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 Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) By: Cassandra Clare 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: Firewalker 

Series: (The Worldwalker Trilogy #2)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: US - Feiwel & Friends, 352 Pages (September 1st, 2015) UK - Macmillan Children's Books, 339 Pages (August 27th, 2015)
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: Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.

"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

About the author: 

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Find Josephine 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 This week have another second book in a series. This time from the Worldwalker Trilogy from Josephine Angelini.

One thing I have to say about the US covers vs the UK for these books is that the US cover has so much more depth to it. There's layers upon layers when you look at it. I feel like I see something new each and every time I look. I love how the colors build up from the bottom where the trees are.

And while the UK cover is a bit on the artistic side, it just doesn't have the same affect as the US cover does. Sometimes it's nice to have a book without any models on the cover and this one more than works!

So, it's a US vote for me this week. Now it's your turn, tell us which one gets your vote with a quick click below.

Michelle I think this is the first time I have actively seen what the US cover is like. The UK one I have seen several times and it has stood out for me, especially when it's paired with the first book.

Looking at these covers it's easy for me to see which is my favourite. I do like the UK cover, and as I mentioned it looks great next to the first book, the faces fitting together to make a whole one. However, I LOVE the US cover.

The US cover looks magical, dramatic, and mysterious. I love the whole effect of this, all the purples, reds, and yellows mixing together to make a breathtaking cover.

The US covers gets my vote this week, which cover gets yours?

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Firewalker (The Worldwalker Trilogy) 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 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 Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward 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: Night Owls/The Anatomical Shape of a Heart
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publisher: US - Feiwel & Friends, 304 Pages, (November 3rd, 2015), UK - Simon and Schuster UK, 272 Pages, (August 13th, 2015)
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: Since school had let out in May, gold graffiti had been popping up around San Francisco. Single words painted in enormous golden letters appeared on bridges and building fronts. Not semi-illegible, angry gang tags, but beautifully executed fonts done by someone with talent and skill...

Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists.

On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. But Jack is hiding much more - and can she uncover the truth that leaves him so wounded?

About the Author:

Jenn Bennett is an artist and RITA-nominated author of the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series (Kindling the Moon) and the Roaring Twenties romance series, including Bitter Spirits, which was chosen as one of Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2014 and winner of RT Reviewers' Choice Paranormal Romance Book of the Year, and Grave Phantoms—which was awarded RT's Seal of Excellence. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart, (aka Night Owls in the U.K.) is her first YA contemporary romance. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two evil pugs. Visit her at www.jennbennett.net. Want to be notified when her next book is coming out? Join her mailing list: http://eepurl.com/V5il9

Find Jenn 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 First off, I should mention that I haven't seen either of these books in person. I have seen the US cover floating around the internet, but neither in person.

There's things I like about both covers, however when I read what Michelle had to say about these covers, I think I have to agree with the UK version winning my vote. It packs more of a punch, and intrigues me more so than the US cover. Not to mention I think I like the US title more so as well.

This week it's a UK vote for me. Which gets your vote? Click and tell us below!

Michelle This is an easy vote for me this week, but before I share it I want to talk about the covers. Both of these covers represent the book in their own way, the US cover has the graffiti aspect, and the anatomy aspect in it's title, which is relevant to both May and Jack. The UK cover has a really simple design, but is also relevant to the story with the with title and the image. My own copy of this book was a proof copy, and over here, the UK publisher had the proof with different designs, different words on the cover, done in the same style they were graffitied in the book. Even before I saw these books side by side, my choice was the UK cover, and even now the UK cover wins for me. I like the foiled effect, I like how simple but effective it is. I loved this book and my review can be found here. Make sure to vote for your favourite cover below.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Night Owls/The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett NOW!

 

A HUGE HAPPY Release Week Blitz to Ann Aguirre's PUBLIC ENEMIES!! PUBLIC ENEMIES is a Young Adult Paranormal novel filled with horror and suspense and is a part of Ann Aguirre’s Immortal Game Trilogy, published by Macmillan. Grab your copy today!! And don't miss MORTAL DANGER, book 1 in this awesome trilogy! 

