New Years Resolutions for 2015

I'm really excited to be sharing an excerpt from the newest LGBTQ+ anthology being released this month. I support this book, because ALL PROCEEDS from the sale will be donated to The Trevor Project.

$500 YA Signed Book Giveaway + Gift Card

Derek Murphy, YA author and founder of the YA Author Alliance, is running a giveaway this month, 10 signed books by bestselling authors and a $200 giftcard.

Once Upon A Series

I have way too many series that I've started, but haven't finished for whatever reason and this is a list of those I plan to finish this year.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Lies We Tell Ourselves is an eye-opening, heartbreaking, and beautifully written novel that will leave an everlasting impression on you.

Showing posts with label author: amanda hocking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author: amanda hocking. Show all posts

Friday, August 3, 2012

Wake Blog Tour featuring Excerpt and Giveaway by Amanda Hocking




You guys! I am incredibly excited and ecstatic to be a part of the WAKE BLOG TOUR!

Today, I have a special DELETED SCENE FROM WAKE to share with you!



Kain



“You’re blocking the light,” Penn said without looking up. Gemma stood in front of her, casting a shadow across her back.


“I need to talk to you.” Gemma crossed her arms and stared down at them.


“Hey, Gemma.” Lexi turned to look back at her and used her hand as a visor from the sun. “You look great today.”


“Thanks, Lexi,” Gemma said offhandedly but kept her focus on Penn. “Did you hear me?”


“Yeah, you need to talk.” Penn still hadn’t moved on the towel. “So go ahead. Talk.”


Gemma glanced around. People were doing activities, like tanning or reading or building sand castles, so it wasn’t like they were just sitting and staring at the sirens. Yet they were too close, too crowded together, and they kept looking over, unable to ignore the sirens for any amount of time.


“Not here,” Gemma said, lowering her voice.


“Then I guess we’ll talk later,” Penn told her.


“No. I need to talk now.”


“Well, I’m busy now.” Penn finally lifted her head to glare up at her. “So it will have to wait, won’t it?”


“No.” Gemma shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere unless you go with me.”


Thea sighed loudly. “Penn, just go talk to her. We won’t get any rest until you do.”


“If I’m going, we’re all going.” Penn cast a look to Thea, who scoffed and rolled her eyes.”



Here’s the scoop on THE WATERSONG SERIES!


This series is so much fun to dive head first into. Amanda Hocking brilliantly pens an intriguing mystery full of suspsenseful adventure, brilliant shining mythology calling enamored readers out to sea, love, danger, and beautiful imagery that any reader is sure to fall for.


In WAKE, Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.


LULLABY, the second book in the Watersong series follows Harper and Gemma as they go even deeper into a dark new world. A full description for this book will be coming soon, so be on the look out for it in November to hit bookshelves near you!

In the meantime, have some fun listening to theLullaby Playlist.



❝My Review❞


Wake is a breath taking vividly imaginative magical tale of mystery and intrigue. The sweet serene world that Amanda Hocking creates, is delightful to explore filled with memorable characters who possess interesting quirks, sinister sirens who won't take no for an answer, and danger filled excitement. She has penned a wonderful blend of underwater mythology with just the right tinge of paranormal, weaving a beautiful balance of realistic contemporary issues between the two main characters. The plot is chalk full of intense drama and interesting situations that Gemma and Harper both find themselves in. There's wonderful romance and humor sprinkled throughout the novel that make it even more enjoyable and engaging.

Amanda Hocking's wonderfully crafted world building skills are strong, stunning, and will keep readers entranced. She's mixed a beautiful captivating, suspenseful feel to her story by giving an imaginative enthralling nod to Greek mythology, introducing her own original spin giving it a modern edge. It's a world that's rich and dark, full of compelling mystery, and unimaginable secrets. The mysterious girls of summer are fearless, deceptive, and dangerous. Their beauty is the kind most envy, yet they harbor a darker seductive secret of their own that affects the lives of a few of the locals gone missing. They are predators of their own disguise, sirens, that have chosen Gemma to be part of their group whether she wants to or not.

I enjoyed the atmosphere that Amanda Hocking crafted so beautifully, her sparkling descriptions reflecting Gemma's love of water. It made it easier to sink into the world and really enjoy it. Gemma is beautiful and carefree, so full of vibrant life, and tenderly falling in love with the boy next door. So full of sweet earnest vulnerability, she's such a delightful character to get to know. It was a joy to witness the honest relationship that she shares with her sister, Harper.

Harper is more practical than her sister, wonderfully strong and independent caring a great deal about her family. She tackles the role of caretaker, putting them before herself and her own needs, and being incredibly unafraid to stand up for them and unyieldingly loyal. She's made sacrifices for their benefit more than her own and even though she has her moments, she really does have her family's best interests at heart. She wants the best for them and she will stop at nothing to keep them all together and from falling apart. Though it's slow building, it is sweet to watch her start living her life, letting herself have a summer romance with a handsome swoon worthy guy on the docks that usually annoys her, and trying to save her sister's life.

