Pic2Book Wednesday Challenge #78

Guess the Book Title

This is a weekly challenge where you guess the book title just by looking at the pictures. This game is inspired by the game Scene it? and it's one of my favorite challenges in it! If you want to participate and don't want any spoilers don't read the comments. I'll post the answer of this challenge in tomorrow's post.

What's this book's title?

Hints:

• S. J. M. are the author's initials.
• This the second book in the series.
• This book will be published August 2013.

Last Challenge answer: 

Fangirlby Rainbow Rowell

Thanks to:  

Lizzy, Kelly, evrythngzen and TayteH

For participating in the last challenge!!! 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

Buy:

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

I read a review that described The False Prince as simplistic. I agree but I think that the simplicity of it worked it its favor. This book reminds me of two of my favorite fantasy books, Finnikin of the Rock and The Thief. While it has a similar plot, I think this book will be easier to follow.

This was such an easy read and I could not put the book down. There is so much I loved about The False Prince and one of those things were the characters. I was intrigued with the story and Sage from page 1. Sage was a great narrator and I could tell that he was hiding some things and wouldn’t let me know until he decided it was time to tell. I loved this. The secondary characters were very well written and full of surprises as well. I’m very excited to see how they fit in the next book.

The plot sometimes was a bit predictable. I think the majority of readers can guess the big secret but that’s the only thing I saw coming. The rest of the book was a nice surprise. I thought the book was beautifully executed and I liked how the author wrapped up the ending. I can’t wait to start reading the sequel! If you like fantasy and adventures in your books then I recommend you read The False Prince.

Favorite Quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes by two of my favorite authors, Melina Marchetta and A.S. King. I know I'm missing some but I'll keep looking around and I'll post them next Monday. Enjoy! 

“It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love.” 
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“What do you want from me?" he asks.
What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him.
More.” 
― Melina Marchetta, Jellicoe Road

“Hold my hand because I might disappear.” 
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“I can't believe I said it out loud. The truth doesn't set you free, you know. It makes you feel awkward and embarrassed and defenseless and red in the face and horrified and petrified and vulnerable. But free? I don't feel free. I feel like shit.” 
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

“Be prepared for the worst, my love, for it lives next door to the best.” 
― Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock

“I'm sorry, but I don't get it. If we're supposed to ignore everything that's wrong with our lives, then I can't see how we'll ever make things right.” 
― A.S. King, Please Ignore Vera Dietz

“Look, this is a loan. I don't know if love is something I will run out of one day. I don't know if I should be giving it all to you guys or not. Today, I feel like maybe I should have kept some for myself for days when no one else loves me.” 
― A.S. King, Ask The Passengers

“The world is full of assholes. What are you doing to make sure you're not one of them?” 
― A.S. King, Everybody Sees the Ants

“Listen to me. They may control what you do, but no one can pee on your soul without your permission.” 
― A.S. King, Everybody Sees the Ants

“The simplest answer is to act.” 
― A.S. King, Everybody Sees the Ants

Over the Rainbow by Brian Rowe Excerpt & Giveaway!

Excerpt

“Zippy, slow down.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You’ll get a stomach ache.”

“I don’t care.”

Even before the cancer started eating away at her bones, my mom was super tiny, like me. Her long,auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail that warm September night, flies dive-bombing into her pools of sweat. My brothers had just left for a weeklong mission, and my dad was in Kansas City for a business meeting. It was just my mom and me at the house.

She nibbled at her dinner, like a bird searching for the perfect kernel. “I should’ve cooked the chicken longer. It’s not hot enough.”

I stabbed my fork into the tomatoes, the melted cheese, the chicken, and shoved it all in my mouth. “What are you talking about? It’s perfect.”
I had just returned from soccer practice. I was covered in grime, and my pits smelled like hardboiled eggs, but my mom let me eat dinner before I took my shower.

“How was it today?” she asked. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay for the whole practice.”

“That’s okay.” It was difficult saying much with my mouth stuffed with food.  

“I can’t wait to see your first game. Are you making friends?”

I finished swallowing. “Uhh, some.”

“Be honest with me.”

“I’d probably be more popular if you hadn’t named me Zipporah.”

She shook her head. “What? Why would you say that? You have a beautiful name.”

“I’m not saying I don’t like it. It just makes me sound… I don’t know… old-fashioned?”

“It does not. There’s nothing old-fashioned about you.”

“But didn’t you and Dad consider anything else? Like what about Sarah? Or Kelly? Even Margaret I could have lived with.”

My mother set her fork down and took a sharp breath, like she was about to upchuck the small amount of food she’d been able to get down. I knew she was sick, but I didn't know how sick—I was eleven years old and still believed life went on forever.

“Are you okay, Mom?”

She picked up her plate and set it in the kitchen sink. “Fine. I’m just worried about you.”

“About me?”

“Yes, you, silly.”

She sat on the chair next to me and placed her cold, soft palm on top of mine the only way a mother could. I missed that touch.

“Zippy, you know you can do and be whatever you want, right?”

I narrowed my eyes a little. “Uh huh.”

