The Dark City Giveaway Winners

I hope everyone had an amazing Memorial Day weekend. Without further ado, I'd like to announce THE DARK CITY giveaway winners.

Thanks to random.org, the two winners are...

Lisa
Mary

Congratulations!! Please respond to my email with your mailing addresses so I can forward your information on. Failure to do so within the next 48 hours means I pick a new winner.

Tori's Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Paperback: 320 pages
Price: $7.99
ISBN: 978-0345522474 
Released: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Random House
Author's Website: Kevin Hearne 
Buy it: Amazon
Obtained: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles  
Book Order: 
1. Hounded
2. Hexed
3. Hammered

Atticus O’Sullivan has been running for two thousand years and he’s a bit tired of it. After he stole a magical sword from the Tuatha Dé Danann (those who became the Sidhe or the Fae) in a first century battle, some of them were furious and gave chase, and some were secretly amused that a Druid had the cheek to defy them. As the centuries passed and Atticus remained an annoyingly long-lived fugitive, those who were furious only grew more so, while others began to aid him in secret.

Now he’s living in Tempe, Arizona, the very last of the Druids, far from where the Fae can easily find him. It’s a place where many paranormals have decided to hide from the troubles of the Old World—from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg.

Unfortunately, the very angry Celtic god who wants that sword has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power, plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned luck of the Irish to kick some arse and deliver himself from evil.

My Rating:

My Opinion:
After reading quite a few reviews praising Hearne for an awesome hero, secondary characters, and storyline, I was more than eager to get my hands on HOUNDED and see what all the fuss was about.

Suffice to say, when I first began reading, I was more than intrigued. A talking dog for a companion, a heroic Druid, and Gaelic deities? What's NOT refreshing? Unfortunately, I'm not a big male protag reader. I have an easier time connecting with heroines because we're both female, and I usually don't find the whole... "have casual sex a bunch of times because I'm a guy" all that appealing. So, once the "ooh shiny-ness" of the novel wore off, I was left feeling somewhat bored while following Atticus around.

That is precisely when I began reading only a chapter or two per day. I wouldn't say that I hated the book (because I was more than curious to see what would happen), but I was in no rush to finish it. A friend suggested I DNF HOUNDED due to a few scenes that were just a little too weird for my tastes. The thought had never crossed my mind, which I think attests to Hearne's ability to draw me into his universe, even while making me have a few "wah?!" moments.

Let me tell you right now I am so glad I did not give up. I know that, if any readers are like me, they may say "to hell with this book" once they reach a certain point--especially if they are not 100% hooked by then. It happens. But if you stick with HOUNDED, the final showdown (which is so incredibly badass and amazing that my jaw dropped due to its sheer awesomeness), it will more than make up for the slow buildup.

Besides, while things are a little slow in the beginning, Oberon and Hal more than make up for it. They are by far my two favorites from the story due to the humor that they bring. Sorry Atticus, I like you and all, but your dog and lawyer won my heart.

Considering this is my first urban fantasy I successfully finished with a male protagonist (the Black Jewels Trilogy was the only other series I could stomach with a hero--or three--as the lead), I'd have to give kudos to Hearne. I eagerly anticipate the next book in this series, HEXED, which comes out on June 7th. And, just because I'm superficial, I would totally buy the second book just for that cover. What a hottie!

I definitely recommend checking HOUNDED out. There's just so many elements to this novel that are refreshingly different from urban fantasy out there already, that you'd be crazy not to give this story a shot. I also think I learned a bit while reading, which is always a plus!

BEA 2011 Photos

Book Expo America, for those of you who don't know, is one of the largest publishing conferences there is. Thousands upon thousands of people attend this event--and for good reason. Who wouldn't want to either meet a bunch of amazing authors/bloggers, or discuss where the book industry is headed? For BEA 2011, Italy was the guest visitor. Next year in 2012, it will be Russia.

This year, the wonderful coordinators extended the conference so that it lasted from Tuesday to Thursday. Monday was the preliminaries (more for those heavily involved with the publishing industry), and Friday was Book Blogger Con. Unfortunately, I have no news of publishing directions, but I do have pictures of some authors and signings from Tuesday and Wednesday! Click on the link below to see all the photos from BEA.

Hopefully these pictures will help convince you to start saving up for next year's BEA conference in Manhattan, NY. They've pushed the date back so that it now takes place during June, which means you've got a few extra days to save that coffee money for an airplane ticket or a hotel room.

