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 Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick 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: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May
Publisher: US - Chronicle Books , 336 Pages, (May 6th 2014), UK - Gollancz , 312 Pages, (September 26th 2013)
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

Synopsis: One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale.

She's a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title — and drop-dead beauty.

She's a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. She's leading a double life: She has the rare ability to sense the sìthichean — the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans — and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.

She's a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her abilities and her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons — from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols — ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.

She's a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with the gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder — but she'll have to save the world first.

About Elizabeth:

© to Elizabeth May 

Elizabeth May was born in California, where she lived during her formative years before moving to Scotland. She is currently working on her PhD at the University of St Andrews. When she isn’t writing or doing academics, she can be found with a camera in hand; her photography has been published on an array of book covers and in magazines. She currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her husband. THE FALCONER is her début novel. For more information, follow her on Twitter @_ElizabethMay or visit her website www.elizabethmaywrites.com

5 Things about Elizabeth May:
1. She penned 9 unpublished manuscripts before finally writing THE FALCONER. 2. Incidentally, she wrote THE FALCONER 3 times to get it right before trying to get it published. 3. Her degrees are in anthropology, and her speciality is folklore. Which comes in handy when writing about Scottish faeries. 4. Sometimes, her face ends up on book covers. This helps her pay university tuition. 5. She wrote her first book at the age of 12, about a half-vampire with amnesia. She hasn’t been able to stop writing novels since.

Find Elizabeth Online: Website | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | News

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 WOW! We've been picking some pretty amazing covers that makes a choice hard when you have two that draw you in for different reasons. I have the US version on my shelves and while it's beautiful it's almost TOO beautiful, too flawless.

And the UK cover almost feels like it's taken from a movie. It's full of action and I LOVE IT!

This week my vote goes to the UK cover. It makes me want to get lost within the pages and find out more about this female character and now I really can't wait to check this book out.

Michelle There is no doubt in my mind that it's a UK vote for me this week. While I do like the US version, the UK version just has more going on for it. I love the detail of the character, the dress, the weapons, even down the the hair on her head. I love the background illustration, and having read this book, how relevant it is to the story itself.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of The Falconer by Elizabeth May NOW!

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Title: Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story
Author: Various Authors
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 204 Pages (December 28th, 2011)
From: The Publisher, Thank You!
Format: Hardback

Synopsis: What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of "he said/she said" stories-he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There's the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated-because there are two sides to every story.

Review: 3 Stars - Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story is a novel of six stories by twelve different YA authors. Each author was partnered with another to write two sides to the same story. I am a huge fan of novels that have multi points of view, so I was immediately drawn to this one. I couldn’t wait to see the end result in what sounded like a fascinating project.

I’m assuming that many of you out there are just like me and often wonder what the other character might be thinking in a vast variety of books. Getting a chance to see one, many or all the parts of a story from a different perspective is thrilling. One word can change how the person reading or the character in the book reacts and this gives the reader a broader scope to each story.

While this created a depth and allowed each character their own voice, it wasn’t at all what I expected. None of the stories were if I’m being honest.

 I appreciated the stories but didn’t find myself attached to anyone of them. I enjoyed the characters, but didn’t fall in love with them as I like to do when I’m reading. I guess I’m saying that I have to find some kind of connection with the characters and I was sad to find that lacking for me. 

The stories were written amazingly well and I applaud the authors in coming together to write something that shares such a broad set of characters with such different backgrounds. I applaud the authors for being able to blend their characters and their stories together as well as they did, which I believe is what I was the most fascinated with. And while this might not have been my favorite title I’ve read recently it’s without a doubt a very interesting one that I was happy to have the pleasure of reading.

All in all, the stories are diverse, the way that the authors of each story were both able to blend their characters together and the dual points of view were, in the end what I found to stand out for me in this title. I know that I was expecting a bit more for this one, however the dual points of view get me just about every time.

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.