“Your father means well. But he doesn’t get you the way I do. I know you’re meant to do great things. You’ve always been an ellipsis with a question mark at the end.”

“I'm a what?”

She grabbed my plate. Istopped her.

“Wait, I’m not done,” I said.

“But you ate every last crumb.”

“Not yet.” I ran my tongue all the way up the center of the plate.

My mother laughed and snatched it away from me. “You’re not old-fashioned. You’re unique. And you know what? I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

She walked across the kitchen. But before she reached the sink, my mom stopped, like she hit an imaginary wall. She wrapped her arms around her belly.

“Mom?” I said. “Are you all right?”

The plate dropped to the floor. Shattered.

“Oh… oh no,” she said.

She tumbled forward andstruck her head against the silverware drawer.

“Mom?” I jumped out of my chair. “Oh my God! Mommy?”

Giveaway  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Undead by Kirsty McKay

Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.

The day of the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

I don’t know if you guys know that I am terrified of zombies. But sometimes I can’t help but gravitate towards zombie books and movies. It’s like I want to test how scare I can get. Honestly why do I do this to myself? Can anyone tell me?

I heard that people thought of Undead as a B movie. Low budget and bad writing but fun to watch. Because of that I thought the writing was going to be bad but it was actually pretty good and entertaining. The pacing of the book was a little too fast for me though. It’s not like it was all over the place but I just wanted the characters to have a little more down time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like it was a deal breaker for me. It was just a little different that’s all.

While the characters were well written and I definitely saw character growth, I was expecting them to bond earlier in the book. I feel like the only one that was trying to keep them together was Bobby. But I guess not everyone feels the need to bond with maybe the last remaining humans in the world like I do. If a zombie apocalypse happens I don’t think I’ll get to bond with anybody because I’ll be one of the first to go. 

Undead was a good and entertaining read with funny characters and lots of zombie encounters. The ending was a little bit of a cliffhanger but not like the ones that makes you want to commit murder.

Fractured by Sarah Fine Cover!!!

In the week since Lela returned to Rhode Island as Captain of the Guard with Malachi as her second in command, local news has been dominated by chilling sightings of human-like creatures running on all fours. Lela knows there’s only one explanation: the Mazikin have arrived in the land of the living.

Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.

As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?

Pre-order

Amazon

S.K. Falls Author of Secret for a Song Interview

A few months back I read Secret for a Song. I loved it and was so intrigued by it and its characters that I had to know more about it and the author. So here's my interview to S.K. Fall. Follow her on Twitter, like her author Facebook page and don't forget to visit her site! 

• What or who inspired you to write Secret For A Song? 

I’m a huge psychology buff; I majored in it in college. When the idea for a character with Munchausen popped into my head one day, I couldn’t get the idea to go away. I was enthralled with the idea of creating an unlikeable character. People with Munchausen struggle with a lot of different issues, a personality disorder being one of them. I did some reading on the subject, and was even more fascinated with what I found. So I ended up writing down a loose plot outline, and the rest is history. :)

• Is Secret For A Song a standalone novel?

Yes, it is. I don’t have any plans for another story for Saylor, though I’ve heard you should never say never. ;)

• Was it hard writing Saylor's character? 

Yes and no. In some ways I’d had her in my head for so long as I was writing that I knew how she’d react in almost every situation. She was my constant companion through the day’s chores and activities, and I had her “voice” going in my head 24/7. So, in that way, it was easy to get her reactions down on paper. It was simultaneously hard, though, because Saylor has a lot of flaws. I’d never quite written a character like her—one who is so obviously doing the wrong thing and is cognizant of the fact. That was an interesting line to toe.

• Was it hard writing about Saylor's relationship with her mother? 

At times. There were times that, even though I was the one creating the scenes and writing them, I wanted to throw something at the two of them. :) On the other hand, I wanted to be able to show Saylor’s side of things—how she felt she was completely inconsequential and how her mother (sometimes unknowingly) reinforced that idea. I wanted readers to be able to somewhat understand why someone might develop a fictitious disorder. So in that way, it was a relief to be able to tell that side of things.

• Did you know how Secret For A Song was going to end from the beginning? 

I did! Without giving too much away for those who haven’t read it, I was 100% sure about how I wanted it to end, and that so rarely happens for me. But this time it felt right, and I knew it had to be this way.

• What projects are you working on at the moment? And if you could can you tell us a little bit about it? 

I’m in the process of releasing a serial novel one episode at a time. It’s a new adult paranormal romance, and the omnibus—novel length, called Fevered Souls—will be released this August. I’m so excited about that one. I’m also planning on another contemporary new adult “issue” book; this one will be heavy on the romance. I’m planning a release date of late October for that one. Squee!

Thanks so much for having me! J I’m so glad you enjoyed Secret for a Song!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Amazon/Goodreads

I love reading fantasy. I can tell you without hesitating that fantasy is my favorite genre. I love the way it makes my imagination work and how it takes me far away from here. Shadow and Bone certainly took me on a journey but not without bumps in the road. 

When I read a fantasy book I like to submerge in its word, I want to feel like I belong in it. With Shadow and Bone I felt like I was looking from the outside in. I can probably say that part of it was my fault. I started Shadow and Bone a few months back and then stopped. I think I had to review another book or something. But I liked the portion I read from it but not enough to go back to it. I thought I wasn't going to finish reading so I read some spoilers and I found out who the bad guy was and how the book ended. The surprise Element was out. I know I did that to myself. Spoilers are evil but so good. So that’s that. 

Another thing that would not let me enjoy the book completely were some of the Russian terms for the different kinds of Grishas. I was so lost. I’m embarrassed to say it actually. Everybody gets it why couldn’t I? Maybe the terms weren’t explained right or enough? I feel like I have to defend my brains right now. You are judging me. Stop it! Just Kidding. Or not. I’m actually pretty good with made up words and maps and whatnot. But I just COULDN’T do it with this book. If there’s someone out there who understood the terms from Shadow and Bone please explain them to me. 

What made this book worth reading were the characters! Alina is kick ass and I get her. I understood her character and the decisions she made. Mal was cute and I wish he had more time in the spotlight. I didn't connect with his character 100%. But I enjoyed whenever he made an appearance. Maybe he'll get to be a proper main character in the sequel. Genya my favorite character! I definitely want to see more of her and her gift. I liked The Darkling but not as much as some people did.

I think it was a good read and although I could't fully connect with the Grisha world, once you get into the book you want to know what happens next. The plot is not really complicated. I also read a short story about Genya called The Tailor and I LOVED it. I recommend reading it after Shadow and Bone because there’s a big spoiler there. 

Pendomus by Carissa Andrews Cover Reveal

Goodreads

Humanity has colonized on a tidally locked planet known as Pendomus, a planet of extremes. Half eternal scorching desert and half perpetual arctic night. Surviving along the temperate band between the two, we've set up home in a complex known as the Helix. Within the Helix lies a highly sophisticated, highly technological society that seems to function solely on humans fulfilling their life's purpose. That purpose is determined and nurtured through a person's natural aptitudes, as read by their daily brain scans. Eating, sleeping, even procreation is handled by professionals. These basic concepts, no longer a part of society's every day norm.

Seventeen-year-old Runa Cophem longs to be more than part of the Helix machine. Her life inside is anything but fulfilling. She feels disconnected, and longs to be more than society dictates. Inside, no one socializes, no one interacts in a meaningful way. It's never set right with Runa. She would love nothing more than to reach out to her family, but not even her own mother can show any semblance of love for her. Instead, Runa has found solace in the ancient woods nearby, despite being strictly forbidden.

Seventeen-year-old Runa Cophem longs to be more than part of the Helix machine. Her life inside is anything but fulfilling. She feels disconnected, and longs to be more than society dictates. Inside, no one socializes, no one interacts in a meaningful way. It's never set right with Runa. She would love nothing more than to reach out to her family, but not even her own mother can show any semblance of love for her. Instead, Runa has found solace in the ancient woods nearby, despite being strictly forbidden.

Runa's life takes an unforeseen turn when she's brutally attacked, and left for dead in those woods near the Helix. Rescued by a stranger with blue hair, she's immersed into a surprising way humanity has survived. Fueled by a yearning to belong, and an attraction she didn't even know was possible, Runa wants desperately to make a new life. Yet, there's much she doesn't know about herself, about the planet and the forces controlling her from afar.

What she needs is some answers.

 AUTHOR BIO

Born and raised in central MN, Carissa Andrews has always loved books. She started her career at 15 in a bookstore, just to be able to afford her book fetish. By 19, she worked for a magazine publisher. At 22, she was working for printers to learn their trade. At 27, she went back to school for graphic design, and became an award winning designer. Little did she know all of her experiences would lead her to becoming a self-publishing power house.

At 31, a magical world on a planet far away, invaded her mind.

At 34, she's learned what she needs to make her work successful.

Pendomus (Book 1 of the Pendomus Chronicles) will be released OCTOBER 10, 2013

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Bully by Penelope Douglas, Giveaway and Dream Cast!

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.

We're neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door. 

So I left.

I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I'm back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I'm hoping that after a year of breathing room, he's moved on and forgotten all about me. 

But even if he hasn't changed, I have. I'm not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We're going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down.

Holy sexual tension! I needed this book in my life I swear! Thanks to Alexa from Collections for writing an awesome review and making me buy it ASAP.

I thought I wasn't going to like Bully because of the bullying theme but I was so wrong. Jared is a bully plain and simple but Tate can handle herself very nicely. I loved that about her she was such a fighter and mature. She was a unique main character. And then there's sexy asshole Jared. He was so bad but so good! I loved him.

What I really really enjoyed about Bully was the sexual tension between the characters. Right now there's not a lot of books in the New Adult genre that makes you tingle with anticipation and then delivers one of the hottest scene I have ever read. Bully did that and more.

Bully made me laugh, cry (there's a scene that omg broke my heart)  and sometimes it got me so mad that I just wanted trow my iPad across the room. But I have to say that without a doubt Bully is one of the best books I've read this year. BUY IT!

Amazon/Goodreads

This giveaway is INT'l and ends 7/22/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway