Waiting on Wednesday: Enchanted Ivy

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.

Series: ?
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: October 12 2010

I met Sarah as I was leaving BookExpo America - she's so nice! And this sounds freaking faaaaantastic; I'm eager to get my hands on it. (As is Steph.)

Bad Apple

Bad Apple
Author: Laura Ruby
Series: ---
Publisher: HarperCollins
How Received: ARC

"If I really wanted to open up, I'd confess that I really am the liar everyone believes I am."

High-school junior Tola Riley has green hair, a nose ring, an attitude problem, and a fondness for fairy tales, which are a great escape from real life. Everyone thinks she's crazy; everyone says so. Everyone except Mr. Mymer, her art teacher. He gets her paintings and lets her hang out in the art room during lonely lunch periods.

But then rumors start flying and Tola is suddenly the center of a scandal. The whole town is judging her—even her family. When Mr. Mymer is suspended for what everyone thinks is an affair, she has no choice but to break her silence. Fairy tales won't help her this time... so how can she tell the truth? And, more importantly, will anyone believe her?

I will give Bad Apple this. It has some pretty awesome characters - I loved Tola, and Tola's cat, and Tola's friend Seven.

And I love Laura Ruby's writing style.

But that's where my love of this ends. It wasn't a bad book, per say - it just wasn't organized. It jumped from thing to thing, in seemingly unconnected bits. I managed to get through the first fifty pages purely on the hope that it would get it's act together. Then I began flipping to random pages in the back and would know EXACTLY what was happening within the first five sentences I read.

The book probably would have been much better had it been written in diary form. Sadly, though, I could not finish it.

Final Comments: Some people may like it, but it's not my thing.
Cover Comments: It's an alright cover - appealing enough, but not something that would stand out on a shelf.

In My Mailbox (5) (6)

I just realized that the numbers on the vlogs aren't the same as the numbers on the blog post, haha. That's because the number of IMM vlogs I've done are smaller than the number of IMM posts I've done... I should probably have coordinated that. Too late now!

Here's to catching you all up on the last few weeks!

Oh, and it's hosted by the absolutely amazing Kristi.

(And because YouTube hates me, the videos WILL appear if you click "Read More." Really. I swear. Here are the direct links to them, though. IMM 5 & IMM 6)





For the descriptions on everything, just click read more. Warning: It's HUGE.

Trailer: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT. WANT.

Giveaway: Clockwork Angel

This giveaway is over.

I teased you about it. I dangled it in front of your face. But yes, it is here - the Clockwork Angel ARC giveaway, courtesy of BookExpo America!

Now, in case you're one of those rare people who are completely oblivious as to what Clockwork Angel is about, here's a summary for you.

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length... everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world... and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Now, there are SO MANY people who want this book. How to narrow it down?

Simple.

YOU, my loyal followers, are the people who get a shot at this book. New follower, old follower, doesn't matter. But you people are the ones who get a shot at this. No extra entries. Just follow.

And winner in the U.S. only. Sorry, but I can't afford to send overseas at the moment!

Quick Recap:
[1] ARC of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare up for grabs
[1] winner in the U.S.
must be a follower
ends July 9

How To Win:
[mandatory] must be a follower of WORD, old or new
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[mandatory] comment on this post with which team you think you'll be on: James or Will?



Oh, I'm mildly terrified to say this.

Winner: CSN Giftcard

The winner of the CSN giftcard is Sara of Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog! (Have you checked it out? It's pretty cool.)

Thanks for everybody who participated and come back tomorrow...
... for a super special follower exclusive Clockwork Angel giveaway.

Bodacious Blogging Book Reviewers Award + Some

I received this from The Lady Critic's Library! Thank youuuuu.

If you are given this award you must first accept it by leaving a comment on the post you were nominated on. Then copy and paste the post and add it to your own blog. Make a list of the last 5 books you read and pass the award on to 5 other bloggers (no backsies!). Please also identify the blog from which you got the award and don’t forget to tell your picks that they have a blog award!