Warning: this is an image heavy post.

BEA Special Giveaway: Legend by Marie Lu

I grabbed a few extra books for my lovely blog readers while at BEA this week. Here is one giveaway I hope many of you will be interested in!

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.


Giveaway Guidelines:
- Open to US only
- Giveaway ends June 5th 
- Include your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win

Extra Ways to Win: 
+1  Spread the word about this giveaway and include the link with your entry

Hiatus over, and giveaway winner!

The blog hiatus is OVER!
And I am so glad it finally is for a number of reasons.

If you're a regular follower here, then you've probably noticed how sporadic my posting schedule has become for the past half a year (or to be more precise, the fall and spring college semesters). During that time, I used to wonder whether I was cut out to be a book review blogger. It's definitely not easy organizing blog posts and keeping up with quality content on a daily basis, that's for sure. I also learned, while organizing events last year, that posting daily and being a full time college student did not work very well together. Couple that with my commitment problems when it comes to weekly or monthly memes and you can see why a few things died over time.

This month off allowed me to take a much needed and refreshing break from blogging (and to a lesser degree, Twitter). It showed me how much I miss the community and the book discussions within. It was also a wonderful opportunity to improve my book reviewing skills, thanks to a journalism class I took this semester. Hopefully you all will notice an improvement in my reviewing quality because of that.

So now that I'm back, what's in store for Book Faery? I've got a few things planned, and a few others being brainstormed, actually. 

First off, since I attended Book Expo America this week, I was able to swipe a few extra copies of some books just for you guys! I thought that a small book giveaway would be a wonderful way to celebrate my spring semester coming to a close. Be sure to check in tomorrow to learn more about this giveaway.

I also managed to take a few pictures of Javits and some authors, so I will include a post with BEA pictures for you all sometime this weekend.

As for June's agenda, there are be a number of reviews (lots of these) and author visits scheduled for the month of June. I've also got a "books for sale" post being strung together as I do a little spring cleaning, and I'm planning on doing a mystery box giveaway soon. Finally, I'm going to be posting a "how to" post that someone requested a while back. It's super late, but hey, I'm sure you all can use it, right? ;)

Stay tuned for some other exciting events. This little book faery is back!

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GIVEAWAY
AWAKEN THE HIGHLANDER

Congratulations Beverly!

You are now the new owner of a shiny copy of AWAKEN THE HIGHLANDER by Anita Clenney! Please respond to my email within 48 hours so I can forward your mailing address.

For those of you who did not win this giveaway, you still have another chance to win a book at Book Faery. Just go and check out Catherine Fisher's newest release: THE DARK CITY here

Welcome, newcomers!

Welcome new visitors from Book Expo America!

This intro snippet will be up all week to help new visitors get acquainted with my blog, Book Faery. 

Searching for older posts? No problem! Please scroll down and continue reading.


*Please note that I will not be updating Book Faery during BEA (and finals) week. Contest winners will be contacted via email by the end of the week.

-About Me-

 
My name is Tori, and I am a 22 year old English major attending CUNY Baruch in Manhattan, NY. I love to read books and write, which is why Book Faery was created in the first place! 

If you need to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate to do so. I love meeting new people, and enjoy hearing what you have to say. One of the most exciting aspects in regards to running a book review blog is not only being able to express how I felt about a book, but also hearing what other readers thought as well.

-What Is Book Faery?-
 

Book Faery is a paranormal book review blog that was created on February 11, 2010.  You will find numerous book reviews listed in the "Reviews" tab on the main menu. This includes a vast majority of books I have purchased with my own money, and also books that authors and publishers have requested I review.  I always mention at the top of every book review if the book was one I received for free.

If you scroll further down the page in the reviews section, you will also discover two other blog contributors: Binah the Bold and The Book Dragon. They each have their own personal review sections, should you wish to learn more about the books they enjoy to review. 

If you are interested in learning about some of the authors who have been kind enough to visit in the past, you will find a list of links on the "Interviews" tab. 

There are also numerous giveaways hosted at Book Faery, ranging anywhere from solely being my own to ones organized to coincide with an author's interview or guest blog post. 

I have a further explanation of my rating system and The Faerie of Honor rating.  The latter rating is the highest an author can attain at Book Faery. The list is small, but these are books that I considered prized treasures. If you're looking for a book suggestion from me, this is definitely the list you should refer to first.

-Are You New to Blogs?-

If visiting a book review blog is a new experience for you, then I applaud you for giving this a try! I hope that I will be able to help you adjust to our seemingly daunting--but not really--realm of the internet. Basically, my fellow bloggers and I write book reviews that you read and hopefully comment on. If you have any thoughts or questions that come to mind while reading, then comment. None of us bite. In fact, I am always overjoyed upon the discovery that someone has left me a comment.

Have any questions or comments while reading my book reviews? Save them. At the bottom of the post, under the "Reactions" box, is the "post a comment" option. Clicking on that link will take you to a page where you can either leave a comment, or read other comments (assuming there are some).

It was nice meeting you! 
I hope to see you again very soon.

Giveaway of The Dark City by Catherine Fisher

Thanks to both Penguin and Big Honcho Media, two lucky winners will receive copies of THE DARK CITY by Catherine Fisher!

Go to the Relic Masters Wesbite

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it.

RELIC MASTER is a four book series. Each book will be released over four consecutive months this summer:

• Book One: The Dark City, May 17
• Book Two: The Lost Heiress, June 14
• Book Three: The Hidden Coronet, July 12
• Book Four: The Margrave, August 9

Each book will include a piece of the map of Anara, the world of RELIC MASTER, on the reverse of the jacket. Collect all four books and you will have the complete map.

About the Author:
Catherine Fisher is the author of the New York Times bestselling duology Incarceron and Sapphique and in the Relic Master series has created a world equally as developed, dynamic and dangerous as that of Incarceron. Visit her at www.catherine-fisher.com.

So, are you interested in winning a copy?

Giveaway Guidelines:
+ Answer the question: How did you survive Rapture this weekend?
+ Include your email address in the comment
+ Open to US only
+ Giveaway ends May 30th

Extra Entry:
+ Tweet about this and include a link in the comment!
(Extra points if you include in your Tweet: @PenguinTeen and #RelicMaster hashtag!)

Re: Awaken the Highlander giveaway

As I'm sure many of you have witnessed, Blogger had quite a few issues this week apparently. It happens, but there was one huge problem with this: all the comments on Anita Clenney's guest post have not appeared. I know that there were quite a few more contest entries (thanks to Blogger emailing me about them), but they are not showing up on the guest post.

For that reason, I will be extending the giveaway until Tuesday May 24th. If you have entered, please make sure that your comment is appearing in the blog comments. If, for whatever reason, you are still having issues, please leave a comment on this blog post and I will provide an alternate means for giveaway entries.

You can re-enter this giveaway HERE

I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

Guest Post with Anita Clenney and Giveaway!

Connect with Anita:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter

Signing Books with Nora Roberts and Sherrilyn Kenyon

When I first sold Awaken the Highland Warrior, I imagined all the great things about being an author. Seeing my name on the cover of a book, seeing my name on top of the pages on the left side (I don’t know what it is about that, but I just love it), giving readers the joy and thrills that I’ve gotten from books over the years. B…U…T!!!! There were the dreads as well, and ranking right up there at the top…booksignings. If you know an author­­—and she isn’t a Nora Roberts or a Janet Evanovich—chances are you’ve heard a horror story about booksignings. The poor author huddling behind a table in a big bookstore as people walk through the door, passing her table with its stack of books begging to be signed. I got lucky. My experience was anything but.

First, let me start with the day before. My dear friend and critique partner, Dana Rodgers and I headed to Boonsboro, Maryland. It was a wonderful drive, beautiful, rolling hills dotted with cows amid stands of trees. Turn the Page is a quaint bookstore owned by Bruce Wilder, Nora Roberts’ husband. Across the street is Inn Boonsboro, Nora's gorgeous Inn, with each room named after the characters from a great story. It was incredible. The rooms, the décor…the toilets. They did everything from open by themselves to drying your nether regions, after washing them of course, and I’m not kidding. The Inn was gorgeous.

Inside our room, the Jane and Rochester, there was a copy of Awaken the Highland Warrior waiting, with a letter asking if I could please take a moment to sign it for the Inn's library. "Oh, I think so, Nora." And there was a bag of heather­scented bath goodies for me. We roamed the inn, checking out the library and dining room before heading outside. I've never seen a place like Boonsboro. It was a cute, small town. I've seen cute, small towns before, but no matter what store we entered, they treated us with amazing hospitality. That evening, we met some wonderful readers who were staying at the Inn and spent time laughing and talking with them.

The next morning, we watched people lining up outside the bookstore, some waiting for hours to get inside. I figured I would only sell a few copies, with the greats like Nora Roberts, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Kristan Higgins there. Imagine my surprise when I saw people coming through the line with Awaken the Highland Warrior in their hand, asking me to autograph it, autograph their tote bags, even store paper bags, and some wanted photos with me. It was an amazing feeling to have to stop signing because someone wanted a picture with me. Right there with Nora Roberts not ten feet away. Needless to say, I was stunned when the books in front of me disappeared. I had sold out!

Not only was I surprised, and pleased, but I heard Nora Roberts was as well, because debut authors don’t sell out at these events. The bookstore manager scrambled to see if she could locate more copies elsewhere in the store, but couldn’t. All in all, it was a fairytale booksigning, not the stuff nightmares are made of. And just in time for the release of Awaken the Highland Warrior. What an awesome day.

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Want to win a copy of Awaken the Highland Warrior?

First, check out the awesome excerpt, and then check below to see how you can win!

Bree’s fingers tightened around the metal disk as she ran through the graveyard, zigzagging past leaning headstones. Her lantern swayed, throwing shadows on the crypt looming before her, its stone walls the color of bones. Thick vines crept over it, sealing in cracks left by time, while gnarled branches from the twisted oak hovered like outstretched arms. Protecting… or threatening?


An owl screeched overhead as she scurried up the crumbling steps, wishing night hadn’t fallen, when shadows twisted into monsters and spirits came out to play. The burial vault lay open near the back of the crypt, waiting. Blood rushed past her ears, a sound like all the angels’ wings beating in unison. She moved closer and peered at the chest inside. It was ornate, made of metal and wood, with green gemstones embedded in each corner. It looked ancient, like it belonged in a museum or a pyramid, or
perhaps Solomon’s Temple. The beauty of it struck her again, as it had when she’d first discovered it.


She set the lantern on the edge of the burial vault and studied the markings on the chest. Swirls and shapes like writing shifted in the amber glow. Stretching out a finger, she touched the surface. Warm? She yanked her hand back and hit the lantern. It crashed to the floor, throwing the top of the crypt into darkness. Dropping to her knees, she scrambled for the light. A sound cut through the silence, scraping, like fingernails against stone. She grabbed the lantern, not daring to blink, then remembered the wind outside and the claw­like branches of the old tree.


She placed the lantern securely on the vault cover she’d pushed onto the alcove and unfolded her hand. The metal disk she held was three inches in diameter and appeared to be made from the same metal as the chest, not silver, not gold. One side had deep grooves; the other was etched with symbols. With trembling fingers, she lined up the disk with the matching grooves on top of the chest and pushed. There was a series of clicks as the notched edges retracted.


A voice rushed through her head. What lies within cannot be, until time has passed with the key.


Bree whirled, but she was alone. Only stone walls stood watch, their secrets hidden for centuries. It was sleep deprivation, not ghosts.


She pulled in a slow, steadying breath and tried to turn the disk. Nothing. Again, this time counterclockwise, and it began to move under her hand. She jerked her fingers back. A loud pop sounded and colors flashed… blue, orange, and green, swirling for seconds, and then they were gone. Great, hallucinations to go with the voices in her head.


Her body trembled as she gripped the lid. This was it. All her dreams held on a single pinpoint of time. If this ended up another wild goose chase, she was done. No more treasure hunts, no more mysteries, no more playing Indiana Jones. She’d settle down to a nice, ordinary, boring life. She counted. One. Two. Three.


She heaved open the chest. Terror clawed its way to her throat, killing her scream.


The man inhaled one harsh breath and his eyes flew open, locking on Bree. A battle cry worthy of Braveheart echoed off the walls. Bree jumped back as metal flashed and a rush of air kissed her face. Petrified, she watched him crawl out of the burial vault, a wicked­looking dagger in his hand. Her scream tore loose as she turned and fled.


Fingers grazed her shoulder, and she glanced back. The last thing she saw before her feet tangled with the shovel was the dead man reaching for her.


Giveaway Guidelines
+Include your email address with your comment
+Answer the question in your comment: If you were Bree, how would you react to a dead man reaching for you? (hint: reread the last paragraph in the excerpt)
+Open to US & Canada only.
+Giveaway ends Wednesday, May 18th

Extra Entry
+Tweet about this guest post on Twitter and include a link!