I'm very excited to help AToMR Tours reveal the cover of Kate Evangelista's new novel, Reaping Me Softly!
You might remember that I have been a big supporter of Kate since the very beginning and I absolutely fell in love with her debut novel, Taste, when it was released earlier this year.
Reaping Me Softly will be published by Omnific Publishing on 30th October 2012 and this is the beautiful cover...
Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.
At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?
Today I am very excited to share with you an extract from Kate Evangelista's forthcoming debut novel Taste, which will be released next month. I've been following Kate's progress over the past couple of years and was so excited to hear when she officially signed with Crescent Moon Press.
~Taste~
At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.
When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.
I mentally stomped on the intimidation their perfection brought into my mind and said, “Excuse me.”
The group froze, startled by my words. The girls had their brows raised and the boys stopped mid-speech, mouths agape. They stared at me with eyes the shade of onyx stones.
I smiled and gave them a little wave.
The boy a step ahead of the rest recovered first. His stunning features went from shocked surprise to intense interest. He reminded me of a hawk eyeing its prey. I gulped.
“A Day Student,” he said, his eyes insolent and excited.
Something about the way he said “Day Student” made my stomach flip. “Excuse me?”
They snickered. The boys looked at each other while the girls continued to stare, muffling their laughter by delicate hands. I seemed to be the butt of some joke.
“You broke the rule.” The boy’s grin turned predatory.
The students formed a loose semi-circle in front of me. My gaze darted from face to face. Hunger filled their eyes. The image of lions about to chase down a gazelle came to mind. I mentally shook my head. I was in the mountains not the Serengeti for crying out loud.
I took a small step back and cleared my throat. “Can any of you give me a ride back to the dorms?”
The boy wagged his forefinger like a metronome. “Ah, that’s unfortunate for you.”
One of the girls pinched the bridge of her nose. “Eli, you can’t possibly—”
“It’s forbidden, Eli,” another boy interrupted, pronouncing the word “forbidden” like a curse.
The nervous murmur at the pit of my stomach grew louder. Six against one. Not good odds. Instinct told me to cut my losses and run. Bad enough I faced expulsion, now it seemed like weird, beautiful people who’d suddenly appeared on campus wanted to beat me up. No, scratch that. Judging from the way they studied me, beating me up wouldn’t satisfy them. Something more primal prowled behind their looks.
I definitely wasn’t going down without a fight. Years of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat classes had me prepared. While other children from rich and important families got bodyguards, I got defense training. But I think my father meant for my skills to go up against potential kidnappers, not against other students who may or may not be crazy. Oh God! Maybe I stepped into a parallel universe or something when I reentered Barinkoff.
“None of the students are supposed to be on campus,” I said. Then, realizing my mistake, I added, “Okay, I know I’m not supposed to be here either. If one of you gives me a ride back to the dorms, I won’t say anything about all this. Let’s pretend this never happened. I didn’t see you, you didn’t see me.”
“We’re not ordinary students,” Eli answered. “We’re the Night Students.”
He’d said “Night Students” like the words were capitalized. I didn’t know Barinkoff held classes at night. What was going on here?
Eli smiled with just one side of his mouth and said to the group, “She’s right, no one will have to know. We’re the only ones here. And it’s been so long, don’t you agree?”
The rest of them nodded reluctantly.
“What’s been so long?” I challenged. I fisted my hands, ready to put them up if any of them so much as twitched my way.
“Since the taste of real flesh passed through my lips,” Eli said. He came forward and took a whiff of me then laughed when I cringed.
“Flesh.” Yep, parallel universe.
“Yes,” he said. “And yours smells so fresh.”
Someone grabbed my shoulders from behind and yanked me back before I could wrap my mind around the meaning behind Eli’s words. In a blink, I found myself behind someone tall. Someone really tall. And quite broad. And very male.
I realized he wore the same clothes Eli and the other boys did. Not good. He was one of them. Although… I cocked my head, raking my gaze over him. He seemed born to wear the uniform, like he was the pattern everyone else was cut from. My eyes wandered to long, layered, blue-black hair tied at the nape by a silk ribbon. Even in dim light, his hair possessed a sheen akin to mercury.
