to catch up on that I would like to ask you: "What upcoming book are you most excited about?"
Also I updated the "Reviews" page, where you can find all the reviews I did for this blog.
And there is a "Contact" page now:

You can contact me over my new twitter account where I chat with other readers and authors or tweet about the latest news in book world.
Also I have now an email adress extra for this blog, so if you have any recommendations or questions email me at bookbreath[at]gmx.net.

Stay tuned for infos on Divergent casting rumors, the new cover of Natalie Whipple's Transparent or my review of Ally Condie's Matched (which I loved!)

And of course I ask you (as always) to tell me in the comments what you think about my little blog :)

Love and Words
KJ

New Born Wicked Cover! (+Contest)

Hey there :)

Penguin decided to change the look of the Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood. The first book in the series Born Wicked was already released in hardcover so only the paperback edition, which comes out in january will have the new cover.
I personally don't like it when a cover changes from edition to edition. I really like it when books from a series have matching covers so you can recognize them as one. But on the other hand this gives us one more pretty cover: (The left one is the old, the right one the new)

Summary:
"Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word...especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other"

I haven't read Born Wicked yet (but after reading the summary I might add will definitely add the paperback version to my TBR later in January.) So I cannot say wich cover matches the story better. But I can definitely voice my opinion on wich would attract me in a bookstore more:

I think both are really gorgeous. The first one has a more romantic flair, and is enchanting. I love the smooth brown of the cover and the little details left and right of the series name.
The new one is more mysterious, more darker, more witch than fairy. It definitely looks more like a paranormal fantasy book than a romance story. I love the crows (or ravens??) and the moon.
Though the new one is more appealing I would, when in a store, prefer the old one. It says clearly witch part of the series the book is and not just that it it part of a series. I once bought the second book of a series before the first one by mistake so now I'm always careful with bying a series I do not know. But that of course is just my opinion :)

Visit the author's blog to read more about the book and the new cover. AND to enter a contest to win: an ARC of Marie Lu's Prodigy, an ARC of Elizabeth Richard's Black City, an ARC of Fiona Paul's Venom, and a Born Wicked swag pack. :)
Which one is your favourite? Have you read Born Wicked?
Love and Words
KJ

Summary taken from  the official site.

Amityville Horrible - New Kelley Armstrong Novella!

Hey everyone :)

Kelley Armstrong is releasing a new novella on Subterranean Press:
The book will be called Amityville Horrible and the ebook will be released by the end of the year with the hardcover edition following in January next year. The novella will only be available as a signed limited edition with 1500 copies, so if you really want the book you should probably hurry over and pre-order it!
Large online stores won't have the titel so you better make sure to order it directly from the publisher :) For more information on the titel and the publisher visit their official site.

Here is the summary:

“I don’t run from ghosts.”
His voice, right at my ear. “You will.”

Jaime Vegas—spiritualist, entertainer and, unbeknownst to her audience, real-life necromancer—swore she’d never do another reality ghost show after the last fiasco. But when she’s railroaded into a charity gig, she finds herself back on the set, this time with a cast of photogenic college kids, an up-and¬-coming Russian spiritualist, and a tale of missing girls and murder in New England. It’s cheesy, but that’s show business. With her werewolf Alpha lover, Jeremy Danvers, along to keep her nights interesting, it’s not so bad really. Until the bloody ghosts show up. Jaime has never faced spirits like these, and no matter how hard she tries, they won’t be ignored."

The summary sounds really good and spooky. I adore her writing and the cover is just amazing! I love the hands in the back and the blood red print on Jaime's arm.
Have you read any of Kelley Armstrong's books? Are you eager to get this one?
I loved her Darkest Powers series, especially the protagonist Chloe who is a necromancer as well. So I'll probably check this one out, too :)
Love and Words
KJ

Cover and Summary taken from this site.

Can't wait for... Valkyrie Rising

Hello everyone :)

You know I have a huge pile of books I still need to read lying around my room. And I seriously don't know where to put them anymore. The shelves are overflowing and everywhere are books. It's like a family disease, there is no room in our entire house to put up one more shelf. I remember a conversation between my parents once:

My dad said: "I went to the bookstore today. There were so many great books! If I ever win a lot of money I will spend it entirely on new books."
And my mom answered: "If I ever win a bunch of money I'll add a new room to our house for all your pretty books!"

Why am I telling you this, you may be asking yourselves now. The reason is simple: I was a bad bad girl.
I got a new book earlier this month wich I haven't even started yet and since I'm getting one book per month through a subscription I promised myself, my mom, and my wallet I would not buy another book until my TBR here at home is as half as big as now... Yeah... Let's not talk about that anymore because I wanted to go bookshopping! Ever watched the movie Shopaholic? I'm like her, except I go for books and not for clothes. Well at least I planned to do that. But destiny had other plans...

