Waiting on Wednesday: Captive by Aimée Carter

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Captive
The Blackcoat Rebellion #2

by author

Coming November 25, 2014

Harlequin Teen

Summary:

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

Why I want it:

I really enjoyed Pawn. Aimée created this really cool dystopian world, but she kept the drama in the family in book one to showcase the way a dystopian world can affect relationships with your family as well as romantic partners. There are so many surprises in Pawn, and I'm really exited to see what is uncovered next. Plus, I just really have a soft spot for Knox and Greyson. I was intrigued by both of them, and I think they have some serious secrets they're still hiding. I can't wait to see how the dynamic changes in the face of what seems to be this family drama being blown up on a larger scale.

Why I think you should want it:

I know everybody seems to be a bit burned out on dystopian, but I really think you should give The Blackcoat Rebellion a shot. The characters are really round, really dynamic. On a technical level, I am so impressed with the way Aimée has balanced internal and external motivations with layers of characterization. Each of the characters has a purpose and each affects the story in drastic and exciting ways. If this sounds vague, it's only because there are so many shocking moments when crazy secrets are revealed that I don't want to accidentally give any of those surprises away. Usually I pride myself on being able to guess what's coming next in a book (while simultaneously being sad that I'm usually able to see through any "surprises"), but I was so pleasantly surprised that Aimée was able to keep me guessing at every turn. It was fantastic! You can read my full 4 1/2 star review of Pawn here if you want to read more reasons why I really enjoyed it. As for Captive, if you haven't read Pawn, I can tell you that Elsewhere is one of the freakiest, most terrifying places I've ever heard of in ya, and I am VERY excited (and nervous, horrified, freaked out, etc) to see what happens there this time. Its mention in the summary means that Aimée is pulling no punches in this second book, which is sure to be equally thrilling and explosive.

 Will you be picking up Captive this November? Have you read Pawn? Let me know your thoughts and your picks for this week's WoW in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday #30: Best of 2013 part 2

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Books of 2013

Well, it would be way, way too hard to pick the top 10 overall in 2013 so instead, I'm just going to do a sequel post to the TTT I did earlier this year, which you can read here.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Let's just get this one out of the way now. I actually did write and read fanfic in college so I absolutely understand and relate to Cath.

2. United We Spy by Ally Carter. I thought this was a really fitting ending to the legacy of the Gallagher Girls, an ending this wonderful series deserved.

3. Scarlet & Cress by Marissa Meyer. I enjoyed Cinder, but adding the new characters and complicating the conflict really added depth to this wonderful series. Is it time for Winter yet?!

4. Shadow & Bone and Siege & Storm by Leigh Bardugo. This series is incredible. I mean the Grisha Trilogy is simply the textbook definition of epic fantasy. Great character development (including bad boys, good guys, roguish pirates, badA girls, AND delicious flirty princes), fast-paced action, swoony romance, unique mythology, and amazing writing.

5. Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young. Not only does this series have one of my favorite new romances, but it also introduced me to the intriguing concept of the sliding doors device, in which there are two alternate stories being told simultaneously.

6. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano. This is one of those novels with a really cool retro-future, and it combines that feel with a murder mystery, set against a backdrop of the sky. There's so much going on in this novel, and somehow, Lauren keeps it all straight. Not only is the story interesting, but the characters are well-developed and relatable. I am already wishing for Burning Kingdoms!

7. Pawn by Aimée Carter. Such a cool novel filled with tons of intrigue. I'm very excited by this new series!

8. One & Only by Viv Daniels. This is a superbly written new adult romance. If all romances were written like this, the genre would not receive as much criticism as it does. Well done, Viv!

9. Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris. Super adorable and fun adult romance.

10. Playing Dirty by Jennifer Echols. Jenn is one of my top-five all-time favorite authors. Her 2013 ya Dirty Little Secret only misses this list because Playing Dirty is on here instead. This is an adult romance that is slightly steamier than Taste the Heat above, and it was just an absolute joy to read.

Bonus: top 2014 ARCs I've already read

I already mentioned Cress above, but I didn't want to leave out these other wonderful 2014 reads.

Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this way back in September. It's another hit for Jenn. Biggest Flirts is the perfect mix of fun shenanigans, top-notch chemistry between the main characters, and relatable life drama. I loved it!

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill. This is absolutely The Parent Trap mixed with every ice skating movie Disney and ABC Family has ever made, and I love it. It's cheesy and silly and fun and flirty. Loved it!

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes. I love these ya novels full of hijinks and high school intrigue. It never turns out well for the characters (or at least as they intend their schemes to turn out), but it's SO entertaining to witness!

Infinite by Jodi Meadows. This is one of the most wonderful and complete series enders I've ever read. Full review coming soon, and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. This is just a really emotional ride, and it's one that is not to be missed!

Review: Pawn by Aimée Carter

Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Pub Date: November 26, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: young adult
Format/Source: ARC, received from publisher
Status: Book 1 of The Blackcoat Rebellion series

Summary:

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Top Ten Tuesday #22: Can't-Freaking-Wait Sequels

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait For But I Have to Anyway Because the Publishers Say So

I love reading series. I always have. They keep me in reading. From The Baby-Sitters Club to Nancy Drew to Hardy Boys, Boxcar Children, Harry Potter, The Mediator, Artemis Fowl, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and more, my childhood books often chronicled mulitple adventures of the same characters. It's because I have a tendency to fall hard for my characters and want to read about them until they die, but heaven help the author who did kill a beloved character because that was always devastating. Hence the amount of serials in that list. I do like a good standalone, and in fact, sometimes I prefer them because they're good palate cleansers when I'm stuck in limbo between the next book's release or when I've been shotgunning a series. Naturally, I have far more than 10 books on this list, and there's no way I could ever possibly pick the absolute ten that I need most because I WANT THEM ALL GIVE THEM TO ME BEFORE I HAVE A MELTDOWN. *coughs* Sorry. So instead, I'm doing a bit of a differently styled list today. Some of the books included fit in several categories so I just picked the one I liked best. Enjoy!

The Next Installment

These are the in-between books. Not the beginning, not the end. These are the ballsy books that have to carry the story and that often pray they don't fall prey to the Curse of the Middle Book.

•  Burning Kingdoms (Internment Chronicles 2) - Lauren DeStefano
• Scorched 2 - Mari Mancusi (currently untitled)
• The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles 4) - Kady Cross
• Earthquake (Earthbound 2) - Aprilynne Pike
• The Infinite Sea (5th Wave 2) - Rick Yancey
• Firefight (Reckoners/Steelheart 2) - Brandon Sanderson

The Novella

I don't always need a full-blown novel to keep me going. 50-150 bonus pages set in a world I love are a luxury, and I seriously love this trend.

• untitled Internment Chronicles novella - Lauren DeStefano
• "Levana's Tale" (Lunar Chronicles) - Marissa Meyer
• "The Initiate," "The Son," "The Traitor" (Divergent) - Veronica Roth
• "Camp Christmas" (Camp Boyfriend) - J.K. Rock

The Companion

Like with the novella, I'm okay if the author chooses not to do a full sequel with the exact cast as the first one. I'll also take a story with new characters, as long as the old ones pop up every now and then.

•  Perfect Couple & Most Likely To Succeed (Superlatives 2 & 3) - Jennifer Echols
• The Boy Most Likely To (My Life Next Door 2)  - Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Next Book Isn't Even Out Yet, But I Already Want the One After That

Some of these, I've actually already read the next book so my desire for the one after that has been stoked. Others, I don't have to read the one that's about to be pubbed to know that I already want the next-next one.

• Blackcoat Rebellion 2 - Aimée Carter (currently untitled)
• Feels Like Fate (Hundred Oaks 5) & untitled #6 - Miranda Kenneally
• Take Me On (Pushing the Limits 4) - Katie McGarry
• Every book in The Dark Artifices, The Wicked Powers and TLH by Cassandra Clare

The Series Finale

The big kahunas. These are the books we most anticipate--and dread. These are the ones that truly have the power to make-or-break a series. Off the top of your head, you can list final books that did just that. Or you can go back to that TTT post we all did a couple weeks ago.

• The Forever Song (Blood of Eden 3) - Julie Kagawa
• Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten 3 - Julie Kagawa (currently untitled)
• My Not So Super Sweet Life (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century 3) - Rachel Harris
• Mediator 7 - Meg Cabot (currently untitled)

My goodness, it seems like we've been waiting forever for City of Heavenly Fire and Mediator 7. OH WAIT THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE. But seriously, no rush. I really would rather an author take some extra time (here's lookin' at you Veronica Roth, Laini Taylor, & Michelle Hodkin) to get things right than for a book to come out exactly one year after the one before, but be weak like some of those make-or-break-and-we-broke-it books (once again, I'll state that I have not read Allegiant yet, so if you consider it to be a broken final book, please keep that comment to yourself along with the plethora of reasons why kthx).

I hope you've enjoyed my post of WAY more than ten books today. Did I hit just about all of yours? I wouldn't doubt it. If I did skip yours, let me know what it was and why I'm missing out! Feel free to share your TTT links as well.

Waiting on Wenesday: Pawn

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1)

by Aimée Carter

Coming November 26, 2013

Harlequin Teen

Summary:
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.

Why I want it:

I remember hearing about Pawn way back when it was Masked, before it even had a summary or anything, and it was immediately placed on my Goodreads shelves to-read-in-2013 and library-request because even though I found this news out last year, I knew I'd be reading it asap upon release and ordering asking my library to buy ALL the copies. Know why? Because I read The Goddess Test, and that told me I'd be a life-long fan of Aimée's. Then I met her in July, and it was awesome. If you're interested in reading about the two events I saw her at, you can go here and here. Aimée's interference during a Q&A led directly to my reception of an ARC of The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa, and for that, I will always be grateful. Aimée, you rock!

Why I think you should want it:

There are many reasons why I want Pawn in addition to meeting her and realizing she's really freaking cool, and these are perhaps the reasons that you are more interested in. Aimée is just a really good writer with a great talent for writing believable characters and believable dynamics between her characters. They're strong. They're flawed. They make mistakes. They do the right thing. They do the wrong thing. They love. They hate. They learn. They *wink wink nudge nudge*. And while I love the Goddess trilogy, Pawn covers new ground. It's not based on old stories with a twist like the books of The Goddess Test were, but I think that's what's making this series so exciting. I love the idea of seeing Aimée do something new, and I hope you do too.

Bonus:
I will be posting a review of Pawn a little closer to pub time, and when I do, there will be a giveaway. What's up for grabs? Well, you're just going to have to wait and see so keep an eye out!

Yeah YA! Panel + Giveaway

 THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

cLICK HERE FOR OPEN GIVEAWAYS

Harlequin Teen currently has 10 of its authors on tour for Harlequin Teen Author Fest 2013, and on Friday, July 12, Aimée Carter, Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry, Gena Showalter, and Rachel Vincent  made a stop in Southlake, Texas (a Dallas suburb). If you haven't read my transcript of the Beneath the Surface panel, you should! I ended up meeting Aimée, Julie, and Katie a day early, which was really exciting for me, but I was glad to see them again and to meet Gena and Rachel as well. This event was different from the BTS panel because 1. there wasn't an official moderator; the authors just did their own thing before breaking for the audience Q&A, and 2. these authors have been touring for a while so they had their "act" down pretty well with really good interaction among each other.

Courtesy of Mundie Moms!

 Katie from Mundie Moms was on site as the live blogger and she snapped a picture of the crowd. Lots of bloggers! I'm in the front row wearing black, then on the right side in the front are Jasmine & Marissa from Beneath the Moon and Stars. In the back, center, are Karen from Teen Librarian's Toolbox and Kari from A Good Addiction! I know Katie did a post about the event, but you should definitely check everybody else to see if there are more items up for grabs.

 Transcript under the cut!

Beneath the Surface Panel + Giveaway

 THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

cLICK HERE FOR OPEN GIVEAWAYS

I realized a few months ago that, while I really love borrowing books, movies, tv shows, and music from the Dallas Public Library because of their humongous collection, the Irving Public Library is The Place to Be when it comes to author events in the area. Kristin from Cool Librarian Glasses and her compatriots have this thing locked down. You'll see what I mean.

A little background: there was the Beneath the Surface panel Thursday with Rae Carson, Aimée Carter, Tessa Gratton, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs, and Nova Ren Suma . Friday night was the Yeah YA panel featuring a whole host of Harlequin Teen authors such as Aimée, Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry, Gena Showalter, and Rachel Vincent. So I get to the BTS event and was chatting up my fellow blogger friends Alex from Peace, Love and Fangirl, Marissa & Jasmine of Beneath the Moon and Stars, and Kari from A Good Addiction. We're talking about books that destroyed us, and I say, "Oh, what was the one I just read? *flip through Goodreads Read shelf* Oh, yeah, it was The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa! Man, that really gutted me!" About two minutes later, Kari says, "Oh, my gosh, that's Julie Kagawa." My head jerks up and my eyes widen. Yeah. Julie Kagawa and Katie McGarry were attempting to crash the Beneath the Surface panel under the radar. *snort* Like under the radar was even remotely an option for them.

Lucky me, I end up sitting next to Julie! Before and after, I had the supreme pleasure of talking to her about her books, publishing, and just whatever. Katie McGarry likewise was super nice and easy to talk to. Our little blogger group kind of circled up with them and talked while most attendees were queued up to talk to the authors who were actually doing the panel. I even told Julie about our conversation before she came in. She replied with this amazing, horrifying sentence: "Well, I hope you cry more reading The Forever Song than you did reading The Eternity Cure." WHAT?! Julie Kagawa, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT!!! *iz ded*

So that was the wonderful surprise of the evening. The actual panel was pretty fantastic, but that's not surprising because of Kristin and the rest of the IPL staff. Pictures & transcript under the cut!