From Hicklebee’s: Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

Order now from Hicklebee’s.

Veronica Rossi delights with her debut Under the Never Sky. I wouldn’t say it is a quick read, but every moment is exceptional.

Firstly Rossi creates immediate strife by introducing Aria in desperate need to contact her mother. In her need to find out if her mother is okay Aria makes some really bad decisions, but they are decisions I also would have made in her circumstances. In a disabled part of the bubble Aria lives in the boy she wants to use to get info on her mom starts a real fire, to see what it is like. Things burn up faster than anyone could have imagined and Aria is barely saved by a savage outsider.

What Rossi does well is pit two separate societies against each other. You have the pampered folk who live in the domes who spend most of their time utilizing virtual reality simulations to stave off boredom and opposed to that the people who live outside of the bones who are quite savage with their genetic enhancements from living with the aether and their sharp teeth. The outsiders live more like intelligent cavemen in tribes.

Another thing I absolutely adored is that we get to understand what happened before the apocalypse! YAY information! Aether storms tore through (the world?) America and the storms killed. Acid like rain and other weather anomalies drove people inside the domes and drove the outsiders to live in tribes with a strange leader system.

The characters were believable even when not likable and I enjoyed the fact that the secondary characters had a layer of personality that you rarely see in YA fiction. They were not completely flat and had motives, love, and quirks of their own. Aria and Peregrine are very well written and I enjoyed their conversations, quirks, decision making skills and their humor.

The plot moves at a good pace and enough information is given in tastes to keep you coming back for more delicious plot.

All in all I was impressed with this debut and the fact that it strays from the cookie cutter dystopia that I have been reading lately. I am anticipating learning more about Perry, Aria and their world.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, come to Veronica’s launch party at Rakestraw Books on Saturday January 7th at 4pm.

From Hicklebee’s: New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies–human and creature alike–let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

Ana has only lived one life. This makes her strange to the rest of the population who have lived countless lifetimes. Ana is a no soul. She lives with her mother outside of the city Heart. Her father left when she was born. Someone else was supposed to be born but Ana came in her place. They think she is a murderer and her life is incredibly tough living alone with a mother who hates the sight of her. Until she meets Sam…

Sam says she is a new soul, which is a far cry from being a no soul. He takes her to Heart and does everything in his power to help her find out why she was born. The more Ana digs the more questions she has.

Meadows delivers a unique take on reincarnation in Incarnate. Sam and Ana are both very likable characters. The evil guy was evil but had a pitiable quality that I genuinely enjoyed seeing. The plot was tight and there was many a surprise to be had.

The ending completely threw me for a loop and I wish book two would have been available for me to read right away. I loved all the mythological beasts and creatures and how they fit in to the day-to-day for the citizens of Heart.

My favorite part? The sexytimes at the masquerade ball!

I encourage you to take a look at Incarnate when it comes out next month.

From Hicklebee’s: As vampires from all over the world descend on the Drake farm for the Blood Moon gathering, security is ramped up. Lucy has been temporarily banned, for her own safety—and to allow Solange some time to adjust to her new existence. But their enemies realize how much Lucy means to the family, and plan to abduct her to use her for leverage against the new royal family. Instead, Lucy’s cousin Christabel is kidnapped by mistake—and Connor Drake immediately heads off in pursuit, but isn’t in time to prevent Christabel’s infection by the Hel Blar. He can’t save her human life, but he can still try to save her new vampire life, and is willing to put his own life on the line for the girl he has grown to care so much about. Can he save Christabel, the Blood Moon, and his mother’s newly forged Vampire Alliance?

Buy it now from Hicklebee’s.

I think I have reviewed every book Alyxandra Harvey has ever had published here on this blog. She has a style that I just adore to pieces and I can tear through one of her works in small time and be completely satisfied. Bleeding Hearts is classic Drake Chronicles through and through, I loved it to pieces.

Possibly the most fun part for me in this story was Cristabel. She is Lucy’s cousin and it was fun to read the stark differences between her and Lucy. While Lucy is full of pop culture and pizzaz, Christabel is more into dead poets and darkness. I loved her immediately.

Bleeding Hearts also gives us insight into a Drake brother we haven’t learned a whole lot about. Connor may not take the title of favorite Drake boy in my book but he is a close second. He’s techy and funny and completely loyal to his family and friends. All great traits.

The Drake’s lives haven’t calmed down at all, in fact their situation is probably more hectic than ever. There is a special vampire get together and Lucy is all but banned from being around the family. She’s training with Hunter and the Helios Ra and trying to hide all the crazy supernatural stuff from her cousin at the same time.

Solange in this book was strange. There wasn’t much on her but what we did see was her going through some major vamp-y crises and I am more than anxious to see what is up with her in the next book.

The romance between Connor and Christabel wasn’t the normal flowery Drake Bro kind. It developed in its own new way and I enjoyed watching them fall for each other quite a bit.

If you love The Drake Chronicles I urge you to pick this volume up and if you haven’t read any of the books start with Hearts at Stake which was an absolute riot.

From Hicklebee’s: In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

I feel very confident saying that Cassandra Clare is one of the most stunning fantasy authors in YA Literature. I have dutifully read each and every one of her books and I have found myself in love with each book for different reasons. Her Infernal Devices series is my favorite of her two. If you haven’t read Clockwork Angel this review will hold spoilers from that book. Also, if you haven’t read Clockwork Angel – get on that now. I promise you won’t regret it.

There are a great many things I loved about Clockwork Prince. The evolution of Jem from being pitiable and weak to a strong young man with a brilliant disposition on life. Jem was understanding, constantly there for Tessa and isn’t bitter with the lot he has been given. He is swiftly becoming my favorite character from Clare’s cannon.

Will on the other hand acted like an entitled ass through most of the novel. Yes, it is explained why he is an ass, and its sad tear-worthy even- especially when you learn the truth about him and Magnus Bane helps him solve his biggest life mystery. It was the last few pages of the book and his “Jem can take it” attitude that made me incredibly mad at him. I am in awe of Clare’s ability to elicit such strong emotions from me, especially related to the characters.

Tessa is still Tessa, smart, funny and well read. We are little closer to finding out what she really is at the end of the novel and the wait for book three where I hope we do find out is going to kill me. Tessa grows so much in this novel, she goes from proper American lady living in England to kick ass down and dirty I will do anything to save any of you and that was my favorite part of this novel.

The Lightwoods are introduced, Morty is still deliciously evil, there are still clockwork devices but they aren’t the main focus of the book. I did enjoy how the devices took a backseat here for plot and I have a feeling they will play a major part in book three.

The most important thing Henry is still awesome. Charlotte is going through a very hard time in Clockwork Prince and I hope everything works out and she and Henry become very happy together; they deserve it.

New characters, new hints and mysteries are introduced. The world building is superb and if I had the next book I would have dove into it immediately. If you haven’t had a chance to read Clare I highly suggest you drop everything and do that now.

For those who have read Clockwork Prince here is the balcony scene re-imagined by Vanya from VLC Photo:

From Hicklebee’s: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas’s life.

There are not many things that truly freak me out. I’ve watched/read/ingested so much horror in entertainment form that I can pass a ‘how long will you survive a horror movie’ quiz with at least an 85% score. Still a few things remain that can freak me out. Anything to do with fingernails in horror movies, spiders, and now finally Kendare Blake.

Cas is a great character as is Anna. They have both been through very traumatic things in their lives and their subjective views of the situations they are in are great fodder for the reader. The story isn’t what I would call quick to read, you can submerge into the thrills for hours while reading.

The entire time I was reading I had a movie playing out in my mind. Anna Dressed in Blood is a very visual novel and its been a long time since I read something that gave my brain so much to wonder about while I was going along.

The story is full of creepy ghost myths with a side of contemporary ghost hunter lore thrown in for good measure. It was a monster mash of everything I love about ghost stories updated with the latest myths and legends. I adored the novel and cannot wait for the next book in the Anna series.

From the press release: Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

This is the second Armentrout book I have read this year. From Greek to Alien Invasions, you are promised a fast-paced fun romp through whatever landscape you choose when you pick up one of Jennifer’s books.

I really liked Katie, she was a book blogger (HOLLA!) and incredibly smart as well. When the boy next door is being a creep she doesn’t turn to mush, she fights back and stays away from him. With no internet in the new place and the neighbors being weird Katie hates her new town.

Then she makes besties with the alien girl next door and Daemon starts trying to be nicer to her. When he saves her life with his alien powers he leaves a signature on her that makes her vulnerable to another set of aliens who hunt Daemon’s kind. She is under his strict rules and observation until the signature fades.

This is a really fun book that is quick to read. I definitely recommend picking it up for the fun times and watching a really cute love story develop. And today is the release date! Don’t forget to look around the blog today for Katie’s letter to Santa and a giveaway of an ebook of Obsidian.

From Goodreads: Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she’s the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous – not to mention unwelcome – attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that’s when life gets really interesting…

Preorder from Hicklebee’s Books

Let me take a moment to start this review by asking you a question. How often have I waxed poetic about a contemporary novel? If you come around here a lot you know the answer, if you are new here (waves at new persons) the answer is very rarely. This is because I like very few contemporary themes. I rather enjoy the incredibly dark or the fantastically light.

Marni Bates hits all my LOL buttons with her debut Awkward. We start the book with Kenzie talking to the notable crowd about homework. Why else would the notables talk to an invisible? Kenzie is leaving the notable stairs when she turns around hitting a boy in the stomach with her backpack full of AP textbooks. He falls down the stairs and Kenzie runs after him giving him really bad and not needed CPR.

Someone filmed the incident and it hit Youtube branding Kenzie as The Most Awkward Girl in the World. Her new found fame brings her designer clothing, her high school crush is finally interested in her, and backstage passes to a rock concert. Kenzie is so blinded by the bling and being notable that she can’t see what is right in front of her.

I loved every moment reading Awkward. Kenzie is such a fun character and so very likable. Watching her life blow up exponentially bit by bit was hilarious. Another great thing about the book is that Kenzie had an amazing set of friends and a very supportive family. She learned to be comfortable in her own awkward skin with their full support.

Kenzie learns that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But once you get there you can spread some fertilizer and make it greener yourself.

I seriously urge you to make this your first book purchase of 2012. Marni Bates is a talent, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! You can thank me later.

From Hicklebee’s: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

Marie Lu pens an interesting dystopian in her debut Legend. Told from multiple points of view we are able to learn much more about the surroundings and the regime that the protagonist will be rising against. The font for June and Day varied in color in the review copy, gold for Day and blue for June. I hope that carries over into the finished copy of the book. It felt very dynamic while reading.

Lu narrowed down the scope of her landscape by focusing on the western part of the US. The technology used in the futuristic plot was superb and wholly believable. I enjoyed learning more about the inside of the government and military by having a character on the inside that the reader is immediately able to feel sympathetic towards.

June thinks Day killed her brother, Day is after all the most crafty of criminals – he also tops the Republic’s most wanted list. June infiltrates the streets, lands in with Day and begins her undercover military work to bring him in and make him pay. And he will pay – June will make sure of that.

Day will do anything to protect his family. He has a laugh now and then about the news of criminal activities he supposedly committed. Day isn’t half as evil as the government thinks he is. He saves June’s life in a knife fight and brings her into his small crew. He couldn’t leave her out there to be killed, or worse, it wouldn’t be the gentlemanly thing to do.

Day and June should be the epitome of nemesis for each other, but as they uncover secrets about the Regime they find they have more in common than previously thought.

Legend is everything YA dystopia should be and more. I look forward to reading more from Marie Lu. Legend hits the shelves later this month.

From Hicklebee’s: 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.

It is no secret that I go Geek for Greek. Armentrout has a swift and to-the-point writing style that I adore. We learn half blood and pure blood lore and everything is updated with a 21st century feel. Just as you would expect, the pure bloods hold the real power. They are rich, pretty, and make up the government. Half blood citizens are either drugged and sent into a life of slavery to the pure or train to kill daimons. The highest level a half can obtain is to be a sentinel, a daimon killer.

Alex’s mother wanted her out of the life, Alex never knew why but as a half blood she really never questioned pures, not even her mother. She lived in the mortal world for three years always moving – life in constant flux, until the day her mother is killed by a daimon. Alex runs straight back into the arms of The Covenant, more specifically into the arms of Pure Hottie McHotterson Aiden St. Delphi.

Most pure bloods wouldn’t dream of becoming a daimon killer. They were all too fragile for that, even though they can control the elements. It was too dangerous, only half bloods can see through a daimon’s magic, and only pure bloods can be turned into a daimon.

Alex is taken back to The Covenant by Aiden. The dean of the school threatens to drug her and put her into servitude. It seems that Alex traded one crap life for another until Aiden speaks up for her. He offers to train her in kickassery and get her caught up so that she can begin school and possibly realize her dream to become a sentinel.

Everything is going great, Alex is learning to be less of a hot head and her fighting style is getting better every day. Then her pure step-dad comes into the picture and the plot takes off on electrifying turn after turn to a stunning conclusion.

I adored Half-Blood for the mystery, the greek lore, the choices and problems that plagued the main character. I loved the side characters and the pretty demi-god boys. Half-Blood is out now, and if you also go geek for Greek I suggest buying and reading it. You won’t be sorry that you did.

From Hicklebee’s In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

I was very much looking forward to The Pledge. The idea of a fantasy with dystopic vibes based on an evil monarchy had my geek senses tingling. Derting – whose work I have appreciated in the past – has completely outdone herself with this very different and unique story.

As many of you know, my family is multi cultural, my husband and his family speak Dutch and I do not. So when that side of my family is here I am left out of the conversation quite a bit. It is something you really never get used to and it helped me connect with Charlie. Derting uses language as a caste system. The servants speak one language and that is it. Merchant class – like Charlie and her family – speak the servant language and a merchant language. The privileged speak both those and have their own fancy language as well that no one below them can understand. The problem is, Charlie has a very dangerous gift. She can understand all languages – even those she isn’t allowed to understand.

When Charlie hears, and understands, a language she has never heard spoken before she knows her life is about to change. War is coming, and Charlie may be the key to winning. Will Charlie be a beacon for the resistance or Royals? The crown prince is the most interesting boy she has ever met.

Charlie is pulled in so many different directions, she fears for her family, realizes her baby sister is also gifted and in danger from the crown. The Queen is old and dying slowly – she needs a new heir for only a queen can rule. Boy children are disregarded completely.

I love the feministic views in the book, the writing and heck who doesn’t want to be a queen? I do, and I would go dark side if need be.

The Pledge is a perfect blending of fantasy and dystopia. I can’t wait for book two! The book comes out tomorrow! Go grab it and tell me what you think.