So I went over to my favourite online book store and wanted to buy some English books (Don't be afraid I'm buying most of my books directly in store, to support them)
And here is the one I can't wait for:

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

"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.

I read the summary a few weeks ago and thought "Norway, valkyries? I love old norse legends and this sounds like a good book. This goes definitely on my TBR" and that was the whole story of it... until tonight. Pitch Dark Books posted something over at their blog called Hot guys of Pitch Dark 1: Tucker Halloway from Valkyrie Rising and an exclusive prequel story by Ingrid Paulson called Valkyrie Symptoms which is set a day before the book.
I read it, I loved it, I need more!
The characters are great, the writing is clear and funny and the summary of the book sounds amazing. I especially liked the character of Tuck who is the love interest for the protagonist. I can't remember the last time I fall for a character that fast (Oh wait, that must have been with Jace Wayland in TMI) and he went right on top of my Fictional Crushes list. I can't wait for the next Annual YA-Sisterhood Crushin' Tournament, so I can vote for him. And I haven't even read the book yet! He seems smart, funny, and arrogant, the perfect mix :)

Another plus for Valkyrie Rising: It is a stand alone. I read and started to many series lately I feel like I will never finish any of them. A stand alone is a very welcome change from that.

And guess what happened: They don't have Valkyrie Rising in store! What am I supposed to do now? I'm like two minutes away from bording a flight to the U.S so I can get my hands on that book!
Where you ever that desperate for a book?
Love and Words
KJ

PS: I'm going to search every other big european book store with an online portal right now to get that book! Wish me luck!
You can find the post about Tuck here and the free short story here. Summary as always taken from Goodreads

Indigo Spell Teaser Quotes

Hey everyone :)

The team of Penguin Teen Australia just started reading The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. While they go along they tweet spoiler free comments on twitter. So everyone who is excited for the book should check out their twitter account.

They also released teaser quotes wich can be found on their side.

Indigo Spell will be published in february next year. It is the third book in Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series, a follow up to her bestselling Vampire Academy series. Here is the summary taken from Goodreads (beware of spoilers for previous books):

"In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood."

Have you read Richelle Meads previous books? Are you excited for this one? Tell me all about it in the comments.

New Hidden Book Trailer

Hello everyone :)

There is a new book trailer for Hidden the next installment in the House of Night series by PC and Kristen Cast.

Summary (There may be Spoilers for the previous books in the series) taken from Goodreads:

Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight. Chaos reigns at the House of Night

Hidden had it's book birthday two days ago. Congratulations to the authors on releasing a new book.
 Find out more about the books and the authors behind them on PC's official blog.

I really like the concept of the trailer with the girl opening the book and the world within it comint to life. That's a really good idea and the tattoos look just gorgeous

Are you going to read this one? Personally I stopped reading the series after book two, don't ask me why, maybe I will continue reading it sometime... It just dragged on and I wanted to read so many books more desperately than this series...

Love and words
KJ

Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

Hello folks :)

I have awesome news for you! Remember when I told you about the Friday the Thirteeners blog, where YA authors that have their debut in 2013 take truths and dares? I told you about three of their books I can't wait to read. And guess what? They just revealed the cover for one of those three!
And it is... breathtaking! I loved the titel, I loved the summary, and I was sure that I would read the book, but after seeing that cover I cannot wait for the book! I really have no words for that one. It is just amazing :D
Yes, I am talking about Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke. Remember what I said about it earlier?

Seriously, a dark and mysterious boy the girl falls in love with? My YA-heart is beating faster. The devil is in town? Sounds perfect for me. And the boy is called River! That's a uncommon but beautiful name there.

I have a lot to add to that paragraph now. Why I love the cover? It evokes a great dark atmosphere, the setting is just magical with the water and the cliffs. The title looks great with the read focus on Devil and the blue. And I think it is really great that they did not put the boy and girl in the middle of the picture. This way it is still focused on them but has a more mysterious touch to it. Does that make any sense to you at all?
And here is the new summary for the book:

"You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch."

Gothic horror? I haven't read a good gothic book in a while, that is just one more point on the pro list for this one. I seriously cannot wait for the release!
The cover and the summary are taken from the offivial Friday The Thirteeners blog. Head over there to find out more about this book and a lot more amazing stories! And be sure to mark the 15th august 2013 for Devil will finally hit the shelves on that day!

Whose debut can't you wait for? What exciting books are on your list?
Do you love the cover as much as I do? Come on, I know you do!

Love and words
KJ