Title: Public Enemies (Immortal Game #2)
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 320 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** BAM ** Indiebound ** Vroman’s ** Book Depository ** iBooks 

Synopsis: In Book 2 of the Immortal Game trilogy, Edie must learn the rules of the game . . . and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian's sacrifice, she's operating under the mysterious Harbinger's aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she's terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers--mercenary monsters committed to her destruction--she's not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months...unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can't bear to lose.   

Excerpt:

          “Take cover,” I shouted at my dad, just before I hurled the demi-Molotov.

          I sprinted away from the doorway as the fumes exploded. The walls trembled and I smelled something horrible, like rotten meat on the grill. On my hands and knees, I crawled through the smoke, trying to keep low. If we don’t get out of this soon, we’ll die too. The sprinklers kicked in, dowsing the corridor and laboratory. An inhuman rumble of pain and rage told me at least one survived my surprise.

          As I reached the threshold, I took stock. Holy shit. I actually killed one. Well, destroyed it. Whatever. Chunks of rubbery, charred flesh were spattered everywhere, dripping off the walls in viscous globs. I choked down some bile and took a shallow, stinging breath. My eyes were burning like the water was full of chlorine; that had to be the remaining chloramine vapors. If the lab was bad before, it was total devastation now with small fires guttering everywhere, struggling in the deluge. I slipped toward my dad’s office, frantic.

          And the remaining monster charged me.

          “Are you crazy? Get out of here!” My dad’s voice was hoarse, probably from the smoke but I ignored him.

          It was all I could do to stumble aside and dart around an overturned lab table that the beast smashed with one lash of a tentacle. The floor trembled and I staggered backward, tripping over debris, but my training with Raoul had improved my reflexes. Instead of falling over, I righted myself and scrambled for a weapon. Not that I thought I could really kill it, but…

          I can save my dad.

          “I’ll keep it busy,” I yelled back. “Get moving, it’s after you, not me.”

          He called something but I didn’t hear it. I laid hand on a broken table leg with a jagged, pointy end. Considering the monster’s overwhelming size—at least twelve feet—a David and Goliath comparison seemed apt but I was fresh out of slingshots. The longer my dad lingered, the less chance either one of us making it out, between the fumes and the Cthulhu beast.

          He won’t go. Despair cloaked me like darkest night.

          Still, I raised my weapon like Raoul had taught me. I might not be very good at this, but I was a fighter now, right? The monster lashed at me and I tried to leap clear. Not fast enough. The blow caught me across the back and I actually felt my ribs caving in. It hurt to breathe. I tried to maneuver but the slick floor and glass fragments made it impossible. My palms sliced open as I tried to haul to my feet, red smearing the makeshift weapon I was barely hanging onto. Distantly I realized my dad was beside me, trying to drive the creature away.

          Failing.

          It hit me again, sweeping me like rubbish against the far wall. The impact cracked my ribs on the other side; the pain was excruciating. I couldn’t move anymore, except to blink. My lashes gave a dark fringe to my last moments. I thought about my mother…and Kian. Vi. Ryu. Davina. Jen. At least they’ll miss me. Blood trickled from my mouth, and I stared up at the horrid thing that would kill me.

          Except it didn’t.

          I heard the flutter of dark wings all around me, and then he was here, all darkness and ominous promise. The Harbinger’s voice whispered like silk across a blade. “Take only the one you came for. She belongs to me.”

About the Author:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.      

Find Ann Online:

Website **Facebook**Twitter**Tumblr ** Goodreads ** Newsletter SignUp  

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"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: Public Enemies (Immortal Game #2)
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 320 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: In Book 2 of the Immortal Game trilogy, Edie must learn the rules of the game . . . and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian's sacrifice, she's operating under the mysterious Harbinger's aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she's terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers--mercenary monsters committed to her destruction--she's not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months...unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can't bear to lose.

