THIRTEEN REASONS WHY 10th Anniversary!!!

Today we are sharing info on the NEW 10th Anniversary edition of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher!  This new edition releases TODAY! 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill
Purchase: Amazon
"You can't stop the future."
"You can't rewind the past."
"The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.
"
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever."

New Content Info:

The #1 New York Times bestseller and modern classic that's been changing lives for a decade gets a gorgeous revamped cover and never-before-seen additional content, including:

An introduction from its award-winning author, Jay Asher;

The until-now-secret alternate ending for Hannah and Clay that almost was;

Early notes and ideas of how the story came to be;

Deleted scenes;

And more!

Razorbill has also provided us with an awesome giveaway to share with our readers!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter for a chance to win one of five (5) hardcover copies of the 10th Anniversary Edition of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (ARV: $18.99).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on December 27, 2016 and 12:00 AM on December 28, 2016. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about January 2, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Review: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Purchase: Amazon

The road to power... is paved with blood and magic.

Cleo is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people.
Magnus stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia.
Lucia is haunted by the outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms.
Jonas watched at the palace gates a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius.

After a bloody siege, Auranos has been defeated, its young queen orphaned and dethroned. The three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But the allure of ancient, dangerous magic beckons still, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the whole world over...

At the heart of the fray are four brave young people grappling for that magic and the power it promises. For Cleo, the magic would enable her to reclaim her royal seat. In Jonas's hands, it frees his nation, and in Lucia's, it fulfills the ancient prophecy of her destiny. And if the magic were Magnus's, he would finally prove his worth in the eyes of his cruel and scheming father, King Gaius, who rules Mytica with a punishing hand.

When Gaius begins to build a road into the Forbidden Mountains to physically link all of Mytica, he sparks a long-smoking fire in the hearts of the people that will forever change the face of this land. For Gaius's road is paved with blood, and its construction will have cosmic consequences.

My Thoughts:
PEOPLE!!  This book OMG this book!!  Morgan Rhodes has crafted a fantasy that is so brilliant and just my gawd just everything I have EVER wanted in a fantasy novel.  This is YA at its absolute finest and my favorite book of 2015!

Rhodes definitely does not suffer from middle book syndrome.   Rebel Spring is just as explosive as its predecessor and honestly even more so in some areas.  The story is so intricately woven throughout that every page has a purpose.  There are no wasted words or filler here let me tell you.  I am completely blown away by what this author has created.  COMPLETELY!

Again I won't go into the story because it's a very complicated one and one that I know I won't do justice to.  And honestly I don't want to spoil it for anyone.  The story is that good to where I would totally tell all my friends to go in blind.  Don't read a synopsis, don't read a summary, just go in and experience.  I have never said that before so that should tell you something.

I've come to find out that Rhodes is fearless with her characters and will kill anyone off at the drop of hat.  I think she's killed off like ten people so far and everyone of them was important!  Who does this!!??  Even after so many have been killed off I still find myself shocked when it happens.  I'm beginning to get a little blood lust myself though because now when I smell death in a scene I'm starting to chant die die die!  This I know can't be a good thing, but I blame Rhodes and her fearlessness!

The characters have continued to grow and change and a few scare me more in this one.  Magnus is a loose cannon and I'm terrified of what his plans ultimately are.  I'm also finding is fascinating that so many characters have an evil streak!  This appeals to the darker side of me and I love it!  I was shocked at quite a few dark turns this book took, but it totally fits right in with the story and I have no complaints.

One thing I find hilarious is the romance in this series. I've just said that Rhodes will kill anybody and this has proven to serve more than one purpose.  I despise love triangles and throughout this story I've smelled a few of them. Well let me tell you if these pesky triangles bother you too, then you need not worry.  Every time I would groan and think NO I don't want a triangle within a few chapters one side of the triangle would meet their end.  LOVE THIS!  I again know this isn't quite normal for me to feel, but really what better way to deal with triangles??  I think this should be standard in books now with love triangles!

I'm beyond excited to continue on with this series.  It is beyond epic and one that I will definitely not let fall to the wayside as I have done with so many series as of late.  Bring on Gathering Darkness!

Another Blizzard Read!

Teaser Tuesday #100 Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes                  Publisher: Razorbill      Published: December 11, 2012  Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword.... 

Teaser #1 ebook page 53/293

"Just keep one thing in mind as you embark on this arrangement with your new bodyguard..."
She looked at him sharply. "What's that?"
He held her gaze. "He's not royal either."

Teaser #2 ebook page 77/293

And she also wished very much that she could share her won secret, the one she'd been hiding for nearly a month--the one no one knew. No one at all.


*PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Welcome to Waiting On Wednesday here at

 Winterhaven Books!

This is a feature created by Jill at Breaking The Spine where we share some books we are anxiously awaiting.

This week's pick...

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury 

Expected publication: February 23rd 2016 by Razorbill 

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world...
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart? As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Arabian Nights from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

Another fabulous retelling...yes please! So what if the market is a bit saturated right now?!? I am all for it!! Not to mention the fact that Arabian nights is a favorite of mine. I really love the whole jinni troupe. Can't wait for this one!

Review: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: July 7th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

We're all gonna die down here. . . .

Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.

In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
             
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.

Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.

They’re being hunted.
             
Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.

My thoughts:
This was so so bad.  I hate writing reviews for books that have let me down and this review isn't going to be nice I am warning you now.  And it will be full of spoilers so if you don't want to know the ending don't read this!!  I can't write this without talking about the entire book I am really sorry, but I just can't.  I am too upset to skirt around things this time so again DO NOT READ if you don't want SPOILERS!!

SPOILERS!

Let me first say that I adore Danielle Vega.  Her first novel The Merciless was amazing and I really loved every bit about.  When I saw her second novel hit Goodreads I squeed and knew I was going to love it.  And really if I had gotten what the synopsis promised I would have loved it plot hole and all. (I'll get to the huge gaping plot hole in a minute.) What I read was not what I was promised.  The synopsis made me think this would be kinda like The Purge movies.  A story about a group of kids trapped in a Survive the Night game with lunatics.  Did I read the summary wrong??  What I read was a story about a group of teens (who all have their roles...a crazy mean psycho, a drug addict just released from rehab who thinks she doesn't have a problem, the TSTL girls, the ex boyfriend who doesn't do the drug thing, and the goofy sidekick..sounds like an old school thriller right?) who do go to a Survive the Night rave, but accidentally get trapped underground after hiding from the police when the party is busted.  The rest of the story is about them trying to get out and yes there is something lurking in the dark, but it wasn't creepy.  It was incredibly boring and not scary at all in my opinion.  I wanted the lunatics!!

Yes I did see at the bottom of the summary that it says "something", but honestly I didn't see that the first time I read the summary which does make me question if it was changed.  And even if it was there I am still sticking by my rant in this.  I think the story would have been so much better if the "something" was left out. I didn't buy the "something" at all.  I would have bought deranged killers on the lose playing a game of cat and mouse underground.  Okay moving on to the plot hole...

The whole entire time I was reading this there was a HUGE plot hole staring me in the face.  CELL PHONES!  Why in the world didn't someone call for help??!  Casey and her group use their cell phones numerous times to see in the dark but they never tried to call anyone!  This bugged me!!  If there was no reception I would have liked that little tidbit thrown in, but really in this day and age cell towers are everywhere so why didn't they just CALL SOMEBODY!  SO infuriating!!  And even if they didn't have reception underground they did try and open a manhole so wouldn't the cell phones work then when they were almost above ground??  I screamed so much every time a phone was mentioned that by the end of the book I couldn't even look at my cell phone without screaming.

I also don't think I've ever been more aggravated at a group of characters before either.  Casey was just so whiny and all she did was pine over Sam and say she didn't have a drug problem.  I got so tired of hearing her inner monologues.  Whatever chance this story had was obliterated when the characters started talking.  I don't even know what to say except that they were not fun to read at all.

BIG SPOILER

And this brings me to unnecessary killing off people.  I don't know if you watch Grey's Anatomy but I did up until recently because of unnecessary killing.  I watched that show for years and if I can stop watching it that fast you will know I am serious when I say I have a very low tolerance for killing off people just to kill them off.  Yes I know that this book was all about killing off people BUT I felt like killing off a certain person wasn't necessary.  They got away safe, the danger was gone why did they have to die??!  I hated the way they died too.  They died saving someone and while sometimes that is heroic in this instance it was just stupid. Yes I said it stupid.  Did I want a HEA for certain characters?  No really I could have cared less, but I just didn't want this one person to die.