That's an awful lot of rules. So I shall just award it to who I think deserves it - after all, my list of books is in my sidebar.

Dahlia at The Book Shopaholic
Katie at Katie's Book Blog
Kelsey at The Book Scout


And you guys much really love me. I have received the Versatile Blogger Award two more times. Thank you, guys! It's an honor. (Harmony AND Melanie AND Lisa gave it to me.)

Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. Share 7 things about yourself. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...) Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

I've already won this, so I won't give it out again - but I wanted to say thanks to those who gave it to me. I LOVE YOU GUYS!


And then I got ONE MORE from the LOVELY Enna over at Squeaky Books, which absolutely made me squee. Apparently I meet all her requirements for a good blog!

Thank who gave you the award and link to them. State what is is you look for in a blog. Give the award to 7 people whose blogs pertain most to you.

What do I look for in a blog? I need a sparkling personality - I'm not going to read your blog if it sounds like every other blog. I need well written reviews, preferably ones that state your opinions and aren't just chalk full of synonyms. And I need you to love what you're doing, and not just be in it for the free books. (But let's face it, all the bloggers I read love what they're doing!) And humor is always good.

I suppose I can't give it back to Enna, can I? So here are my blogs...

Donna at Bites
Julie at Bloggers Heart Books
Eleni at La Femme Readers

Chelsea at The Page Flipper
Susan at Wastepaper Prose
Erica at The Book Cellarx

The Dread Brotherhood Of Ship's Boys Of The HMS Dolphin

And there we go. Bloody Jack week is now officially over.

I do hope that you'll go out and read these FANTASMAGORICALLY AMAZING books. There's romance! There's danger! There's kick ass characters!

And most importantly - there's PIRATES.

And who doesn't love a good pirate?



PS: Did you know that the HMS Dolphin, the ship that Jacky is on in the first book, was a REAL ship? It is!

Guest Vlog: Aimee Friedman

So I'm taking a break from Bloody Jack week for a little bit - LE GASP, I know, the horror! - to bring you something SPECIAL. And it involves the water. Kind of.

The super spiffy awesome Aimee Friedman is here! She's the New York Times bestselling author of South Beach, French Kiss, Hollywood Hills, A Novel Idea and The Year My Sister Got Lucky - but most importantly, her YA novel, Sea Change!

What is Sea Change about, you ask?

Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her (now ex) boyfriend, she's happy to be spending the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

On the lush, beautiful island, Miranda finds new friends and a community with a mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, romance...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

See? It involves water. Just not pirate related water.

And not only is Aimee Friedman HERE, but she's here in VLOG FORM. How awesome is that!?

And be sure to swing by The Hiding Spot on Tuesday for the next stop of Aimee’s blog tour!

Click "Read More" to watch!

Friday Fronts - Bloody Jack Week

My Bloody Jack love isn't quite over yet. I am a coverwhore, after all, and every book series has a cover. And where there is love of a book series, there is in depth analysis of it's covers!


Original Covers



These covers have a very classic, pirate-esque feel to them. First off, the paintings are absolutely gorgeous - I would love to have a set of those hanging on my wall! To make it even better, though, each book captures one of the most important scenes in the book. Bloody Jack shows the first time she does something the other boys won't do; Curse of the Blue Tattoo shows the first time she refuses to hide who she is behind a dress; Under the Jolly Roger shows - well, you get the idea.


New Covers



Obviously this isn't all of them; these are just all the ones on Barnes & Noble's website.

I won't say I HATE them - I don't. They're actually not bad covers in themselves (though I hate the font choice.) I don't find the first one appealing at all, from her facial expression to the blue theme. Besides, Jacky's disguising herself as a boy at that time. I do love the Blue Tattoo one - it does a pretty good job at capturing Jacky's personality, though she doesn't ever wear an outfit like that throughout the book. (Including when she strolls through town with Jaimy.) Mississippi Jack is my favorite, by far - it captures her personality PERFECTLY! And Bonny Light Horseman is just eh.

The girl they chose is a pretty good Jacky representation, though I'm curious - where are Jacky's signature scars?


My Winner
I love the originals! Though I'm the Bloody Jack buff that'll go and buy the new ones, just to have them...

Winner: Pretty Monsters

The winner of Pretty Monsters is Katie over at Books are Dreams! Congratulations!

Guest Post: Chelsea Swiggett

I'm not the only person who loves Bloody Jack, as you bloody well know. (Hahaha, see what I did there?) Chelsea Swiggett, blogger at The Page Flipper and author of the upcoming Rae, hosted Bloody Jack week over at her blog last week. Right now, she's hosting Labyrinth week.

But what would this continuation of Bloody Jack week be without her popping in to say a few words?

So her post is under the cut; just click to read it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's about one of the lesser known characters - and, if I may say, one pretty awesome one.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Wake Of The Lorelei Lee

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Jacky Faber, rich from her exploits diving for Spanish gold, has purchased the Lorelei Lee to carry passengers across the Atlantic. Believing she has been absolved of past sins against the Crown, Jacky docks in London to take on her crew, but is instead arrested and sentenced to life in the newly formed penal colony in Australia.

To add insult to injury, the Lorelei Lee is confiscated to carry Jacky and more than 200 female convicts to populate New South Wales. Not one to give in to self pity, Jacky rallies her sisters to "better" their position—resulting in wild escapades, brushes with danger, and much hilarity. Will Jacky find herself a founding mother of New South Wales, Australia? Not if she has anything to do about it!

Series: Bloody Jack (#8)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: September 13 2010

You have NO IDEA how excited I am for this. Well. Maybe you have an idea, because I have a whole Bloody Jack week, which shows just how much I love the series. But the best Bloody Jack book isn't the one(s) with her and Jaimy - though they're adorable - or the one(s) where she's with her crew - which are wicked awesome - but the one in which she takes the Lawson Peabody Girls and proceeds to kick some ass.

Needless to say, I am STOKED.

Why I Love Jacky Faber

The main character in the Blood Jack series is Mary "Jacky" Faber. The picture to the right is Emilie de Ravin who, though older than Jacky in most of the books, would actually make a decent Jacky if they ever decided to turn it into, say, a TV series or a movie. I much prefer TV series. It could be pretty awesome...

Slight spoilers ahead. Whoops.

Of course, nobody ever calls her Mary; everybody always calls her Jacky. (Or later, Puss-in-Boots. Or La Belle Fille sans Merci. Or Princess Pretty Bottom. But she doesn't really like the last one.) Or Bloody Jack.

I mean, let's face it. Out of any female character I have ever encountered, Jacky is undoubtedly the most kick ass. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter? Pshh. Alexa Tarabotti from Soulless? Awesome, but no. Katniss from The Hunger Games?

Okay, maybe Katniss could beat her in a fight, but Jacky's still the better character.

She grew up on the streets of London - the entire first book is written in her Cockney accent; they become less accented as she becomes more educated. She lives with a gang of kids that steal and trick their way into surviving. Once she realizes that's not how she wants to live, she joins a crew, disguised as a boy. And she actually manages not only to successfully pull it off (at least for a while), but to fall in love with one of the ship's boys, have that same ship's boy fall for her, get a tattoo, undermine the entire way the ship works every now and then, and never lose one inch of her personality.

She's fearless, but worries; she's flirty, but innocent; she's smart and witty, but trusting; she's a bloody pirate, yet most of the British navy loves her.

She's completely contradictory, and yet she's completely awesome and real. After all, people are rather contradictory, are we not?

And how can you deny somebody who says this?

A girl what's born for hangin' ain't likely to be drowned.

Okay, it sounds ridiculous and morbid when you're just looking at it. And she's rather worried when she says it - it's her first time going on a ship.

But look at what it means. A girl that's destined for something - in her case, being a kick ass female pirate captain - isn't likely to have anything happen that will stop her destiny. It is, after all, her destiny.

I'm not doing her justice at all, you know. Read the books! She's just... GAH! Amazing. (L.A. Meyer, have I mentioned how much I love you for creating her?)

And look, look, look! FAN ART. (Click to bring you to the source.)

Bloody Jack 101

Now, perhaps you didn't read The Page Flipper last week. Or maybe you did, but still don't quite get the hang of it.

The Bloody Jack series is a series of books - duh - about this kick ass female named Jacky.

And no, she's nothing like Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as much as I love those movies. She's no governor's daughter, prancing around in corsets and landing the boy of her dreams. She's more Elizabeth Swann, Pirate King (er, queen?) from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Well, actually, her name is Mary Faber, but she disguises herself as a ship's boy - chops off her hair, wears boys clothes, et cetera - in the first book to escape the streets of London. Of course, this fails epically. She's on a ship full of men and is crushing on one of the other ship's boys.

Needless to say, it all works out, and it's more than entertaining in the end - after all, there are seven books, with the eighth one coming out in September.
They are, in order:

Bloody Jack
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Under the Jolly Roger
In the Belly of the Bloodhound
Mississippi Jack
My Bonny Light Horseman
Rapture of the Deep
Wake of the Lorelei Lee

My personal favorite is Belly in the Bloodhound - y'all remember my post on Clarissa Worthington Howe that I did over at The Page Flipper? She has a very nice role in this book. Besides, it's fun to see Jacky get stuck in a terrible conversation and still kick some ass.

Needless to say, the series is absolutely fantasmagorical. And if you read WORD this week, you shall discover exactly WHY.



Posts from The Page Flipper:
Introduction
Pirates
Time Period
Clarissa Worthington Howe

My Posts:
Getting To Know The Series
Why I Love Jacky Faber
Waiting on Wednesday: The Wake of the Lorelei Lee
Guest Post: Chelsea Swiggett
Friday Fronts: Cover Analysis

Bloody Jack Week

Have you been reading The Page Flipper? You should. Because last week was BLOODY JACK WEEK over there! And guess what? This week, it's a continuation over here on WORD! Yes, I am hosting part two of Bloody Jack Week. (It would be weeks, now, wouldn't it?)

And to kick it all off - what would Jacky Faber's Facebook page look like? Click to enlarge.



Welcome to the series.

Guest Post: Jennifer Sturman

Today I have the fantastic pleasure of hosting Jennifer Sturman as a guest blogger! Jennifer is the author of And Then Everything Unraveled and And Then I Found Out The Truth, both of which I have up for giveaway. (Have you not entered it? What ARE you waiting for? Go enter.)

And as I like my authors to have fun - and as I like you readers to have fun - I gave her full reign as to what she could post about.

And I have to say - her post is like no other guest post I've seen so far. I'm sure she had a lot of fun with it, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Enjoy! And don't forget to enter the giveaway.

Trailer: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I'M SO EXCITED.
AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT.

I mean, come on. The Narnia movies are AWESOME.

Friday Fronts - Matched

It's simple. It's pretty. It has an awesome font. It looks generally fantastic.

I want that dress.

Guest Post: Kelly Link

What, you thought I was going to just post a giveaway and leave it at that? What fun is that!?

Nope, Kelly Link HERSELF is stopping by today to talk to us about one of her favorite authors ever. That's right. And all you have to do is click read more to, well, read more!

And because I feel this is necessary, here is her BIO.

Kelly Link is the author of three collections of short stories, Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, and Pretty Monsters. Her short stories have won three Nebulas, a Hugo, and a World Fantasy Award. She was born in Miami, Florida, and once won a free trip around the world by answering the question “Why do you want to go around the world?” (”Because you can’t go through it.”)