Emblaze Blog Tour: Interview with Jessica Shivington

Title: Emblaze

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Series: The Embrace Series #3

ON SALE NOW!!!

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice ... and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

I'm so excited to have you on the blog for the Emblaze blog tour! The Embrace Series is one of my most favorite angel series right now!

Thanks so much for having me as a guest. And, yay! I'm so excited to hear you are enjoying the books!

How much research of angels and demons went into starting Embrace?

The research was extensive. Once it starts it kind of just escalates. I find that I stockpile a lot of different stories and take my times to become familiar with them and then, at the least expected times, I find an interesting way to weave them into Violet's world. Sometimes it is obvious to the reader and other times it is more subtle.

When featuring scripture through out the novels, do you find verses that fit the story or do you mold the story to fit a particular verse?

I find verses that fit my story - though that isn't to say that biblical stories and verses don't influence me along the way.

Who is your favorite character to write?

I write in Violet's point of view so I naturally feel closest to her. That said, I love them all. It is like asking a mother to choose between children. Very hard! And I really shouldn't! ;-)

Were you a big reader while growing up?

No. Not at all. In fact, I'd probably go out of my way to avoid reading books that I was told I should - even now I find it hard to be told what I am supposed to read. Although I am getting better!

It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I really discovered my love of reading. It is strange sometimes to think about what I missed out on now that I know what a huge part of my life reading and writing are. I really feel a bit cross with myself over it to be honest.

Who are your inspirations as a writer?

To tell a good story. That's it. Then once I do that, I'd really like to do that again.

If you had to recommend one book (or series) that you believe is a must read, what would it be?

Any book that grabs your attention. I don't know. Like I said above, I don't love being told what to read - it's personal, so I don't want to do it to other people. I love authors like C.S Lewis and I think there are some amazing authors like Neil Gaiman out there who should not be missed, but that's just me. Everyone is different.

Sum up The Embrace Series in 140 characters or less.

Angels are not always good. Consequence chases every choice. And love will kill them all.

Can you give us any spoilers or hints at what the future holds for Violet and Lincoln?

At the moment I'll give everyone a chance to enjoy EMBLAZE since it has just come out. ENDLESS will be out soon in October this year and then the final book will follow shortly after that. I'm very excited to share ENDLESS in October and I can let you know this much - I cried when I wrote it. A lot.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! The Embrace Series is fantastic and I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of the novels!

Thanks Crystal!! xx

Review: Embrace

Title: Embrace
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Series: The Violet Eden Chapters #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..."
On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, EMBRACE is a compelling novel of good and evil, seductive desires and impossible choices. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden.

LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori--part human, part angel--and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles.

PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray.

Two sides: Angel or Exile.

Two guys: Lincoln or Phoenix.

The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...

My thoughts: 

Whenever I come across a synopsis that I like and then discover that it’s an angel book, for some reason it always turns me off. I really don’t know why. Most of the angel books that I’ve read I have really liked. Unearthly is one of my favorite series so I definitely like angel books. So when Embrace came out, I never got around to reading it even though I was hearing great reviews! I finally made the decision to read it when I received a copy of Entice for review. And I am kicking myself for waiting so long!

I really loved Embrace! The story was really great and addicting. I found that I couldn’t wait to get back to the book while I was at work or doing something that didn’t involve reading! The author poses a very unique look at how angels come to be and the purpose of their existence. Enough information was revealed so that the reader can understand but enough was also kept secret to keep the reading wanting to know more! I was totally enthralled with all the action as well and always contemplating what was going to happen next.

I loved almost all the characters in Embrace! Violet was a great main character because she made really awesome decisions and she had good reasons for why she made those decisions. She’s strong, can kick your ass and doesn’t give up no matter what! And Lincoln! OMG Lincoln is one Hottie McTottie! He taught Violet how to fight for the past couple years and he flirts with her all the time! And then we learn that he is half angel and I just wanted to melt! Even though I’m usually not a fan of love triangles, this love triangle was awesome! Phoenix is also hot and totally into Violet! The characters really made the story!

I love a YA book that’s not afraid to tackle the sex question! There’s flirting, sexual tension, making out and even *gasp* sex! Shirvington’s characters have sex and she doesn’t gloss over it. Not that it’s graphic by any means, but the main character is left to deal with the consequence of what she did. I’m excited to see how this further plays out in the next book!

Embrace is a really great read and one I would recommend to those who really enjoy angel books! It’s exciting, fresh, unique and full of hotties which means that I have to give it 4.5 hearts! One of my favorite reads this year!

Review- Hallowed

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #2
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of HarperTeen

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

My take: 

I cannot even begin to tell you guys how much I not only loved this book, but love this series. I reviewed Unearthly a few months ago and I just gushed. It’s a series that you can connect to on almost every level because it just grabs hold of you and won’t let you go. I read it last month and I’m still thinking about the characters.

In Hallowed, just like Unearthly, Clara is still struggling to fully understand her purpose and figure out what she is supposed to do with now knowing that Christian is also an angel-blood. She truly believes that she messed up her purpose by saving Tucker instead of saving Christian like she believed she was supposed to. And then there’s Tucker who is all-country, hot and completely in love with Clara. In Unearthly, I was completely and one-hundred percent team Tucker and totally against the idea of Clara and Christian. But after reading Hallowed, I’m torn. Tucker let me down a little bit and Christian redeemed himself. As much as I loved Angel’s character in Unearthly, she kind of made me a little upset in Hallowed with her jealousy.

Hallowed had me running through almost every emotion. I cried through almost the whole second half of the book! There are also so many OMG moments that confused me, made me happy and made me sad. I loved the part about Clara’s dad and that whole subplot was very well executed. There is also something very creepy going on with Jeffery and I have a very bad feeling that he might do something terrible in the next book!

Honestly guys, this is one of my favorite series right now and this second book will not disappoint you if you loved Unearthly. Might I say, it is even better than the first. Which is normally unheard of, but in this case, it’s true. If you haven’t read Unearthly yet, I hope this review will make you want to go out and buy the book! Because you need to!!

Review- Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My thoughts: 

For some reason I was so opposed to reading this book. I saw it all over the blogosphere, people just raving about it after they read their advanced coping. I kept thinking to myself that I’m not going to read it or buy it and I’m just not going to do it! I always thought that the cover was gorgeous and the title was cool but I didn’t like the sound of the synopsis. It sounded like every other YA book out there right now. And then the worst happened!! I got it for my birthday. SO now the book is sitting there on my shelf, staring at me, just daring me to pick it up and start it. Of course I wouldn’t be writing this review if I didn’t give in.

I absolutely loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I love everything about it and I honestly can’t say one bad thing. It’s exactly what everyone says it is: beautiful, exotic, enticing, and completely surprising. It’s very well written, mature and Taylor’s characters are well-rounded and realized. I’ve honestly never read another book like it!

Karou is an amazing main character. A blue-haired force of nature who collects languages. How completely awesome! I wish I could collect languages without the hassle of actually having to learn them. A traveler who has seen more of the world than she cares to admit, she lives in Europe as an art student. Raised by a few chimeras, she grew up believing she was abandoned by her human parents and found by this half-man, half-beast creature. She grew up traveling through portals which have taken her all around the world so she could collect bones for Brimstone.

Akiva is by far my favorite character and I have a serious literary crush on him. He haphazardly runs into Karou while she is on one of her bone gathering missions and she takes him by surprise so completely that he just has to find out who she is. His pursuit of her leads to her discovery of who she is and where she came from. Everything that I love about Akiva is learned after this one huge moment in the book! But I can’t say anything about his amazing qualities without giving away spoilers and I don’t give away spoilers!

I love the while concept that Brimstone does his business dealings in the currency of wishes. These wishes are put into physical form depending on the size of the wish. Karou wears a necklace of tiny beads, which in reality is a tiny wish such as her hair growing blue or exacting her revenge on a few of her classmates. I also love the whole setting of the book. It’s at a European art school and I would have loved to see her best friend’s marionette art project. I really hope there is more Akiva in the next book! I’m so excited for it!!

I also had the opportunity of meeting Laini Taylor.  She is so awesome and so very creative! If I didn't work for Disney, I would have a hard time deciding of dying my hair blue or pink.  All of us at Mysterious Galaxy had a great time!

Review- Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My thoughts: 

Unearthly was the first book I read for the Frightfull Fall Read-a-Thon.  I literally started it in the morning and finished it before I went to bed that night.  I couldn't put it down down, it's that good.  I can't even tell you exactly what I loved so much but it's amazing! There are many books that I love and I would recommend to almost everyone I know who loves to read but there are very few books that I connect to on almost every level.

If I could give out Ashley at The Bookish Brunette's crown of epicness award, I would give it to Unearthly, hands down, no questions asked.  And now that I have read Hallowed (the sequel) I love it even more!