Title: Girl Meets Boy: Because There Are Two Sides to Every Story
Author: Various Authors
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 204 Pages (December 28th, 2011)

Synopsis: What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of "he said/she said" stories-he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There's the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated-because there are two sides to every story.

Character Question/Guest Post:

Girl Meets Boy is a “he said-she said” collection of stories by twelve of the best YA authors in the business.  They explored how a boy and a girl can see the same event quite differently in story pairs. 

 

Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls explored how a dangerous girl named Wanda could turn a handsome guy named John’s world upside down.   Joseph Bruchac and Cynthia Leitich Smith introduced basketball warrior Nancy Whitepath and the shy boy, Bobby Wildcat who secretly loves her.   Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe captured a boy named Cal’s yearning for love, and his puzzling meeting with a girl named Alex.  Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis proved love can be tough for a Muslim boy and a Christian farm girl.  Sara Ryan and Randy Powell proved things aren’t always what they seem with Gavin and Steph.

We asked each of the authors to give us one more glimpse into their characters’ personalities by answering a quirky question.  Check out their answers below. 

What is your character's favorite candy? 

Chris Crutcher – John – Jelly Bellies

Kelly Milner Halls – Wanda – Cotton Candy

Joseph Bruchac –  --  Green gourmet jelly beans – the ones that taste like kiwi, lime, apple, etc. (But not, alas, ear wax)

Cynthia Leitich Smith – Nancy -- Reece's Pieces

Ellen Wittlinger – Alex – Hershey’s Kisses

Terry Davis – Rafi – Junior Mints!!!

Rebecca Fjelland Davis – Kerry – Strawberry Twizzlers

Randy Powell – Gavin -- Salt water taffy, all flavors

Sara Ryan – Stephanie -- Bittersweet chocolate, with salt

Thanks so much for the authors sharing with us their characters favorite candy.
Cute idea, fun post. 

ENTER TO WIN ONE OF TWO COPIES OF GIRL MEETS BOY!

Please fill out the simple & quick form below. NO entries in comments please.

You MUST be at least 13 years old to enter.

This giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry!

Giveaway ends: February 23rd, 2012

Good luck to everyone who enters. If you have any questions, please check my policy page or feel free to email with any questions. 

Thank you to Chronicle books for donating the copy(s) in this giveaway. ONE book will come from the publisher and ONE book will come from me.

Title: Prisoners in the Palace
Author: Michaela MacColl
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 304 Pages (September 1st 2010)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: Prisoners in the Palace -- London, 1838. Sixteen-year-old Liza's dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady's maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Meticulously based on newly discovered information, this riveting novel is as rich in historical detail as Catherine, Called Birdy, and as sizzling with intrigue as The Luxe.

Review: 4 Stars - Michaela MacColl’s Prisoners in the Palace is a fictional story surrounding the time in History just before Queen Victoria began her rein over Britain. MacColl’s study into Victoria’s diaries is apparent and more than makes her plot seem real and true to life. Her imagination and intriguing characters were more than entertaining. As a reader this had me hooked from the turn of the first page right through to the last.

When Liza looses her parents in a tragic accident at the age of 17, her life is turned upside down in more ways then one. The life she’s accustomed to living is pulled out from under her and she’s forced to find not only a job but also a place to live. She finds work as a maid to Princess Victoria in Kensington Palace and quickly is pulled in all directions from all sides with her new position.

Liza is smart and quick on her feet as she finds herself in somewhat impossible situations. One thing I enjoyed about Liza was… she had her flaws just as everyone does. She might have been able to find her way out of trouble but she made mistakes and owned up to each of them. Princess Victoria was a bit of a brat and I blame that on her mother the Duchess and Sir John Conroy. You could see Victoria grow up because of Liza and the Baroness – who just happened to be more of a mother then her own was. Victoria’s soft spots is what made me feel even more for her because of the life she as forced to live at the hands of her mother and Sir John.

Speaking of Victoria’s mother – the Duchess and Sir John – talk about horrible! However, I could totally envision someone so close to the Royals trying to take such advantage. Sir John was more then evil and the Duchess had lost sight of what was true and important. It was frustrating at the beginning while reading just what these two did, but in the end I found myself feeling sorry for Victoria’s mother.

And then there was Will – a newspaper man who becomes a friend and confidant to Liza and through Liza the Princess. He wasn’t in the story much, but he was more then a strong character as he came to the aid of Liza on more then one occasion. And I can’t forget to mention Inside Boy Jones. With his help Liza was able to help herself and Victoria out of some pretty bad situations. These two characters more than made this story for me. It was a highlight to read these characters and more then added to intrigue filled throughout the book.

With history, mystery and romance told over a year in the life of Liza’s time with the Princess, MacColl has me questioning exactly why I tend to steer away from anything Historical. I found myself deeply immersed and invested in the lives of these characters and with the turn of the last page, didn’t want the story to end. Fans of British history or historicals as a whole will find much to love about this title. People, such as myself who tend to stay away from anything set in the far past should pick up Prisoners in the Palace and find out just what you’re missing.

Judge this Book By Its Cover! Please!

Lisa, thank you for inviting me into your lovely blog to chat with your readers. I thought I might talk about one of my favorite things about Prisoners in the Palace.

When my agent sold Prisoners in the Palace I was fortunate enough to have three offers. All three were from great houses – but very different. One was a behemoth – an IBM of publishing. And remember, no one ever got fired for going with IBM. There was an offer from a tiny well-regarded boutique house. And Chronicle Books. My agent has sold them many picture books over the years and he knew that they were looking to “grow up” and move into middle grade and young adult.

I knew very little about Chronicle Books until I looked at my own bookshelves. Without being aware of it, I had purchased many Chronicle books over the years. Each book was quirky and had a sense of flair, of “Design”. I’ve never thought much about things like end papers or the way time breaks are presented in the text – mainly I think because most publishers don’t pay much attention to those things either. Although I was concerned that they didn’t have a track record in YA, the more I learned about Chronicle, the more I wanted to choose them.

I’m so glad I did! Not only do I have a great working relationship with the editorial side, but I email with my publicist at least once a day. I’ve met the Director of Sales and the Director of Marketing takes time to answer my questions and hold this novice writer’s hand. Never would I have gotten this kind of attention at a large publisher. But where Chronicle really exceeded my pie in the sky expectations? The cover.

I had assumed that my book, being a period piece about a Princess would have a photograph of a girl in a big poufy dress. In fact, when I was doing market research, that’s how I picked books to compare to. But Chronicle went a different way. They wanted to do something fresh that would appeal to teens. They came up with a pop-art princess who is stunning. She has blue eyes and wears great jewelry. And then they put her on foil. Most brilliant of all? They didn’t put the title on the cover. If you want to find out about this book, you have to pick it up.

And then you turn it over. Chronicle wanted to reference the Victorian broadsheets that feature so prominently in Prisoners in the Palace. So they asked me to come up with several little articles that reference events in the book: Mysterious Girl Dances with Bachelor Prince or Is Victoria Unfit to Wear the Crown? How fun is that? (never mind that author’s never ever get to write the jacket copy!)

I love the book that Chronicle created. They understood the book I wrote and then took it to a new level. A level where teens see the book and say “oooh, pretty!” Visit my website, www.michaelamaccoll.com to learn more about the cover and Prisoners in the Palace.

Order Prisoners of the Palance Online:

Amazon | Chronicle Books | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Chronicle books Special Offer!! Order on their site and SAVE! Use the special promotion code PRISONER when checking out at Chrinoclebooks.com and you’ll get FREE SHIPPING and 25% off your entire order!

Find Michaela Online:

Blog | Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win a copy of Prisoners in the Palace!

Rules and how to enter:

You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
You MUST fill out the form - no entries in comments please. Comments are welcome and loved, just no entries in comments please.
This giveaway is open to US and CANADIAN residents only.
Contest ends: Nov. 29th, 2010

Thank you to Chronicle Books for making this giveaway possible.

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.

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this page.