Wake is full of breathless heart pounding action, mystery, and intrigue. It's intensely gripping and will keep readers on the edge of their cliffs, ending with a cliff-hanger that will have them screaming in anticipation for more. It's an epic adventure of love and survival, family loyalty, intermingled with a sprinkling of vibrant Greek mythology, and the ultimate choice of sacrifice. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of mythical under-water-adventures, dark compelling fantasy, and wonderful author's like Elizabeth Fama, Anna Banks, and Anne Greenwood Brown.


Photobucket



GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

The details for the giveaway include:

Prize: A bright shiny ARC of Wake.
Rules: You must be at least 13 years or older, a US resident only, fill out the Rafflecopter below, and respond to the email contacting the winner within a 48 hour time frame. Good luck!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




ABOUT AMANDA HOCKIN

Blog || Twitter || Facebook || Goodreads

I live in Minnesota with my dog, two cats, two fish, and my roommate/assistant/platonic lifemate, Eric. I actually live in Austin, a.k.a. SPAMTown, USA. They invented SPAM here, and the town is quite proud of it. (Here’s a vlog with a fun tour of the SPAM museum: here.)

I do many things, most of them lame and boring, but the thing I get paid to do is write young adult books.

All three books in my Trylle Trilogy - Switched,Torn, and Ascend - were originally self-published, but were re-released with St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan internationally with new bonus content in early 2012. The trilogy has also made the USA Today Bestseller list, the New York Times Bestseller list, and was recently optioned for a film by Media Rights Capital with District 9 screenwriter Terri Tatchell adapting the books for screen.

St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan recently acquired my new young adult four-book series Watersong, with the first book Wake coming out in August 2012. My zombie series, The Hollows, is being adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite.

I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand.


Author information taken from her Amanda Hocking.

Well, what are you waiting for?! Check this series out NOW!!!


Blog Tour Brought To You In Part By:


BB Book Tours

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Book Review: Torn by Amanda Hocking

Torn
by Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: February 28, 2012
Pages: 336
Age Demographic: Young Adult
amazon | b&n

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knows her life will never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story…

She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.

As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “One Day, Three Ways,” set in the magical world of the Trylle.

* Summary taken from Goodreads.



❝My Thoughts❞


Torn allows readers to step back into the dark mystical entrancing world of the Trylle. Wendy Everly has just learned the truth about who she is, a changeling who was switched at birth. Her life will never be the same again, after this self-discovery. She struggles in many ways, torn between making decisions regarding her heart and the people she cares deeply for, her love and the duty that she's found herself bound to, and the decision of what her fate will be. In many ways, it is endearing and a little heartbreaking to watch her overcome certain things and tackle others with strength and growing resilience.

Her character grows and becomes much more developed as she soon realizes that she shares more of a connection with the Vittra than she ever expected to share. In order to save the Trylle she'll have to learn how to harness the magical powers that she possesses, as well as marry an equally powerful Royal. All of this will come at a high cost to Wendy, because it means walking away from two people who mean a great deal to her, Finn and Loki with whom she shares a blossoming attraction to. If she isn't careful, she could potentially lose everything by making the wrong the choice, affecting both worlds in a devastating blow.

Amanda Hocking pens an incredibly fascinating, unique, and original tale of folk lore and magical realms sure to wow and stun readers. Her world building skills are simply mesmerizing and equally entrancing, as they set amazingly high standards for other books in this genre to live up to. The world of the Trylle is beautiful and dark, sprinkled with light peeking in through the nooks and cracks. It's a world brimming with so much emotion and some of the most imaginative action packed thrill seeking battle scenes, I've ever read. There's more light shed on the growing history of the Trylle, Wendy's mother's actions and cool almost cruel tough love, and insight behind the inner-workings of the Trylle themselves. The Troll lore is exciting and invigorating, providing more information on the magical trolls and why they separated into two warring kingdoms pitted against one another.

The characters in Torn are so much more interesting and intriguing, as they grow stronger and become more developed. I found it interesting the back-story given on Flora (Wendy's mother), explaining her coolness and the treatment of her daughter. In some ways, it made me sympathize with her as a reader and almost sort of find her likable, to an extent. Matt was incredibly delightful to get to know, as he was such a supportive brother to Wendy in so many ways that made him amazing. It was nice to see how the smaller supportive characters fit into the story and had a place of their own, while also still preserving their own relevance to the story being told.

I found Loki to be just completely irresistible and very swoon worthy. He's just incredibly sweet and sardonic in such a fun way that kind of makes you want to root for him. He's just full of so much willful bad boy charm that it was charming to get to know him and to see his connection with Wendy slowly grow over time. There's a bit of a love triangle almost set-up perfectly here, as readers watch the relationship between Wendy and Finn start to take a turn for the worst, unraveling painfully. It's heartbreaking and you can't help, but feel for them both as they both try and deal with it in their own ways. It's easy to see how both Finn and Loki could be good for her in many different ways for different reasons. Finn is different in this installment to the trilogy, where he's pulling away from Wendy and putting distance between them because he's bound to his people and his duty.

In many ways, Torn, is a highly engaging novel with many breath taking thrills and adventure to light the way for readers, keeping them on the edge of their seats with deeply riveting twists and turns and an endless supply of unpredictability. It just simply surpassed any expectations that I might have personally had for it and turned into such an amazing page-turner of awesome. Incredibly imaginative, Amanda Hocking creates a world in which the reader will want to immerse themselves into and never leave.


Want to purchase Amanda Hocking's Books?




You can do so by visiting my Amazon Store and adding them to your shopping cart. While you're there, feel free to look around, you might find something else you want. This is something new that I'm trying out, so thank you so much for helping me out and for supporting me and my blog. I hope you enjoyed the review and the books, if you've already read them. If you haven't, then I definitely suggest you pick up a copy for yourself or even for someone else, if you think they'll like them.



Photobucket



{ This ARC was provided by St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review which I have provided. No money exchanged hands, I review books for fun because I love to read. I am not interested in monetary gain. Any piece of this ARC that was or wasn't quoted, is not part of the finished product and should not be perceived as such. Instead, you should compare and check it against a finished copy once it is released.}

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Book Review: Wake by Amanda Hocking

Wake
by Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Expected Publication: August 7, 2012
Pages: 320
Age Demographic: Young Adult
Received via: ATW ARC Tours
amazon | b&n

Amanda Hocking takes you deep into a new world with the first book in the Watersong series.

Beautiful. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone's attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it's her sister, Gemma, they've chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all - carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she's had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove--and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.

* Summary taken from Goodreads.




❝My Thoughts❞


Wake is a breath taking vividly imaginative magical tale of mystery and intrigue. The sweet serene world that Amanda Hocking creates, is delightful to explore filled with memorable characters who possess interesting quirks, sinister sirens who won't take no for an answer, and danger filled excitement. She has penned a wonderful blend of underwater mythology with just the right tinge of paranormal, weaving a beautiful balance of realistic contemporary issues between the two main characters. The plot is chalk full of intense drama and interesting situations that Gemma and Harper both find themselves in. There's wonderful romance and humor sprinkled throughout the novel that make it even more enjoyable and engaging.

Amanda Hocking's wonderfully crafted world building skills are strong, stunning, and will keep readers entranced. She's mixed a beautiful captivating, suspenseful feel to her story by giving an imaginative enthralling nod to Greek mythology, introducing her own original spin giving it a modern edge. It's a world that's rich and dark, full of compelling mystery, and unimaginable secrets. The mysterious girls of summer are fearless, deceptive, and dangerous. Their beauty is the kind most envy, yet they harbor a darker seductive secret of their own that affects the lives of a few of the locals gone missing. They are predators of their own disguise, sirens, that have chosen Gemma to be part of their group whether she wants to or not.

I enjoyed the atmosphere that Amanda Hocking crafted so beautifully, her sparkling descriptions reflecting Gemma's love of water. It made it easier to sink into the world and really enjoy it. Gemma is beautiful and carefree, so full of vibrant life, and tenderly falling in love with the boy next door. So full of sweet earnest vulnerability, she's such a delightful character to get to know. It was a joy to witness the honest relationship that she shares with her sister, Harper.

Harper is more practical than her sister, wonderfully strong and independent caring a great deal about her family. She tackles the role of caretaker, putting them before herself and her own needs, and being incredibly unafraid to stand up for them and unyieldingly loyal. She's made sacrifices for their benefit more than her own and even though she has her moments, she really does have her family's best interests at heart. She wants the best for them and she will stop at nothing to keep them all together and from falling apart. Though it's slow building, it is sweet to watch her start living her life, letting herself have a summer romance with a handsome swoon worthy guy on the docks that usually annoys her, and trying to save her sister's life.

Wake is full of breathless heart pounding action, mystery, and intrigue. It's intensely gripping and will keep readers on the edge of their cliffs, ending with a cliff-hanger that will have them screaming in anticipation for more. It's an epic adventure of love and survival, family loyalty, intermingled with a sprinkling of vibrant Greek mythology, and the ultimate choice of sacrifice. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of mythical under-water-adventures, dark compelling fantasy, and wonderful author's like Elizabeth Fama, Anna Banks, and Anne Greenwood Brown.


Photobucket


{ This ARC was provided by ATW ARC Tours, in exchange for an honest review which I have provided. No money exchanged hands, I review books for fun because I love to read. I am not interested in monetary gain. Any piece of this ARC that was/wasn't quoted, is not part of the finished product and should not be perceived as such.}

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
GoodReads Amazon Barnes and Noble LibraryThing Shelfari