YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK
Polaris
by Mindee Arnett
Paperback copy of AVALON Giveaway
Balzer + Bray
Released 1/20/2015
Following the events of Avalon, Jeth Seagrave and his crew are on the run. Jeth is desperate to find the resources and funding he needs to rescue his mother from an ITA’s research lab and leave this whole galaxy behind for a new life somewhere else. But the ITA is just as desperate, and soon Jeth finds himself pursued by a mysterious figure hell-bent on capturing Jeth and his crew—dead or alive. In a last-ditch effort to save everyone he holds dear, Jeth enters into a bargain with the last person he ever thought he’d see again: Dax Shepherd, the galaxy’s newest and most fearsome crime lord. And he’s not the only one: upon arriving back at Peltraz spaceport for the first time since he witnessed the death of his old employer, Jeth discovers Dax has a new partner: Jeth’s mother, Marian.
This shocking turn of events is only the first in another breathless, action-packed sci-fi adventure rife with danger, love, and betrayal, as Jeth has to once again ask himself how much he’s willing to invest in a morally bankrupt galaxy in the hopes of saving those he cares for.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Polaris?
With POLARIS I learned two critical things, both of them more affirmations than revelations. The first is that even when the writing is hard you have to push through it. That might seem self-evident, but it’s one of those things where you don’t really know what “hard” is until you’ve run smack into. The affirmation aspect of this is that I learned that I can push through it. I was in a very hard place emotionally when I started work on POLARIS, and it didn’t go away throughout the whole process. Some of it was struggles in my personal life and some of it is what I call the post publication blues. All writers get them and they are awful—the mean reds times a thousand. But the great thing is that even when it’s hard, the writing is always worth it. I’m proud of POLARIS, despite all the struggle or maybe because of it.
Secondly, I learned that it’s okay to channel your own emotions into a story. Like I said, I was in a very dark place when I wrote this book, and a lot of that darkness translates to the page. The main character Jeth struggles a lot in this book. I’m downright awful to him at times. But ultimately, I think that emotional struggle has a big payoff in the end, both for me personally and for the reader, I hope.
Purchase Polaris at Amazon
Purchase Polaris at IndieBound
View Polaris on Goodreads
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley
by Shaun David Hutchinson
Hardcover Giveaway
Simon Pulse
Released 1/20/2015
Andrew Brawley was supposed to die that night. His parents did, and so did his sister, but he survived.
Now he lives in the hospital. He serves food in the cafeteria, he hangs out with the nurses, and he sleeps in a forgotten supply closet. Drew blends in to near invisibility, hiding from his past, his guilt, and those who are trying to find him.
Then one night Rusty is wheeled into the ER, burned on half his body by hateful classmates. His agony calls out to Drew like a beacon, pulling them both together through all their pain and grief. In Rusty, Drew sees hope, happiness, and a future for both of them. A future outside the hospital, and away from their pasts.
But Drew knows that life is never that simple. Death roams the hospital, searching for Drew, and now Rusty. Drew lost his family, but he refuses to lose Rusty, too, so he’s determined to make things right. He’s determined to bargain, and to settle his debts once and for all.
But Death is not easily placated, and Drew’s life will have to get worse before there is any chance for things to get better.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley?
Growing up as a gay teen, one of the most difficult things to deal with was always hiding who I was. I spent most of my teenage years feeling like no one really saw me, like I was invisible. We read books in order to connect to characters, to feel like someone sees us. But there aren’t a lot of YA books that feature LGBTQIA characters whose biggest problem isn’t their sexuality. That’s one of the reasons I wrote The Fives Stages of Andrew Brawley. I wanted LGBTQIA teens to know that they are more than their sexuality, I wanted them to know that they are not invisible. That’s my favorite thing about The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley. Also, there’s a freaking graphic novel inside the book!
