YA Series/ Adult Sexy Spin-Off

Before you read my craziness rambling, I want to ask...“Can you think of a YA series that you wouldn’t mind having a spin-off Erotica?”

WARNING!!! This started out as just throwing something out there, but as I sat here and typed, it turned into a very heated rambling of crazy talk. *eek*

I’m not sure if you heard the news…but Andrea Cremer just contracted with Penguin to do an Erotica trilogy (not currently named), in the world she created where both of her YA series take place (Nightshade and her prequel, Rift.)

When my best blogger friend made me aware of this news, I was ecstatic! Because I thought I might like something like this that Andrea writes; especially, in the awesome Nightshade world she created! So, obviously, I’m absolutely thrilled for Andrea Cremer! But I guess there are a lot of pretty upset people over her decision. So I’m now left here thinking… “What’s the problem?”

I want to be VERY clear so that everyone reading this is fully aware of one very important thing here…I am NOT a fan of Erotica books! They freak me out…NO LIE! Normally, I stay at least 10 feet away from any book that someone would consider “hot or sexy” (my hot or sexy is always YA.) Yes, I’ve read them, and a couple times I’ve gotten to a particular scene where I just couldn’t bring myself to go any further, and I immediately returned the book to its owner! I’ve read some racy adult books with some brief, minor, sex scenes, but I’ve also read a handful (no I won’t give numbers) of a few really hot and heavy Erotica books. But, yep, after I read the last one which was probably about 2 years ago, I haven’t picked one up since. So while I’m sitting here thinking that I really want to give Andrea’s new books a try, am I going to force myself to read the whole trilogy? Or even the whole first book? No! If it makes me too uncomfortable I’ll stop and probably recommend it to one of my friends who like them. But, yes, I like Andrea’s writing style and the world she’s created so, naturally, I’m curious to see how hot and heavy these books will get.  I want to meet new characters in the Nightshade world!  But most of all, I’m also curious to see if I’ll like them.

So I’m now sitting here debating in my mind both the positives and negatives of this issue. I think that the most legitimate concern for most readers is the need to keep YA and Adult in clearly separate categories. Are there going to be teens who are really obsessed with the Nightshade who will pick up the adult series? Probably! If I plan to, why wouldn’t a teen? So, would it ease peoples’ minds if they knew that Penguin will be marketing, and making it fully clear, that the new book series is Erotica? Or clearly marketed for the adult audience? One of my very favorite YA authors, Richelle Mead, writes some pretty racy adult books! And after I read her YA series (Vampire Academy), I gave one of Richelle Mead’s adult series a try. And guess what? I own them all and they’re signed! Have I read all of her adult books? No! Because, once again, they make me feel uncomfortable. But if you know much about Richelle Mead, she has got a lot of really obsessive teen fans, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them are picking up her adult books and giving them a try.

So let’s look at it this way. I personally think that it would be unfair to say that since Richelle Mead wrote such a popular YA series that she shouldn’t write an Adult series using the same pen name, or even publish a book series about the same fantasy world she created for her YA series! That’s her name to use as she sees fit, and her world to use in the manner she prefers. And of course she would need to find a publisher that will agree to it as well. That is what Andrea Cremer did, and I think it’s awesome!

