Happy Birthday L.K. Madigan: You are Greatly Missed!

Today would have been L.K. Madigan's birthday! She was a YA author who passed away early last year due to pancreatic cancer. You can see a post I did on that here to find out more details. In said post I stated:

"I have no intention of ever letting the literary world forget her part in it or the contribution she made to it through her wonderful books. Lisa shall never be forgotten!"

This is me staying true to that promise! I saw a post on Lisa Schroeder's blog revealing the cover of her new book Falling for You (see post here) and she also mentioned that today would have been Lisa Madigan's birthday. I'm doing this post to bring her books to your attention, because they deserve every ounce of it. So here we go people.

Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Pub. Date: October 19th, 2009
Pages: 320
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis via Goodreads
Click.

Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake’s world turns upside down. The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. “That’s my mom!” gasps Marissa.

Click.

Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus.

Click.

Contrast. Shannon, Blake’s GF. Total. Babe. Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?

Click.

Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed. Crash and burn.

Talk about negative space.

Click.

What I Thought (From My Review)
"Humorous, honest, and full of photographic awesomeness, Flash Burnout is a fast-paced, page-turner of a story and I did not want to put it down."

Quote from Book (Noteworthy Passages Post)
"I think of Gus's angel tattoo, a constant reminder of his loss. I don't need something etched into my skin to remind me. I've got tattoos on my heart."

Buy Flash Burnout
Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository

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The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Pub. Date: October 4th, 2010
Pages: 336
Age Level: 13+

Synopsis via Goodreads
Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.

Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life forever.

What I Thought (From My Review)
"All in all, The Mermaid's Mirror is a radiant, touching story that beautifully twines together both coming-of-age aspects and mythical elements. I would highly recommend this unique and refreshing read to anyone; I know I'll sure be reading it again in the future."

Quote from Book (Noteworthy Passages Post)
"Lena," persisted Cole. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Her parents and Grandma Kath had stopped talking and were looking at her now. Lena raised her eyebrows at them and said to Cole, "Happy."


Buy The Mermaid's Mirror
Hardcover / Paperback / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository

I hope you will take this as an opportunity to try a new book. Or two. Maybe you've heard of these before, maybe you haven't. But they are worth reading and Lisa deserves to have her books remembered!

Happy Birthday Lisa! You are most surely missed.

Waiting on Wednesday: Starling!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Starling
By Lesley Livingston
HarperTeen
August 15th, 2012
Starling, #1
YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
"Love is just the beginning... of the end."

Mason Starling is a champion fencer for Gosforth Academy, but she’s never had to fight for her life. Until now. When a ferocious storm rips through Manhattan and unleashes terrifying creatures onto Gosforth’s campus, Mason barely escapes alive. Without help from the mysterious stranger who appeared in the midst of the storm, she might not have made it at all. But now, in the aftermath, Mason’s life begins to spin dramatically, mystically out of control, and the only one who seems able to help her is the stranger who can remember nothing but his name: Fennrys Wolf.

As Mason and Fenn uncover more about Fenn’s past and the strange events that surround them, they realize that Mason’s family — and its dark allegiance to the ancient Norse gods — is at the center of everything. A predetermined fate seems to be closing in on Mason, but is it possible to change one’s destiny?

Readers who fell in love with Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange trilogy and those who love Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series will be captivated by the sweeping romance and pulse-pounding action of Starling.

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Okay I loved the Wondrous Strange trilogy by Livingston! I am so excited to see that not only has she got another book coming out, but it has Fennrys Wolf in it too! I can't wait to get my hands on this one! No, seriously, I can't wait. *sticks flashlight in book bag* I'm gonna get it. *grabs grappling hook* Tonight. *puts on all black clothes* And the cover is awesome! *pets screen before sneaking off to steal a manuscript*

So what do you think? Are you excited about this one, too?

In My Mailbox (121)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristi at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. 
 Bought for Kindle ~Whispering Hills by Taryn Browning ~Dark Beauty by Taryn Browning~Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning 
 Free for Kindle~Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer~Insight by Jamie Magee  ~Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl  ~Dark Before Dawn by Stacy Juba
 From NetGalley  ~ARC From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas~ARC Blackwood by Gwenda Bond 
 For Review from Author ~ARC The Syndicate by Shelena Shorts
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So I got some pretty great books this past week and can't wait to read them all! Hope you all got some great books as well! :D

Kindle Book Giveaway: ReVamped by Ada Adams!

ReVamped by Ada Adams
Publisher: Self
Pub. Date: February 20th, 2012
Pages: 300
Series: Angel Creek, #1
Age Level: YA


Synopsis via Goodreads
A simple mission turned deadly.

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~Contest Details
Thanks to Ada, one lucky winner will get a kindle copy of ReVamped and a bookmark!

Rules:
~Comments are appreciated but you must fill out the form for entry.
~Must be 13 or older.
~Open Internationally
~Giveaway will end at 11:59PM EST on May 9th
~Winner will be contacted shortly after.

Extra Entries:
+2 for following my blog via GFC.
+2 for tweeting this giveaway. Please include @thebookpixie


Fill Out This Form to Enter

Free Kindle Books!

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Waiting on Wednesday: Crewel!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Crewel
By Gennifer Albin
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers
October 16th, 2012
Crewel World, #1
YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

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Such a pretty cover! *pets screen* And I love the premise of this one. This book has epic potential...but will it live up to it? That, my dear readers, is the question. I sure as heck hope it does. What do you think? Is this one on your wishlist too?

Birthday Bash Book Trailer Launch Party: The Right & the Real by Joelle Anthony!

The Right and the Real
By Joelle Anthony
Putnam Juvenile
April 26th, 2012
Young Adult

Synopsis via Goodreads
From the author of "Restoring Harmony." Kicked out for refusing to join a cult, 17-year-old Jamie must find a way to survive on her own.

Jamie should have known something was off about the church of the Right and the Real from the start, especially when the Teacher claimed he wasn’t just an ordinary spiritual leader, but Jesus Christ, himself. But she was too taken by Josh, the eldest son of one of the church’s disciples, and his all-American good looks. Josh is the most popular boy at school too, and the first boy outside the drama geeks to give Jamie a second look. But getting her Dad involved in a cult was not part of the plan when she started dating Josh. Neither was her dad’s marriage to the fanatic Mira, or getting kicked out, or seeing Josh in secret because the church has deemed her persona non grata.

Jamie’s life has completely fallen apart. Finding her way back won’t be easy, but when her Dad gets himself into serious trouble, will Jamie be ready to rescue him, and maybe even forgive him?

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What a fabulous trailer! I really enjoyed Restoring Harmony and so I can't wait to get my hands on this one. What about you? Are you excited for The Right and the Real?

Preorder:

Author Interview: T.P. Boje!

Author Bio:
T. P. Boje is a mother of two, a stepmother of another two and a hardcore cartoon lover, Tim Burton enthusiast, and enjoys any movie the Coen Brothers have made (with the big Lebowski being her favorite strongly followed by Burn after Reading). She is also a writer of YA Paranormal Romance, fantasy and mystery. She is originally from Denmark but currently living in Florida, USA. Her books are translated into several languages.

To learn more follow her on Twitter, visit her fansite on Facebook or check out her web-page: http://www.tpboje.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
TBP: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

TPB: My name is T. P. Boje and I am a writer of mystery novels, young adult fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Originally I am from Denmark but three years ago we moved to Florida with my husbands job and that was when I began to write in English.

TBP: Describe Beyond in nine words or less. (Can be a sentence or individual words.)

TPB: Death and Life meet with a twist.

TBP: How long have you known you wanted to be a writer?

TPB: I have always been writing. Ever since I was a small child I have always told stories to whoever would listen. In school I remember sitting in class during recess and telling stories to my friends making them forget that they were about to go out and play. Even my teacher would often listen in as well. Later I would write stories for my teacher and he loved to read them. I kept writing short-stories in highschool and then I became a journalist. For many years I worked at a Danish TV-station, and it was then I came up with the idea for my first novel. A Danish truck-driver had been found dead in Poland and I was sent there to cover the investigation for the TV-station. Two years later that story became my first mystery novel. Since then I wrote two other mystery-novels that has been published in Denmark, Norway and Germany. I write full-time and that is the only thing I ever want to do.


When I moved to Florida I started writing in English and published another mystery-novel called “One, Two … He is coming for you” but then I wanted to try something new. I wanted to write for a younger audience and that was when I wrote the fantasy-novel “The Eye of the Crystal Ball” that came out last June. But something was missing, I thought. I needed some romance. So I started reading some paranormal romance and loved it. I knew right away that I wanted to write that too. Now I have written three novels in the series called Afterlife. I am planning on writing a new series soon, so I will be busy for awhile.

TBP: You are starring alongside a famous actor in a romantic comedy film. Who is the 'handsome hunk of humor' you'd pick to be playing the role opposite you?

TPB: I would love to do a movie with John Krasinski - he is hilarious and maybe not a hunk, but he has a lot going for him anyway.

TBP: If you could live anywhere in the world, during any time period, where and when would that be and why?

TPB: I would like to have been her to meet Jesus, but other than that I am pretty happy about the time I live in right now. Except for the fashion, that is. Everything today is really boring and they never come up with anything new, they just re-invent the same stuff over and over. I would have loved to be young in the seventies. But again ... to live without internet and my iPad? I don't know ...

TBP: You have just woken up to discover that you are now living the life of one of your favorite main characters. Who are you and what from?

TPB: I am Bastian and I have just entered Fantastica from The Neverending Story. I so want to try and ride that luck-dragon.

TBP: You murdered a celebrity. Who was it, how'd you do it, and why?

TPB: Paris Hilton, I guess. Because she is such a drama queen and so stupid as to let cocaine fall out her pocket with a policeman standing by and claiming it was chewing gum. I would become her new BFF and poison her cocaine when she wasn't looking. No one would question it.

TBP: Anything else you'd like to add before you go?

TPB: I am really not a murderer - just a nice person who hopes people will enjoy her books. I love to spellbind my audience. That is what it is all about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you all enjoyed that interview! And a big thank to T.P. for engaging in it with me. Be sure to check out her books:

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In My Mailbox (120)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristi at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

RAK from Amanda
~Torn by Erica O'Rourke

For Review from Author
~Return the Heart by T.K. Richardson
~Shield the Heart by T.K. Richardson

For Kindle
~Clockwise by Elle Strauss

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I can't wait to read these books! I hope you all got some great books this week as well. :D

Waiting on Wednesday: The Messenger!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Messenger
By Leah Rose
Lands Atlantic Publishing
May 1st, 2012
YA

Synopsis via Goodreads
Sixteen year old Jeilin leaves the ordinary behind when she's inducted into the king's service as a horseback riding messenger. She expects a life of adventure and freedom, but those hopes are shattered after being captured by a foreign army.
Given the choice between death and conversion, she swears service to the enemy even though, in her heart, she remains loyal to her kingdom.

As Jeilin's youthful innocence crumbles, she wonders if the prince will still be fond of her; if she can even find a way to help place him back on his rightful throne.

Full of turmoil and sacrifice, The Messenger is a powerful tale of survival, bravery, and loyalty.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Though a small publishing house, Lands Atlantic Publishing has produced one of my favorite series, The Pace series by Shelena Shorts. The Messenger not only has a pretty cool cover but I get the feeling it is going to be a really great book as well. Thankfully the release date for this one isn't that far off. Can't wait! What do you think?

Advertising Now Available on The Book Pixie!

Hey everyone! So I just got signed up with Blogads and am now offering ad spots on my blog. I used to be totally anti-ads on my blog. I pretty much felt like this...



But then Blogads approached me with promises of great control over content, talking about other book reviewers they've worked with and all that jazz. And broke girl, college student could use the extra money. (That's me.) So then I was all like...you're challenging my preconceived notions!



So I talked more with the woman who emailed me and started looking around book blogs to see what kind of ads they have. Suprisingly, a lot of y'all use blogads. And the ads are relevant. So relevant they don't even look like paid ads. By this point I've decided I'm pretty excited to sign up...



So I did. And here I am. There are currently TWO spots available for advertisement on my blog. There are some 125x125 positions available in my upper right sidebar plus that big fancy 728x90 one at the tippy top. I will likely be adding more later but I'd like to get something in on of the ones I already have up first. So if you are interested, do click the ad links for more details or to purchase. Just try and make sure the content you are wishing to advertise is relevant to my own. Thank you. :)

In My Mailbox (119)

In My Mailbox
IMM is a weekly meme hosted and created by Kristi at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review from Sourcebooks/Netgalley
~ARC The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

For Review from St. Martin's
~Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter
~Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter

RAK Gift from Stephanie
~ARC Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard

RAK Gift from Aanchal
~Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey (Kindle)

Bought for Kindle
~Indelible by Lani Woodland
~A Season of Eden by J.M. Warwick
~The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
~Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

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So excited about these books! This is from the past two weeks. A big thanks to folks for the review books and RAKs. A Season of Eden was free when I got it and the others were only $0.99 at the time! Can't wait to read all of these. Hope you all got some great books this past week too. :D

 

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (ARC) by Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: November 15th, 2011
Pages: 352
Series: Shatter Me, #1
Age Level: 14+
Source: Gift

Synopsis via Goodreads
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Review
Before I read Shatter Me, there had been a significant amount of hype spreading throughout the blog world testifying to its amazingness. It released the day before my birthday and after everything I'd heard about it...well...I was pretty damn excited for this one. At the same time, a part of me always holds onto a sense of caution when reading a book that has been hyped up so much, because sometimes, when expectations are set too high, it makes you more likely to be disappointed if things aren't perfect. That said, I didn't fall head over heels in love with Shatter Me like I'd hoped, but I wasn't exactly disappointed either and still found myself really enjoying it, despite some minor issues.

Overall Juliette was a great protagonist. She was strong, brave and had a slight sense of humor. My only problem with her was she was a bit unrealistically good. I mean, look at how she'd been treated by people her whole life and yet she doesn't have hardly any yearning for revenge? You can crave revenge, or for someone to get what they deserve, without having to act on it, and that is perfectly normal. But no, she didn't want to hurt anybody. Very angelic of her. But, really? Maybe there are a handful of people out there who are just truly that good. Me? Not one of them. Because even if I didn't act on it, boy would I be pissed and, if nothing else, ready to scare some people with my power. I guess you could say this made it a little hard for me to relate to Juliette. Moving on though. Adam was a pretty smexy guy and what I really liked when it came to the romance between him and Juliette was how long they had known each other, so the romance didn't just come from thin air. They had history. The more the story went on the more I learned about Adam and the more I grew to love him. As for our villain, from the very beginning, there was something I liked about Warner. Well, as much as you can like an evil villain. He's bad, that's for sure, and twisted and sick but I got the feeling that somewhere, deep down in the darkest recesses of his stone cold heart, he really did start to love Juliette in his own perverse way. I also found his attitude and way of putting things very amusing. I can't wait to see where Mafi takes his character from here. There were a couple of other great supporting characters as well including Adam's little brother and his friend the guy he'd worked with.

Shatter Me is a very compelling and original dystopian-esque story that has a main character with a powerful ability, reminiscent of a paranormal type aspect. The plot moved pretty quickly during the first and last parts of the book but lagged a little bit in the middle. Even then, though, it was still enjoyable. There was some pretty good world building and I look forward to finding out more in the next book. Even though there was a lot of set-up, it was never at all boring.

The writing, while very beautiful and poetic, was almost over the top, as if the author was trying to make a point of it being complicated and unique. As a result, it tended to stand in the way of my enjoyment of the plot at times, ruling over the entire book. However, this improved as the book went on and I was able to love the writing more.

The ending was practically perfect. I loved the way it tied things up, allowing me insight into what I could expect of the world in the next book but without ending the book on some dramatic cliffhanger.

All in all, Shatter Me is an impressive debut from Mafi, despite my few small problems with it.  I would definitely recommend reading this one and I look forward to devouring the second book.

(Sorry this review isn't quite on par with what my reviews normally are. I read this back in December. A lot has happened since then so my brain is working with what it still has left. lol.)

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Ending: A-
1st in Series: B
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B/B+

Cover: B


Buy Shatter Me Hardcover / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository