Giveaway!

I thought that I've shared this here, but it seems like I totally forgot since it was around the time of the move (if you want to see where I've moved to, I just blogged about my apartment here). Anyway, I'm holding a giveaway!

I'll be giving away paperback copies of The Nutcracker King and Beauty's Daughter, which are my (fairly dark) takes on what happens after the fairytale ends.

The giveaway is being hosted on my other blog, so just click on this link to get there. The giveaway is on until March 23rd, so there's still plenty of time to enter. If fairy tales are your thing, you have nothing to lose(:

All the best!

Instafreebie Group Giveaway

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (If you celebrate)

Guess what? I'm participating in my first ever group giveaway! Please forgive the two three exclamation marks in a row because I'm just so excited!

The giveaway is for Horror and Urban Fantasy books. There are 45 books in total, and you get get most of them free from Instafreebie! (And if it's not a free copy, it'll be a free sample)

In particular, I really recommend The Ninth Circle by Lincoln Cole (link leads to my review) and Underneath by M.N. Arzu (again, link leads to review, if you want to read more). I read and enjoyed both of them very much, and if you think they sound good from my review, then definitely go pick them up - The Ninth Circle is free and Underneath is a free sample.

Again, hope you have a great weekend!

Get your free books here

Cover Reveal - Sworn to Conflict by Terah Edun

Hey all! If you remember, some time back, I reviewed Terah Edun's Sworn to Transfer. I really liked the book, so when I was asked to participate in the cover reveal for the next in the series, I said yes immediately! Enjoy!

Cover Reveal: Sworn To Conflict by Terah Edun + #Giveaway (International)

On Sale on Amazon, iTunes & Barnes & Noble December 6, 2013

Sworn To Conflict by Terah Edun (Book 3)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Coming Of Age

Summary:

Ciardis Weathervane fought for the living dead and won. But worse than taking on a mass murderer, was her discovery that she had been deceived by her friends. Now she needs to not only fight a war in the North and survive, but also decide where she stands in the midst of competing sides. A threat to all she holds dear lies in the North and her heart is not the only thing she might lose. A massive army awaits in the mountain pass, surging closer to the gates of the southern lands. Nothing the Algardis army has done so far has dissuaded their march forward and Ciardis finds out that her powers to enhance are needed now more than ever. As she faces her greatest fears on the battlefields and her heart is torn between her love of Sebastian and loyalty to her family, Ciardis must choose her fate carefully. For in her path, lies the destiny of the empire. This third novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Transfer.

Other Books in the Series

Connect With Terah: Author Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Series Order Links:

Sworn To Raise (Book One) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C9VC7AY/ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940016661742 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sworn-to-raise/id642043648?ls=1

Sworn To Transfer (Book Two) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F8PIH0W www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940148397472

International Giveaway!

Terah is giving away 1 signed copy of Sworn To Transfer, 1 eARC of Sworn To Conflict, and 1 ebook of Sworn To Raise or Sworn To Transfer. There are 3 total winners! CLICK HERE to enter! Good Luck!

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Victoria Rebels by Carolyn Meyer (Mod Podge Book Tours)

Today is the first time I've ever taken part in a book tour by Mod Podge book tours. It's a blog post from the author this time, and I think it's really interesting. 

The book is called Victoria Rebels and about the life of Queen Victoria. Sounds like a fascinating book doesn't it? (Hidden history nerd alert!)

Enjoy the guest post!

Why Did You Choose A Diary Format For Victoria Rebels? 

In fact, VICTORIA REBELS is not written as a diary; it's written in first person. That may not seem much different to the reader, but it made a huge difference in the way I conceived the story. When the story is told in the form of diary entries, the narrator, the "I" of the story, has no foreknowledge of what's going to happen down the road--years in the future or even the next day. She can only record what is happening in the present, or reflect on what has happened in the past. The challenge to the author is to set up the foreshadowing that leads the reader along. Several years ago I wrote three books for Scholastic's Royal Diaries series and discovered just how tricky that can be. In ANASTASIA: THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS, the young Russian princess enjoys her privileged life as storm clouds gather, with no inkling of the tragic end she faces. It's a much more confining storytelling format, and I struggled with it. In CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, I chose to write in present tense, which gives the narration a much different feel, and I considered doing the same with Victoria. But after experimenting with that for a while, I abandoned the idea and went back to the more conventional past tense. Somehow it seemed to suit her voice better.

