Armchair BEA 2015: Giveaway

It is the fourth and final day of Armchair BEA.  The themes are Giveaways and Book-to-Movie Adaptations.  I am choosing to host a giveaway.

One of the major themes of Armchair BEA is experiencing an event and a community online, since we aren't able to do it in person.  That inspired my giveaway.

A few weeks ago, I went to a Fierce Reads Spring Fling tour event at Blue Willow Bookshop.  (You'll note that the second leg of the tour starts tomorrow, at BookCon.)

It was a great event - they had a photo area with a backdrop and lots of props, bingo with custom cards, and the store provided a raffle.  Katie Finn, Lynne Matson, Marie Rutkoski, and Lindsay Smith were all promoting the second books in their series, so they were all a bit handicapped about what they could talk about.  I was familiar with most of their books, but understood that it was likely not everyone in the audience had read them.

My reviews of:
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
Sekret by Lindsay Smith

They could talk odd coincidences, like how Finn and Matson's books both start in a Target.  (Finn did that because she strangely seems to always wear her one red shirt to Target.)  The authors also talked about worldbuilding and how it can drive plot.  Rutkoski first decided that her more martial culture would carry knives and then that they would allow duels.  At that point, she knew that there had to be a duel in THE WINNER'S CURSE.  It seems like most of them were pantsers, which is a big problem when you're writing the second book in a trilogy!

Anyway, part of the fun of an event like this is all the swag.  So I'm giving away a swag pack!  There is a Fierce Reads tour poster signed by Finn, Matson, Rutkoski, and Smith, plus a Fierce Reads pen.  There are two bookmarks and a pin for Nil and Nil Unlocked by Matson.  There is a watermelon soy chapstick for Finn's series.  There are two bookmarks for Rutkoski, plus two bookmarks from Smith - one for her upcoming novel Dreamstrider.

BONUS ROUND!  For every ten entries, I'll add more swag to the swag pack.  And believe me, I have all sorts of cool stuff - including more posters.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Eternity Key

Book two of Into the Dark
By Bree Despain
Available now from Egmont USA
Review copy
Read my review of The Shadow Prince and my interview with Bree

I enjoyed THE SHADOW PRINCE, so it's no surprise that I would pick up THE ETERNITY KEY.  I appreciated that there was some recapping of events since it had been awhile since I read the first book.  I think that will also be a boon to readers who leap ahead and skip book one for whatever reason.

THE ETERNITY KEY continues to switch between Daphne and Haden's POVs, and adds Tobin's POV to the mix.  I'm not entirely sure Tobin's POV added that much to the story, aside from reminders that they do need to find Abbie/CeCe.  (Okay, his romance with Lexie is cute.)  The main plot of the story is trying to figure out where the Compass and Key are so that Haden and friends can get into the Underworld and kill the Keres, while not letting anyone else get the Key and prompting more undesirable outcomes.  (If that sentence was gibberish, read book one.)

I liked the way the romance between Daphne and Haden developed at first in THE ETERNITY KEY.  Haden is working up the courage to say the words, and Daphne is working to prove to Haden that they can be equals (instead of her being the damsel in distress).  And then Daphne rebuffs Haden for a reason that barely made sense.  I sure hope the third book has a better explanation, like magical interference.

THE ETERNITY KEY ends with all three narrators in peril.  Bree Despain is a cruel author, torturing her readers like that.  I hope Lerner acquiring titles from Egmont USA means that book three won't be delayed, because I need the conclusion to this trilogy.

Armchair BEA 2015: Blogging Q&A

It is the third day of Armchair BEA and today's topics are Character Chatter and Blogging Q&A.

I've been blogging about books since March 2008, so I definitely have some ideas about what works and what doesn't.

My number one tip is to schedule posts.  It makes me so much less stressed when I don't have to scramble to write tomorrow's post that night.  (You might laugh, but it took me quite awhile to get the hang of scheduling.)

Google Calendar is also your friend, for keeping track of releases and when you've agreed to do blog tours, interviews, guest blogs, or absolutely anything.  There will still be times you look at it and go, "Wait, what?  I didn't read that THE SKY IS FALLING DOWN," but in general you will be more on top of things.

But I've never been great about handing out tips cold.  Feel free to ask any blogging questions you might have!

Review: The Winner's Crime

Book two of The Winner's Trilogy
By Marie Rutkoski
Available now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR (Macmillan)
Review copy
Read my review of The Winner's Crime

 Marie Rutkoski knows how to keep you on your toes.  THE WINNER'S CRIME is a tale of entwining intrigues that ends in a cliffhanger that will make you wish you had THE WINNER'S KISS on hand.  (People reading this review at least a year in the future, I envy you for your ability to do just that.)

Kestrel is promised to marry Prince Verex and become the next empress, even though she loves Arin.  Arin is now the governor of Herran, but that doesn't mean his country is instantly set back to rights.  His country has been looted and stripped of much of his resources, yet they must still tithe the emperor.  Arin is reeling from the knowledge that Kestrel betrayed him and never loved him, whereas Kestrel is reeling from all she gave up is order to keep everyone she loved alive.

I normally don't like it when miscommunication propels the plot of a novel, particularly one with romantic elements, but it works here.  Rutkoski has created a situation where it isn't safe for the characters to just say the truth.  There are spies everywhere, and one wrong word will get both Arin and Kestrel killed (and more people along with them).  I also think it worked for me because they need some time where neither of them are the other's slave.

I enjoyed that the romance took a backseat to the politics.  The court is complicated, and Herran isn't the only source of conflict.  The country to the east is still fighting back, unconquered.  Their biggest weakness is the queen's sister, a hostage at the capital.  I cannot wait to see how that plot develops further in THE WINNER'S KISS.

Now, THE WINNER'S CRIME is a second book.  There's lots of establishing a new status quo and setting up all the exciting things to happen in the final book of the trilogy.  But it still works on its own, particularly a wrenching confrontation towards the middle of the book.  It's an exciting book to read and a rough one, because the characters keep making mistakes that are so them.  I can only hope that they get it right by the end.

Armchair BEA 2015: Visual Expressions

It is day two of Armchair BEA!  Participants will be posting about either or both of the following topics: Visual Expressions and Social Media.

I am going to stick to Visual Expressions.  I will be following Social Media conversations, because I know I could be working harder in that arena.

I love graphic novels and other formats that use illustrations to enhance and expand upon the text.  You can check out my tag for all graphic novel reviews and more.  (I also have a manga tag.)

If you check out those tags, you'll find some highlights.  To me, those include:

• My year as a panelist for the CYBILS graphic novels division
• Manga Primer, part one
• Manga Primer, part two

Currently, I'm fascinated by hybrid novels like Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi with graphic sections by Craig Phillips and In the Shadows by Kiersten White with graphic sections by Jim Di Bartolo.  These books are both regular prose novels and graphic novels, telling two stories that intertwine in two mediums.  (The word "shadows" in the title is optional.)

I also really dig the imprint TOON Books right now.  This imprint publishes books at three reading levels to help children increase their literacy proficiency using more and more sophisticated graphic novel techniques.  The layouts help them follow changes in setting (both time and place) and the pictures help give context and expression to characters and their actions.  Plus, they're just good kid's books.

I'm still reading manga, although I don't post about it much.  My favorite series currently being serialized is Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (that is, Girls' Monthly Nozaki-kun).  It is a 4-koma comic about a girl, her crush Nozaki who writes a popular monthly manga, and their friends who help make and inspire the manga story.  It is absolutely hilarious.  The simple structure allows for a ridiculous density of jokes.

So why do you love graphic novels?  What new and innovative titles or imprints are catching your eye?