November 30, 2014

Review - Harry Potter: The Creature Vault: The Creatures and Plants of the Harry Potter Films by Joy Revenson

Harry Potter: The Creature Vault: The Creatures and Plants of the Harry Potter Films
Author: Joy Revenson
Genre: YA Reference/Art/Fantasy
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Harper Design

Description:

Dementors and House-elves, merpeople and Chinese Fireball Dragons--these are just a few of the magical creatures and frightening monsters populating J. K. Rowling's wizarding world. Harry Potter: The Creature Vault is a fascinating look at how this menagerie was brought to life for the blockbuster Harry Potter film series. Detailed profiles of each creature include rare concept illustrations, behind-the-scenes photography, and filmmaking secrets from the Warner Bros. archive. A removable poster picturing each of the creatures and an interactive Eeylops Owl Emporium catalog complete this must-have package.  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328567-harry-potter?ac=1


 

Harry Potter: The Creature Vault: The Creatures and Plants of the Harry Potter Films is a magnificent collection of information, fun facts, and great images that any fan of the Harry Potter series or movies will want to get their hands on. The book is set up like an encyclopedia, with the creatures and plants divided up into separate categories, like where they can be found (water, air, forest, etc.). There are tons of different creatures and plants in throughout the book that fans may have forgotten about or have wondered about - and we get the inside scoop on them all. Each entry in the book has a detailed description of the creature/plant, as well as any interesting facts from the movies or books. Along with the fascinating narrative, the entries also contain a text box somewhere on the page that gives you quick and fun facts. Aside from the text, there are magnificent concept images that were taken straight from the sets of the movies. They show the different ideas on how the creature or plant should look - the color, varying characteristics, size, etc. There are quite a few of these concept drawings for each entry and I found them all to be amazingly beautiful. I've never seen any "behind the scenes" information from the movies before (or any movie really), so being able to see these designs and ideas that allowed the creatures and plants come to life on screen was an enchanting experience. On top of these drawings and the text, there are images taken from the movies themselves that show the subject of the entry and tells you where/when the picture was taken from. Luckily, I was able to find some of the images and pictures on the Internet, so you could at least get an idea of what I'm talking about.
 
It's incredibly hard to describe a book like this and be able to capture the sheer magic that emanates from its pages. When I first received the book, I sat down and just slowly went through, page by page, and looked at all the drawings and pictures and read some of the quick facts and captions. I was in awe. I don't even know how long I sat there staring at the pages - I'm sure it was well over an hour. When I went back the second time and read every single piece of text and poured over the images again, I was lost to the world and pulled right back into Harry's world. I literally read the book in a state of wonder and delight. I really can't portray what the book is like to look at and read - no words seem to be enough to convey how incredible it is. I'm a die-hard Harry Potter fan, so this book was (and will remain) a treasure to me. I know I'll be re-reading it and just looking through at the pictures and drawings so many times that it'll probably fall apart. I cannot recommend this book high enough, especially to fans of the Harry Potter series and/or the movies. This is a definite must have for Harry lovers like myself. The only thing that could be better would be a full encyclopedia of every creature, plant, object, places, words, slang, etc. that make an appearance in the books. I know that this is a huge order and the end product would be enormous, but it would be one of the most amazing books ever written, I'm sure. I have heard rumors that one of these might be in the works... but I'll try not to get my hopes up too high. I want to emphasize one last time that this book is nothing short of amazing and anyone who loves Harry Potter and his world should get their hands on a copy. NOW. I swear you'll love it!
 
Absolutely EPIC! A Must Have for Any Harry Potter Fan!


Jody Revenson has written extensively about the Harry Potter films, with her most recent books being "Harry Potter: The Creature Vault," and the upcoming "Harry Potter: The Book of Magical Places" and "Harry Potter: The Character Vault." In her first foray into the wizarding world, she edited and contributed to the New York Times bestsellers "Harry Potter: Film Wizardry" (penning its updated version and App) and "Harry Potter: Page to Screen," as well as the Harry Potter Poster Collections "Quintessential Images" and "Definitive Posters." For the "Harry Potter: Page to Screen Limited Edition," she wrote "The Paintings of Hogwarts," "The Creature Shop Compendium," "Movie Magic: Practical Props and Exciting Effects," "Environments Envisioned: Building Fantastic Sets and Scouting Dramatic Locations," "Wizard Wear & Muggle Attire," and "Ten Years Later: Life On Set with the Harry Potter Cast and Crew." She believes she would be a Ravenclaw.

Jody has also written in the Walt Disney world, especially for and about Disneyland and Walt Disney World with such books as "Popping Up Around Walt Disney World," "Disneyland Challenge," and eight years of souvenir books for both parks. For Disney's live-action films, she co-authored "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Pirate's Guidelines" and "Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery." Early in her career, Jody wrote for DC Comics on the Looney Tunes and Tiny Toons comic books, and for MAD Magazine. Her screenplay "Rap Tap Tap" was filmed and shown on HBO.

Jody was raised by a pack of folksingers in the town of Massapequa on Long Island, New York, and currently lives in New York City. A graduate of New York University, she also attended Northwestern University and Berklee College of Music, where she fronted the rock bands Jody Retro & the Rockets and Jack Damage; and spent ten years in the film business in Hollywood, California, which was an education in itself. (Information taken from the author's Amazon page.)


Author Link:
http://www.facebook.com/jody.revenson 
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jody-revenson/11/63a/355 
http://www.amazon.com/Jody-Revenson/e/B001JS3WK2 


I want to send a HUGE thank you to the wonderful people at Harper Design for sending me a copy of the book for review!




November 29, 2014

A Touch of Nerves Blog Tour: Tens List + Giveaway

http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2014/11/a-touch-of-nerves-by-dc-hampton.html

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Touch of Nerves! Today I have the author's top ten travel locations to share with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.


A Touch of Nerves
Author: D.C. Hampton
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Publisher: New Shelves Publishing Services

Description:

A FRESH LOOK AT 21ST CENTURY TERRORISM
 
--New novel explores America’s role in the Middle East

When Army Captain Ben Hawkins discovers chemical weapons missing from a military research facility, he begins an investigation into preventing a possible terrorist attack. The suspects? Two rogue Iranian agents who blame the deaths of their family members on the United States. What Hawkins doesn’t expect is to find himself forced to decide whether to risk his career—and possible arrest—to stop the attack, even if it means working with a foreign agent.

D.C. Hampton’s debut novel, A Touch of Nerves, may be set on the battlefield of America’s “War on Terror,” but the book is a far cry from your typical action narrative. Inspired by his two sons who served in Iraq and the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War and his own time serving in the U.S. Army, Hampton brings depth and humanity to characters that might otherwise be painted in the two-dimensional “hero” or “villain” archetypes. With Hampton’s passion for history and global affairs, A Touch of Nerves brings a fresh perspective to the long history of tension between the United States and Iran.

“I wanted to write a story that was worth telling, realistic and suspenseful,” says Hampton. “I believe the book is entertaining, but it also sheds light on the complex relationship between Iran and the United States and explores the complex emotions and issues that drive some individuals to commit terrible acts.”

“The story includes a wealth of details as Hampton weaves a complex plot,” writes Kirkus Reviews. “A conceivable threat and suspense-filled plot keep readers engaged until the end. Hampton eschews the genre’s typical plot holes and vague facts and his handle on international relations gives the terrorists credible motivations.”


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17152935-a-touch-of-nerves

Top Ten Favorite Travel Location:


New Zealand (all parts)
Barcelona
Bermuda
Rio DeJaneiro
Long Island Sound, especially the Connecticut River
Nantucket
Paris
Green Mountains of Vermont
London
Manhattan
D.C. Hampton holds an MA and PhD in Audiology from Columbia University and has been published extensively in the field. He has done graduate work in history and has always been interested in international relations. Though he has been extensively published in medical and trade publications, A Touch of Nerves is his first foray into fiction.

Social Media:
 
You can purchase A Touch of Nerves at the following Retailers:
        

(1) Winner will receive a Signed Copy of A Touch of Nerves by D.C. Hampton.
(1) Winner will receive a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter  

 


 

November 28, 2014

The Naughty List Blog Tour: Playlist + Giveaway

http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2014/10/the-naughty-list-by-la-kelley.html

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Naughty List! Today I have the author's playlist for the book - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.


The Naughty List

Author: L.A. Kelley
Release Date: October 25, 2013
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Description:

Not your mama’s yuletide tale unless she drank too much egg nog or was born with a cheeky sense of humor.

Murder, mystical artifacts, an invisible demon with anger management issues, and an overbearing cupid—not what Rosalie Thatcher wished for on her Christmas list.

The holidays had always been a magical time for Rosalie, but not this year. Stephanie, her new manager at Penrose’s Department Store, is determined to make this season the most profitable in the store’s history, even if it sucks the life out of every employee. Introducing arbitrary rules and stealing the affections of Anthony, the cute temp Santa, were bad enough, but forcing Rosalie into the stupid elf hat was the worst. The worst, that is, until she meets a real E.L.F. (Elemental Life Form) named David and gets lassoed into a desperate hunt for the stolen Naughty and Nice List. Rosalie and David must dodge a murderous invisible demon and recover the missing artifact before hellhounds track them down. The couple race against time for without the magical guidance of the Naughty and Nice List, the world will tumble toward eternal chaos. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18755190-the-naughty-list

Music Playlist for THE NAUGHTY LIST


Manheim Steamroller Christmas Album
The Hall of the Mountain King - Grieg
At My Most Beautiful - R.E.M.
Kiss from a Rose - Seal
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
The Rose - Bette Midler
All of Me - John Legend
Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows
I’m a Believer - Smash Mouth
Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Next To Me - Emeli Sandé
Neutron Dance - The Pointer Sisters
R-E-S-P-E-C-T - Aretha Franklin
Happy - Pharrell Williams 

L. A. Kelley is married with three children and lives in Florida where the heat and humidity have driven everyone slightly mad. She writers fantasies with adventure, romance, humor, and a touch of sass. She never cleans under her sofa. In her spare time she reports Big Foot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her.




Social Media:
   
 


You can purchase The Naughty List at the following Retailers:
        
To enter the tour wide giveaway, click HERE or on the banner at the top of the post.




Book Blitz + Giveaway: The Token 8: Kiki by Marata Eros




The Token 8: Kiki (Token #8)
Author: Marata Eros
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 28, 2014

Description:

One Promise.

Kandace “Kiki” King lives a dream life. Rising above the ashes of a neglected childhood, she’s graduated from a prestigious Seattle university to obtain her pre-law degree. Her best friend, Faren, has overcome tragedy and found her happily ever after.

Kiki’s not looking for love.

The Lie.

Love has other plans. After Thorn’s revelation about the ties of their past, Kiki feels as though she’s been set adrift. When Mick McKenna’s billionaire friend shows interest, she dismisses him. Her exotic dancing paid for her lifestyle. What does Chet Sinclair know about sacrifice and hard work?

A Truth.

Until they discover a similar appetite. For the first time in her life, Kiki feels helpless against the pull of a sexuality she doesn’t understand, couldn’t anticipate, yet hungers for. Will she allow herself to succumb to what Chet Sinclair offers?

Or is the oath she made to herself in danger of being broken?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22111383-the-token-8?ac=1
“I like this Chet.” My finger touches the tip of his nose.

His expression freezes.

“What Chet?” he asks neutrally.

“This one,” I say softly, touching his arm lightly as he stands.

He doesn't respond, quickly drying himself.

I blush at his flaccid penis. That his tube of love did those things to me... seems inconceivable, but Chet has the moves. Boy, does he.

He strides around my small condo, picking up trousers, socks, underwear, and the cufflinks he'd left behind.

“Ah,” he says when he plucks them off the entrance table. “I wondered where they'd gone off to.” He lifts them with his fingers then loosely closes his fist around them.

“You put them there when we were christening the wall,” I say, my voice as droll as they come.

My cell dings between us on the kitchen table. I don't move to answer, but Chet does.

I go to intercept, but I’m too late.

Chet scoops it up, frowning at whatever he sees on the screen.

Shit.

But why should I feel bad? I mean, he's got Chloe for shit's sake. And Ax and I—we're nothing.

Though it could be something.

I bite my lip, and Chet's eyes zero in on my mauling of the soft flesh. I let it plop out.

“Who is Ax?”

I lift a naked shoulder, my boob jiggling a little from the motion. Chet's eyes flick to my breast then back to my eyes.

“A guy.”

His eyebrow cocks. “Clearly.”

The silence has words.

“He's a guy I was friends with in the projects,” I say.

Chet pulls a face. “Projects?”

Right, rich boy doesn't know the term. “Yʼknow, slums.” I sound a little more harsh than I mean to. Try as I might, I can't wash the dirt off the word.

“I see.” Chet's gaze doesn't hold the condemnation I think it will. It's neutral.

I try not to be defensive about my past. I can't help my birthing circumstance, my old hood, my stripping to pay for school at Udub—none of it. It's my past. But knowing all that shit doesn't make me feel any less self-conscious.

I inhale deeply, poised to speak, but Chet holds up a hand. “I'm not interested in an explanation of your background.”

I see red, literally. He gets a load of my pissed off expression, no doubt.

Chet rakes his longish hair back from his forehead. “What I mean is that I do want to know you, were you come from. However, I don't want you to feel you're lesser for it.”

I don't cry, but my throat feels as if a fist is crammed inside it. Something tells me I've misunderstood Chet....
Marata Eros (a pen name for Tamara Rose Blodgett), is the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of A Terrible Love. Marata has more than thirty-five titles in multiple genres including Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance as well as her highly successful Dark Erotica series.

Marata lives in South Dakota with her husband, children and fur kids. She is an ardent reader of many genres. Tamara enjoys interacting with her readers via Twitter, blog and newsletter as often as possible. Please stop by and say hi :)


Author Links:
Website: http://marataeroseroticaauthor.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @MarataEros
FaceBook: http://tinyurl.com/MarataErosFB


Buy Link: Amazon 
 Blitz Wide Giveaway (Open INT):
A signed copy of The Token 8: Kiki
$25 Amazon Gift Card





 

Spotlight + Giveaway: Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle


Hey everyone! Today I'm doing a spotlight on a great new YA contemporary romance novel - Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle! Read on for more info on the book and the author - then enter to win your own copy!


Famous in Love (Famous in Love #1)
Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: Poppy

Description:

The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.

Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…

When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a crowded movie set on the shores of Maui, and is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie’s famous love triangle, Paige’s crazy new life gets even crazier.

In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is – and who she wants – while the whole world watches.
 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20706307-famous-in-love

Hey, Guys! I'm so glad you decided to visit my little corner of the Internet. As you may know I am a writer-- always have been and barring some kind of Broadway-discovery-- always will be. I have loved writing since I could put words down on a page and that love took me through school at USC and eventually delivered me to NYC, my home and the scene of one of my novels, The Edge of Falling. I feel about New York the way I feel about writing-- pretty in love. That is not to say they both don't have their challenges (they do-- they are both so unruly and noisy!) but there is really no where else in the world I'd rather live, and nothing else in the world I'd rather do. I'm crazy lucky, but by far the best part of my job is interacting with you, the wonderful people, teens, hearts on the other side of this dialogue. So please reach out! Tweet me, visit me on Tumblr, talk to me about your favorite TV show (mine is The Vampire Diaries) and know that it is because of you that I am here. (Author information & picture taken from her website.)

Author Links:
 Giveaway: Thanks to Rebecca, (1) lucky winner will get a SIGNED copy of the book + some exclusive swag! 





 

November 27, 2014

Endsinger Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt + Giveaway

http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2014/11/endsinger-by-jay-kristoff.html

Welcome to my stop on the Endsinger blog tour! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book along with a great excerpt - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.


Endsinger (Lotus War #3)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Description:

A TREMBLING EARTH
The flames of civil war sweep across the Shima Imperium. With their plans to renew the Kazumitsu dynasty foiled, the Lotus Guild unleash their deadliest creation—a mechanical goliath known as the Earthcrusher, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. With the Tiger Clan and their puppet Daimyo Hiro in tow, the Guild marches toward a battle for absolute dominion over the Isles.

A BROKEN REBELLION
Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the Kagé rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends in an effort to unite the country against the chi-mongers. But the ghosts of Buruu’s past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin’s betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war tearing the Imperium apart, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win.

A FINAL BATTLE
The traitor Kin walks the halls of Guild power, his destiny only a bloody knife-stroke away. Hana and Yoshi struggle to find their place in a world now looking to them as heroes. Secret cabals within the Lotus Guild claw and struggle; one toward darkness, the other toward light. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth.

There is nothing a mother won't do to keep her children by her side.

Nothing. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17928198-endsinger
Prologue

The thing inside their mother wanted out.

Swollen and heavy as stone, Lady Sun fell westward into the waiting oceans. A chill followed her descent, coiled in the mountain shadows, creeping towards the dusty little farm and its withered fields. The wind brought the brittle bite of approaching winter, the vapour from the deadlands stirring like a lover at its touch, rippling with the sound of their mother’s screams.

Tetsuo and Hikita crouched together in the dirt, all grubby faces and threadbare rags. The children had fled the house when the noise became too much. Their mother’s agonized cries had reduced little Tetsuo to tears, and Hikita took his younger brother’s hand and led him out into the dark and quiet. Hikita knew he must be strong. He was the man now. Thin shoulders only ten summers old, carrying the weight of his family and the weight of the world.

Their neighbour had arrived with the midwife, and now the women clustered about the bed as Mother wailed, stepping outside only to dash buckets of red water onto cracked earth, or wring bloody rags between their fingers. Hikita would watch them then, his eyes hidden behind soot-smeared glass, black and empty as the dusk above their heads.

He knew what another mouth meant for his family. Knew their pitiful stead wouldn’t have enough good earth left next season to feed three, let alone four. But the baby was coming, whether he willed it or not. There was nowhere else for it to go, after all.

Tetsuo stabbed at the ashen earth with a stick. The blood lotus crop around them swayed and rolled, voices whispering in the husk-dry leaves.

‘Do you think it will be another boy?’

‘Only the Maker knows,’ Hikita replied.

‘I would like a sister.’

‘I would like the cur who put that baby in her to be at her side. I would like Father to still be alive.’ Hikita scowled, climbing to his feet. ‘Like has nothing to do with life.’

He stared at the Tōnan Mountains to the west; jagged fists raised against the setting sun. Between Hikita’s feet and those stone roots, miles of deadlands stretched into the dark – cracks in the earth running twenty feet deep, wreathed in choking fog. Through the fumes, he could see a broken wagon here, a collapsed barn there. Farmsteads run to ruin, swallowed by the blackness spreading from the Stain. He knew somewhere in those mountains loomed First House, the heart of Guild power in Shima. The ones who fed the lotus with the blood of roundeyes, or so the radio sometimes said. The ones who were bleeding this land dry for the sake of fuel and flowers.

Sometimes, when the sky-ships flew overhead, the windows would rattle and little Tetsuo would wake from his sleep, thinking demons were rising from the Hells. But Hikita knew the oni had better things to do than trouble the sleep of foolish boys. The Endsinger’s children dwelled below the earth, deep in the Yomi Underworld. It was men who stained the clouds in their roaring machines. Men who turned the sky to red, the land to ashes, the rain to black. Not demons. Not gods. Just men.

A trembling wail split the dusk, Mother shrieking, throat raw. Hikita scowled again, lifted his kerchief and spat. Brother or sister, it didn’t matter. He’d hate that child. Hate it as he hated its father, with his smooth talk and smoother smile. A dog who took advantage of a widow’s loneliness, left her in dishonour, a bastard in her belly. He’d kill him if he saw him again. Show him that though they lived on the Stain’s edge, in the poorest lands in all the seven islands of Shima, they were still Ryu clan. The blood of Dragons still flowed in their veins.

The windows began rattling and Hikita looked up, expecting to see a Guild sky-ship lumbering out of the dusk. But the sky was an empty, fading red, scabbed with storm clouds. The rattling intensified, the earth trembling so violently he fell to his knees. Tetsuo crawled across the bucking soil, a great belly-sore rumble beneath them. The brothers held each other as the island shook, Tetsuo crying out in fear.

‘Another earthquake?’

The fifth in as many weeks. The rumbling stilled, choking slowly, until the skitter of rotten earth into the deadlands fissures was the only noise. A thin cry began; a newborn’s first bewildered plea as it was dragged from bloody warmth into this world of men. Kicking and screaming.

‘It’s here!’ Tetsuo cried, the tremors forgotten.

He slipped from Hikita’s embrace and dashed into the house, dirty heels beating the verandah like drums. Hikita stood slowly, listening to the hungry wails from their newest mouth. He could hear his mother crying, the joy in her voice as she called for him to come meet his new sister. And the boy shook his head and licked the ashes from his lips, looking across the tall stalks of blood lotus to the desolation around the mountain’s feet.

He blinked. Squinted in the gloom.

Tiny lights. Blood-red. A pair, shining between the lotus fronds. The crunch of little feet in dead leaves and deader earth. Hikita peered into the dark, the wails of his new sibling filling his ears. The deadlands fumes were an oil-thick shadow, rippling like black water. The lotus stalks bent gently – something moving through the crop – and the tiny lights flickered out, once, twice, winking like the long lost stars in the skies overhead.

No, not winking, he realized.

Blinking.

A figure shuffled from the stalks, covered in black earth and ashes. It stood two feet high, but its arms hung long and low, back bent as it shuffled forward and snuffled at the air. Its eyes were scarlet, casting a bloody light over heavy brows, hairless skull, swollen lips. It saw the boy, lips splitting into an idiot grin like a toddler who’d just found a new playmate. But its teeth were yellowed fangs, tusks protruding from its lower jaw, and Hikita realized that beneath the mask of dirt and ash, its skin was midnight blue.

‘Uh-uuhhhhhhhh,’ it said, holding out its arms.

Hikita’s eyes were fixed on the talons set in those grasping fingers, sharp as katana.

‘Gn-uhhhhh . . .’

‘Oni,’ he breathed. ‘Lord Izanagi save me.’

The demon flinched at the Maker God’s name, eyes growing bright and wide. It loped forward, knuckles dragging in the earth, a shriek of rage spilling from crooked fangs.

Hikita screamed. Screamed with his sister, here on her birthing day in the shadow of those broken peaks, amidst the rot creeping like a cancer across the island’s skin. Screamed as if it were his final breath. As if it were all he was, and all he ever would be.

As if the world itself was ending.
Endsinger is the third and final book in the Lotus War trilogy - a dystopian fantasy with steampunk aspects that continues to follow our heroine Yukiko as she tries to gather allies in order to unite the country and lead the rebellion against the chi-mongers. Along with Buruu and his past troubles coming back to haunt him, Yukiko must fight to save her country from the traitor Kin as well as the final battle that will decide the fate of the country. The people of Shima will battle for their lives and their land - and they will also find out the last secret of the blood lotus. One that could kill them all.

I have to admit that when I read the description on the first book in the trilogy, I was a bit skeptical and unsure of what to expect. I'm not a huge fantasy fan and the idea of a story about a female warrior in a dystopian empire didn't seem quite up my alley. I decided to give it a try anyway and I'm incredibly glad I did. This trilogy was amazing. It's really hard to come up with words that are able to explain all the fantastic aspects of this book, and my review will certainly not do it justice. The third book picks up where the second left off - and once the pace starts moving, it doesn't let up until the final page. Yukiko continues to be a fantastic main character. She's brave, smart, strong, and devoted warrior who stands up for what she believes in and for what's right - and she can kick serious butt if need be. If that isn't enough coolness, she has the ability to hear the thoughts of animals AND she has a thunder tiger named Buruu. She's a very unique main character and I still love the fact that the author made her female.

The plot sucked me in from the first words and I was once again immersed in the world of the Shima Imperium alongside Yukiko. The author uses such vivid imagery and detailed descriptions of everything - from the characters to the setting and all the happenings throughout the book - that I was enchanted all over again. There's so much happening in this book - I can't even hope to describe it all. The story was full of action and adventure along with some romance and really intriguing steampunk aspects. The setting is still magical to me - a dystopian empire that uses the lotus plant for just about everything, including steam-powered contraptions and air ships. The original mixture of fantasy, steampunk, dystopian, and mythology makes this series exceptionally unique and like nothing I've ever read before. I loved learning all that I could about the mythology in the series along with all the various characters - their personalities, strengths, flaws - everything. The writing was phenomenal and shows the immense talent that the author possesses. The book flowed so easily and had such a quick pace that I literally could not stop reading once I started - which is exactly what happened with the first two in the series. The writing grips you from the very beginning and leaves you begging for more (which sadly we won't get after this). Again, I can't find the right words to convey how epic this book, and this series, is and my review honestly doesn't do it the justice it deserves. The final book in the trilogy was full of intense battles and tons of beauty and intrigue. I was excited to see what would happen in the final book, but I'm very sorry that it's over. It's truly a bittersweet ending - we finally learn all the secrets that have been alluded to throughout the series and we get to see the final battle play out, along with the affects of what happens. Very highly recommended for fans of all genres, especially dystopias, fantasy, mythology, and action/adventure. I know for sure that I'll be keeping a very close eye on this author and I can't wait to see what he comes out with next!

An Epic Finale to One of the Most Unique and Exceptional Trilogies Out There!

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press & Tor UK. Part 3, ENDSINGER, will be released in November 2014. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13520 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.


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You can purchase ENDSINGER at the following Retailers:
        
(1) Winner will receive a Signed Copy of ENDSINGER +Signed Bookmark 
(4) Winners will receive a Signed Bookmark and Book Plate.
(3) Winners will receive a Copy of ENDSINGER by Jay Kristoff.
Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter