What an exciting week, and unfortunately, I can’t share much of it with you yet! That’s so frustrating, because I want to blab. So. Bad. Instead, I’m going to just jump straight into the post.
Special Notes
Thought For the Week
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| A Little Inspiration |
YA Lit Giveaways This Week
Don’t forget to check the sidebars here on the blog to make sure you’ve caught up with all the book giveaways we’ve got cooking. And in case you think you missed anything, you can always click here to get ALL the giveaway posts in one swoop.
Her Dark Curiosity
by Megan Shepherd
Hardcover
Balzer + Bray
Released 1/28/2014
To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.
Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father’s island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.
As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.
As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.
With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Her Dark Curiosity?
The thing I most adore about HER DARK CURIOSITY is a terrible spoiler that will give everything away, so I’m afraid it’s secret. Sorry. BUT! The second thing most I adore about the book is the atmosphere. The book takes place in Victorian England around Christmas time, and it’s a harsh winter when flower girls are freezing to death in the streets, and all the while the upper class just keeps having its fancy balls and holiday parties like nothing’s happening. But then a mass murderer starts stalking the city, and he doesn’t discriminate when it comes to his victims, and everyone is afraid for their lives.
Since the first book took place on a steamy tropical island, it was a challenge to maintain a similar Gothic feel in the exact opposite climate. I loved writing about the frost and dead trees and frozen lakes, and how dirty and industrial the city was compared to Moreau’s island. I set a few scenes in the glass walls of the fictional Royal Botanical greenhouse, where despite the cold weather it was always steamy and tropical, and it was fun to describe how this atmosphere reminded Juliet of the island and everything that had happened there.
Purchase Her Dark Curiosity at Amazon
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The Madman’s Daughter
by Megan Shepherd
ARC
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Madman’s Daughter?
I tried to include a little something for everyone in this book: mysteries & suspense, philosophical questions, steamy romance, plot twists to keep people guessing…but my personal favorite part of the book is a minor character named Balthazar. He’s a sweet, unusual, kind man, and I never expected to develop such a soft spot in my heart for a fictional character.
Order The Madman’s Daughter on Amazon
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View The Madman’s Daughter on Goodreads
To win both books, just fill out the Rafflecopter below.
Books, Books, Books
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| via The Berry |
SWEET UNREST
by Lisa Maxwell
And she’s having a contest for a great contest over at Icey Books.
And I don’t know how I missed this, but have you seen the cover for Melissa de la Cruz’s new book?
Have you seen the book trailer for Lucy Christopher’s THE KILLING WOODS? (And see below for my review.)
And finally, did you hear that THESE BROKEN STARS is going to be a television show?
To find out more, click here. (And check back tomorrow for a giveaway of the book!)
What We’re Reading
THE KILLING WOODS by Lucy Christopher. Lucy Christopher is a master at subtly shifting perspectives until the reader doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I was astonished by STOLEN and I am equally astonished by THE KILLING WOODS.
It’s not just that she delivers a novel that kept me turning pages to find out the answers to the mystery of what happened in the woods, she simultaneously delivered a surprisingly deep and unique view of PTSD and the effects on the victim’s family. The book’s themes are deftly drawn and gorgeously delivered. A stunning read.
AFTERPARTY by Ann Redisch Stampler. The intensity and tension in this book is incredible. It’s a breathless read that nevertheless feels startlingly real as you rush through the pages.
Don’t start reading this late at night, because you won’t be getting a lot of sleep. Every time I started to put the book down, I ended up picking it back up again. And I’m still thinking about the characters days later. My favorite kind of read!
I’m reading antigoddess by kendare Blake. I’m not far into it yet but i Love the unique take on Greek mythology.
DOCTOR SLEEP by Stephen King. This was the first book I’ve read in several years that wasn’t YA or romance. I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books since I was way too young, and he’s had a huge influence on what I like to read and write (in fact, the psychic elements of RUN TO YOU have influences of King’s CARRIE and FIRESTARTER).
It was wonderful reading another Stephen King book after so long. I enjoyed it thoroughly, every word, especially the hold-your-breath-suspenseful scenes.
Even better, one of the protagonists in DOCTOR SLEEP was a lovely and brave teenage girl, so I was able to enjoy a YA element as well.
GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE by Andrew Smith. It is weird, and raw and totally different but an absolutely beautiful story of a boy growing up and all of the confusion that goes along with it, all the while dealing with a total freak phenomenon. Fans of Andrew Smith will love it!
Writing Tip of the Week
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| via ivyandintwine |
Have a fabulous weekend, everyone. Happy reading and writing!
Martina