I looked down. The boy’s long fingers were wrapped around my wrist like a cuff. His fevered touch felt hotter than human standards, hot enough to make me sweat like I was standing beside a radiator but not hot enough to burn.
“I must be mistaken, Eli,” the boy who held my arm said in a monotone. “Correct me. Did I hear you say you wanted to taste the flesh of this girl?”
A hush descended on us. It had the hairs at the back of my neck rising. How was it possible for the atmosphere to switch from threatening to dangerous? Unable to help myself, I peeked around the new guy’s bulk. Eli and his friends bowed. They all had their right hands on their chests.
“Demitri, I’m sure you misheard me,” Eli said.
So the guy standing between me and the person who said he’d wanted to taste me was named Demitri. I like the sound of his name. Demitri. So strong, yet rolls off the tongue. Definite yum factor.
“So, you imply I made a mistake?” Demitri demanded.
“No!” Eli lifted his gaze. “I did no such thing. I simply wanted to show the girl the consequences of breaking curfew.”
“Hey!” I yelled. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
Demitri ignored my protest and continued to address Eli. “So, you threatened to taste her flesh.” His fingers tightened their grip around my wrist. “In the interest of investigating this matter further, I invoke the Silence.”
All six students gasped, passing surprised glances at one another.
Before I could ask about what was going on, Demitri yanked me down the hall toward the library. But why there? Oh, maybe we were getting my things. No, wait, he couldn’t have known about that. Everything was too confusing now.
Eli and the others didn’t try to stop us when we passed them. Demitri’s cold command must have carried power. Handsome and powerful, never a bad combination on a guy.
We reached the heavy double doors in seconds. He jerked one open effortlessly. I’d needed all my strength just to squeeze through that same door earlier. To him, the thick wood might as well have been cardboard. I raised an eyebrow and mentally listed the benefits of going to gym class.
“Why are we here?” I asked after my curiosity overpowered my worry. I’d almost forgotten how frightened I’d been right before Demitri showed up. I wasn’t above accepting help from strangers. Especially from gorgeous dark-haired strangers with hot hands and wide shoulders.
Demitri kept going, tugging me along, snaking his way deeper into the library. I had to take two steps for every stride his legs made. I tried to stay directly behind him, praying we didn’t slam into anything.
He stopped suddenly and I collided with him. It felt like slamming into a wall.
“Hey,” I said, momentarily stunned. “A little warning would be nice!”
He faced me, and I gasped. His eyes resembled a starless night, deep and endless. Their intensity drilled through me without pity, seeming to expose all my secrets. I felt naked and flustered beneath his gaze.
“You could have died back there,” he warned.
A lump of panic rebuilt itself in my throat.
_____________________________________
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.
I know I've been a bit behind lately. I've started at uni for the first time and the immediate work load has caught me off guard a bit. There have been a bunch of cover reveals that I have wanted to share with you, so you are getting them all in one hit!
Is this not the most stunning cover?! It is definitely one of my all-time favourite covers and I can't wait to get my hands on Preloved come April. Check out my review of her debut, Fury.
I 'm so excited for Kate with the news that Taste was picked up by Crescent Moon Press (and they let her keep the original cover she had designed before signing with them!). I've been following Kate's progress for almost two years now and I can't wait to read the rest of Taste (you can read an excerpt here) when it is released later this year.
Also announced this week was the title, Reached, and cover for the third book by Ally Condie. I love the three matching covers and how they tell a story (just as the Caster Chronicles covers do).
And just a reminder that my Two-Year Blogoversary Givaway is still running. You can win one of eight books and entries close 20th March 2012. Click here to enter.
The cover for the 5th book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, has been revealed! The highly anticipated City of Lost Souls will be released 8th May 2012 and will help readers get over that horrible shock ending we were left with at the end of City of Fallen Angels.
So what do you think of the cover? I can't decide whether I really like it or if I think it looks like a bad romance novel :S
The cover for the US edition of Graffiti Moon has just been revealed!
So, everyone in the US who has been patiently (or not so) waiting for this awesome Aussie book to be released in February 2012, say hello to the stunning cover...!
Personally, I love the US cover. While I do like the Australian cover, it took quite a while to grow on me, whereas I instantly took a liking to the US cover.
