Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet. Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US. So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce.The Book Wars winner for Another Day (Every Day #2) By: David Levithan is...!!!!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
Publisher: US - HMH Books for Young Readers, 288 Pages, (December 22nd, 2015), UK - Orchard Books , 320 Pages, (January 14th, 2016)
Add to Goodreads: USA Version | UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository, Foyles

Synopsis: How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend's unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together - just.

A stunning debut to devour in one sitting, Laure captures completely the agony and ecstasy of first love.

About the Author:

Estelle Laure is a Vonnegut worshipper who believes in love and magic and the power of facing hard truths.

She has a BA in Theater Arts from New Mexico State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and thinks everyone should have to wait tables or work in a kitchen at least once in their lives. She lives in Taos, New Mexico with her children.

Find Estelle Online: Website | Blog | Twitter| Facebook

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa This is an easy week for me. Hands down the US gets my vote. It's just so much more colorful and bright that looking at these two side by side it really makes the UK cover so kind of blah looking.

So, for the colors and hombre affect from dark to light, the US gets my vote. Give us your vote below!

Michelle This is an easy pick for me this week. I have the UK copy for review on my iPad, but seeing these covers next to each other just confirms my choice. The UK cover has a nice, big font on it, and I like how it's all styled. But for my, the US one is just that much better. I really like the rainbow effect on the background, how bright and bold the colours are. I also like how it's framed with a white border. I also prefer the font for the US cover over the UK cover. Now that I've shared my vote, don't forget to leave your vote below.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of This Raging Light by Estelle Laure NOW!

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the US, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Going Vintage By: Lindsey Leavitt is..... the US Cover! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Graduation Day

Series: (The Testing #3)
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: US - HMH Books for Young Readers, 304 Pages, (June 17th, 2014) UK - Templar Publishing, 364 Pages (June 1st, 2014)
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor Cia Vale vows to fight. But she can't do it alone. This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves - and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

About the author: 

I am a storyteller at heart. I have performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children's theatre productions across the Chicagoland area.

While I'm happy to perform for an audience, I am equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use my experience from the stage to create compelling characters on the page. I am the author of the Rebecca Robbins mystery series (Minotaur Books), The Paige Marshall Glee Club mysteries (Berkley) and The Testing YA triology (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Find  Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa The thing I love about these covers is how well they all go together. When you look at them all from the trilogy they look pretty amazing together. I love how the US covers have a shine to them and the feel when they are in your hands is pretty amazing. The US covers appear simple and in many ways they are yet when you look closer there's a lot more to them then at first glance.

And the UK covers have more that you see right away. And I like how the covers from here and in the UK kept the color theme going.

So, as we take a look and vote for the third book in this trilogy my vote goes to the US cover. It's sleek, slick and in so many ways beautiful in it's simplicity. So, it's a US win for me this week. Tell us which cover you like the most in the poll below.

Michelle This is an easy choice for me, the UK cover is so much more appealing to me than the US cover.

Like Lisa I do like how they have the same colour theme going for them, but I also like how the UK one has the same background image throughout the series, with changes to the colour and symbol only.

To me although the US is pretty, it's too simple for me to appreciate, I much prefer the shininess that is the UK cover.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Graduation Day NOW!

QuestionPro

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the US, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Geek Girl (Geek Girl #1) By: Holly Smale is..... the UK Cover! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: Independent Study  

Series: (The Testing #2)
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: US - HMH Books for Young Readers, 310 Pages (January 7th 2014) UK - Templar Publishing, 383 Pages (January 1st 2014)
Add to: Goodreads USA Version | Goodreads UK Version
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

About the author: 

I am a storyteller at heart. I have performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children's theatre productions across the Chicagoland area.

While I'm happy to perform for an audience, I am equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use my experience from the stage to create compelling characters on the page. I am the author of the Rebecca Robbins mystery series (Minotaur Books), The Paige Marshall Glee Club mysteries (Berkley) and The Testing YA triology (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Find  Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa The thing I love about these covers is how they each have their own look to them, yet they both have a lot of similar things as well. The difference for me is that the US cover is sharp and clean while the UK cover looks like it once was yet has a edge to it.

This is such a rough week for me. I am drawn to each of them for different reasons, yet when I just sit and look and let everything else fall away, I'm more drawn to the US cover. You can't get a real feel for it here, you have to see it in person. It has a foil shine to it and gives the clean and sharpness the perfect finishing touch. So, my vote for this week is the US cover. Which one do you vote for? Let us know in the poll below!

Michelle This is another easy vote for me this week. I think the US cover is nice to look at, but it doesn't appeal to me at all.

Like Lisa said about the US one being better in real life, so is the UK one. It is shiny, and bright, and looks amazing in real life. I love the distressed feel of this cover and the different layers to it. You have the badge placed in the foreground, looking new and shiny, and in the background you have the city, parts look rough around the edges and distant, but with windows all lit the closer the city is to us.

Its a UK win for me this week, and check out what I thought of this book with my review here.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Independent Study NOW!

QuestionPro

Title: Rogue (Croak #3)
Author: Gina Damico
Publisher: Graphia, 336 Pages (September 10th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order The Series Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, Indiebound

Synopsis: Teenage Grim Reaper Lex’s power to Damn souls is getting out of control. She's a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they're joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed...but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

Hey hey Croak fans! Welcome to my blog tour / photo hunt / Roguestravaganza! 

From now until ROGUE's release on September 10th, each stop on the tour will reveal an image that represents a chapter in the book - could refer to setting, plot, an important object, mood, or whatever other diabolical visualizations with which I feel like tormenting my dear readers. Each image also contains a hidden letter...though really, they're not that well hidden. (If you have eyes, you should be able to spot them.) Collect the letters every day, and at the end of the tour I'll hold a contest, the winner of which will receive signed and annotated copies of the complete trilogy. (For a complete description of the contest, tour schedule, and links to the stops you might have missed, check out the blog tour page on my website.)

So! This photo is for Chapter 1. I will let the image do the talking.

Thanks for having me! Good luck everyone!

Rogue Book Trailer:

About this author:

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger. I live in Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies.

Find Gina Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

• Enter to WIN a Croak prize pack - that's 3 signed bookmarks, 3 signed bookplates, 3 magnets, and a scythe pendant! Open INTERNATIONAL!!!

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway.
Easy Entry for everyone!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
This giveaway is open: INTERNATIONAL!.
Giveaway ends: August 29th, 2013 (12:00AM EST)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclaimer: I have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for sharing this post or giveaway.

Title: Never Eighteen
Author: Megan Bostic
Publisher: HMH Children's Books, 204 Pages (January 17th, 2012)
From: the publisher & Amazon Vine
Format: ARC

Synopsis: I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.

It’s probably hopeless.

But he has to try.

Review: 3 Stars - Never Eighteen By: author Megan Bostic was a must read from the first time I read the synopsis! Which was at least a year ago. It’s a contemporary story about life, chances and what each person chooses to do with the life they lead and the time they have.

Austin, our male lead is sick. He has cancer and he knows he’s not going to make it to his eighteenth birthday. He wants to use the time he has left to try to help the people around him. To make them see that while he doesn’t have a chance to lead a full life, that they… the people he loves still have a chance to find happiness, to live their lives more than they are right now.

So, he sets out on a journey with his best friend over the course of a weekend, while he’s still feeling good, like himself. With Kaylee by his side and driving him around in her car - with the ever changing name – he sets out to visit friends and family.

Speaking of Austin and Kaylee, they’ve known and been best friends with each other forever. Austin has stronger feelings for Kaylee and throughout the story we see him fight with the idea of telling her before it’s too late, yet at the same time he knows that if she doesn’t feel the same way it might ruin what little time they have left and if she does feel the same way it’ll hurt her more because of what he’s getting ready to face.

While this was an extremely quick read and I enjoyed Bostic’s writing and story, I wish there would have been a bit more to it. I didn’t feel that I had much of a chance to get to know who Austin and Kaylee really were or to better understand their back story and relationship. Yet I understand that’s not really the point of the story, however, it’s always nice to better understand the characters you’re trying to connect with.

All in all, it was a contemporary novel I was very much looking forward to and enjoyed, but was hoping for a bit more. It was touching and emotional and I would recommend this title to those who are looking for a contemporary with heart and a strong message.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Never Eighteen
Author: Megan Bostic
Publisher: HMH Children's Books, 204 Pages (January 17th, 2012)
Preorder here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

Title: Surrender (Haunting Emma, #3)
Author: Lee Nichols
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 288 Pages (December 6th, 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: After a devastating battle at headquarters in New York, the ghostkeeping world is in shambles. When Emma and Bennett return home, they are determined to defeat the wraithmaster, Neos, forever. But it's not going to be easy. Bennett's parents kick him out when they realize he is still using drugs to enhance his powers. Emma is convinced her aunt has come back from the dead to warn her of a new threat. And worst of all, Neos is using wraiths to possess the students at Thatcher Academy. If the ghosts manage to take over the entire school, even Emma won't be strong enough to stop them. But if either she or Bennett sacrifice his or her powers, they might be able to save the ghostkeeping world once and for all-and break the "ghostkeepers lose their powers when they fall in love" curse. The question is: who will be the one to surrender all power?

Title: Halflings (Halflings, #1)
Author: Heather Burch
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing (January 17th, 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.


A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

Okay, I just couldn't pick one book for this week's WoW. So, I bring you 3 that I can't wait for. First off, I've been waiting for Never Eighteen for over a year now. I seriously can't wait for this book. Sounds like an emotional read. Then... for Surrender, I have LOVED this trilogy and I can't wait to find out how it all ends! Oh Bennett! Then we have Halflings - this is a new book to me but sounds like it's a must read. Angels, 3 misfit protectors, a love triangle and choices that'll event the whole of the race.... count me in please!

So, what do you guys think of my three picks for this week?

*covers are always subject to change.
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.