Posts Categorized: razorbill

Blog Tour: Defector by Suzanne Winnacker

23 Jun, 2014 by in author interview, blog tour, razorbill, rockstar book tours 2 comments

Fire and Ice is thrilled to be today’s stop on the blog tour for Defector hosted by Rockstar Book Tours! We have an exclusive interview with the author plus  an international giveaway.

Defector A Variants NovelTitle: DEFECTOR (A Variants Novel)
Author: Susanne Winnacker
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub. Date: June 26, 2014
Pages: 288

Amazon * Barnes & Noble*  Goodreads

Tessa has finally made peace with her life as a Variant. She and long-time love Alec are officially a couple, and for the first time, she has everything she wants.

But the air is tense at FEA headquarters. An agent has disappeared, and rogue variant organization Abel’s Army is likely the culprit.

When Tessa is summoned for her second mission, she is unexpectedly launched into a massive conspiracy. Her best friend Holly is kidnapped and Tessa knows it was meant to be her. But who is after her? And more importantly, why?

When the FEA’s efforts to rescue Holly don’t yield any results, Tessa takes matters into her own hands. Desperate to save her friend and uncover the mystery behind Abel’s Army, Tessa launches her own investigation—but nothing could prepare her for what she finds. Everyone in her life is harboring secrets: Alec, her estranged mother, even the father she never knew.

The truth will take her out on the road and out of her comfort zone, with danger lurking everywhere. Summoning all of her courage and strength, Tessa must decide who can be trusted and what is worth fighting for—even if it means going against the life she thought she wanted. Her final decision will leave readers breathless.

Author Interview

Explain the FEA to us.

FEA means Forces with Extraordinary Abilities and it’s a branch of the FBI. The FEA mainly works cases with Variant involvement, but its agents also work in espionage if their talents are useful. “Major” is head of the FBI and most agents live in the so-called headquarters.

What differences are there between the world in Defector and our every day world?

Overall, it’s the same world, but there are Variants, people with extraordinary abilities, in “my book world”. The general public doesn’t know about them though, so it could theoretically still be our world. Who knows what our governments are hiding from us? 😉

If you could choose one extraordinary ability, what wouldn’t be and why?

I’d love to be able to heal myself and others. That way I wouldn’t have to watch loved ones suffer and I could help strangers as well.

Did you listen to any music while writing or have a book playlist?

Some books require music, other don’t. Sometimes I just let my favorite TV series run in the background. But Impostor and Defector have a playlist. Here’s the one I used for Impostor (and sometimes for Defector):
1. The Right Kind of Wrong by Leann Rimes
2. Nobody Knows by Pink
3. Born this Way by Lady Gaga
4. Hate that I love you by Rihanna
5. Fallin by Alicia Keys
6. I think it’s going to rain by Katie Melua
7. Tiger in the Night by Katie Melua
8. In my secret life by Katie Melua
9. Perfect Circle by Katie Melua
10. All in my head by Katie Melua
11. Hedonism by Skunk Anansie
12. Sorry seems to be the hardest by Mary J. Blige
13. Titanium by David Guetta feat Sia
14. What you don’t know by Monrose
15. Even heaven cries by Monrose
16. Bridge of Light by Pink
17. Family Portrait by Pink
(Tessa wants nothing more than a happy family, so the song is perfect.)
18. Just hold me by Maria Mena
19. The Rose by Leann Rimes
20. All good things come to an end by Nelly Furtado

Where is your dream writing retreat?

Bora Bora, in an overwater bungalow, so I could write while watching fish swim in the ocean.

 

about_ the_author
Susanne Winnacker

Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog that looks like a sheep and three bunnies that have destroyed every piece of furniture she’s ever owned in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes.
She blogs for The League of Extraordinary Writers.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

 

 

 

Tour Schedule

defector blog tour banner

 

Week One:
6/16/2014- Jump Into Books– Review
6/16/2014- Literary Meanderings– Guest Post
6/17/2014- YA Story Teller– Review
6/17/2014- Supernatural Snark– Interview
6/18/2014- Crossroad Reviews– Review
6/18/2014- The Cover Contessa– Guest Post
6/19/2014- Book Swoon– Review
6/19/2014- Bittersweet Enchantment– Interview
6/20/2014- The Storybook Kingdom– Review

Week Two:
6/20/2014- Fantasy Book Addict– Guest Post
6/23/2014- Shayna Varadeaux Books & Reviews– Review
6/23/2014- Fire and Ice– Interview
6/24/2014- Fiktshun– Promo Post
6/24/2014- A Dream Within A Dream– Guest Post
6/25/2014- Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and Romance– Review
6/25/2014- Such a Novel Idea– Interview
6/26/2014- Becoming Books– Review
6/26/2014- Addicted Readers– Guest Post
6/27/2014- Library of the Seen– Review
6/27/2014- Mom With A Kindle– Interview

Promo_button

The Giveaway

2 hardcovers of DEFECTOR and 1 audiobook of IMPOSTER.

Giveaway international. 3 winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Divider

Book Review- Bloodlines

13 Jan, 2012 by in paranormal YA fiction, razorbill, richelle mead Leave a comment

Bloodlines
by Richelle Mead
Hardcover, 421 pages
Publication Date: August 23rd 2011
by Razorbill
ISBN 1595143173
Book Source: BEA
5 Stars

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive – this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Review by ephrielle:
If you loved the Vampire Academy Series you will adore this one as well.  But don’t write it off as more of the same.  It is the same world but from the perspective of an Alchemist, namely Sydney Sage.  We get an insiders view of the Alchemist world as well as Sydney’s changing views of those they think abominations.  Don’t judge a book by its cover as well as people.  You might be surprised they aren’t what they seem.  Not only that but there is something deeper going on with Sydney.  And you will have to read to find out what.

I and so excited for this series.  It will be thrilling to find out where everything will lead.  In the last series Richelle Mead broke across boundary lines and it seems she will do it again.  After finishing this book I had a hard time sleeping since my mind was roving over all the possibilities.  An added bonus for this book is the lack of swearing.  Since the book is told by Sydney Sage there are some rather awesome moments of complete misunderstanding. For one super great example of this turn to page 229. Sage is so sure she is interpreting the moment right that she gets it so completely backwards.  I suppose knowledge isn’t all it is cracked up to be.  She is such a refreshing character.  It seems so many of the females right now are hormonal sex fiends.  So the books follow the lines of girl sees guy and almost immediately wants to get in his pants.  I love how we are watching her discover herself and the possibilities.  The pace of this discovery is slow enough as to be a sweet building torture.  I just must have more and can’t wait to get the next book.

Content: violence


About the author: Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She’s a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.

Find more about author Richelle Mead on Goodreads/ Twitter/ Website/ Facebook/ Blog

Crush Control Blog Tour

29 Jun, 2011 by in razorbill 6 comments

Crush Control
by Jennifer Jabaley
Paperback, 318 pages
Published June 9th 2011
by Razorbill
ISBN 1595144242
book source: publisher
4 stars

Willow has spent most of her life as her mother’s sidekick in a popular Las Vegas hypnotism show. So when she and her mom move back to their sleepy southern hometown to start over, she thinks she’s in for a life of quiet normalcy. Except that her new life turns out to be anything but, when she kinda sorta hypnotizes Quinton, the hottest guy on the football team, to fall madly, deeply, head over heels in love with her. But what started out as an innocent way to make her best friend, Max, jealous soon gets way out of hand, and Willow begins to wonder if the mind – and more importantly, the heart – is something you can really control

Willow and Max have been best friends since birth, but that about to change when Willow’s mother announces they are moving away to Las Vegas where she will take on a show as the hip hypnotist. But Willow has a plan to keep Max her BFF whether he likes it or not. In her nine year old way (and the only way she knows) Willow hypnotizes him to always be her friend forever. Fast forward 8 years, Max and Willow are still in touch and her mom decided to leave he strip to return to her quiet roots in Georgia. The good news is that Max and Willow will be together again and he has grown up to be crush worthy, the bad news it that he doesn’t seem to see Willow as more than just a friend. No worries, because she has lots of new tricks up her sleeve from watching mom’s shows and things are about to get a little out of control.

Jennifer Jabaley can entertain! Between a lovesick football player and pop culture junkie sidekick there are lots of laughs to be had. Crush Control is a fast paced fun, light summer read with well developed characters. Willow has a lot to learn about trying to control other people’s choices and asking for help when things spin out of hand. She sees quickly that her mistakes have a domino effect in the lives of others, but getting the help she needs means asking her mom. There are lessons about perfectionism and keeping up appearances in families that are applicable to all readers. Most of all I liked Max because he was so down to earth and genuine. He had the notable quote in the book “The heart wants what the heart wants” -pg. 316 I felt some of the plot with Max got lost a little with Willow trying to undo her other messes with Quinton and cheerleader Mia. I wish Max would have been given more page time and a longer role in the conclusion. Overall, I ended Crush Control with a smile on my face and I enjoyed the unique topic of hypnotism in YA.

Content: sexual references to condoms, several other innuendos including mention of acting out sex on stage, no violence. Recommend for readers 16 and older.

Learn more about author Jennifer Jabaley on her website and thanks so much to Razorbill for giving us a sneak peek!

Fire and Ice is happy to be a stop on the Crush Control blog tour. We are giving away our advanced reading copy to our blog readers courtesy of Razorbill. To enter to win fill out this form. Must be 16 or older to enter. Ends July 29, 2011.

Book Review- The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

17 Jun, 2010 by in new YA fiction, razorbill, the eternal ones 1 comment


To Be published August 24th 2010 by Razorbill (first published 2010)
details Hardcover, 432 pages
isbn 1595143084
four stars

Synopsis from goodreads: What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

This is a really tricky review for me to write because I had a hard time figuring out why this book stuck with me so much. It’s been several days since I finished reading it and it has been with me the entire time, even while reading two other books. I won The Eternal Ones in an ARC giveaway and when I first picked it up I almost stopped reading after the first few pages. Everything was too “in your face” for me…the best friend, the naivity of Haven, the contant sexual talk, near nudity and her grandmother’s personality. As a whole, the book read more like an adult book for me rather than a YA book. There was too much mature content as filler. I kept picturing the characters as older that High School even though the author tries to fir them into that age group. I don’t picture 17 year olds getting married, traveling to Italy or being involved in a murder trial with a 900 year old attorney. However, since the premise of the book is that the characters are really older and reincarnated I suppose it may work.
All of this aside, I must say I really loved the book. It spoke to me. I soaked in the settings, lived the history, the mystery and the main protagonists. Still scratching my head about what to say but I give it four stars because it is rare that a book stays with me so long and deep after I close the pages.
Anyone else want to give it a whirl and converse? Send me an email to join the ARC tour!