Cover Reveal for Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick!

On April 1st (tomorrow!) your invited to the cover reveal for Ilsa J. Bick’s newest book, Shadows (which is being released on September 25, 2012).

Shadows is the sequel to Ashes, an awesome dystopian novel about the end of the world.

Visit http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com on April 1^st, 2012 to get the FIRST EVER glimpse at the new look for the series, comment on the books along with other fans who are attending the reveal party, and you could win cool prizes, including an Ashes survival kit, signed copies of the novel, as well as a chance to receive one of JUST two copies of a Shadows ARC.

What: Ashes and Shadows Jacket reveal Party

When: Sunday, April 1^st, 2012

Where: http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com

For more information on Ilsa J. Bick and the Ashes series, visit her at: www.ilsajbick.com and follow her on Twitter at @ilsajbick.

I hope to see you there!

The Goddess Hunt by Aimee Carter

A vacation in Greece sounds like the perfect way for Kate Winters to spend her first sabbatical away from the Underworld...until she gets caught up in an immortal feud going back millennia. Castor and Pollux have been on the run from Zeus and Hades' wrath for centuries, hiding from the gods who hunt them. The last person they trust is Kate, the new Queen of the Underworld. Nevertheless, she is determined to help their cause. But when it comes to dealing with immortals, Kate still has a lot to learn....

The Goddess Hunt is the novella between The Goddess Test (Book 1) and Goddess Interrupted (Book 2) in The Goddess Test series. I recommend reading it before you read Goddess Interrupted because it provides information that may be useful when reading the second book.

The Goddess Hunt is only around 70 pages, so I was able to read it pretty fast (in about an hour or so). Despite it’s length, it felt like I was reading a full length novel. Not because it was paced too slow, but because it does such a good job of telling a well rounded story. The Goddess Hunt starts of where The Goddess Test ended and ends around the time that Goddess Interrupted starts.

I really liked how the story was told. Since Kate is away from Henry while in Greece, we get to know more about her relationship with James. Aimee Carter also alternated the points of view between Kate and Henry. One of my favorite parts of this novella was that we got to see inside of Henry’s head. He’s always so guarded, so it was refreshing to know that he was able to feel some emotion.

The Goddess Hunt was really good. Immediately after finishing it, I went to grab Goddess Interrupted because I couldn’t wait to read it. Though it isn’t necessary, I recommend reading The Goddess Hunt before reading Goddess Interrupted, because it makes the story even more well rounded. If you have yet to read the first book in the series, The Goddess Test, then you should really go out and get it. Aimee Carter is a really amazing writer, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

You can expect my review of Goddess Interrupted to go up within the next few days.

FTC- Bought.

Bloggiesta!

This weekend is Bloggiesta! I’ve never participated before, but I thought I would this time (since I really need to catch up on blog stuff). You can sign up for Bloggiesta by going here.
Here is my list of goals for this weekend Bloggiesta-
-Schedule reviews
- Update my Goodreads bookshelves
- Read the books I need to read for blog tour’s
- Update/Rearrange the sidebar of Zoe’s Book Reviews.
- Catch up on emails
- Clean out GoogleReader/unfollow inactive blogs
- Comment on more blogs! I'm going to aim to comment on every blog post in my GoogleReader. 

I have to go homework this weekend too (and write an essay), but hopefully I'll be able to work a lot on my blog!
Happy blogging!

Updates!

Hey everyone!

I haven’t really done an ‘updates’ post in awhile, so I thought I would do one.

First of all, sorry I’ve been posting sporadically recently. I haven’t been reading as much as I used to.

Here are some new things on the Zoe front-

I’m currently reviewing every Wednesday at Bookalicious.org. You can see my first post (a review of The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour) here.

I recently wrote a guest blog for a blog run by the local newspaper here. It’s a post in which I recommend three books (all of which I’ve reviewed on Zoe’s Book Reviews before). You can find that guest blog here.

This was announced last year, but if you haven’t heard, I’m now the intern of Sarah Ockler (author of Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet). If you haven’t read her books, you really should. They’re adorable! Especially her newest one, Bittersweet (You guys. It has cupcakes and cute hockey boys. I mean, come on. You should really go out and buy it like right now.)

I think that’s all for me right now. Hopefully, I’ll have some reviews and a giveaway up within the next week. I hope you are all doing well!

And without further ado, here is an amazing song that I’m obsessed with. (Thanks to Chelsea of Coffee and Cliffhangers for introducing me to Walk the Moon’s awesome music.)

Waiting on Wednesday (28)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.
The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
August 28, 2012
She feels like a creature out of a fairy tale; a girl who discovers that her bones are really made out of stone, that her skin is really as thin as glass, that her hair is brittle as straw, that her tears have dried up so that she cries only salt. Maybe that's why it doesn't hurt when she presses hard enough to begin bleeding: it doesn't hurt, because she's not real anymore.
High school senior Sarah Beth (Sethie) Weiss is disciplined. She has never cut a class in her life, has never had a grade below a B+, and has always been a favorite among her teachers. Her college applications are finished and she only ate six Ritz crackers today. But even on days when Sethie needs to eat more, there's always the toilet to make up for her mistakes. Sethie manages to get down to 104, and maybe if she works just a little bit harder, becomes a little more disciplined, she can get below 100. Truth be told, Sethie has more to worry about than her relationship with her body; but the deeper she descends into her disorder, the smaller her world gets and the harder it is to see her way out.

Pretty Crooked Tour: This or That with Will

 

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig hit stores a few days ago, and I had the chance to ask Will (a character from the book) a few questions. Here are the answers to Will’s This or That questions!

1. Cake or pie?
Cake

2. Mac or PC?

Mac, baby!

3. Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate (milk or dark only, please)

4. Rock or Pop?

Rock. The louder, the better.

5. TV or Books?

Books books books.

6. Night or Morning?

Night time is the right time.

7. Coffee or tea?

Tea.

8. Typed or Long-hand?

Typed.

9. Rain or Sun?

Sun. I live in Arizona, what can I say?

10.  Dog or cat?

Cat, but I've never had either.

11. Movie or TV?

Movies. Especially old ones. My mom and I like to watch them together whenever we can.

12. Day or Night?

Day.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Perry Stormaire is a normal high school senior– he is busy applying to college and rehearsing with his band –until he agrees to go to the prom with the Lithuanian exchange student who is staying with his family. It turns out that Gobi Zaksauskas is not the mousy teenager that she seems but rather an attractive, confident trained assassin. Instead of going to the prom, Perry finds himself on a wild ride through the streets of New York City as Gobi commandeers the Jaguar his father lent him for the prom in order to take out her targets. Perry learns a lot about himself – and ends up with some amazing material for his college application essays.
This is a really interesting book. Before I picked it up, I had heard mixed opinions about it. Now I understand why. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is written through Perry’s college application essays. This allows the writing style to be innovative. However, I couldn’t always see how the story Perry was telling related to the essay prompts.
This story moves incredibly fast, and it isn’t due to how short in length it is. Most of the story takes place in one night in New York. Perry thinks Gobi is a quiet exchange student, but then he finds out who she really is. It was really fun joining Perry has Gobi forces him to go on wild escapades.
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is more of a plot driven story, so I don’t have much to say about the actual characters. I really liked Gobi. She was so interesting and wild (and an assassin, but let’s just forget about that for right now.) I couldn’t really relate to Perry, but that’s most likely due to the fact that since the story takes place in one night, readers don’t get to know him very well.
Joe Schreiber wrote a really fun book! It’s a really fast read, and could easily be read in a couple hours. Though the character development was lacking, it had an original plot that will demand your attention. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick is a whirlwind of a novel. I recommend it to people looking for a new and refreshing book.
FTC- Library.

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.
Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
May 1, 2012
Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

The Blood Lie Tour: Multi-Character Interview

Today I got to interview the characters from The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick. I hope you enjoy!

1. What is your greatest achievement?

Shirley: Raising two fabulous children.

Jack Pool: Scoring an audition at one of the best music schools around. Of course, it won’t mean anything if I don’t make it in. And with what’s going on here tonight, I don’t know if I’ll even make it to the audition.

Emaline Durham: Achievement? How can I think about accomplishments when I’m partly responsible for my baby sister’s disappearance?

2. What is your favorite song?

Shirley: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Jack Pool: “Ain't Misbehavin’ ” – Fats Waller / Louis Armstrong

Emaline Durham: “It Had To Be You” – Isham Jones/Marion Harris

3. Who is closest to you?

Shirley: My immediate family.

Jack: Emaline. Without question. But life would be a whole lot easier if it were someone I could be seen with in public.

Emaline: Jack. I love him. But after tonight, I wonder if he’ll even want to speak to me again.

4. How would you describe your life in 5 words or less?

Shirley: happy, surprising, simple, fulfilling

Jack: miserable, ominous, alone

Emaline: heartbroken, grief-stricken, regretful

5. How old are you?

Shirley: Old enough to vote and too young to collect Social Security.

Jack: I turned 16 today. When I got up this morning, I thought it was going to be a great one. Fat chance.

Emaline: Fifteen, but today I feel ancient.

6. What is your favorite item that you own?

Shirley: My iPod. I’m practically a cyborg, it’s so attached to me.

Jack: My cello.

Emaline: My father’s high school ring. But I’d trade it in a heartbeat for some news about my sister.

A Guest Post by Josh Berk!

Today I have a guest post written by the hilarious Josh Berk, author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin and his new book Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator (Which releases tomorrow!). Enjoy!

----------

Heeeey, it's totally me, Berk guest posting on Zoe's blog. I'm making the rounds these days, guest-blogging, randomly calling morning radio shows, crashing bar mitzvahs. All to subtly find a way to talk about my new book (ahem, GUY LANGMAN, CRIME SCENE PROCRASTINATOR). Zoe gave me an assignment for my guest post. She was all "WRITE A GUEST POST ABOUT WHY YOU ALWAYS WRITE MYSTERIES. WHY DO YOU ONLY WRITE MYSTERIES, BERK, WHYYYYYY???" She really does write in all caps all the time, like she's yelling. It's unnerving.

So anyway, Zo', it is actually an interesting question and I'm happy to talk about it. The truth is: I never thought I'd be a mystery novelist. My favorite books are usually comedies, coming of age stories, or that hard-to-define genre of "literary novels." I'd read my share of mysteries, and very often enjoyed them, but wasn't an aficionado. And my own writing never veered that way. That is, until I fell asleep while watching Law & Order reruns and had my big idea* of a teen mystery novel starring a deaf kid in a coal mining town. (*That's not exactly how THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN came to me, but close enough.)  I fell in love with that idea and had to teach myself how to write a mystery from scratch. It worked pretty well and landed me a book deal and all that happy jazz. 

Then it came to write my second book. And well, if your first book is a mystery & you're trying to make a name for yourself out there in the publishing world, what is your second book going to be? A fantasy novel about elves? A verse novel about a girl struggling with an addiction to cold medicine? A fantasy novel in verse about an elf struggling with an addiction to cold medicine? Of course not. No one would read that. (Just kidding, I would totally read that.)  You're going to write another mystery novel if you're smart and we all know how super-smart I am. (Did you see how I just made up that brilliant elf-addiction book off the top of my head?) Luckily I had an idea, pulled from real life, about a high school forensics team who finds a real dead body on a fake crime scene. (Here's the news story I was inspired by.) I started writing GUY LANGMAN and, yes, a second mystery novel was born. I was able to include a lot of humor in the book and a lot of coming-of-age elements as well, so to me I think of it as really part mystery, part ... something else.

I actually find that writing mysteries fit really well in YA because the main characters are often going through their own mystery called life. Haha, that sounded really corny. My point is, these coming-of-age stories feature characters trying to figure out "who am I?" which dovetails kind of nicely with the "who did it?" question at the core of a mystery novel. So there's your answer, Zoe. I do in fact have another mystery novel coming out next year but then after that ... who knows? Drug-addled elves, here we come!

An Announcement!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to let you know about a new project the Sarah and I are doing. For one year, we won’t be textually communicating with each other. Instead, we’ll only be communicating through skype, phone calls, google +, and videos.

We made a video explaining this. Here it is-

The rules of our youtube channel are as follows-

We must post a video within two days of the other person posting a video.

We can’t textually communicate with each other.

If we break the rules, then Khy gets to choose a punishment for the offender to do.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Received for Review-

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Love and Haight by Susan Carleton

Cornered: 15 Stories of Bullying and Defiance edited by Rhonda Belleza

The Lucky Kind by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

High school junior Nick Brandt is intent on getting a girlfriend, and Eden Reiss is the one that he wants. He has exactly four semesters to get the girl, but when the phone rings on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday night, life for Nick and his parents will never be the same. What had been a seemingly idyllic home life has become something else entirely. But with this shake-up comes a newfound confidence for Nick; he's become a bolder version of himself, no longer afraid to question his parents, and no longer afraid to talk to Eden.

I read Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s first book The Beautiful Between last year, and I fell in love with it. So when I saw a copy of The Lucky Kind while browsing a bookstore, I immediately bought it. Alyssa B. Sheinmel’s sophomore novel did not disappoint!

The Lucky Kind flows really well. The writing isn’t up in your face, but it still demands your attention. The Lucky Kind is about something that isn’t talked about a lot in YA. (This next part has white font because it’s a mild spoiler, if you are okay with reading it, just highlight the text.) The main character Nick finds out that his father has a son from a previous relationship that was put up for adoption. The son, who is now grown up, contacted Nick’s father. This makes Nick question his youth, because he figures that if his parents were keeping this a secret, they may be lying about other things. So for most of the novel, Nick is burdened by feelings of betrayal and confusion.

I really liked all the characters in this book. Nick’s emotions were reasonable and real. The secondary characters in this novel were also extremely well developed. Eden and Stevie are really important to the story, and develop throughout the course of it.

The Lucky Kind was an amazing book. It was written well, the characters were relatable, and the story was original. The Lucky Kind is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. Alyssa B. Sheinmel is an amazing author, and I can’t wait to read her next novel!

FTC- Bought.

Where It Began Tour: Interview with Andy

Where It Began by Anne Redisch Stampler hits shelves on March 5th. I recently had the chance to interview one of the characters in the book, Andy. I hope you enjoy the interview!
1. What is your favorite thing about Andie?
Andie is my perfect person. Can my favorite thing be that she’s perfect?
Because if perfect can’t be the one favorite thing, here’s the list:
She’s beautiful, she’s sweet, she loves me, she’s someone you can always trust, and she’s always super-positive, which, when you think about everything she’s gone through with her mother, shows you how strong she is. Anyone who can’t tell what a good person she is, they’re twisted.
2. What did you think of Gabby when you first met her?
She was kind of quiet, but she seemed pretty nice. A little nervous, maybe? And this girl was so into Billy, he was getting off on it. How into him she was. The thing is, we didn’t know her. That’s what was surprising. Billy was usually with somebody we knew, one of the Muffins, someone like that.
And then this book comes out. Makes you wish she’d stayed quiet.
3. Is it weird being talked about in a book?
It’s worse than weird, it sucks. At least she thought I was smart and a good boyfriend, so great, there were two decent things about me. Which is better than Andie made out – a congenital idiot? Although Andie still says they’re still friends – does that tell you how nice she is? (Andie, not Gabby.)
I’m not saying I’m proud of what happened. Who would be proud of that? But it would have been nice if she’d changed our names.
4. What is your biggest fear?
Being alone. Isn’t this everyone’s biggest fear? Have you ever seen Donnie Darko?
5. Describe your life (so far) in 4 words or less.
We’re already doing adjective lists for college apps, so I’ve got this one covered. Bragging with a twist is what you’re supposed to go for. So here it is: smart, athletic, energetic, romantic.

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is an amazing weekly topic that is brought to you by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn

June 14, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Violet loves reading manga and wearing scarves made from kimono fabric, so she’s thrilled that her father’s new painting commission means a summer trip to Japan. But what starts as an exotic vacation quickly turns into a dangerous treasure hunt.
Her father’s client, the wealthy Yamada family, is the victim of a high-profile art robbery. Someone has stolen van Gogh sketches from the Yamadas’ Seattle mansion, and is holding them hostage until the Yamadas can produce the corresponding van Gogh painting.
The problem is that nobody knows where this painting is hidden, and until they find it, all of their lives are in danger. Violet’s search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery deepens, Violet’s not sure whom she can trust.
But she knows one thing: she has to find the painting and the criminals—before it’s too late.

Blog Tour: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

High school sophomore Willa and her artist mother move to Arizona where Willa starts attending an elite prep school after her mother finally sells some paintings, and Willa attempts to even things out by stealing from the rich students and giving to the poor ones.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. To be honest, the cover makes it look pretty cheesy, which is why I had my doubts. Pretty Crooked is a modern day retelling of Robin Hood, which I love! When Willa arrives at the prep school, she finds out that the rich, popular students look down upon the scholarship and poor students.

I loved Willa. She was one of those characters that you can’t help but love. She’s spunky and means well. My only complaint about her was that it seemed that some of her actions weren’t always justified. Willa was also just plain interesting. She was intelligent, a fast learner, and determined to help out the poor students. I really enjoyed reading about her.

Pretty Crooked is a lovely read. It’s one of the best 2012 debut novels I’ve read so far this year. Elisa Ludwig has a writing style that I really enjoyed, and I’m looking forward to reading her future novels. I recommend Pretty Crooked, it’s a hilarious, witty novel that I think a lot of people will like!

FTC- Received from Netgalley.

Cover Reveal: Rift by Andrea Cremer

I saw the cover for Rift on the PenguinTeen  tumblr, and I just had to post it. Rift is the prequel to Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. It’s released on August 7th, 2012. Here is the summary that goodreads has-

Before Calla Tor, there was Ember Morrow
Sixteen-year-old Lady Ember Morrow fulfills a family obligation by joining her friend Alistair in the Conatus Guard and begins training to help with the order’s true mission, to seek out and stop evildoers and their unnatural creations.

And here is the cover-

 

This is probably my favorite cover out of all the Nightshade books. It looks luck it’s going to be super intense! What do you think of the cover? Will you read Rift?

Sidenote- I still need to read the third book un the Nightshade series, Bloodrose. So please, no spoilers!

Twitter Party: The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Author Jess Rothenberg is going to be on Twitter tonight at 7pm
for a Catastrophic History of You and Me Twitter party!

Jess will be answering questions and chatting about the book from 7-8pm EST. Now is your chance to talk about the book if you’ve read it and find out a LOT more about it if you haven’t! @PenguinTeen will also be doing giveaways of signed books and posters during the chat!
Date: TONIGHT!
Time: 7pm-8pm
HASHTAG: #catastrophicchat

The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Brie's life ends at sixteen: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart--literally.
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay , her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy Brie loved and lost--and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul...who just might hold the key to her forever after.
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Hopefully I’ll be able to make it tonight! I’m reading The Catastrophic History of You and Me right now and I’m loving it!

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Learning to live is more than just choosing not to die, as sixteen-year-old Ryan discovers in the year following his suicide attempt. Despite his mother’s anxious hovering and the rumors at school, he’s trying to forget the darkness from which he has escaped. But it doesn’t help that he’s still hiding guilty secrets, or that he longs for a girl who may not return his feelings. Then he befriends Nicki, who is using psychics to seek contact with her dead father. This unlikely friendship thaws Ryan to the point where he can face the worst in himself. He and Nicki confide in one another the things they never thought they’d tell anyone—but their confessions are trickier than they seem, and the fallout tests the bounds of friendship and forgiveness.

Try Not to Breathe was really good. Given the subject matter, I expected it to be a heavier read than it was.Try Not to Breathe is Hubbard’s sophomore novel and like her first book, it’s written from the perspective of a boy. I love books written from the perspective of a boy, but it’s really easy for them to be written badly. However, Jennifer R. Hubbard knows how to write a really good male point-of-view. I really liked that Try Not to Breathe wasn’t just about the romance. It was there, but it wasn’t over-powering.

The characters in Try Not to Breathe were all really great. Nicki was one of my favorite characters. She knew what she wanted, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She also fit with Ryan perfectly and would force him out of his shell. One of the best things about these characters was how easily it was to relate to them. Throughout the whole book, I was rooting for every character to get better and to conquer the situations they were in.

Jennifer R. Hubbard is a wonderful author. Her writing is enchanting. Try Not to Breathe was heartbreaking, yet hopeful. Hubbard wrote a beautiful, deep, and emotional story.

FTC- Received for review.