Posts Categorized: St martins griffin

Release Day Celebration~ Loop by Karen Akins

21 Oct, 2014 by in karen atkins, loop, me my shelf and i, St martins griffin Leave a comment

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Loop
Loop #1
Author: Karen Akins
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn’t go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he’s in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn’t think he’s a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future.

Praise

“A creative take on romance in a high-stakes, high-concept mystery that trusts its readers’ intelligence.” – Kirkus

“LOOP is a page-turning adventure with some brilliant and original twists to the time travel genre. I devoured the entire book in one sitting!” – Julie Cross, Author of the TEMPEST series

“Hilarious and suspenseful with a delicious dash of romance, LOOP is a mind-bending good time!” – Melissa Landers, Author of the ALIENATED series

About The AuthorAkins - Publicity Shot 1a_thumb[1]

Karen Akins lives in the MidSouth where she writes humorous, light YA sci-fi. When not writing or reading, she loves lightsaber dueling with her two sons and forcing her husband to watch BBC shows with her.

Karen has been many things in her life: an archery instructor, drummer for the shortest-lived garage band in history, and a shockingly bad tic-tac-toe player.

Giveaway

Must be 13+ To Enter | Ships in US Only

One Winner will get a signed final copy of LOOP + a swag pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Book Review and Giveaway- Tempest

29 Feb, 2012 by in St martins griffin, tempest, YA fiction 22 comments

Tempest
by Julie Cross
Hardcover, 334 pages
Published: January 17th 2012
by St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN  0312568894
Book Source: Publisher
3 Stars
Book Summary From Goodreads: The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Review by ephrielle:  The cover picture doesn’t make any sense until the very end. It is also a bit misleading. I got the impression the book would be related to weather, or more specifically, the power to control it. This thought was aided by the title. The blurb does dispel any such notion and once the book is read the cover and title fit.
Jackson finds that he can ghost travel through time. By ghost travel, I mean that his travels don’t have the ability to change the future. It seems to be a funny pointless trick until one day everything he knows is upset. Turns out his ability is at the center of a serious and long standing war. Lies will be uncovered and secrets revealed. He is left to pick sides and deal with the consequences. There is more to time travel than entertainment.
As a character, Jackson is pegged as that rich spoiled kid. He uses his time travel as a minor entertainment. His life is full of avoiding hard work and even harder choices. Even his relationships are lacking commitment. The book follows his metamorphosis from shallow playboy to mature and responsible, if somewhat misguided hero.
There were three things I rather disliked about this book. The first is the vast amount of swearing. Second, I wasn’t that interested in their very healthy sex life. Luckily, there wasn’t gads of details. Third, I wasn’t very impressed with the title for the bad guys. Enemies of Time, EOTs, just felt a bit silly for how crazy dangerous they are. They really deserve something with a bit more umph, perhaps those dudes who must not be named. Or not, but definitely something more sinister.
A few things made this book unique for the young adult genre. The biggest was the age of Jackson; he is nineteen and a college student. Another unique aspect is the choice of topic. Julie Cross has taken time travel and changed the playing field.  This isn’t your average time travel book. Throw out your preconceived notions and get ready for a small mix up. She uses time travel to hint at and sometimes unveil secrets. The direction of the book is more backwards than forwards. By that, I mean we don’t ever reach the date the book begins at. Time travel takes us back and dumps us places for a short time. Where others time travel books have failed to keep my interest and make a thrilling read this one has succeeded. That doesn’t mean I agree with Jackson and how the book ends, I heartily disagree. A phrase that comes to mind is “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” You will have to read the book to find out what I mean. Ever wished you had a photographic memory? Well, how about a photographic memory hopped up on Red Bull and other stimulants? It would drastically ease the work load to learn new knowledge. Remember that kid who was sleeping through classes and still getting an A? He just might have been a time-traveler.
Overall, a fascinating read and worth the time I spent. It might have been a bit better for me minus a few distracting elements. The future of this world looks like there is still a lot of interesting things to come. What mysteries and developments will be unveiled next?
Content: heavy swearing and sex
About the author:
Julie lives in central Illinois with her husband and three children. She never considered writing professionally until May of 2009. Since then, she hasn’t gone a day without writing.
Find more about author Julie Cross on Goodreads/ Twitter/ Website/ Facebook
Fire and Ice is giving away one ARC of Tempest to our readers. To enter use the rafflecopter form below. You choose your own entries. Good luck!

Glow Release Day ARC Giveaway

13 Sep, 2011 by in St martins griffin 9 comments

Happy Book Birthday to
Glow
by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Hardcover, 307 pages
Published September 13, 2011
by St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN0312590563
series: Sky Chasers #1

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you’d been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth’s collapse, the ship’s crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader’s efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don’t know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them…

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he’s the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren’t all from the outside.

Fire and Ice is giving away two ARC’s of Glow to our followers today to celebrate courtesy of St Martin’s Griffin. To enter click here and fill out the form.

Also: if you’re a Facebook user, please please do “like” the GLOW facebook page. There, you’ll find a 50-page excerpt from the book, sweepstakes, and more. Best of all, there’s a Facebook app (where users take a quiz to be placed on one of two spaceships and then compete with their friends to earn points for cool GLOW prizes). Good luck!

Book Review- Infinite Days

24 Aug, 2010 by in book review, paranormal YA fiction, rebecca maizel, St martins griffin 5 comments

by Rebecca Maizel
published August 3, 2010
by St. Martin’s Griffin
details Paperback, 310 pages
isbn 0312649916
4.5 stars

“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you…no one.” Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face. It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste. Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust. I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode. But Justin was…daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream. I never expected to be sixteen again…then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me…

I picked up Infinite Days at the store after our interview with author Sheralyn Pratt who highly recommended it. Within the first couple of pages I discovered it was “another book about vampires” and I almost put it down…so glad I didn’t! Rebecca Maizel is a masterful spinner of stories and she left me captivated. It’s been several days since I finished and I can’t seem to get my mind off of her book. The first thing that drew me in was the cover. Five stars to that. It is made of opalescent paper which shimmers when light hits and the photo itself fits the book perfectly. It’s one of those covers you’ll want to touch and feel quite frequently. So while author Myra McEntire carries her books as a woobie blanket, I pet my covers for comfort.

But, on to inside the cover, which just blew me away. The beginning scene introduces Lenah Beaudonte, left to hibernate for 100 years and changed by the pure love of her soul mate Rhode Lewin into a human. Her past life as vampire queen in Hathersage, England is transformed into a new beginning as a High School Junior at a prestigious private school on the East Coast named Wickham. The thing that I love about Lena is her innocence in experiencing life. She re-reads human emotion and relishes in every day things we would normally take for granted like the sun on our skin. Two of my favorite scenes are of her standing in the rain and in a greenhouse with newly developed human senses of touch and smell. Of course it helps that Justin Enos,the schools biggest hottie is there with her! Which beings me to another reason I love this book. She has several layers of life all brought into one day and time, and as well several love interests to spice things up. Rhode, who changed her, Vicken whom she created and Justin in the present day. My prediction is that all three men will play a part in the sequel and things are about to get very interesting.

The overall theme that I picked up was that evil thoughts lead to evil actions, and it is pure intent which matters most. Change is possible and can ultimately mean the difference between life and death. Between flashbacks and a menagerie of interesting scenes from her past you will get sucked into the plot. And Rebecca has a way of awakening your senses along with Lena’s with chocolate chip cookies, the different colors of a grain of sand and the smell of an apple orchard. Truly a memorable debut. To learn more about Rebecca Maizel visit her website at http://rebeccamaizel.blogspot.com/ where you can enter to win a free audiobook and read excerpts from Infinite Days.

Book Review- 13 To Life by Shannon Delany

02 Jul, 2010 by in paranormal YA fiction, shannon delany, St martins griffin Leave a comment


published June 22nd 2010 by St. Martin’s Griffin
details Paperback, 320 pages
isbn 0312609140
4.5 stars

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide–secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early


Warning: Minor spoilers.
There are so many things that intrigued me about this book. It is deep. In fact, when I get a little time I’m going to have to go back and re-read it a second time. At the end of it all I was thinking…”Wait, What?!” Russian mafia, Wanda, CIA, more wolves? So many unanswered questions and references are alluded to but not resolved, it will keep you guessing.
From the second we are introduced to Pietr and his blue eyes I was in love. I really would have swooned to see him speaking more Russian. You know, complete sentences more than “Da” and “Nyet”. Something about a mystery man who can speak another language is a pull. I love that he is strong, straight forward and yet guarded with his past. My favorite scenes were the kisses he stole from Jess. I mean, WOW!
Jess…come on! Please stop letting him date Sarah. What is wrong with this picture? I know she suffered head trauma and all but… The evil twin she used to be is bubbling beneath her surface ready to surface any second now. I can see it coming. And meanwhile, in her innocent state, I think better to have her know the truth than get strung along and lied to. Okay, I have ranted.
What do I love about her? I think Shannon Delany has written a lot of her own strengths and personality into the heroine. She is great with horses, isn’t afraid to muck, can shoot a gun, packs a punch, tries to redeem a lost soul and has some guts. Jess and her friends are intellectuals. There are lots literary references in this book. So many I lost track: Pride and Prejudice, War and Peace, Homer’s Odyssey, romeo and Juliet, and the Merchant of Venice. Plus the book is poring in Russian folklore, history and heritage.
Overall I really enjoyed 13 to Life. The setting has a small town feel butted up against commercialism and shallow societal snobbery. There is a definite dislike of cheerleaders. My other favorite characters in the book were Amy and Max.
I predict: Derek is a werewolf. He can smell and taste Pietr’s kisses and I am thinking he has something to do with the break in at the school
  • Sarah loses it sometime soon and turns to the dark side.
  • There is more to Jessie than meets the eye. She is somehow tied to Pieter’s family and their past or parnormal.

Other books you may enjoy: Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble and Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda.

We shall see! I will definitely be reading the sequel.

Waiting on Wednesday "13 To Life"

03 Feb, 2010 by in paranormal YA fiction, shannon delaney, St martins griffin, waiting on 4 comments


Our Waiting on Wednesday is 13 to Life by Shannon Delany
To Be published June 22nd 2010 by St. Martin’s Griffin
details Paperback, 320 pages

isbn 0312609140 (isbn13: 9780312609146)

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide–secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early

SQUEE! I love the cover and of course the werewolf. Can’t wait!!!