This week Abigail and I have the opposite of a “perfect game” going on.  There are many titles that received unanimous approval, but we also have a perfect record of asynchronous thumbs down going on.  Not one title got two thumbs down this week. In a few instances, we mentioned the exact same detail and then went our separate ways (my favorite is the battle axe rock star).  Feel free to chime in an help us break all these ties.

We are welcoming back Julie Kagawa who is here to talk about THE IMMORTAL RULES and introduce us to one of her vampires: Kanin. This is the first book in the new Blood of Eden series about a world where vampires rule over humans. If you missed Abigail’s review of THE IMMORTAL RULES (available now from Harlequin Teen) , she described it this way: “Take the social structure of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series and add the vicious, post-apocalyptic world from the Daybreakers movie and you get THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa.” Want to see how fun this book is for yourself? Enter the giveaway below to win a signed copy courtesy of Harlequin Teen via Media Masters Publicity. And check out the book tour details below for more giveaways & info on winning the GRAND PRIZE: Kindle Touch with with a special Immortal Rules cover!

Meet Kanin

by

Julie Kagawa

Who is Kanin? The mysterious vampire that turns Allison into a “blood sucker” and becomes her mentor intentionally keeps details about himself to an absolute minimum. However, if Kanin was in search of companionship, we think his personal ad might read something like this:

Tall, pale and handsome "night owl" seeks partner for moonlight adventure. Lightening quick reflexes, excellent combat skills and a wry sense of humor. Prefers "take out" vs eating at home. Loyalty and street smarts a must.

Please visit http://www.totalbookaholic.com/for the next stop on The Immortal Rules blog tour.

Julie will be making appearances at three bookstores near her hometown:

* Tuesday, April 24th at 4pm - Barnes & Noble Livonia, Louisville, KY
* Saturday, April 28th at 2pm - The Bookstore, Radcliff, KY
* Monday, May 7th at 5:30 pm - Lincoln's Loft, Hodgeville, KY

Don’t miss a stop on THE IMMORTAL RULES tour:

Each stop will have a unique look at a different aspect of the Blood of Eden series AND a giveaway!

• Monday, April 16 - Paranormal Romance Blog – Tour Launch with Julie Kagawa *Enter to win the tour’s grand prize of a Kindle Touch with with a special Immortal Rules cover.
• Tuesday, April 17 – I Read Banned Books – The Fringe
• Wednesday, April 18 – I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read – Rules of the Fringe
• Thursday, April 19 –Supernatural Snark – Meet Allison
• Friday, April 20 – Mundie Moms - Life as a Registered Human in the Inner City
• Saturday, April 21 – Books Complete Me – Red Lung Disease
• Sunday, April 22 – I am a Reader, Not a Writer – Rabids!
• Monday, April 23 – Reading Teen – Waking Up as a Vampire
• Tuesday April 24 – 4 stops to celebrate release day for The Immortal Rules!
  • Electrifying Reviews (Just Julie)
  • Waste Paper Prose (Meet the Editor of The Immortal Rules)
  • Page Turners (Meet the Cover Designer of the Immortal Rules)
  • Bookalicious (A Guest Post from Allison)
• Wednesday, April 25 – Tynga’s Reviews - Welcome to The Wilderness
• Thursday, April 26 – Once Upon a Twilight – The Immortal Rules
• Friday, April 27 – All things urban fantasy – Meet Kanin
• Saturday, April 28 – Total bookaholic – The Inner City
• Sunday, April 29 – A good addition - Hierarchy of the Vampire Society
• Monday, April 30 – Reading Angel – Meet Zeke
• Tuesday, May 1 – Taming the Bookshelf - Tips for a Vampire: How to Safely Kiss a Human
• Wednesday, May 2 – Teens Read and Write - Sneak Peek at Book #2 of The Blood of Eden series

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About the author:

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time. Her third novel, The Iron Queen, became a New York Times bestseller and her debut novel, The Iron King recently won the RITA award for best young-adult fiction novel of 2010. Julie now lives in La Grange, Kentucky, with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian shepherd who is too smart for his own good and the latest addition, a hyperactive papillon.

Visit Julie Kagawa online: Website|Blog|Twitter Want to read more from Julie Kagawa?

Giveaway provided by Harlequin Teen

One signed hardcover copy of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Harlequin|Indiebound

Available now from Harlequin Teen

Description:

You will kill. The only question is when.
In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.
Unregistered humans cling to the fringe, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.
Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

Read an except|Read our review

THE IMMORTAL RULES trailer

Enter the giveaway via the widget below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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*This title will be released on April 24, 2012*

Title: The Immortal Rules Author:  Julie Kagawa Series: Blood of Eden #1 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal YA Excerpt: No Source: Publisher via Media Masters Reviewed by: Abigail Hardcover: 512 pages Publisher: Harlequin Teen (April 24, 2012) ISBN-10: 0373210515 ISBN-13: 978-0373210510   Sexual Content: Kissing Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

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It’s hard to find a cover that’s not worth a thumbs up this week. These covers are a crop of great lighting, lovely colors, and sex appeal.  That should make it no surprise that Abigail and I are all over the map for both our Best and Worst choices.  Despite my usual love of cartoon covers, REAL VAMPIRES HATE SKINNY JEANS didn’t work for me this week.  And though both of us were a little confused by what body parts were on the cover of DIETY, but Abigail was totally skeeved out by what little she could decipher.  With so many great covers, it all comes down to personal preference on which rise to the top.  Which strike your fancy this week?

 

Thank you all for entering this giveaway to win a copy of The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

 

The winner (chosen by Random.org) is…

Giveaway provided by Harlequin Teen via Media Muscle

One copy of The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Available on November 6, 2011 by Harlequin Teen via Media Muscle

Description:

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Read an excerpt

Enter the giveaway via the widget below

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Interested in offering a giveaway on All Things Urban Fantasy? CONTACT ME

Title: The Iron Queen Author: Julie Kagawa Series: The Iron Fey #3 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal YA Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Harlequin (January 25, 2011) ISBN-10: 0373210183 ISBN-13: 978-0373210183 Source: NetGalley Reviewed by: Abigail

Book Description

The winds of war gather in acclaimed author Julie Kagawa's newest novel.

Meghan Chase thought they’d left Faery behind forever, but pressing matters cause the three exiles to be summoned to war.

A new alliance is made, along with a few contracts, of course, and Meghan, half Summer faery princess, half human, is pressed to choose Fey over her mortal beginnings. Will she abandon her human heart for an iron will that will help her survive? For as Meghan Chase can confirm—in real life, unlike books, faery tales don’t necessarily have happy endings.

"I thought it was over...The impossible choices, the sacrifices of those I loved. But a storm is approaching and they will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Back into a conflict so powerful...I'm not sure anyone can survive it." - Meghan Chase in The Iron Queen

 Review

I don’t don’t why I haven’t been able to completely gush over The Iron Fey series the way some of my fellow bloggers have.  Maybe it’s because I never fully bought into the star-crossed romance between Winter fey Ash and Summer fey Meghan; it never invaded my heart the way a good love story should. 

Maybe it’s because Meghan herself never seems to grow in these books.  She’s much the same slightly petulant character from THE IRON KING, still huffing, muttering, and complaining when people are trying to help her.   Seventeen on Meghan still comes across as very young.

Maybe it’s the fact that instead of the threats/danger growing with each book, they actually decrease.  In THE IRON KING alone, Meghan ‘is nearly eaten several times, ripped apart by trolls, drowned by nixies, impaled by a prince, raped by a herd of satyrs, and boiled by Goblins.’  In THE IRON QUEEN, she gets some welts training, um…is that it?  Yes, she fights in the various battles, but she’s not facing danger at every turn, she’s just thinking mostly.  About her dad.  About Ash and Puck.  About her mixed Iron and Summer heritage.  About her ultimate role with the fey. 

It was almost exactly a year ago that I read THE IRON KING and I remember loving the much darker, twisted, faery tale beginning that brought back memories of an equally twisted movie, Labyrinth.  The grim, and often harsh realities of violence and death stalked Meghan and her friends through the Nevernever of The Fey and it was Kagawa’s unwillingness to shy away from that darkness that has kept me coming back to this series despite some other shortcomings. 

Overall, in THE IRON QUEEN, the book where the Iron, Seelie, and Unseelie fey all collide in an epic LORD OF THE RINGS type battle, the story seems largely sanitized of the harsher realities that drew me to this series in the first place. THE IRON QUEEN is an improvement over THE IRON DAUGHTER as the fey war does actually happen in this book.  The battle is epic and the outcome not at all what I predicted, it’s better in fact.   Grimilkin is still a refreshingly fun character and he and Puck share the best interchanges in the book.  More fascinating sides of the Nevernever are revealed including the uber cool city of giants, and the set up for the next book, THE IRON KNIGHT, looks extremely promising, so much so that you can expect to see my review later this year.

Sexual Content: Kissing.  A non graphic scene where sex is implied.


My Rating:

3/5
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

Previous books in the series:

1 - The Iron King
1.5 - Winter's Passage eBook (novella)
2 - The Iron Daughter

Also reviewed by:

• BloodyBookaholic
• Parajunkee's View
• Mindful Musings

Giveaway

Giveaway is sponsored by Harlequin Teen

A copy of The Iron Queen and an Iron Fey t-shirt!

In less than twenty-four hours I’ll be seventeen.


Although, technically, I won’t actually be turning seventeen. I’ve been in the Nevernever too long. When you’re in Faery, you don’t age. So while a year has passed in the real world, agewise I’m probably only a few days older than when I went in.


In real life, I’ve changed so much I don’t even recognize myself.


MY NAME IS MEGHAN CHASE.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who’s sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.


THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK.

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US/CA only
2. Leave a comment & a way to contact you
3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on February 7th.

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Interested in offering a giveaway on All Things Urban Fantasy?
CONTACT ME