In VICTORIA REBELS, Victoria is looking back at her early years as an unhappy young princess dominated by a man she hated, at the changes brought about when she became queen at the age of eighteen and was finally free of his domination, at her struggles to adjust to her new role, and at the arrival of love in her life. She tells her story from the vantage point of knowing the outcome in terms of her relationship with Sir John Conroy, her mother, and the man she marries. Chapter titles with the place and sometimes a date help to keep the reader oriented.

All the books in this post sound interesting don't they? Well, hopefully this is the start of more tours from Mod Podge stopping by here!

Also, there's a tour wide giveaway! Make sure to enter!

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Samurai Awakening Giveaway!

I don't normally do giveaways (in fact, this is my first time participating in a rafflecopter giveaway :p), but I really loved Samurai Awakening, and I hope that one of you gets this fabulous prize - a signed copy. If you're unsure about whether to join, you can read my review of Samurai Awakening to make up your mind.

Ganbatte~


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Giveaway results!

Hi all!

If you were keeping track, yesterday was the last day of my giveaway contest. And although very few people entered, there were still entries -celebrates-.

And the winner (as decided by Stella) is...

"Ray-cheyl"!

Congrats, you win these two really awesome books!

Please email me your mailing address, and I'll mail the books to you the next time my scholarship money comes in.

^_^
Eustacia

Teaser Tuesday - Liberator by Bryan Davis

Have you ever felt like you don't want a book to end? Well, I deal with this "problem" by putting down the book and day-dreaming about it. It's a bad bad habit and I should really stop it. So, to make myself continue reading it, I'm going to use a teaser from Liberator by Bryan Davis:

"But they couldn't feel the freedom. They didn't know what it was like to walk away from a master's cave, or a pheterone mine, or a stone-movers' raft without the burden of knowing that they had to return the next day and the next, as would their children for generations untold. Yes, the escaped children danced in the stream, but until slaves on Starlight could feel the cool water running between their own toes, the vision was no more than a dream, a tale whispered to children at bedtime to keep them from crying out at night." (page 148)

Doesn't it sound great? If you haven't heard of this series, you can read my reviews of the first three books: Starlighter, Warrior and Diviner. To enter my giveaway to win your own copy of Starlighter and Diviner, click here.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. What's your teaser this week?

Diviner by Bryan Davis

I decided to welcome my return from camp by having the giveaway countdown move towards the the second last milestone. After this, the giveaway will end a week after my review of Liberator. If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, you can do so here.

In Diviner, Koren has gone to the dark side. She's now (unwillingly) helping Taushin. Meanwhile, Jason, Elyssa and the rest are desperately trying to bring in the army from Major Four/Darksphere and rescue the humans. The two groups are moving towards an inevietable clash.

After my review of Warrior, Bryan Davis commented that I was being too harsh on Koren. That is true. I'm not sure why, but I judge her the most harshly. I think the reason is that I see the parts of myself that I don't like in her. Koren is somtimes impulsive, sometimes proud and (the most important part to me), sometimes prone to thinking the ends justify the means. In short, if I were here, I'd probably make the same mistakes that I call stupid.

As for the other characters, well, there was an interesting (if small) step further in Jason and Elyssa's relationship. Up until this book, I honestly didn't know who Jason would end up with because it seems like all three girls (Cassabrie, Elyssa and Koren) like him. And while I totally support this pairing, I'm glad that it's a small part of the book. It feels more natural this way, and it doesn't impede the story; I really hate it when the romance hijacks a good plot.

Compared to the first book, Magmar has developed a lot, and you can understand Arxad's character a lot more. Some backstory is revealed and I think that it provides a new dimension to them. Apart from that, Orion (the "bad guy" from the first book) is also given more back-story and well, he seems less evil than confused. Really cool and believable character developement.

With regards to theme, my biggest takeaway from this book was how seductively good evil can be. I have this feeling that Taushin is bad, but sometimes, I really really want to agree with his logic. It's in the second book as well, but I felt the full force of it here for some reason. It's a timely reminder that as fallen humans, we want to agree with the logic of the world rather than the logic of God. But, one road leads to hell and the other to heaven.

If you've read and loved the first two books in this series, you definitely have to get this book. And after reading it, you'll be very impatient to continue with Liberator. These books definitely belong in a set, it's hard to make sense of the series if you jump in half-way.

Disclaimer: I got this book free from Zondervan in exchange for a free and honest review.

Starlighter by Bryan Davis

I'm back! The trip was wonderful, thank you for asking. In fact, you can read about the first part of my trip here. So, the restart the blogging cycle, I'll start the countdown to the end of the giveaway by reviewing the first book in the Dragons of Starlight series - Starlighter.

I don't know why, but all the Bryan Davis books I read involve Dragons. But still, I'm not complaining, the series are nothing alike. Starlighter is part-fantasy, part-science fiction. It involves two worlds, one called Darksphere, where tales of kidnapping Dragons are regarded as fairytales, and Starlight, where the kidnapped humans are slaves to the dragons.

Jason, from Darkshpere, and Koren, a slave from Starlight, are being brought together with a series of events. Against the odds, Jason finds himself in Darksphere. At the same time, Koren becomes aware of strange powers developing. When they meet, they try to save the slaves on Starlight. But, things aren't as straightforwards as merely charging in.

The world-building in this book is fantastic. Although there are references to genetic locks, they don't seem out of place in a book with Dragons. There are slaves, but there is also technology. The two separate worlds are both alike but different. To me, Starlight was more well-crafted, but that is probably because most of the book takes place on Starlight.

The characters too, were well-rounded. Most of the characters were human, which is to say, they tried to be good but were somehow flawed. One or two were evil and some, well, you can't tell at the end of the book. I cheered and booed them by turns, as they makes decisions, some wise, and some rather foolish in my opinion. Apart from Jason and Koren, there are many other wonderful characters. From the humans, we have Elyssa (another girl with special gifts), Tibber (is he insane or only pretending?), Randall (the son of the governer, he isn't as annoying as his first appearance suggests). For the dragons, there is Arxad (who is loyal to his race, but also has a heart of gold), Magmar (the king, he seems ruthless) and the Black Egg (a prophesied prince, he basically screams EVIL).

I highly recommend picking this series of books up. Once I started reading it on the train, I couldn't stop. I guess I was lucky I started reading on the Hokutosei, because that gave me the time I needed to finish it(:

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

UPDATE: Giveaway Contest

Hi everyone, I have more good news for you! Today, my copy of Warrior came, along with two surprises:

Yes, you saw that right! Two extra copies of Liberator and Aldo's Fantastical Movie palace. Unfortunately, this copy is an ARC version and I don't think I'm allowed to give it away. But, what this means is that now, apart from winning books 1 and 3 of the Dragons of Starlight series, you will also win book four of the series "Liberator". Sorry everyone, I just noticed that this book is also an ARC. So unless you don't mind receiving a used book (I'm reading the final copy instead of the ARC), it's only going to be book 1 and 3. But to show how sorry I am, I'll be including a small present in your package.

So, what are you waiting for? You can post your entries either one of the giveaway posts.

Giveaway! (Dragons of Starlight Series by Bryan Davis)

If you can recall, I very recently posted about the new books I got, and how I have two extra copies of the Dragons of Starlight series by Bryan Davis. So, here are details on how to win the Books 1 and 3 of this series!

I remember how sad I felt/feel whenever I see contests limited to the United States so this contest is gonna be international. (my wallet is already crying in advance over the postage :p)  In addition, the contests will be open only to followers. Here, followers are defined as:

a. GFC/email followers (duh)
b. Others. Other's simply means that you read my blog regularly but don't follow via the methods in (a). But to qualify as a follower under (b), you have to have either tweeted me about my posts a few times, or commented a few times over a reasonable period of time. You know what? I've changed my mind. This contest is open to anyone who wants to enter :D

And since I'm not a fan of random drawings, I'm holding an actual contest. It's really quite easy, just tell me your funniest quip (I was going to say pun but that's a bit hard) about books in the comments section below. You can comment in any of the posts from this post onwards(: This is a really broad topic so feel free to think up, well, anything and everything. The only thing is that I don't want to see are curse words. Keep your language and content decent(:

UPDATE: I realised that the topic might be too hard, so to expand/clarify it, jokes about specific books/poems are also welcome. So if you spend your spare time making fun of your literature texts, feel free to enter as many times as you want!
I'll be getting a friend or two to judge the entries, and if there's a tie, then the person who lives closer to Japan will win (Please tell me which country you're from the first time you enter). The funniest person will win, and you're more than welcome to post multiple entries. There are no "bonus" activities, so while I encourage you to spread the word about this series, tweeting/blogging about this giveaway isn't going to win you any extra chances.

The contest will end a week after my review post of Liberator, so you all have plenty of time! (I'll be reviewing all four books in order).

Any comments? Questions?

Three Questions with Patti Roberts

If you can recall, I wrote a review of the Paradox series by Patti Roberts sometime in mid-January. Now, in a follow-up, here are three questions that I asked, plus, a contest!

Me: What is your favourite character? Does having a favourite character make it easier to write about her?

Patti: I have so many favorite characters. They become my favorite usually because it is so easy to get into their heads so writing dialogue for them becomes so effortless, natural. You can actually picture them saying and doing the things they do.

Me:Are any of your characters based on people you know?

Patti: No characters are based on people I know. Some of the characters traits and names are though.

Me: And finally, an unrelated question: What bookshops do you recommend if someone visits Cairns?

Patti: That is hard to say. most of the big ones have closed down because so much is available on line nowadays. I will have to check for you :))

And since I'm sure that I left out many questions that you're wondering about, don't worry, Patti has a wonderful Question and Answer page here that goes beyond the usual "questions-about-motivations" into questions about the world of Paradox.

In addition, Patti is currently hosting an art contest.  She's looking for art work/fanart based on the Paradox series, and apart from having your images published in the book or her blog (credited, of course), prizes include, and I quote: "There are complimentary ebooks, t-shirts, caps, posters, tote bags and  signed copies of  the paperback version that the winners artwork is published and credited in."

I may not be artistic, but I'm sure many of you are. And if you're stuck for inspiration, Patti has a list of ideas on the contest page that you can use. ^_^

Teaser Tuesday - The Dragon Keeper

This meme is actually quite fun. Today, I'm taking it from The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, another one of the books I got from the MG Carnival.

" 'Company and conversation' he repeated, and an odd note crept into his voice. 'I would think you'd prefer your husband for that.' " (page 248)

And on a related note, does anyone want my copy of The Dragon Keeper (I guess this is like a giveaway). I've read a bit, but it's not to my taste and I don't even feel like finishing it. If it makes any difference, the book is a hardcopy. And no worry, it's in good condition.

Since I'm currently broke (no job, and no school = no pocket money), this 'giveaway' is limited to residents of Singapore.

Reading Wishes has a Giveaway!



Santa is looking suspicious here.... Santa, are you here
to steal presents or to give them away?



I'm very bad with technology, so it always impresses me how other bloggers manage to put together such a professional looking blog. One of them is Rebecca@Reading Wishes, who started only in May this year, but already has a really professional looking blog and book reviewing system running. Me? I'm just muddling my way through, and the most I can do in the way of "planning" is to decide ahead of time what to post (review, or quote or something unrelated).

And now, she's even got a Christmas Giveaway! I have no idea how giveaways are run, so this just makes me respect her (and the other bloggers) even more. I guess after exams, I should really put in some effort into making this blog look presentable.

Anyway, the details of the giveaway are like this:

It's from 9th to 23rd November and you must be a follower of her blog to enter. And since bookdepository ships to Singapore, there's no need to worry about anything else.

So what are you waiting for? You should join the Giveaway! (Yes, I'm joining, of course, but apart from that, I need to find bloggin mentors. Or something like that).