Purchase The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley at Amazon
Purchase The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley at IndieBound
View The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley on Goodreads
YA BOOK GIVEAWAYS LAST WEEK: WINNERS
Perfect Couple
by Jennifer Echols
Hardcover
Simon Pulse
Released 1/13/2015
WINNERS: Clarisa Ramirez, Rachel Bohnert, Catherine Tinker
In this second book in The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Harper and Brody think they’re an unlikely match—but the senior class says they belong together.
As yearbook photographer, Harper is responsible for those candid moments that make high school memorable. But her own life is anything but picture perfect. Her parents’ bitter divorce left her wondering what a loving relationship looks like. And ever since the senior class voted her and star quarterback Brody “Perfect Couple That Never Was,” her friends have been pushing her to ask Brody out.
Brody doesn’t lack female admirers, but Harper can’t see herself with him. He’s confused about the match too. Yet they find themselves drawn together—first by curiosity about why the class paired them, then by an undeniable bond.
The trouble is, though they’re attracted to each other, they have a hard time getting along or even communicating well. If they’re the perfect couple, this shouldn’t be so difficult! Soon it becomes clear their class was wrong, and they throw in the towel. But they feel so changed from making the effort, they can’t forget each other. What if this match made in hell is the perfect couple after all?
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Perfect Couple?
The Superlatives series is based around the idea that older teens are looking for their identity. And if they think they’ve pinned it down, they’ll probably stick with it. But what if you thought you had yourself all figured out, but now you’re not so sure? That’s what happens to the teens in these books: the senior class selects people for “who’s who” titles like Biggest Flirts and Most Likely to Succeed, but the people selected are surprised at what their classmates choose for them, which in turn causes them to question how they see themselves.
In PERFECT COUPLE, Harper and her childhood friend Brody are named Perfect Couple That Never Was. Harper is quirky and artistic. Brody is athletic and popular. It’s easy to see why they’ve never dated. It’s hard to see why a large portion of their class would say they would make a perfect couple. Of course they’re curious. They can’t resist going on a date to find out. And Harper realizes she’s not really as controlled and cautious as she always thought.
Purchase Perfect Couple at Amazon
Purchase Perfect Couple at IndieBound
View Perfect Couple on Goodreads
MORE YOUNG ADULT FICTION IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Fight for Power
by Eric Walters
Hardcover
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Released 1/20/2015
The world keeps getting darker in this second reality-based survival adventure in the Rule of Three trilogy
After sixty-six days of a catastrophic global blackout, life in the suburbs is not what it used to be for Adam and his fortified neighborhood of Eden Mills. Although an explosive clash has minimized one threat from outside the walls, Adam’s battle-hardened mentor, Herb, continues to make decisions in the name of security that are increasingly wrenching and questionable. Like his police chief mom and others, Adam will follow Herb’s lead. But when the next threat comes from an unexpected direction, nobody is ready for it. And someone is going to pay the price—because of Adam’s mistakes and mistaken trust.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Fight for Power?
It was such a pleasure to continue the story, to continue to move forward with my characters as they tried to survive. This story, which is actually set in my neighborhood, is rather personal.
Purchase Fight for Power at Amazon
Purchase Fight for Power at IndieBound
View Fight for Power on Goodreads
MORE YOUNG ADULT NOVELS NEW IN STORES NEXT WEEK
Alex As Well
by Alyssa Brugman
Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co.
Released 1/20/2015
Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she’s a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn’t as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents.
Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex—the boy Alex—has a lot to say about that.
Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well is a brilliantly told story of exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong.
Purchase Alex As Well at Amazon
Purchase Alex As Well at IndieBound
View Alex As Well on Goodreads
All Fall Down
by Ally Carter
Hardcover
Scholastic Press
Released 1/20/2015
Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:
1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.
As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her–so there’s no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door who is keeping an eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.
Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace–no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do.
Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world all stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.
Purchase All Fall Down at Amazon
Purchase All Fall Down at IndieBound
View All Fall Down on Goodreads
Bad Influence
by William Sutcliffe
Paperback
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Released 1/20/2015
When Carl moves into Ben and Olly’s street, things instantly get more exciting. His games are strange, unpredictable, and thrillingly violent. But why is he so fearless? Why are they never allowed into his house? And why does it begin to feel as if he is taking control of their lives?