Title: Not After Everything
Author: Michelle Levy
Publisher: Dial, 304 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: A gritty but hopeful love story about two struggling teens—

great for fans of The Spectacular Now, Willow, and Eleanor and Park

Tyler has a football scholarship to Stanford, a hot girlfriend, and a reliable army of friends to party with. Then his mom kills herself. And Tyler lets it all go. Now he needs to dodge what his dad is offering (verbal tirades and abuse) and earn what his dad isn’t (money). Tyler finds a job that crashes him into Jordyn, his former childhood friend turned angry-loner goth-girl. She brings Tyler an unexpected reprieve from the never-ending pity party his life has become. How could he not fall for her? But with his dad more brutally unpredictable than ever, Tyler knows he can’t risk bringing Jordyn too deeply into the chaos. So when violence rocks his world again, will it be Jordyn who shows him the way to a hopeful future? Or after everything, will Tyler have to find it in himself?

Title: One Past Midnight
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens , 368 Pages (August 4th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Sabine isn't like anyone else. For as long as she can remember, she’s had two lives. Every twenty-four hours she ‘Shifts’, living each day twice. In one life, Sabine has everything: popular friends, expensive clothes, perfect grades, and the guy everyone wants. In the other, Sabine’s family struggles with finances, and she and her friends are considered rebels. But then she meets Ethan. He’s gorgeous, challenging, and he makes her feel like no one ever has before.

All Sabine really wants is the chance to live one life. When it seems like this might finally be possible, Sabine begins a series of dangerous experiments to achieve her goal. But is she willing to risk everything—including the one person who might actually believe her?

*covers are always subject to change.

Title: The Novice (Summoner #1)
Author: Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, 398 Pages (May 5th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

Guest Post

The Lore of the Summoner Series

When A Life Bound By Books kindly offered me the opportunity to write a blog post on my book’s lore, I was very happy. Most fantasy authors have an encyclopaedic knowledge of their world, but never get to write it all down at once. So here goes, the lore of the Summoner Series.

The Hominum Empire and its History

Two thousand years before the events in The Novice, dwarves inhabit the land that is to become the Hominum Empire. To the north, the elven clans live in the great woods, while the tribal orcs live in the southern jungles.

An albino orc is born; a symbolic leader who’s coming was prophesised. He marshals his tribes into a brutal and bloody war with the north, threatening the elves while the dwarves take shelter below ground. At the same time, a great exodus of humans crosses the Akhad Desert to the east and settles in the dwarven lands.

The elves are losing the war, preferring to hide in the trees than fight. To save themselves, they hire the newly arrived humans as mercenaries. After many years of fighting, the albino orc is killed and his warriors are driven back into the jungles. In exchange, the elves teach the humans the art of summoning. The first king of Hominum foundsVocans Academy, a military school that trains human summoners as battlemages.

A thousand years later, the Hominum Empire is fully formed, after a great sickness sweeps through the dwarven population. The human king and his nobility, aided by their exclusive ability to summon demons, take control and subjugate the dwarves, resulting in many rebellions.

A great animosity begins between the two races. Dwarves are forced to live in ghettos and have their population strictly controlled. They are also subjected to police brutality and constant discrimination.

The elves lose their ability to summon demons thanks to the proliferation of duelling and new laws put in place to prevent the practice. At the same time, the Hominum Empire is constantly at odds with the orcs, suffering from raids and even another war a few hundreds years later, which they win.

Fast forward to the twenty-odd years before The Novice. The nobility, who were once the only ones able to summon demons other than a few orc shamans, discover that a small number of commoners also have the gift. Some are the illegitimate offspring of nobles, while others manifest the ability independently. For the first time, commoners are able to attend Vocans Academy.

Present day. The third orc war has been going on for eight years, lead by a new albino orc. Orc shamans are working together, while the various tribes unite under one banner. The humans begin to lose the war.

Meanwhile, the elves have also declared war against the Hominum Empire themselves, refusing to pay the heavy taxes levied against them. However, this benefits nobody and peace talks are already underway. An elven princess is sent to Vocans Academy as a sign of goodwill. She becomes the first elven summoner in a thousand years.

The dwarves have developed a new weapon, the musket, but guard the secret jealously. In exchange for arming Hominum’s military, the king supports their bid for equal rights and peace between their peoples. Despite this, hatred still lingers and the threat of another rebellion remains. A dwarven youth is also sent to Vocans, to be trained as a leader for dwarven recruits, who will also be joining the war effort.

Fletcher Wulf is born in the midst of all this, living a secluded life in the village of Pelt near the elven border. But when he comes across a summoning scroll and accidentally summons a demon, his life is changed irrevocably. Vocans Academy beckons.

The Magic System

TheNovice’s magic system, though it is never actually referred to as magic, was inspired by videogames, with rules, power levels and limitations.

Although I do love witches, wizards, mages and their ilk, it does often frustrate me when Deus Ex Machina style magical events act as solutions to otherwise unsolvable problems. Very often, it becomes a “get out of jail free card” of sorts. I prefer my magic to have rules, so that this doesn’t happen.

In the world of Summoner, the ability to summon is passed down in the blood. The first-bornchild always inherits the gift, while their younger siblings have a much smaller chance.

Every summoner must at first be gifted a demon through the reading aloud of a summoning scroll, usually through a parent or sponsor. Once summoned, the demons act as familiars and share a mental and emotional connection with their human counterparts. Without a demon, a summoner would be almost indistinguishable from a normal person, although some exhibit the early ability to produce small sparks or flames. The source of their true power is the channelling of mana from their demons.

Demons can be infused within theirsummoner when they are not needed, allowing them to recover their mana and rest. While within, the demon can see all that the summoner does. In order to be summoned or infused, the demon must be standing upon a pentacle, which must be inscribed or made of organic material.

Demonic species come in all shapes and sizes, from small beetle-demons known as Mites to larger ones, such as Griffins and Wendigos. The demons will also have a fixed amount of mana and a level, depending on their species. Summoners also have levels, which improve as time goes by and they become more experienced. The more powerful a summoner, the higher the level of demon they are capable of summoning. For example, a level ten summoner could own ten Mites, which are level one, or one Minotaur, which is level ten.

Demons are captured from a disk-shaped world called the ether. Around the edge of this world is an abyss, where warped, tentacleddemons known as Ceteans live. The outer rim is made of a mars-like desert called the Deadlands, followed by jungles, seas, mountains and volcanoes as you come closer to the centre, where most of the demons can be found.

The ether is accessed by a keyed pentacle, differing from the pentacle needed from summoning in that it has symbols on each point of the star, acting as coordinates for an approximate location in the ether. This portal must be fuelled with mana at all times to keep it open. Summoners are unable to enter the ether unless wearing a suit, not unlike a deep-sea diver’s, as the air is poisonous. They will usually use their demons to hunt for others in the ether, dragging them back through the portal so their summoner can infuse them.Summoners are able to use scrying crystals to see and hear what their demons do while they are in the ether, rather like a small television screen.

Finally, there are the spells. To perform a spell, a summoner must etch a symbol in the air with a glowing finger, leaving a blue glyph that once fixed will follow their fingertip as if attached by an invisible frame. Only when the mana is channelled through this glyph, does it become a spell.

The five main battle spells are fire, lightning, telekinesis, shield and healing, though there are many others. If mana is channelled through the finger without etching a spell, it produces wyrdlight, an insubstantial glowing ball that dissolves upon impact but is an excellent light source.

I think that’s pretty much it, without going in to too much detail! It this sounds like the kind of world you would like to read about, feel free to check out Summoner: The Novice, officially out on 5thMay 2015.

About the Author:

Taran was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own during early adolescence, beginning his first book at 9 years old.
Straight after graduating with a First Class degree in Business Administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in Digital Sales at Penguin Random House, from June to September 2013.

Thereafter, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write ‘Summoner’ in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’.

Thanks to Wattpad.com and updating daily, its popularity dramatically increased, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months.

After being featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career and has never looked back.

His SUMMONER trilogy will be published in Spring 2015 by Hodder Children’s in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and British Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Heyne in Germany, Crown in Taiwan, Planeta in the Spanish speaking world and Record in Brazil. Book 1 will be published by EKSMO in Russia, Ecliptic in Bulgaria and Alpress in the Czech Republic.

Find Taran Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

I'm extremely to participate the Release Week Blitz for Ann Aguirre's THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS!! THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance published by Macmillan!!

Grab your copy today!  

Title: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, (April 7th, 2015)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Books-a-Million, Powell’s, IndieBound

Synopsis: Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…   

Excerpt:

When I walk past the music room, I hear something that stills me in my tracks. People push past; I've become a rock in the middle of a rushing stream, but I can't move. Then someone shoves me from behind, not on purpose, but the result is the same. I slam into the lockers past the classroom and bounce. The underclassmen who were wrestling don't even notice that my brain has stopped firing.

          Shane Cavendish plays like it's his reason for living.

          I don't write that on the Post-it, of course. That would just get him beaten up even harder. Instead I scrawl, You’re awesome on the guitar, because the jocks might think that’s cool and leave him the hell alone. It's a long shot, as I don't have any particular cred with their crew, but being a musician is pretty spectacular. I can't breathe for how good—how remarkably talented—he is. And I suspect that if he found out anyone was paying attention, he'd stop playing.

          Backtracking to his locker will make me late for class, but it's worth it. I stick the note just below the vents, as I always do, but this time it feels weightier, more somehow, like this is a turning point. Shaking off the odd sensation, I dodge into Econ with a mumbled excuse. Sadly, it holds no weight with Mrs. Palmer. Unlike the male teachers, she isn't impressed with talk of 'female problems', so I get my first detention of the year, only the second I've ever had.

         Since tomorrow is Friday and I have standing plans with Ryan, I ask, “Can I just get it over with tonight?”

          I calculate; school lets out at 2:45. An hour of sitting in silence, and I’m supposed to be at work at four. If I hurry, I can still make my shift at the Curly Q. Which sounds like a diner, but it's actually a hair salon. I'm not qualified to do anything but wash hair, sweep up, and answer the phone, but it's better than fast food. I work two afternoons a week from four to eight, which earns me spending money for the week. Since I'm under eighteen, I get paid fifty cents an hour less than an adult; that makes me a bargain. After detention ends, I’ll just need to ride hard to keep Mildred from yelling at me.

          Mrs. Palmer glances up from scribbling down my doom. “Can you get a ride home?”

          “Yeah.”

I’ve always got my bike out front, and the town is small enough that I can ride anywhere I need to go from school. This is the one positive aspect of living in a tiny berg like this, especially given my opinion of privately-owned fossil fuel burning vehicles, which covers nicely for my lingering fear.

About Ann Aguirre:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

Find Ann Online:

Website **Facebook**Twitter**Tumblr ** Goodreads ** Newsletter SignUp  

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"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: The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Books for Young Readers, 336 Pages (October 7th, 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Title: Trial by Fire (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 384 Pages (September 2nd 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Order online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Title: Salt & Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers , 416 Pages (September 23rd, 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

Three books I can't wait to read this week and YAY all around for not having to wait TOO much longer for each of these. I love all these covers, I love each of their synopsis's and I can't wait to read each and everyone!

If you had to choose ONE that you could read right now, which one would you pick? Leave your choice in the comments below.

*covers are always subject to change.

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 Earthbound By: Aprilynne Pike 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: Trial by Fire
Series: (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: US - Feiwel & Friends, 384 Pages (September 2nd 2014) UK - Macmillan Children's Books, 384 Pages (August 28th 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: This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

About the author: 

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

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 It seems we like to torture ourselves by always choosing books with covers that are hard to pick one over the other. At least that's how it is for me this time... again. I really love BOTH and they're so different from one another too. After taking time to really look closely at both covers and finding things I love about each of them, I think my vote for this week goes to the US cover. I love the background of it. It's a dark and ominous and against the fire's orange. It looks the perfect setting for Trials. The whole US cover just feels like it "fits" for the title and synopsis. I can't wait to read this one soon! So, tell me if you were going to pick up a book, which one of these two would YOU pick? Vote below!

Michelle Like Lisa, I don't know why we torture ourselves with having to pick between two fantastic covers. I love the US edition, the castle in the background, the attention to detail of everything, however I have a copy of the UK version, and this picture of the cover does not do it justice. It has sparkly shiny red/gold hints to it, and has a slit embossed feel to it.

It's a UK win for me this week.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Trial By Fire NOW!

QuestionPro

"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: Horde (Razorland #3)
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 432 Pages (Octover 29th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

Title: Where the Stars Still Shine
Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 352 Pages (September 24th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.

Horde, the final book in the Razorland Trilogy... nothing else to say about needing to read this one. FANTASTIC trilogy so far! And Where the Stars Still Shine, sounds so emotional that you just can't turn away from it. Both must reads and I can't wait!

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

*covers are always subject to change.

"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: A Midsummer Night's Scream
Author: R.L. Stine
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 250 Pages (July 2nd, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: The master of horror takes on the master of theater!

Get ready for laughter to turn into screams in R.L. Stine's re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Everyone knows that Mayhem Manor is cursed. After production on the horror film was stopped due to a series of mysterious deaths, it became a Hollywood legend--which makes it perfect for Claire and her family. If they can successfully finish the film, it should be enough to save their ailing movie studio.

Sure, the old haunted house is creepy, and strange stuff has been happening, but this is Claire's chance. Her chance to become the movie star she's always dreamed and her chance to finally convince her friend Jake that she is girlfriend material. Of course, the fact that Jake thinks he's in love with her best friend, Delia, who is crushing hard on Jake's friend Shawn, who insists on following Claire around, could be a problem, but Claire is sure she can figure it out. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth.

But once shooting starts, "creepy and strange" morph into "bloody and deadly," as the lines between film and reality begin to blur...

Title: Soulbroken (Legacy of Tril #2)
Author: Heather Brewer
Publisher: DIAL, 304 Pages (August 20th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Sometimes you have to break the rules to discover the truth.

In this follow up to Legacy of Tril: Soulbound, Kaya has learned that she is Soulbound to Darius, the Barron she secretly trained with at Shadow Academy. But he’s been sent away, leaving Kaya with questions about how he could be Soulbound to her and another Healer. Determined to find answers and prove herself worthy of fighting in the war against King Darrek and the Graplars, Kaya sneaks away, encountering a mysterious Barron named Gage in her travels. But Darius has shocking information about Gage—information that changes everything Kaya thought she knew about what it means to be Bound.

*covers are always subject to change.

"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: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, 464 Pages (February 5th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Title: MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1)
Author: Debra Driza
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 480 Pages (March 12th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

Title: Bot Wars (Bot Wars #1)
Author: J. V. Kade
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, 368 Pages (March 21st, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Trout St. Kroix has been searching for his missing father for the last two years, after his dad disappeared while fighting in the Bot Wars. The Bot Wars began after robots became so advanced that they revolted and demanded more workers' rights, causing the government to declare all robots terrorists and ban them from the Districts. Trout never questioned anything the government told him--even when his own nanny bot was banished--until a vid he posts about his missing dad goes viral and new information pops up. At first Trout is wrenched his dad might be alive, but when his brother disappears, Trout learns nothing is what it seems . . . not even his own father.

Percy Jackson meets Transformers in this heart-stopping, futuristic adventure that will make you question everything you know--and look at robots in a whole new light.

Loved Cinder, can't wait to read Scarlet! For this week, I think I did it again. Strong female characters and... Robots. I think that about says it all for this week. What do you think of my picks?

*covers are always subject to change.