The one thing that I find the most bizarre about this whole thing is that most of the complaining and negativity I’ve come across are comparing Andrea’s new series to 50 Shades of Gray! Like this is the only reason Andrea Cremer decided to write her adult Erotica trilogy. Hello! Can everyone stop talking about those dang books? PLEASE?!?!?! Are they REALLY that awesome that we are now going to see the comparison of 50 Shades of Gray in every Erotica book review out there? Oh…please! Erotica is not new! And I highly doubt that Andrea decided to write her new Erotica trilogy "just because" of the success of 50 Shades of Gray! A lot of women just never talked about these books until now, or they never tried reading them until everyone started talking about it! Almost every female “adult reader” I know has read a racy adult book BEFORE 50 Shades of Gray, and most of them really like, if not love, them! Have you ever seen the crazy obsessive fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood? Richelle Mead has A LOT of majorly obsessed teen fans, and I don’t see people saying that she only wrote her adult racy books because of 50 Shades of Gray. Or that she only wrote them for the money! Oh right, that’s because they were published BEFORE the 50 Shades of Gray hype! So is it fair to say that since homemakers across the country (or the PTA president) are now proud to say they’ve read 50 Shades of Gray, that all YA authors have to be bashed because they want to explore writing something more adult?  If 50 Shades of Gray wasn’t all over the news, or wasn’t the only topic brought up when talking about books with someone who normally doesn’t read, do you think that people would still make a big deal about Andrea’s new trilogy? How do you know that this wasn’t something Andrea thought about 2 years ago? Why are people so quick to judge someone by assuming that being an author is about the money? If you know anything about the typical book author, you’d know that their salary isn’t all that great based off of the hours they put into writing and promoting their book.

OH! I do want to point out that this spin-off trilogy that Andrea Cremer is writing could not possibly be about the main characters in the Nightshade series. If you’ve read any of Andrea’s Nightshade books then you would understand WHY I say that. The series is not anything like: 1. The heroine picks up the guy; 2. The End; and 3. A year later we have an Erotica. NO!!! If that’s what you think this trilogy is about, then you are wrong. It can’t happen; it’s not at all possible! If you want to know why, read the Nightshade trilogy and you will know that it just can’t/ won’t happen. Can I say that another author won’t do that? No. But if they want to, and the publisher is up for it...so be it!

I would hope that the people who are the most upset are upset only because the new Erotica series takes place in the Nightshade world. Once again, I get it! So, I started thinking about other book series I’ve read that I wouldn’t mind having “that world” in a sexy adult spin-off! And here they are:

1. Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter world! You know that she could produce a super hottie shadowhunter...who has troubles controlling the ladies.
2. Vampire Academy spin-off with a hot dampire or moroi! I know! A dhampir from Scotland and a dhampir from Spain!
3. OH! You know that Tahereh Mafi would be the queen of a super steamy book!
4. Now, I’m not going to lie! I wouldn’t mind if Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins was racy! But I’ll be OK with her making another Nephilim! But he better be as sexy as Kai! Yum!!! *fans self* If you’ve read Sweet Evil, then you for sure would like it if she could make it HAWT!
5. Hello!!! Why the heck is Jennifer L. Armentrout writing YA??? She was born to write one of those steamy books! Hey Jennifer, can you make sure it is in the Covenant world? Pure meets human!?!?!?
6. And, finally, Lauren Oliver’s Dilirium! Now I’m not quite sure how she could pull it off since the “procedure” could mess up an adult. But maybe it could be a female woman that the procedure didn’t work on???

Those are my picks!!! So, that leaves me asking YOU, “What series would you like to see for a spin-off Erotica?”  Or do you find this whole thing barbaric?

Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight

Publisher’s summary: Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.

This sequel to the edgy and action-packed Wildefire continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale.

My take: This book was crazy awesome! And the crazy awesomeness continues all throughout the entire book, which has me in absolute amazement!

If you read Wildefire, then you know that it ended in a way that literally blindsides you! It comes out of nowhere and has you literally falling out of your seat, and has you thinking, “What the heck just happened there? Seriously????” And then the book just abruptly ends that way. Well, luckily, Embers & Echoes picks up from that very exact moment! The whole scene that develops in the very beginning of Embers & Echoes is so freakin' sick!!! It reminded me of why I liked Ash so much because she is one hardcore chick!

One of the many things that make this book so crazy awesome is how many crazy, psychotic evil villains there are! All of the gods in this series are totally crazy, but even in all that crazy you will find that there is a lot more crazy evil than there is crazy good.