It isn’t long before Ben wants his old friendship back, but getting free of Carl turns out to be the toughest challenge he has ever faced.
Purchase Bad Influence at Amazon
Purchase Bad Influence at IndieBound
View Bad Influence on Goodreads
Mutant City
by Steve Feasey
Paperback
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Released 1/20/2015
Fifty years ago, the world was almost destroyed by a chemical war. Now the world is divided: the mutants and the pure, the broken and the privileged, the damaged and the perfect.
Thirteen years ago, a covert government experimental facility was shut down and its residents killed. The secrets it held died with them. But five extraordinary kids survived.
Today four teenagers are about to discover that their mutant blood brings with it special powers. Rush and three brothers and sisters he can’t remember. Two rival factions are chasing them. One by one, they face the enemy. Together, they might just stay alive . . .
Purchase Mutant City at Amazon
Purchase Mutant City at IndieBound
View Mutant City on Goodreads
The Prey
by Tom Isbell
Hardcover
HarperTeen
Released 1/20/2015
The Maze Runner meets The Hunger Games in this heart-pounding trilogy. Orphaned teens, soon to be hunted for sport, must flee their resettlement camps in their fight for survival and a better life. For in the Republic of the True America, it’s always hunting season. Riveting action, intense romance, and gripping emotion make this fast-paced adventure a standout debut.
After a radiation blast burned most of the Earth to a crisp, the new government established settlement camps for the survivors. At one such camp, the sixteen-year-old “LTs” are eager to graduate as part of the Rite. Until they learn the dark truth: “LTs” doesn’t stand for lieutenant but for Less Thans, feared by society and raised to be hunted for sport. They escape and join forces with the Sisters, twin girls who’ve suffered their own haunting fate. Together they seek the fabled New Territory, with sadistic hunters hot on their trail. Secrets are revealed, allegiances are made, and lives are at stake. As unlikely Book and fearless Hope lead their quest for freedom, these teens must find the best in themselves to fight the worst in their enemies.
Purchase The Prey at Amazon
Purchase The Prey at IndieBound
View The Prey on Goodreads
The Way We Bared Our Souls
by Willa Strayhorn
Hardcover
Razorbill
Released 1/22/2015
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.
Purchase The Way We Bared Our Souls at Amazon
Purchase The Way We Bared Our Souls at IndieBound
View The Way We Bared Our Souls on Goodreads
Tunnel Vision
by Susan Adrian
Hardcover
St. Martin’s Griffin
Released 1/20/2015
Romance and action come crashing together when a teenage boy with incredible powers is brought to the attention of the government.
Jake Lukin just turned 18. He’s decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he’s also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there’s a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.
When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to “tunnel” into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It’s an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.
Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn’t agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he’s juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.
Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he’s doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel’s help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others.
Purchase Tunnel Vision at Amazon
Purchase Tunnel Vision at IndieBound
View Tunnel Vision on Goodreads
Twisted Fate
by Norah Olson
Hardcover
Katherine Tegen Books
Released 1/20/2015
Two sisters. One mysterious boy.
Ally and Sydney couldn’t be more different—one shy, the other popular and outgoing—and when a new boy moves in next door, tensions between the sisters escalate. Graham is attractive, peculiar, and perhaps a little dangerous, and both girls are drawn to him in ways they can’t quite explain. As each girl’s relationship with Graham unfolds, the more complicated the truth becomes—until a shocking encounter turns their sleepy coastal town upside down and questions everything the sisters thought they knew about themselves and each other.
Told in alternating points of view by a wide cast of characters, Twisted Fate is a tensely wrought psychological thriller, perfect for fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
Purchase Twisted Fate at Amazon
Purchase Twisted Fate at IndieBound
View Twisted Fate on Goodreads