Apparently there are a few changed to the content in the US edition so I am totally going to buy it as well to add to my collection :)
How pumped is everyone for this book???!!! (who me? :P)
Today, Harper Collins revealed the cover of Jill Hathaway's debut novel Slide, due for release March 2012. I am personally very excited about this. I first heard about the book earlier this year and fell in love with the premise.
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.
Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.
Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.
*********
What do you think? Is anyone else pumped for this release? It sounds like it has a bit of everything in it :)
I have recently discovered the debut novel, Solstice, by P.J. Hoover.
Isn't it pretty?!
Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...
Piper’s world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.
But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she’s drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she’s ever known.
Inheritance, the final book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle series has been revealed and the release date announced!
Inheritance will be released 8th November 2011 worldwide. It is the fourth book in the epic fantasy series following on from Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr and fans have been waiting three years for this info.
While, personally I am not a fan, I am very familiar (due to my time working in a book store) with the amount of hype surrounding this long-awaited title and the eagerness of fans to get their hands on a copy.
"Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilisation rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.
The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?
This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle."
Lately I have been extremely excited about getting my hands on a copy of Amy Plum's debut novel Die For Me. Unfortunately I still have just under two months left until it is released but if I wasn't desperate before, I am now after the stunning new cover was revealed!
Is that not one of the most beautiful covers EVER?! It's rare that I am so impressed with a marketing team. While the original US cover wasn't bad, it didn't grab you like the UK cover did. So now the US gets a pretty cover too. The only thing that is different between them now is the font on the cover. If you want more info about the change, you can find it at Amy Plum's website.
Old US cover
Die For Me Released 10th May 2011
MY LIFE HAD ALWAYS BEEN BLISSFULLY, WONDERFULLY NORMAL. BUT IT ONLY TOOK ONE MOMENT TO CHANGE EVERYTHING. Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent. Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But this time I was ready to let it happen. Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies…immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind. While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family’s—in jeopardy for a chance at love?”
A couple of days ago the title of book three in the Caster Chronicles was announced as being Beautiful Chaos and today the cover AND release date have been revealed!
I love how all three covers tell a mini story; through the woods, up the steps to the gate. Everything is slowly revealed. Authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl don't actually decide what goes on the cover but I think the designer has done a really great job on them all. I can't wait to see what the cover of book four is going to be.
Beautiful Chaos will be released 18th October 2011! It seems like it is ages away but I'm sure the time will pass quickly!
You can also head over to NextMovie for info on the film adaptation, complete with a fantasy cast from Garcia and Stohl! I love who they have suggested (except for the first Ethan and second Lena), and think they would be perfect but most fantasy castings don't usually follow through to the actual casting. But I can hope right?
Exciting news for Richelle Mead fans today...the cover of Bloodlines has been revealed, YAY, as well as a bit more information concerning the storyline and setting!
So far, word in the blogosphere is that Jill, Sydney, Eddy and Adrian are all set to be main characters, but it has now be verified by Richelle herself that alchemist Sydney Sage will be the narrator of the series. It will also be set in a Californian high school. And yes, that is Sydney on the front cover. Who do you think the guy is? I suspect the majority will think (read: hope) that it is Adrian but I'm going for a new mystery character :) What do you think?
Bloodlines will be released worldwide August 23rd.
For more information about Sydney and an interview with Richelle, head to Entertainment Weekly. And for more details about the spin-off series you can check out my post here.
Today, Richelle Mead officially released the cover to the 6th and final Vampire Academy novel, Last Sacrifice!
Last Sacrifice will be released on December 7th 2010. For those of you unaware, Richelle has said that there will be a spin-off VA series coming in the future but it will focus around other characters, not Rose. For more information, check out Richelle's blog here.
If you haven't already started reading this series, do yourself a favour and go pick yourself up a copy of the first book, Vampire Academy. This is the best vampire series around, you won't be disappointed!
Lauren Oliver's debut novel, Before I Fall, was absolutely amazing! Now, we are able to get a sneak peek at Delirium, her new book, due out in February 2011.Courtesy of our friends over at Harper Teen, you can have a read of the first chapter.
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that one love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
With the much anticipated release of Richelle Mead's 5th Vampire Academy book Spirit Bound almost upon us, Penguin Books Australia are releasing 7 teaser quotes, one every 3 days, up until the the release date of May 18th!
