Blog Tour: The Young Elites Series by Marie Lu & WinterHaven's Villain Post

Image Rights: Yahoo Images

Today, we’re excited to join Penguin Random House for Marie Lu & the Villain Squad tour! We have a lot to share about Marie Lu’s most recent series The Young Elites, and we also wanted to join in on the fun as I transform into a villain right before your eyes! Well not really a bad villain because well… that’s not my style, but if given the opportunity, I could pull out some superpowers that could bring down my enemy! So check this out!

The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu

Published October 7, 2014
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Purchase Links:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

My Thoughts

Brilliant and Fantastical Journey!

I applaud Marie Lu for flexing a new muscle in writing The Young Elites, where she takes her readers into a fantasy world filled with a cast of complex characters and a plot that continually builds momentum from beginning to end. Lu continues to play to her strengths, which we first saw in her dystopia series Legend, where she weaves political turmoil alongside layered agendas among her characters.

Click here for my original review post.

4 Snowflakes

The Rose Society (The Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu
Expected publication: October 13, 2015
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes the second book in the exhilarating Young Elites series

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

My Thoughts

Absolute perfection!! 

Where most second installments suffer from middle book syndrome, The Rose Society carries no such affliction. This book is a perfect blend of intrigue, dark fantasy and rival forces that have the reader sitting at the edge of their seat!

Click here for my original review post.

5 Snowflakes

And now for the fun!! As part of this blog tour we were asked to turn ourselves into a villain. For those of you who have read The Rose Society, we saw Adeline tap into the darker side of her character and she was known and feared as The White Wolf.

In the spirit of tapping into my inner villain and residing in WinterHaven's world, I would call myself SnowStorm.

My superpower would consist of blizzarating my enemies through my reading glasses and creating snowstorms that drive everyone to seek shelter indoors to their reading nooks. 

If I had to call on my villain squad I'd have my roomies Amber, Britt, Crystal, Milka and Tina help me bring down my enemies. #squadgoals!!

 GIVEAWAY TIME!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

What I Thought Was True 
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Published April 15th 2014 by Dial Books for Young Readers

From the acclaimed author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions. Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now: the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there as the local yard boy. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is. A magnetic, push-you-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

My Thoughts

What I Thought Was True is my second Huntley book. I am still kinda new in the genre and while it wasn't my all time love of my life book, there was still a lot that I enjoyed. This is classic other side of the track tale of a girl named Gwen who is learning quickly and sometimes a bit harshly that things aren't always what she believed them to be.

 I can totally see the appeal of Mrs. Fitzpatrick is that she is the queen of capturing that certain personification whether it be the tough sarcastic girl from the working class family or the spoiled rich kid who can never quite fill his older siblings shoes. She seems to be greatly attuned to people and is able to really give them all a ton of depth. it shines through in her writing as clear as day. I really like Gwen's dry, kind of self depreciating, sense of humor. She is just so funny to me. Very unlike most Contemporary books I have read (which is like 3 so I know my experience is limited here folks). 

I was to thrilled with the layout by that i mean the flashbacks interspersed through out the first 60% of the book. I see what the author was trying to do by slowly building the history/ back story but I wasn't feeling it. Maybe if they had a nice segue or something but no, they're just kinda inserted when Gwen's mind wanders. I have had to re-read a few of those scenes to actually make sure they we the flash backs. I thought they were a different scene al together. Did anyone else have this issue? Anyway I know it's on purpose so I'll overlook it.

I didn't particularly fall for the romance either. Gwen and Cass's cat and mouse game was tedious at best. It took far to long or me to become invested in the dilemma. Let me just say that I did like the enlightenment aspect that both characters faced though, another nod to her awesome characterizations.

This plot seemed very gritty and real, almost seemed more to life as in there was no grand gesture after a huge fight were all kiss and make up. It payed out like life would. Huntley was able to capture that perfectly. She also does a great job or portraying the inner working of family life. It isn't always peaches and cream. Parents and kids alike can make mistakes but everyone has their own story. That was the redeeming quality of this book. That and Gwen's sense of humor. Nic and Viv, that whole thing felt unnecessary. 

I was not really a fan of this story but I simply cannot overlook the sheer brilliance of Huntley's writing so I will absolutely read her next book. As a matter of fact I will be doing that next week! I am thrilled to get back to the Garretts.

3.5 Snowflakes

The lovely folks at Penguin are super awesome and are offering you a chance to win a copy of What I Thought Was True & an arc of The Boy Most Likely To! Amazing right?!?!?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Blog Most Likely To... *& Giveaway*

We here at Winterhaven Books were super excited to be invited to take part in an awesome superlatives feature promoting Huntley Fitzpatrick's new book...

Surprises abound and sparks ignite in the highly anticipated, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To: - find the liquor cabinet blindfolded - need a liver transplant - drive his car into a house Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To: - well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters. For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard. Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have. And Alice is caught in the middle. Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more.

This is super exciting especially since we got to pick out our own superlative instead of letting the yearbook committee or classmates vote on it. Here is what we chose...

There are six of us lovely ladies the blog here from all over the world!! We each have very different thoughts and tastes! Let me tell you a bit about us!

Favorite YA Books or Series: Lux, Morganville, Vampire Academy, River of Time
Favorite Authors: Richelle Mead, Melina Marchetta, Rachel Cain, Cath Crowley
Favorite Fictional Males: Daemon, Shane, Ash
Favorite Fictional Females: Gabby from River of Time series, Katniss-The Hunger Games, Megan Chase-The Iron Fae Series
Favorite Genres:YA Paranormal & YA Fantasy
Favorite eReader Device: Nook

Favorite YA Books or Series: The Hunger Games, Legend, Lumatere Chronicles
Favorite Authors: Melina Marchetta, Sarah Dessen, Gayle Forman
Favorite Fictional Males: Peeta from The Hunger Games, Adam from Where She Went, Thomas Piper's Son
Favorite Fictional Females: Katniss, Hermoine, Juliette
Favorite Genres: YA Contemporary & YA Fantasy
Favorite eReader Devise: My iPhone   

Favorite YA Books or Series: Red Rising by Pierce Brown, The Splintered Series by A.G. Howard, and Age of Legends series by Kelley Armstrong
Favorite Authors: A.G. Howard, Paula Weston & Melissa Marr
Favorite Fictional Males: Morpheus from Splintered
Favorite Fictional Females: Lillian from Trial by Fire
Favorite Genres: Creepy & Urban Fantasy
Favorite eReader Device: Kindle

Favorite YA Books or Series: The Immortal Instruments, Covenant series
Favorite Authors: Jennifer L Armentrout, Cassandra Clare
Favorite Fictional Males: Jace Wayland, Morgenstern, Lightwood, Herondale, Edward Cullen
Favorite Fictional Females: Alex (Covenant books) Kat (Lux books)
Favorite Genres: YA Paranormal & SciFi
Favorite eReader Device: Kobo ARC

Favorite YA Books or Series: Throne of glass series by Sarah J. Maas, The Infernal Devices series by Cassie Clare, Splintered series by A. g. Howard 

Favorite Authors: Sarah j Mass, Cassandra Claire, Maggie Stiefvater

Favorite Fictional Males: William Herondale ( the infernal devices) & Morpheus (Splintered series), Ronan Lynch (the Raven Cycle)

Favorite Fictional Females: Celaena Sardothien, 

Favorite Genres: YA Fantasy & SciFi 

Favorite eReader Device: Kindle on my mini iPad

Favorite YA Books or Series: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Favorite Authors: Rainbow Rowell, Emery Lord, Sarah Dessen

Favorite Fictional Males: Michael Moscovitz (The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot), Matt Finch (Open Road Summer by Emery Lord) Levi (Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell)

Favorite Fictional Females: Cath (Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell), Paige (The Start of You and Me by Emery Lord), Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries series))

Favorite Genres: Contemporary, Historical

Favorite eReader Device: Kindle

When it comes right down to it...there is no way you can get through our blog and NOT find some awesome books you are sure to love!!

June 15 - July 15 

MY LIFE NEXT DOOR signed copy 

& THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO arc 

(5 winners) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Ember in the Ashes Release Day blitz!

I am so excited that AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir releases today and that I get to share the news, along with a special introduction from Sabaa herself!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Sabaa Tahir, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copies of the book and some of those awesome sword letter openers we’ve seen around courtesy of Sabaa, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

A letter from Sabaa Tahir.

Dear Readers,

Today, my “baby” AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is finally out in the world! From inception to pub date, this journey took eight years. And what a journey it was: writing, rewriting, revising, editing, querying, submitting; Meeting other debuts, bloggers, booksellers and librarians, and hearing their thoughts on EMBER. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the radness.

And now, the book is here! I am so excited to see it in the hands of readers. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To celebrate release day, I’m giving away two signed, first-edition hardcovers of the book. Details below!

All my best,

Sabaa

Title: AN EMBER IN THE ASHES
Author: Sabaa TahirPub. Date: April 28, 2015Publisher: RazorbillPages: 464Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.
LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.
ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.
When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.

Check out the book trailer!

About Sabaa:

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

WEBSITE| TWITTER | PINTEREST | GOODREADS | TUMBLR  |INSTAGRAM

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a signed hardcover of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. US Only.

3 winners will receive a hardcover of AN EMBER IN THE ASHES and a Sword Letter Opener! US Only.

Ends on May 9^th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviews and ARC Giveaway! The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Publisher-Penguin Young Readers Group

Release- May 7th 2013

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N / Chapters

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Amber's Thoughts:

The 5^th Wave is easily the best dystopian/apocalyptic/sci-fi book I have read and my favorite book so far this year! I am so overwhelmed by the rush of emotions and adrenaline pumping through me as I write this. I am pleading for this book to be made into a film and shown on the big screen because the story is absolutely awesome!

I tend to stick to female writers as I feel they connect on a deeper emotional level. Rick Yancey has proved me wrong. There were so many elements in this story that contributed to this well-deserved 5-Star rating. This isn’t about green aliens with huge buggy eyes. This story reaches a new level of epic proportions. I was touched by the sweet moments, crushed by the sad, grossed out by the gore, and on the edge of my seat with the action.

It took me a minute to get adjusted to the writing style and the switching of POV’s, but I appreciate that fact that he did that. I was able to connect with each of the characters more and what they have gone through since the 1^st Wave began. I wondered what was going through this authors head while he wrote this. Was he just released from a Psych ward? Was he mentally twisted? Nope!! Just a writer with an amazing imagination, and a stellar skill for relaying his characters actions and thoughts.

Imagine an alien race that hovers above. You know nothing of what is going on, where they came from, or what would transpire. You live day to day on edge waiting…waiting for something, anything to happen. You hope that life remains the same, but deep down in your gut you know that it will never be again. It would be unsettling to say the least.  

The gore is gory. The action is intense. And when all hope seems to be but a faint memory, you grasp at anything you can to remind yourself that if you let your hope die, you are just as alien as they are.  This is what these characters face. Death, destruction and trust are nothing but the same. You put your trust in another, you may die. If you don’t trust anyone, you may end up dead inside and all alone.

I was completely thrown off and questioned every character in this story. Were they good? Were they bad? Were they infected? Were they not? We follow the lives of Cassie Sullivan, Ben Parish, and Evan Walker. These characters were absolutely fantastic for various reasons. Cassie was strong and smart. She made a promise to her five year old brother, Sammy that she would come for him after he was taken with a busload of kids and soldiers. Determination and a promise fueled this character and I loved how strong willed she was. Ben Parish was the all-star athlete in school, and had a killer smile that would make you melt. He wanted revenge for the deaths of family members. Evan was just *Sigh* Evan was mysterious but at the same time, the guy that you would obsess over. (I am!)

If you love major twists, action, romance, mystery, sci-fi, the unexpected…this is for you.

This book will knock your socks off! This is one that I will be pre-ordering without a doubt. A MUST READ!

5 Snowflakes

Tina's Thoughts:

"I had it all wrong," he says. "Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you  have to find something your're willing to die for."

If alien-invasion reads are the new boom this year, then I vote The 5th Wave as it's leader!!

Rule #1-Trust no one. Rule #2- To stay alive is to stay alone. 

This is what Cassie Sullivan has to live by since she lives in an either/or world. It's either them or her. After all, she's survived all four waves. She may even be the last human on earth waiting on the edge of the 5th wave to finish it's job.  But Cassie made a promise to find her little brother, Sammy. So into the unknown she goes, with a teddy bear snugged safely in her backpack and her trusty M16 at her side, ready to face the Others, all alone, till she meets the mysterious Evan Walker. Something about him feels off, but he may be the only soul to help her find her brother. So in a world where you can only trust yourself, Cassie finds herself putting her faith in something she thought she'd lost. Hope.

Wow! Just wow people!! This is some seriously amazing storytelling my friends. I've always been a huge sci-fi fantasy lover, but I don't think I've enjoyed a story like this since the Hunger Games days. It has everything your looking for. Raw gut wrenching emotion. Drawn out suspense that pulls on ever nerve in your body. Fearful-disguised-in-fearless characters, outstanding writing and an unexpected love story that reminds us that even at the end of the world, there's still something worth fighting for.  This is by far my favorite read in 2013!!

To say I loved this book would be a huge understatement. I knew it was going to be an instant favorite only after the first chapter! I wanted to devour and savor this at the exact same time. It's just so unbelievable! This would be my first book from Rick Yancey, but it wont be my last. This man can write. The depths in which he brought these characters in a world completely powerless and defeated was pure madness. He has this uncanny way with messing with your mind and heart in the same breath. His words seemed to magically bring me to the very edge of my emotions, pulling me back or throwing me over in a single heart beat. I've read my fair share of alien books lately, but this one really does seem to make a lasting impression. I can't stop thinking about it. The story-line feels so.dame.real. What a terrifying and cruel reality to be faced with. To be tested against such slim odds, but it's also a thought provoking piece. What would you do if this was you? How would you survive in a world that's been completely destroyed and conquered. What humanity would you have left. Without trust, what hope does anyone really have? 

This book as such a fantastically fierce cast of characters, and Cassie Sullivan is on top of that list. I love the beginning of this book. Where we see her mourning the person she use to be before the Arrival. That part of her who use to be innocent and good. Now she's been reduced to living alone, isolated with nothing but spinning thoughts of fear and paranoia to keep her company along with a teddy bear and her rifle of course. She's a fighter, she has no choice but to be one. She knows what she has to do to survive, what needs to be done, even if it makes her a killer.

Evan Walker turns out to be such a huge surprise. But he's my favorite thing about this book. I never expected to find such a precious love story in a world where there's really no room for love. He's a light in a very dark dark place. Where you see nothing but death and sorrow and pain, how do you picture something happy or hope for something good. I think that's what Evan stood for. Hope. You may not be able to trust anyone, but you can still want to trust in love. 

Sammy is a little treasure and the hardest parts to read about. My heart broke for that little boy in so many different ways! All I wanted to do was reach in this book and hug him and never let go.

And then there's Zombie (you'll learn his real name after). He thickens up the plot nicely, specially for future books. 

Bottom line, I couldn't love a book more. This is seriously one of the best apocalyptic sci-fi thrillers I ever read. With sensational in-your-face writing, characters who feel so real they practically bleed through the book, all in a shutter-worthy world so realistic that it's terrifying to even fathom. 

I could sit here all day and gush about how amazing this book is, but I think you get the point. Read this!! 

Rick Yancey has a new fan and I can't flippin' wait to see what he has in store for us and these characters next!! I NEED MORE!!!

(Quote came from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change)

Find the author:

Goodreads /Website

                                                                      5 Snowflakes 

      We are giving away our ARC copy of The 5th Wave to one lucky follower! Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway