Cover Reveal: Spencer Hill Press Upcoming Releases

Amarok by Angela J. Townsend
Expected Publication: November 2012

Angela Townsend @ Spencer Hill Press | Twitter | Goodreads

Emma’s life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother’s death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining.

Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she’s nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma’s gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman—trapped in bear form by the same Shaman—attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she’s come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

*Summary taken from Goodreads.

POD's by Michelle Pickett
Expected Publication: Coming in 2013

Michelle Pickett | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

*Summary taken from Goodreads.

Touch Of Death by Kelly Hashway
Expected Publication: Coming in 2013

Kelly Hashway | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

*Summary taken from Goodreads.

Suz Thinks Overall: I'm incredibly super excited for all three of these books to be released. I can't wait to get my hands on them and gobble them all up, since they look like they're to be absolutely amazing reads. They're all so interesting and full of wonder and mystery and wonderful mythology and dark tempered with light. Spencer Hill Press is rapidly turning into one of my favorite publishers.

Book Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
For ATW ARC Tours
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date: October 18, 2011
Format: Hardback, pp 304
Age Demographic: Young Adult
b&n // amazon

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

*Summary taken from Goodreads.

❝My Thoughts❞

Half-Blood is a uniquely captivating world filled with wonderful mythology, demons, and angels, that will keep reader's engrossed until the last page is turned. Armentrout's creative world-building skills are impeccable, as she delivers a fantastic cast of characters, an intriguing plot, and amazing mythological history for the Half-Bloods and the Pures.

This wonderful novel explodes onto the scene and delivers a powerfully intense action-packed punch, that compells reader's to delve deeper into the story and see what it has to offer. It introduces a society that is defined by how much aether is in the bloodstream, thus further defining what makes the some of the main character's half-blood's, while other's are pure. Half-blood's have no control over the actual elements, but they are faster and stronger than any normal mortal being and can actually see daimons, whereas pure-bloods cannot. They are given two options in life with neither one offering a bright shiny happy ending.

Half-Blood's can either choose to become a guard or a Sentinel, risking their lives to serve and protect the pure-bloods from daimons or they can be taken into servitude and stripped of their free-will. The most important thing to remember, is that pure-bloods and half-bloods absolutely cannot mix. There is such an intricate way the mythology of this world is introduced to the reader and the compelling aspects it possesses. Armentrout has filled her book with such feircely dymanic character's that are incredibly likable, relatable, and possess so much character depth that the reader can't help but want to follow along on their journey.

Alex, the main herione of the book, is pretty much a force to be reckoned with. While, she's not exactly one for the rules, she is still strong enough to deal with some pretty heavy things and still remain quite admirable, adventurous, out-going, and a bit snarky at times it's called for. She's also not one to really care what other's tend to think of her. It is incredibly wonderful to see how Armentrout has introduced such a strong young female character who's encrouaged enough to take control over her own life, and do so in such a way that she can be well respected for it. There is aboslutely not near enough of that in young adult literature today.

It is amazing to see that Alex doesn't sit around on her thumbs waiting for what's going to come next, she just does what she has to do in the moment, and whatever happens next she tackles it head on with super strength and an extraordinary amount of courage. She just takes what life throws her way (however crappy it may be) and meets it head on, dealing with the fall out the best way she knows how given her circumstances.

Armentrout has masterfully created such a wonderful cast of supporting character's that lend themselves so well to the story when they are needed and then fall back seemlessly into the background, when not.

Half-Blood does a brilliant job at evoking many thoughts and questions, one of which stems around Seth, who is a bit of a mystery all his own. He is Apollyon, a half-blood who has the ability to control all four elements and so much more beyond that, which makes probably makes him my favorite character easily. He is simply, what daimons should be afraid of. Seth probably possesses the ability to help them the most, though he's been called back by the Sentinel. I happen to love the interaction between him and Alex the most, because of the way that he's able to get up underneath her skin. He is simply a character that, I as a reader, would love to get to know better. I feel like there is so much more potential invested in his story and so much more history surrounding the Apollyon in general.

There is also quite a lovely blend of humor and mystery, written into the story keep the reader on their toes, that add lends a bit of unique flavor. The way, in which Armentrout, set this world up is not to be dismissed. Readers will love everything about this book, the seemingly flawless blend of mythology with action packed adventure, that will leave them rooting for the good guys to win. Fans of such books as The Vampire Academy and The Mortal Instruments series, will absolutely adore this novel. It's written in such a clever way that it leaves the reader demanding more of this fantastic world, the mythological backdrop, answers to questions that were raised, and the forbidden. This book will not disappoint.

{ 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.}