It’s not just the beginning of the book that has some amazing, dope scenes. Just like the summary says, Embers & Echoes is action-packed! There’s so much that happens in this book that I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I was on the edge of my seat, or how many times I was in utter fascination over what was transpiring on the pages of Embers & Echoes! But the one thing that trumps all the other feelings I had throughout this book, was how many times I was outright pissed off at Karsten Knight. This is one of those books where you feel like the author will not allow you to be happy for any character. Yeah, there are still some happy scenes and a lot of funny moments, but right when you are feeling pretty content with the situation or you are feeling pretty happy with the way the story is headed, Karsten abruptly smashes that happiness into oblivion! I can actually give you the page numbers where Karsten pissed me off and, trust me, I was on twitter right after reading those pages, giving him a piece of my mind!

I can honestly say that my only problem with the book was that several times I had a hard time creating a mental picture of what I was reading. But that one problem was so unbelievably minor, that all the extreme positives almost have me forgetting about that one issue.

There’s a pretty crazy twist near the ending of the book, but it was the actual ending that was purely cruel! But the ending would have been even MORE cruel if Karsten had ended it 5 pages earlier...the place where he was originally going to end the book. THAT would have been insane and he would have had some crazy stalker fans beating down his door to get him to finish those last 5 pages! (Those last pages are the first pages of the next book!) And even though I did get to read those last 5 pages, I will be more than impatiently waiting for the final book, Afterglow, in 2013, and I can hardly wait to see how the story will end!

Impatiently Waiting! Spellcaster by Claudia Gray

Expected publish date:
March 5, 2013

Author's summary: When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in the town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that a curse has been placed on his family that will cause him to go insane. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family's terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone in the town. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.


♥♥♥♥♥

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Cover Reveal! Red Dawn by J.J. Bonds

Summary: When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.

Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.
Cover designed by
Rachel Rivera of Parajunkee Design
Rachel also designed the cover of Crossroads, the first book in the Crossroads Academy Series.
Find Rachel here:
Design Website ☆ Twitter

Find J.J. Bonds here:
Website ☆ Twitter ☆ Goodreads

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Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Publisher’s summary: About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear….

My Take: The first time I heard about this book was from Jaime (Two Chicks on Books), and it was Jaime who finally got me to read Poison Study by literally putting the book into my actual hands! And I am so happy that she introduced me to this series. This is ultimately a brilliant book in so many ways that I will have a hard time explaining all my feelings about it.

Poison Study starts off pretty strange, but everything that happens from the first page had me captivated. The book starts out with Yelena walking resolutely to her sentencing, to be executed for a murder she committed. But at the last minute, Valek (the Commander’s right-hand man), offer’s Yelena a cruel and drastic way to have her sentence commuted.

Immediately and from the very beginning, I did not like Valek! I felt like he was evil and manipulative. But the further along I got into the book, I found myself in absolute awe over how smart he was. Manipulative is an understatement! And then I started to wonder if he even really was a bad guy! There are some crazy betrayals, and a couple of characters that I thought in the beginning were bad guys end up being some of my favorite characters in the book.

There are so many awesome twists and turns in this book that I’m now fascinated by Maria V. Snyder’s imagination! Poison Study was a lot of fun to read, and I’m more than a little excited to start reading Magic Study!

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Publisher’s summary: A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly.

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.

My take: It was fun to read a book that is out of the norm for me. Nerve is one of those books that make you believe “it actually could happen.” It realistically portrays how personal information and desires can be easily hustled by someone else through the Internet, and then used to control and manipulate that person. Nerve combines that idea with the obsession people have with wanting to be a part of a reality TV show. Only, this reality TV show actually plays Live, on the internet!

In the prologue of Nerve, we read from the POV of a girl (named Abigail) who is still dealing with the psychological and emotional aftermath of having taken part in a risky reality “dare” game called Nerve. And leaves you wondering if the game ever ends. Everything that happens in that prologue sets the tone and suspense for the remainder of the book. The main character for the remainder of the book is a girl named Vee. And, after feeling humiliated by her girlfriend and a boy she has a crush on, in the heat of the moment Vee decides to test out a dare on Nerve. At this point, you are left curious if it is at all possible if you would/could have a happily-ever-after when taking part in this game? Or will the game destroy you and/or become your worst nightmare?

This was a really quick, easy read! There is always something going on and the action kept me on my toes until the very last page. I will admit that since the story was moving so fast, I didn’t think that all of my questions would be tied up in the end, but the twists that happen close to the end of the book tied up all my questions perfectly.

I think that what I loved most about this book is that there is a definite ending to the story, but the ending also left some things hanging that open the door to the possibility that something more could later happen.

What's New?

Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
Expected Publish Date:
July 24, 2012

Publisher's summary: There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . .

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.

Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she'll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Endlessly
by Kiersten White
Expected Publish Date:
July 24, 2012

Publisher's summary: Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands.

So much for normal.

Cold Fury
by T.M. Goeglein
Expected Publish Date:
July 24, 2012

Publisher's summary: Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure.

Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.

Thirteen
by Kelley Armstrong
Expected Publish Date:
July 24, 2012

Publisher's summary: It’s been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it’s all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong’s legions of fans.

The Goddess Legacy
by Aimee Carter
Expected Publish Date:
July 24, 2012

Publisher's summary: For millennia we’ve caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness...

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of Love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....

Henry/Hedes's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope....

Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

Spark
by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Expected Publish Date:
July 17, 2012

Publisher's summary: Waverly, Kieran and Seth are in a race against time – and with the future of humanity hanging in the balance, there’s no room for mistakes…

After a desperate escape from the enemy ship, Waverly has finally made it back to the Empyrean. The memory of home has been keeping her alive for the past months… but home is nothing like she left it. Forced to leave their captive parents behind on the New Horizon, she’s returned only to find that Kieran has become a strict leader and turned the crew against Seth. What happened to the Kieran she thought she knew? Now Waverly’s not sure whom she can trust. And the one person she wants to believe in is darkly brilliant Seth, the ship’s supposed enemy. Waverly knows that the situation will only get worse until they can rescue their parents – but how?

Before they have time to make a plan, an explosion rocks the Empyrean, and Seth and Waverly are targeted as the prime suspects. Can they find the true culprit before Kieran locks them away… or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? Now more than ever, every step could bring them closer to a new beginning – or a sudden end.

The Unquiet
by Jeannine Garsee
Expected Publish Date:
July 17, 2012

Publisher's summary: A psychological thriller starring a teen who sees ghosts--both real and imagined.

When Rinn Jacobs moves to a new town she hopes it will be a fresh start. At first, everything goes according to plan. She falls in with the popular girls at her new school and falls for the very cute boy-next-door Nate. But River Hills High School has a secret. The ghost of a girl who died back when Rinn's mom was a student supposedly haunts a hallway. Rinn's not sure she believes it, but when strange things start happening to her friends, Rinn decides there's only one way to know for sure. She needs to ditch her bipolar meds and see what the voices are really trying to say. . . .

Fans of films like Black Swan and books like Lisa McMann's Cryer's Cross will be fascinated by this portrayal of a teen descending into madness.

ARC Giveaway of Rift by Andrea Cremer

Publisher’s summary: Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

You only have 48 hours to enter this giveaway so the odds are in your favor! US shipping only.


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Impatiently Waiting! Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Expected publish date:
March 19, 2013

Goodreads Summary: In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it’s too late. As Jem’s health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves—even if it means never seeing the other one again?

♥♥♥♥♥


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Inbetween by Tara Fuller ~ Cover Reveal

Expected release:
August 2012
Entangled Teen

Publisher's summary: Since the car crash that took her father’s life two years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead; especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left. His soul.


Where can you find Inbetween?
Goodreads ★ Amazon ★ B&N ★ Book Depository ★ BAM

About The Author: Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.

Where can you find Tara?
Website ★ Blog ★ Twitter ★ Facebook
Stop by Tara’s website to read the prologue!

Die for Me by Amy Plum

Publisher’s summary: My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were moving to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my life would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, he put me in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen . . . until I realized that Vincent Delacroix is no normal human—that he has a terrifying destiny and enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

Can I risk everything for love?

My take: I’m totally on the fence about how I feel about this one. I can’t say that I didn’t like this book because I did like it. But the negatives stand out in my mind way more than any of the positives, and I’m left here wondering if I just had high expectations for this book that were not met. But, even then, I don’t think that my opinions about these specific negative aspects would change.

Die for Me starts off quite depressing and I wasn’t sure I could keep pushing through it. It was a real mood spoiler for me. I felt really bad for Kate (main character) because of how her world had completely changed inside out. Not only did she lose her parents but she moved to another country. And it really hit me hard when she severs all ties and communication with everyone and everything from her life before her parent’s death.

Well, of course; it’s only after Kate crosses paths with a boy named Vincent where the story starts to really get interesting. And it immediately started me thinking, “Who and what is Vincent?” “Who are the people with Vincent, and what do they do?” “Are they bad or good?” Just when I thought I knew who to trust, there’s a betrayal, and I was a little shocked that the other characters in the book were quick to see it as not really being a betrayal. They were quick to decide that the character doing the betraying was simply being tricked, or used or confused. I won’t say where their conclusion led, but I still found the whole situation weird.

I’d like to talk about the paranormal aspect of Die for Me, but there isn’t much I can say because I want to prevent spoilers. But I will say that, in a sense, this book is “kind of” a zombie book. And I say “kind of” because Amy Plum’s zombies are quite different from typical zombies, and I don’t know how you could really put them in any other paranormal category. When I first heard about this book, I was actually hoping for something at least a little closer to typical zombies.

Anyways, as always, I like to talk about the romance in the books I review. The romance in this book (at times) was really sweet, but at other times I found it to be a little cheesy and even more often I thought it was too unrealistic.

I’m planning on reading the second book in this series, but I don’t really plan on reading it anytime soon.

Arise by Tara Hudson

Publisher’s summary: New Orleans
Saint Louis
Number One Cemetery
A night there can change a life . . . or a death.

Increasingly worried that dark spirits will carry out their threats and hurt the people she cares for most, Amelia is ready to try anything to protect them. And for his own very different reasons, Joshua has come to this cemetery at midnight to join her in a powerful ritual.

Both know that once Amelia steps inside the Voodoo circle and the beautiful girl from the Conjure Café begins the cere¬mony, everything will change.

Tara Hudson's enthralling sequel to Hereafter escalates the danger and excitement, bringing a new dimension to her already mesmerizing story of a haunted love.

My take: Once again Tara Hudson introduces me to a refreshing book and story! If I have to compare the first and the second book, I liked Arise a lot better than Hereafter.

However, when I began reading Arise, I started to get worried that I might not like the story as much. Even though I still thought the romance between Joshua and Amelia was sweet, I began to think that the relationship is a lost cause. How can a relationship with a human and a ghost really work? But I was a little relieved that Amelia saw this as a problem as well, and . . . well, you’ll have to read Arise to see how she handles it! Another thing that had me concerned and that made me think I might not like this book was that Amelia’s lies were really starting to get on my nerves. Luckily, these two concerns weren’t the main substance to this book.

I really started to get into the story when the first new characters were introduced in the book. And when two more characters were introduced about midway through the book, I was really sucked in. These additional characters gave the story so much more! There’s a lot that happens starting about midway through Arise, and it’s probably the last quarter of the book that was the best part. And how the story ends was absolutely perfect. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this story will continue in Elegy, which will be released in 2013.

Wings of Arian Tour Stop - Q&A

Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.


Find Devri here:
Website ★ Twitter ★ Facebook ★ Blog ★ Goodreads



Mindy: In 10 words or less can you tell us about Wings of Arian?
Devri: Imagine your first exposure to everything evil, now add magic.

Mindy: How did the idea of Wings of Arian come to you?
Devri: I was watching T.V. one night and watched someone’s throat get slit. What startled me was not what I had seen, but that I had NO reaction. I had become so accustomed to violence, I barely even noticed. It got me thinking, “I wonder how horrifying it would be for someone that had lived, say seventy five years ago, to watch the things we as a society have become so accustomed to?” And from that, Wings of Arian was born. A story of a society that has been completely sheltered from any evil for a thousand years and what happens as it returns. But really, what fun would that story be without mixing in dragons and magic and shapeshifters? No fun at all in my opinion.

Mindy: Which character was your favorite to write?
Devri: Drustan in general was a blast, but using him as a tool to get under Emane’s skin was oh so much fun!

Getting to know you:

Mindy: Phobia or fear?
Devri: I hate bees. I know, lame. But that whole bit about, leave them alone and they will leave you alone, is a bunch of bull.

Mindy: Guilty pleasure?
Devri: Dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt.

Mindy: Strange quirks?
Devri: Maybe we should have had a list called, normal things you do. Is it strange that I buy my kids pet rats? Best pets ever I tell you!

Mindy: Boxers or briefs?
Devri: LOL!! Huh. I suppose it depends on the occasion. ;)

Mindy: Facebook or Twitter?
Devri: Two months ago I was a diehard facebook fan. But you tweeps are quickly converting me.

Mindy: Most visited online website?
Devri: Although you can not tell my editor, Pinterest. The woman forced me to set up an account despite my protests that I would never use it. By forced I mean she literally set it up for me and wrote down my password. And now... well, I may be developing an addiction.

Mindy: Kindle or Nook?
Devri: Kindle baby!

Mindy: Preferred weapon?
Devri: Magic. Seriously. Who the heck needs a sword when you can just swish your hand?
Mindy: Favorite youtube video?
Devri: Youtube is a site I visit maybe once a year. I can already hear the hisses of disbelief whipping through cyberspace.

Mindy: Top 5 authors that inspire you?
Devri: Cinda Williams Chima, Cassandra Clare, Christopher Paolini, J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown. ( I know, that last one doesn’t really fit does it?) Each one has something different about their writing that I adore.

Mindy: Top 5 fave movies?
Devri: Can’t do it!! *Falls on ground twitching* Ok, I will give you some I like but I offer no promises as to whether or not they are my favorite. All Harry Potters, all Lord of the Rings, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Pirates of the Caribbean. As my final choice I will let you in on a little secret. I really do not like chick flicks but am always up for an action movie, even the cheesy ones. Fast cars, hot guys, explosions.... and it doesn’t make me cry. Win win in my book!

Mindy: Top 5 fave books?
Devri: Are you serious??? I can’t pick that! You might as well ask me which one of my kids I like better. LOL!

Mindy: Favorite TV show and/or movie when you were a kid?
Devri: I really loved the Dark Crystal and the Labyrinth.

Mindy: Which would you be willing to kiss; scares you the most; and willing to ally with in an apocalypse?
A. Alien
B. Vampire
C. Werewolf
D. Zombie
E. Faery
Devri: Totally kissing the vampire and allying with the werewolf. I am terrified of zombies. In order to make sure I am safe during the zombie apocalypse I will keep the Faery in my backpocket to use as a backup ally in case the werewolf were turned into a zombie. Can that happen? The alien? Ya I got nothing.

Wings of Arian is available:
Amazon ★ Barnes & Noble

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie. With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life. She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar. However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation. And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.

Impatiently Waiting! MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Expected publish date:
March 12, 2013

Goodreads Summary: Pitched as a "Bourne Identity"-type sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl who discovers that she is a Mobile Intel Life-like Android, an experiment in artificial intelligence created by the U.S. government, and her scientist mother, who kidnapped her when she was found to have human emotions.

You can find Debra Driza here:
Blog ★ Twitter ★ Goodreads
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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.