I love Cynthia Hand's portrayal of the angels.  She tells the story of the angles of God who saw how beautiful human women are so they decided to mate with them, thus creating angel-bloods, part-human and part-angel.  But some of these full-blooded angels decided to separate themselves from God and as a result their wings turned black.  Supposedly, they are unable to feel joy and happiness and they radiate massive amounts of sorrow.

All angel-bloods have a purpose for which they are made which reveals itself to the person sometime around their late teenage years.  The beginning of Unearthly finds Clara having these visions of a fire and a certain boy that she thinks she needs to save.  They end up moving from California to Wyoming so that she can fulfill her purpose because it's that important!

That's where she meets super-sexy, completely country, the hottest cowboy to ever be written named Tucker.  And I love Tucker.  I'm a huge fan of Tucker.  I actually like all the characters.  Even the ones that are supposed to be bad, I understand on one level or another. 

Angela is a great character and one of my favorites!  I love that Clara was able to meet another angel-blood her age who she can tell her secrets to.  The other great thing about Angels is her undying thirst to know as much as she can about what it means to be an angel-blood and their history which is great for Clara, because I think that Clara is too accepting of the fact that her mother tells her almost nothing.  Together they're able to learn about Black wings and their purposes.  

Even though I love Tucker and he's one of my favorite characters as well, I also love Christian.  He always has Clara's best interested at hear even if he can seem like a jerk at times.  He really is the epitome of all teenage hottness.  Tall, dark, handsome, piercing blue eyes, wealthy, smart and popular.  He's pretty much what most teenage girls want in a boyfriend.  But unfortunately for Clara, Christian already has a girlfriend and she is a typical "mean girl".  I don't want to give anything away but Christian turns out to be someone completely great and not at all what I expected.  

I just absolutely love this book!  It's is so beautifully written and it's one of those stories that stays with you after you've finished reading it.  If you haven't read it yet, GET IT NOW!  Hallowed releases in January! 

Review- Personal Demons

Title: Personal Demons
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Series: Personal Demons #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance---even her closest friends---and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy---all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

My thoughts: 

When I heard that Lisa Desrochers was going to be at the Orange County Children's Book Fair, I knew that I Had to at leas read one of her books.  So I picked up Personal Demons and I ended up liking what I read.  I had a hard time getting into the flow of the writing style but the story was just too interesting to give up that easily.

I felt the characters are very distinct and there's no question of whose good and whose evil.  It's very laid out from the start.

Surprisingly, the main character Frannie was my least favorite character.  Mainly because I don't like people who can't make a decision.  And let me tell you, Frannie can't decide between Luc and Gabriel.  To me, there's no need to make a decision at all! I'm with Luc all the way.  But of course, I always go for the bad boy types.  

So we have Frannie who is, more often than not, making out with both of these boys, one a demon and one an angel.  Now I can expect this kind of behavior from a demon but seriously Gabriel! You're supposed to be making sure she remains pure and that her soul is not going to hell! 

Luc's character is very dynamic and he changes dramatically through the novel which makes him one of my favorite characters.  Towards the end he finds himself lost and questioning his purposed and mission.

Personal Demons is definitely one of the more hot and steamier novels in YA right now.  I hope in Original Sin that we get to see some of the scenes from Gabriel's perspective.  

Author Interview- Aaron Patterson and Giveaway!

Today I have here at Elegantly Bound Books the author of the upcoming book Airel, Aaron Patterson! He was so great to do this interview and to giveaway an e-copy of his book!

Where did you get the inspiration to write about angels?

I got the main story idea from Genesis 6 in the Bible where there are two verses about these angels that left to be with the human women and after that not much is said about them. I thought it would make a great story and so here we are.

I really love the cover, it's just stunning! How much sway did you have in the process of creating the cover of the book?

I work with my cover artist closely and so I got final say on everything to the color to the feel it gives off. I wanted something that was irresistible and I think she did a fantastic job!

What is your favorite scene and character in the book?

I love the end as it has action, heartbreak and when I write it I get goosebumps so I hope it does the same for readers. I write for myself so if a story keeps me going as I write I figure it will have the same impact on most other people. Although I am a little weird.

How did you choose the name Airel for the main character?

Airel is the old Hebrew way of spelling her name. It is a old angel name so I thought it fit. As with every charater I write, each name has a hidden histroy and meaning. Every book I have written the names mean something so if you want to get really nerdy about them you can look up each one and try to figure out what I was going for.

The publishing process can be long and arduous, from writing the initial draft of a book to selecting the cover art to waiting for those first reviews to roll in. What the most exciting part of the process for you?

The first draft. I love getting the story out. After that I like to see how people respond even if it is bad. I try to write books that that get a reaction. Good or bad I want you to "Feel" something.

Are you ever surprised how a scene works out when you're writing it or how a character winds up acting in a scene?

All the time! These people are real and do what they want. In fact, sometimes I get mad that they did something stupid or didn't react like I wanted them to, but that is the goal, make them real so they write themselves.

It must be hard to find time to relax when you're so busy writing, but everyone needs a break. Is there a particular genre or author you enjoy read when you're not writing?

I read just about everything. I like Steampunk and thrillers. I also enjoy medical thrillers but my all time favorite series is the "Black, White, Red" series by Ted Dekker... it is amazing!

For more information on Aaron Patterson, you can visit his blog or follow him on twitter!


Giveaway

Rules:

• One entry per person
• Must be 13 years or older
• International participants accepted
• Ends midnight, August 5

Review- Crescendo

Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect.  Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least seh got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel.  But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic.  He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant.  Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him--despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers.  But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything--and everyone--she trusts.

My thoughts:

Before I read Crescendo, it had been almost a year-and-a-half since I read Hush, Hush.  I remember absolutely loving it and wanting to continue the series, but I was really fuzzy on the details of the story.  But Becca Fitzpatrick does not give enough background in the beginning of Crescendo and I found myself somewhat lost.

Then Nora breaks up with Patch and I was so upset! And I felt like they broke up over what Dane Cook calls the nothing fight.  The nothing fight is started over literally nothing just so the couple, who by this point pretty much hates each other, can fight so much until one party breaks up with the other one.  I'm not saying that Nora and Patch hated each other, but I could tell that Nora has some issues with Patch that were just piling up and she got to the point of the last straw.  I can't even remember what the flight was about in the book, but it just seemed like she had been ready to explode and she did over something that wasn't all that important.

Patch started hanging out and messing around with Marcie Millar and it pretty much makes me want to punch Patch in the face.  I think it's really low of people or guys to hook up with your mortal enemy after right after a break up.  Way to get her back, GEEZ PATCH!!!!

The mystery was great in Crescendo.  Patch was constantly lurking around corners, doing something that he couldn't talk about.  And since he wasn't speaking to Nora either, the reader had no idea what Patch was doing so it was like we were only getting one side of the story.  So then the ending just completely came out of nowhere and I was like, "WHAT!!!!"

The ending sure left it open for an epic conclusion in the third book! I'm so nervous for Patch and Nora and I hope that they will get the ending that they deserve!

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

This week for Waiting on Wednesday, I chose Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, the third and final book in the Hush, Hush trilogy! I am so excited for this book to come out and, lucky me, Becca Fitzpatrick is doing a release party in Huntington Beach, CA, which is not too far from my house! Silence will be released October 04, 2011!

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone.  They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds....faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth.  Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for--and their love--forever.

Blog Hop and Follow Friday (15)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View. This week's featured blogger is Erika at Let's Talk About Books!

Q: Your favorite book/movie character (example: Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room. Who is it and what would be your first reaction?

I love, love, love Harry Potter and all the movies and if Ronald Weasley/Rupert Grint walked into the room, I'm pretty sure my heart would stop and I wouldn't be able to breath! Once I regained control of myself (which would take so long he probably would have left the room), I would probably walk up to him and not be able to say a single word. It would also include a few other things like smiling awkwardly, continuing to nod my head and staring at him like I was his creep stalker. But if Patch from the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick walked into the room, I would try as fast as I can to shove my hands up the back of his shirt, touch the scars of his wings and see where it would take me! It would be amazing just to touch Patch!

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love for the written word. The book blogger hop is brought to us by Jennifer at Crazy For Books!

Q: What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?

A: The main reason I continue reading a book after the first few pages is that it usually sucks me in and I'm already wanting to know what happens next. That's how it is when I'm starting the first book in a series. If it's a series that I really love, then I give the next few book more time than I usually would to get the story going. I already love the characters and I've already invested my time in them, so I already know that I'm going to enjoy the story. I put a book down after 50 pages or so when I don't feel an emotional connection with them and I don't care what happens to them in the story.