Oh and this book had all kinds of gross stuff in it.  I can handle blood, guts, and gore.  What grosses me out is going barefoot in an underground train tunnel with rats and who knows what diseases, laying on the underground train tunnel floor hooking up with someone and yes almost getting naked in the hooking up process, and vomiting then two chapters later kissing a person!!  WTH?!?!?  EWWWW!!!  I almost threw up in my mouth when I read that part.

Why didn't the little beta readers tell the powers to be about this stuff??!!  I know Ms. Vega can write an amazing book.  I have no idea what happened with this one at all. I wish she would have stuck with the old school thriller instead of adding in a "something"  The "something" wasn't needed and I really wish someone would have told her about the dang cell phones!!

Okay I am going to stop.  Like I said I knew this review would be harsh and I am sorry for that.  I thought about not reviewing it but I had to say something.  I am really curious how this book will be received and I can't wait to find out if I am in the minority.  Shockingly this will not deter me from reading future novels from Ms.Vega.  I have hopes that her next one will be like the first.

1 snowflake

Review: A Tale of Two Besties: A Hello Giggles Novel by Sophia Rossi

A Tale of Two Besties: A Hello Giggles Novel by Sophia Rossi
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: May 12th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Best friends. BFFs. Soul twinsies. Whatever you want to call them, Harper and Lily were born to be besties. With high school just around the corner, casual-cool Cali girl Harper and awkward, always-costumed Lily make sure to text each other every day about their bond:

Harper: I love you so much that I am going to sneak out of detention to pay that guy from Craigslist $100 to cut off all your hair for my secret collection.
Lily: I love you so much I’m going destroy everyone in your life that matters and force you to depend and love only me.
Harper: That sounds beautiful. I love you.

Not even the threat of different high schools could throw this BFFship off-course, even if Lily begs her parents not to send her to the “dreaded Pathways," a special school for creative types, while effortlessly-popular Harper attends Beverly High with the rest of their class.

But in a city where fitting in means standing out and there’s nothing more uncool than being cool, it’s the naturally charismatic Harper--with her blond hair and perfect bone structure--who finds herself fighting the tide of American Apparel’d teens who rule the school. Meanwhile, it’s the perpetually “gawkward” Lily--who accessories every ensemble with a pair of tattered fairy wings--who finds herself flying alongside the queen bees of Pathways. Can BFF-ship survive the tidal wave of HS drama, or does growing up mean leaving some friends behind?

My Thoughts:
A Tale of Two Besties is just that, a story about two best friends trying to survive high school.  What makes this story stand out, at least for me, is that it isn't about romance and first love.  This book is about friendship and how hard it can be to keep those friendships in high school.

Harper and Lily have been best friends for a long time and their freshman year where it should have been all about them being together is about them trying to navigate high school without each other.  Lily transfers to a new artsy school leaving behind her bestie and shield from the world.  Harper has always been the more outgoing one and so Lily knows her life is over.  They make a pact to always stay the same and to always be there for each other.  Unfortunately things don't go as planned and life takes the girls in two separate directions.

I really enjoyed this book.  I should clarify there is a romance, but it isn't the main focus which I appreciated.  I think younger girls need to see more stories about friendship.  It's so hard to keep your friends especially through high school and I think reading a book where they can identify with the characters is huge.  I wish I had had this book when I was in high school.  It might not have saved me from the fights or heartbreak, but it would have helped me understand that I wasn't the only one even if the other people were fictional characters.

The author did a really great job with the storyline.  I honestly never saw Lily as the one that would break away first and it was intriguing to see both POVs.  Was it all believable, no but that was okay because the core storyline was believable and one I felt emotion for.  I wanted Lily to stand up for herself and I wanted Harper to understand that life does move on.  And even though I wanted separate things for each of them I still wanted them to be besties for ever!

I had two problems with this though...1.The way Lily and Harper talked got to be a bit annoying and 2. Money   I'll start with 1.  I have always had a hard time with books that make their teenagers sound older than I am and this book does that.  I can't imagine myself much less a freshman in high school talking the way they do in this book.  It felt pretentious at times and just too wordy at others. I would have personally connected to each character better if their dialogue had been a bit smoother.  2. Money...These kids were rich and I mean it felt like Kardashian rich.  I didn't care for this and it didn't fit with the story in my opinion.  I would have preferred a simpler toned down story, it would have felt more genuine to me.  As it was I felt a bit disconnected when certain scenes would take place and a little uncomfortable.  This could just be me though. Maybe kids do talk that way and they have all kinds of money I don't know, but in my household we don't have either.  So for me I would have liked that all toned down.

Those two things even though they sound major didn't take away the story for me.  I still fell into this and liked it.  I overlooked a lot because the writing was really good and the story itself reminded me of how hard it is to keep friends and how we should all fight a little harder to keep the ones we have.

3 snowflakes

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Publisher: Razorbill
Expected Publication Date: April 28, 2015

B&N / AMAZON

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.

My Thoughts:
Wow! Where to begin with this spine-tingling story....Told from first-person narratives alternating between Laia and Elia, whom come from very separate lifestyles, come together for one cause.

Elias is a Mask in the country of Serra at Blackcliff Military Academy. He is known as one of the most gifted. His mother is the Commandant, who is as awful as they come and mean as they get.

Laia's brother, Darin, is taken prisoner because of a sketchbook filled with drawings of swords etc, which are made for the Martials. Laia was given the chance to run and escape, which she did down into the tunnels beneath Serra, then runs into member of the Resistance. She begs the to help her free her brother, and eventually they would agree only if  she agreed to be a spy for them. The plan was to sell her as a slave to the Commandant.

Laia learns her parents are much more than that, they were involved with the Resistance to a degree Laia had never imagined. She would do whatever she had to do to get her only living sibling and family member back, so she fed what information she could to the Resistance and the boy Keenan whom was the first Resistence member she met in catacombs.

Elias knew he wasn't like his fellow Masks, he wanted something different and in order to escape the life he didn't want any part of, he had to find a way out.

Born enemies, Laia and Elias cross paths and develop a chemistry which in turn they both find an escape within one another.

Helene was a close friend of Elias, but was fiercely loyal to the empire. Both Elias and Laia were caught up with their own plan, but in able to move them closer to their final goal. There are four trials that determine the next Emperor, and the Commandant has a hand in whom will will the trial....and it isn't her son. (I tell you she is PURE EVIL!!)

This corrupted country filled with nail biting tension will leave you wanting to know more. More about the Auger who can read oracles and minds and creepy creatures like Jinns and ghuls. This story is full of complexities and enough romantic tension between Elias, Keenan, and Laia.  By the end you will be jonesing for the next chapter in these characters lives.

Without a doubt, Tahir has penned one stellar story that will be sure to sit in the forfront of your mind for some time. Loved the story. Loved the cast. And loved the world in which she created. I need number 2 now!!!!

Teaser Tuesday #87 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...


An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa TahirPublisher: RazorbillExpected Publication Date: April 28, 2015

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.

Teaser page 65:
"This life is not always what we think it will be," Cain says. "You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it."


Teaser page 408:
Once, I'd have wanted that. I'd have wanted someone to tell me what to do, to fix everything. Once, I'd have wanted to be saved. But what has that gotten me? Betrayal. Failure.

*PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks! 

Review: The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn

The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 22, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?

Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.

Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.

When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.

But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.

As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.

My Thoughts:
This book puts a whole new meaning to the phrase walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

Lo has started having symptoms of MS and knows that her life is about to change drastically.  She feels at the end of her rope and isn't ready to tell anybody about her condition, but that changes when she meets Jay on the side of the road.  Jay says he can help her if she can find four friends to accompany on this adventure.  Lo knows this might by here only option so she recruits four people that she thinks could use some kind of help as well.  What happens is not what she signed up for and is a huge eye opener for everybody involved.

Basically this book is about what happens when we take on somebody else's burdens and give up our own.  Lo gives her MS symptoms to somebody else and takes on a condition where she can't feel pain.  This at the beginning seemed like an awesome trade for her, but as the week goes on she realizes that not feeling pain isn't an improvement at all.  I think the message behind this book is that no matter what you believe you are never given more than you can handle in your own life.  Yes things might be terrible and sometimes you hit rock bottom, but as a person you have inner strength to find the support you need to make a better life for yourself as much as you can. 

I really loved the message from this book and it is the first one in a long time to make me think about my own life and how I see my burdens.  It's not easy looking at things from a distance, but this book made me do that.  The author doesn't come across as preachy which I was concerned about after awhile.  Strayhorn kept the story about the characters and not her own personal beliefs and really let the characters show through the message. 

I also really liked the Indian background that was used.  It wasn't a pretty background, but it made me want to find out more about the tribes described.  I found it really fascinating and I have already been looking up books that will help me better understand what the author was trying to say.

The only thing that didn't quite work for me was the fall out from everybodies parents.  These five characters changed immensely throughout the week and I would have liked to have seen how their parents handle the abrupt change.  Especially Kaya.  Her transformation was the one that I think stood out the most and if her mom was as overbearing as described I found it heard to believe that certain events would have transpired.  I usually have issue with parents in YA books so this isn't new for me, but I always have to mention them in my reviews. One day I will find that book where the parents live up to my expectations.

All in all this book really spoke to me.  I really liked the characters and it was nice to see a YA book where the girls weren't completely catty with one another in a high school setting.  It was nice to see that Lo was just your average girl and trying to survive high school.  Nothing really dramatic happened which was a nice change.  Yes there is one girl that is the mean girl, but this isn't shoved in your face like they typically are.   

I am definitely going to keep my eye out for more from this author.  I really enjoyed her writing style and I am a huge fan after finishing The Way We Bared Our Souls.

4 snowflakes

Review & Giveaway: Zodiac by Romina Russell

Zodiac by Romina Russell
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: December 9th, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

At the dawn of time, there were 13 Houses in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now only 12 remain….

Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.

When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancrian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts.

Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts seeing a pattern in the stars. She suspects Ophiuchus—the exiled 13th Guardian of Zodiac legend—has returned to exact his revenge across the Galaxy. Now Rho—along with Hysan Dax, a young envoy from House Libra, and Mathias, her guide and a member of her Royal Guard—must travel through the Zodiac to warn the other Guardians.

But who will believe anything this young novice says? Whom can Rho trust in a universe defined by differences? And how can she convince twelve worlds to unite as one Zodiac?

Embark on a dazzling journey with ZODIAC, the first novel in an epic sci-fi-meets-high-fantasy series set in a galaxy inspired by the astrological signs.

My thoughts:
If you are a sci-fi lover this book is for you!  Zodiac is a high intensity sci-fi book that brings you into a unique world and makes you want to live among these amazing planets.

This might sound strange but just go with me for a minute.  When I first picked up Zodiac I knew I was going to like it.  It had everything I like in my sci-fi books and I was super excited to dive in.  The books I like I usually try and finish within a few days that way everything stays fresh in my mind, but with this book I just couldn't do that.  It took me a good two weeks to finish it and yes normally that means I am not feeling the book, but in this case it was because I wanted to ponder the world and really get to know it.  For the first time in a long time I didn't just want to skip over the parts I didn't understand, I wanted to make sure I got the world.  It was tough I won't lie. This book is heavy sci fi with psyenergy, different planets, a new caste system, and over the top technology.  I don't regret for one single second taking my time.  I am so glad that I slowed down with this one because it doing so I really felt something and I completely immersed myself in this world and man was it brilliant.

Romina Russell has crafted such a unique world.  I have read space sci-fi books before, but this one is beyond unique.  With the introduction of the Zodiac we get a fun spin on the planet system and I loved reading about the different houses.  It was also fun to see how each character acted when from a different house.  Our main character Rho was from Cancer and she surprised me by sticking to her Cancerian (not sure if that is a word but I am going with it) values.  I've noticed in a lot of books the main character will be forced to hide things and change their opinion, but Rho stayed strong.  Yes she had secrets, but not with her main goal.  She voiced her concern and stepped up to the plate every singe time even though she knew the outcome wouldn't be in her favor.  I really liked that about her and it made me respect her.  There were times of wishy washynesss and I was scared she would take the easy way out, but each and every time she stayed true to her morals.  Loved loved loved that.

The main story was an interesting one and this book really only scratches the surface.  I have a lot of questions that I think will come to light in the coming books and I am very excited to see how they play out.  Especially one particular one because I have a feeling Ms.Russell intends to shake this whole world up and I can't wait!  The addition of the thirteenth house was brilliant and I really liked how the author wove in the lore from each house.  Like I said this whole world is so unique and I really fell in love with it. 

The one and only thing I did not like about this book was the love triangle.  I always have a hard time with these and this one didn't work for me.  I don't like the inner struggle and I don't like all the heartbreak that comes with this type of romance.  Ms. Russell weaves the romance nicely into the story I just wish it would have been with only one guy.  I genuinely like both guys and I don't want either one of them to get hurt.  I also feel like a certain part of the story was pushed a little too far especially considering there is a love triangle.  It was Rho's decision to go that far and I didn't respect it.  She should have worked out her feelings first and dealt with them before she went down a certain path. I am very curious to see who she ends up with, but that is not why I will pick up the next book.  The world that was created can definitely stand on its own and I hope that the author chooses to show  more of that then the triangle.

I would have gone with 4 stars on this one, but the romance really hit a nerve with me so I have to go with 3.5.  The story and world though get a huge 5!

3.5 snowflakes

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Review: The Merciless by Danielle Vega

The Merciless by Danielle Vega
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 12, 2014
Purchase: Amazon

Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned

Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls . . . unless she wants to be next. . . .

In this chilling debut, Danielle Vega delivers blood-curdling suspense and terror on every page. By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?

My Thoughts:
OMG okay you have to give me a minute to slow my heart!  This book was horror at its finest and exactly what I have been looking for!  It's gory, insane, brutal and just so in your face that it really should come with a warning!  My kind of book!

So basically in a nutshell Merciless is about a new girl (Sofia) who is befriended by a group of girls that pride themselves on being pure in Gods eyes.  When Riley (the head girl) gets cheated on she takes matters into her own hands and decides she needs to exorcise Brooklyn's (girl who was involved in the cheating) demons.  Well things go from just crazy to downright call the insane asylum nuts in about 2.2 seconds! 

This book was a cross between The Craft, Carrie, The Crucible and Mean Girls.  It took all the things that we all loved about each movie and threw them together to create an amazingly creepy tale that I know will stay with me.  Riley does some pretty violent stuff and yes you will have to realize this is fiction.  Would half of this stuff really happen no of course not but if you can let reality go and you love scary then this book is for you.  I never knew who was the bad guy!  Was it Riley because of all her crazy stunts or was Brooklyn really possessed by a demon and on a killing spree?? 

The culprit isn't shown until the very ending and if you think you know how this story plays out think again my friend.  That very last page has left me with a huge WTH moment and yes I might have had a crazy MUAHAHAHA laugh.  That ending has to be one of my favorites of all time!  Brilliant!

I will say one word of warning here.  This book has a ton of religion in it and while it didn't bother me it might bother some.  I didn't feel preached to so that helped me see past all of that stuff and honestly the religion has to be in the story.  It is the central reason behind a lot of what goes on and the story wouldn't have been the same without it.

So if you are like me and just want a little more creepy on your shelves then this is for you.  The characters are all pretty insane and well I loved it what can I say.  I also appreciate the little romance thrown in.  Not sure it completely fit with the story, but it was a nice side touch.  I really liked Charlie and I am glad he was pretty much left out of all the craziness.  I like that this book revolved just around the girls. 

4.5 Snowflakes

*ARC sent by publisher in exchange for honest review*

Teaser Tuesday, #53 The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4) by Richelle Mead

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...



The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4) by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: November 19, 2013






Teaser are from ebook 5%

"Even hours later, I could still feel where he'd kissed me."

"Sometimes I tried to rationalize it as a natural animal response. But really, I just had to face the truth: My boyfriend was insanely sexy, vampire or not, and I couldn't keep my hands off him."




PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

Review: Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

Imposter by Susanne Winnacker
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: May 28th, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late? 

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

My Thoughts:
This wasn't exactly what I was expecting and I am so angry with what I am left with.  The first thing I am angry over is that even though I really didn't care for this book I know I am still going to read the sequel GAH!  Seriously I can 't even explain it but I am because the writing pulled me in and even with the lack of love for this book I am just too dame curious and I have to see what happens!  Don't you just hate when that happens??!!

My second anger point is the characters.  I have read many many books and I have never been so irritated with a bunch of characters before!  Tessa makes some really stupid decisions and so does Alec.  I swear I wanted to throw this book across the room a dozen times and the first time was only about 30 pages in.  Luckily my hope was answered with that one and Tessa was caught, but she needed way more reprimanding in my opinion.  You just don't do what she did!  Also the whole push and pull between Tessa and Alec got to be too much.  I know there was a reason why he was with Kate and I really wanted to know what that reason was. I hoped that by the end we would learn more but unfortunately we get nothing.  I am left thinking that Alec and Kate really were a couple and that he was just a jerk for what he did throughout the book.  The one reason we are given about his restraint was not good enough.  He says that Tessa was too young and that was never an issue between them, I could see if he was 22 and she was 16 but she was 16 and he was 18.  I have seen way bigger age differences and it never became an issue.  I think we the readers should have been given the main reason not a cop out.

Okay moving on my next big gripe, the whole showdown at the end.  I won't go into details since I don't want to give too much away, but when the time came for a certain someone to use their variation it wasn't there.  The whole book is about variations and how bad arse they are and yes we are told from the beginning that they can be finicky but I expected after so much training this certain someone would have had a grip on theirs.  The fact that they had to use certain emotions to call upon their variation bothered me too.  I think this gives that other person too much importance and I just didn't care for it.

My other gripes are smaller, but no less important.   For instance, the identity of killer wasn't really kept secret.  It felt like the author laid too much out on the table and I would have liked for the killer to have been more of a surprise.  Also I can smell a love triangle and I don' t like it!  After all the pinning and wanting that Tessa did I hoped that if her and Alec ever got together it would stick, but a certain other someone looks to be in the picture and I am not looking forward to seeing how all that unravels.

So you see I wasn't a fan of this book, but I will read the sequel.  Imposter ended in such a way that will make every single one of its readers want to read the sequel. I have to know more about Abel and I have to know more about Devon!  Ms.Winnacker knows how to keep her readers wanting more!  My rating is for the story and ending alone.  I really enjoyed the actual world that was created and well that ending deserves a snowflake even though I really wish a particular scene would have taken place a somewhere a little more intimate.

2.5 snowflakes

Upcoming Release Giveaway: Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

Today on Winterhaven Books, thanks to the wonderful people at Razorbill,  we are giving away a hardback copy of Imposter by Susanne Winnacker!  This book is definitely one of our most anticipated for the year and we are beyond excited to offer one lucky follower their very own copy!  To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!!

Imposter (Variants #1) by Susanne Winnacker

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: May 28, 2013

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indiebound

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late? 

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

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A very special thanks to Razorbill!!

 

Review: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3) by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Publication: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Purchase: B&N / Amazon

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

My Thoughts:
The Indigo Spell was another fantastic addition to the Bloodlines series. The chemistry between Adrian and Sydney was explosive! This was the book I had been waiting patiently for and I am over the moon excited over what has transpired in this installment.
“You can think whatever you want, do whatever you want,” Adrian continued, unaware of my traitorous thoughts. There was a remarkable calm about him. “I’m going to just go on loving you, even if it’s hopeless.”

I LOVED Adrian’s determination. He’s a guy who knows what he wants and isn’t going to stop until he gets it. LOVE HIM! His dialogue will weaken your knees, and his actions will muddle your mind. TOTAL TEAM ADRIAN!!!

Our beloved characters are all present in The Indigo Spell and the tensions have elevated. Ms. Terwilliger is up to something and had me very curious as to what. I never was a fan of hers to begin with and that didn’t change in this story. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if she had been holding back a secret that would answer the method to her magical madness.

Sydney has her own interior battle for her feelings for the Moroi, Adrian, and the urge to repel him due to the beliefs of the Alchemist. I can sympathize with Sydney. Deep down she knew she wasn’t supposed to have a relationship of any kind with them, yet Adrian had weakened her rebuttal against their kind, and him.

We finally get the scoop on who Marcus Finch is and what he’s all about. I was a bit surprised at the information he supplied and the course he had taken. He was an intriguing character nonetheless and added a great deal to the storyline. Also, we understand where the title for this book had come from. The Indigo ink plays a primitive roll around Marcus Finch.

There was action and TONS of quote and swoon worthy moments throughout and I could quote this book like no other. I mean, there could be a novella of quotes that just turned me into a pile of Jell-O! This book fully delivers an intricate combination of steamy, complicated, and steamier.

“Well, you can think what you want, so long as you remember—no matter how ordinary things seem between us—I’m still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will.”

“I don’t think you’re evil.”

“See? Things are already looking promising.”

Sydney is more involved in magic this time around, but the realization of possibilities was frightening. There’s a whole new spin on deception within the magic world, as well as the Alchemists themselves. This was such a rush of a story. For those of you, who have not read The Indigo Spell, or even The Bloodlines series, should definitely consider doing so. These characters are awesome and the stories just keep getting better and better.