Thanks to all of you how entered this giveaway, and a big thank you to Media Masters Publicity for offering a copy of Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr. Did you miss the dates for Melissa’s Book Tour? You can see them HERE. The results of the Throwdown between the US vs UK covers are 55 votes for the US cover, with only 10 votes for the UK cover.
The winner (chosen by Random.org) of a copy of RADIANT SHADOWS is…
Amy R-B.
I vote for the U.S. cover. The girl is clearer.
Congratulations! Please Contact Me with your address within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn.
Throwdown Thursday is a weekly thing [hosted by The Neverending Shelf] where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!
Last week’s Throwdown asked: Are flowers the tattoos of the Paranormal YA genre? I didn’t exactly pit two things against each other very clearly with that one, but I did think it was a notable trend that deserved a post. So instead of the normal results, I’m going to share my favorite comment from the post:
It is a tad patronizing that PR departments seem to think that young women will see flowers on book cover and experience some sort of girly/magpie attack: "ooooohhhhhhh.... SHINY! Must buy!" But I guess for every genre a lot of research is put into what attracts its readers to the cover - so there is probably statistical proof out there that girls buy books with flowers on them. How degrading.
I think the covers in that post are all very striking and while I wouldn’t suffer from an ”oooooooohhhhhhh….SHINY! Must buy!” attack, I’ll admit I would probably have a “What a lovely cover design. I’m going to read the back and then make an informed decision about whether or not to buy this book” episode. That’s different, right? Now if there was a pony trend in YA covers…yes, patronizing and degrading…unless the ponies were super pretty.
So I finally started reading Ann Aguirre’s BLUE DIABLO (Corine Solomon, book 1) after letting it sit on my shelf for more months then I care to admit. The description sounded really good too, not to mention the blurb from Patricia Briggs. But it ended up getting buried under newer titles…until now. My friend Rebecca from Dirty Sexy Booksraved about Ann’s GRIMSPACE, so I knew it was past time I read this talented author.
So, I added GRIMSPACE to my wishlist, started BLUE DIABLO, and now I’m having to tear myself away from it to finish this post (and the petty part of me hates each and every one of you for keeping me from it—not to mention Rebecca for letting me go this long without reading Ann Aguirre), it’s that good. So, I thought I could spotlight the next Corine Solomon book, HELL FIRE, which comes out on April 6, 2010, and at the same time highlight another—much smaller—trend: girl leaning against a red vehicle. ON THE EDGE (another excellent book. I gave it 4/5 bats) has the jump on this mini-trend, but which do you like better?
The second in the thrilling national bestselling series As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck-Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift". But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents-and it can only be satisfied with death...
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.
Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).
But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Ace; Original edition (September 29, 2009)
Throwdown Thursday is a weekly thing [hosted by The Neverending Shelf] where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!
Last week’s Throwdown asked: Angels vs. Vampires? The verdict by a split decision of 6 to 3 is: Vampires
I spend this past week looking at the striking cover of The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting with it’s bold flower graphic. You can read my 5 bat review of The Body FinderHERE (On a side note this was just the latest in a string of solid titles from HarperTEEN. If you haven’t tried the Paranormal YA genre yet, that’s where I recommend starting. I’m super excited about their Supernatural Summer book tour).
Back to the flower. I started thinking about some of the Paranormal YA titles I’ve seen recently for both upcoming and already released books. And if the list below is any indication, I think there might be a teensy-tiny trend emerging. Are flowers for Paranormal YA what tattooed chicks in leather are for Urban Fantasy? If you haven’t checked out Doug’s cover mash up of the trends with Urban Fantasy covers over at SciFiGuy.com, check out the video, then the YA books blooming below and weigh in with your thoughts:
Are Flowers the tattoos of the Paranormal YA genre?
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.
Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.
Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 8, 2009)
Can love last beyond the grave? Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship. Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand. Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?
"I can’t just storm in and proclaim my intentions. I cant 'steal' you away. I just have to wait and hope that, someday, you’ll ask," Tamani said.
"And if I don't?" Laurel said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then I guess I’ll be waiting forever."
Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?
Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.
Her first kiss.
A trip to Disney World.
Her sister's wedding.
A disastrous sleepover.
In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death.
This is a haunting and ultimately hopeful novel about the beauty of even the most insignificant moments—and the strength of true love even beyond death.
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (January 19, 2010)
Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.
Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 13, 2010)
Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest. But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . . Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21st century faery tale.
Something—some power—is blooming inside Laurel. She can use flowers to do things. Like bringing back lost memories. Or helping her friends ace tests. Or making people fall in love.
Laurel suspects her newfound ability has something to do with an ancient family secret, one that her mother meant to share with Laurel when the time was right. But then time ran out.
Clues and signs and secret messages seem to be all around Laurel at Avondale School, where her mother had also boarded as a student. Can Laurel piece everything together quickly enough to control her power, which is growing more potent every day? Or will she set the stage for the most lovestruck, infamous prom in the history of the school?
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Unknown edition (May 31, 2008)
Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.
Launched in 2009, All Things Urban Fantasy is the place where para is normal. This blog is devoted to keeping readers up to date on the latest books in the genre including Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal YA, Dark Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, and some speculative fiction including Dystopian and Steampunk. We have established this site as one most popular and influential blogs in the paranormal genres.
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Who is Abigail?
I am a book lover with an obsession for all things urban fantasy. I cut my teeth on the paranormal genre with Buffy and Twilight before discovering Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. Suffice it to say I’ve never looked back. I am the co-founder of ARC Swap, and in 2011 I managed the Urban Fantasy portal on both Facebook and Twitter for Tor.com covering ‘everything that goes bump in the night in books, movies, TV, and more.’
Series I Love:
Who is Julia?
I’ve been reading Urban Fantasy for so long, I remember when Anita Blake didn’t believe in premarital sex and there was no genre name big enough to contain mysteries, thrillers, and romances that happened to contain werewolves, vampires, and witches. Some of my favorite authors that have written Urban Fantasy include Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Ilona Andrews, and Nalini Singh. You can also find me on Twitter, Goodreads and LibraryThing.
Series I Love:
Who is Kristina?
I am an avid reader and enjoy a variety of genres from mysteries and thrillers to urban fantasy and historical fiction. My foray into urban fantasy started off with a recommendation that I read some of Kelley Armstrong’s books. After I saw how wonderfully fun and compelling this genre could be I explored more urban fantasy authors and books. Some of my favorite authors in this genre are Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, and Jim Butcher. You can me on Twitter.
Started in 2009, All Things Urban Fantasy is the place 'Where Para is Normal'. This your one stop for all things Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal YA, & select Speculative Fiction titles (Dystopian and Steampunk etc.). Want to know more about ATUF? Read the About page.
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