Random Acts of Kindness December Wrap-Up!

My first month doing RAK was AMAZING! I met a great new blogging friend and was able to send some great stuff to a great person. I hope next month will be EVEN BETTER - especially if I get a job, LOL. Keep your fingers crossed for me or else I might go completely broke and be very sad. Anyway, back to happy fun times!

I RECEIVED

From the AMAZING RJ at RJ Does Books. 

I SENT

Both to RJ at RJ Does Books! I sent a third book but I can't remember for the life of me what it was. If you see this, RJ, reply and remind me! I'm very scatterbrained today. Added the third book, LOL.

So thanks to RJ for making my very first RAK month so wonderful. Here is to a great 2012 and all the best for EVERYONE!

Book Brats Is On Vacation!

Hi guys! I am currently dealing with some real life stress and coming up tomorrow I am off on a three day vacation to visit a friend. Book Brats will return from a short hiatus on Sunday! Sorry about the delay!

Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop Giveaway WINNER

Thank you to everyone who made the Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop Giveaway at Book Brats a SMASHING success! We had almost 200 entries for the copy of Laurie Halse Andersen's CATALYST. Sadly, there can only be one winner.

Congratulations to...

DONNA LAWRENCE!

Donna will be receiving an email in a few minutes. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and I look forward to seeing you again soon in a few weeks for another awesome giveaway!

In My Mailbox (17)

Welcome to a Very Merry Christmas edition of the Book Brats In My Mailbox! This week I got some amazing stuff from some amazing publishers, amazing authors, and amazing parents. I'm quite partial to my Christmas gift book that I picked out and had them buy, LOL. This week was an amazing week for books.

Check behind the cut to see more about what I got, to leave comments and links to your IMM, and to squee with me at the random goodies the mail brought me this week!

2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt - December 25th Stop

I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Question #49: Celia only wears gowns of what colors?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

PS MERRY CHRISTMAS! Good luck!

Happy Festivus - The Bookish Airing of Grievances

Welcome to the Book Brats Festivus Airing of Bookish Grievances. If you do not know what Festivus is, then screw you! Just kidding. After the cut there will be a link to a video you must watch. It's a secular religion devoted to celebrating the holidays without participating in consumerism and the pressures of pleasing everyone. Well, I'll be doing that, too, but just not today.

I've put up my Festivus pole, told my dad to expect my challenge for the feats of strength, and am all ready for some awesome Festivus miracles tomorrow. But first, I have a few grievances to air about books in 2011 - but note, before you get offended, most of these will be in good fun. Book Brats isn't a mean-spirited site, but it is a snarky one. Click the cut to find out more about what I found to be bookishly wrong in 2011, and HAPPY FESTIVUS!

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (REVIEW)

EVERY OTHER DAY by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published December 27, 2011 by Egmont
336 Pages // Netgalley eARC
Preorder from Amazon
Goodreads
Author's Website

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human. 

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely. 

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism. 

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

 

EVERY OTHER DAY is the type of book I love – well, at least love the synopsis and the general idea. Action-oriented, kickass protagonists, girl power. For the most part, Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ latest book did not disappoint. Although I have not read any of her previous books, I found myself enjoying this one with a few minor issues. This is, at the heart of the matter, a story about a girl trying to come to terms with herself with the aid of new friends, new powers, new inhabitants in her body, and lots of new, fun weapons.

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine!


This week I have gone all science fiction geek. Wait, you didn't know I'm a sci-fi geek? Well, I am. Hardcore. I love science fiction. If you are looking for recommendations for great science fiction - TV, books, movies, etc - just ask. I have a long list that I would LOVE to share with you.


I have picked 172 HOURS ON THE MOON, the English translation of Johan Harstad's Norwegian book whose name is...hard. The Little, Brown catalog sold me on this one with an Alien reference - "In space, no one can hear you scream." GIVE ME NOW.


Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back. It's been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2-a place that no one but top government officials even knew existed until now. The three winners, Antoine, Midori, and Mia, come from all over the world. But just before the scheduled launch, the teenagers each experience strange, inexplicable events. Little do they know that there was a reason NASA never sent anyone back there until now-a sinister reason. But the countdown has already begun. . .


172 HOURS ON THE MOON by Johan Harstad comes out April 17, 2012 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop GIVEAWAY

For the first time, Book Brats is participating in a Blog Hop giveaway. The Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Oasis for YA.

I am giving away a hardcover of Laurie Halse Anderson's 2002 contemporary YA drama CATALYST. This is a great book that I am excited to share with one lucky winner.  Click behind the cut to find out how to enter this contest and more than 250 other contests celebrating Mid-Winters Eve!

PS - if the rafflecopter does not work, please leave your entry WITH email address in the comments. Please leave separate comments for each additional entry.

Entries are:

1.) Follow via GFC (mandatory)
2.) Follow @bookbrats on Twitter
3.) Tweet about contest
4.) Comment on a review

Teaser Tuesday (14)

Teaser Tuesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine) is a chance to explore small snippets from novels that bloggers are currently reading. Take two lines from your story, leave the title and author name, and make sure not to spoil anything!

I have not actually started Maria V. Snyder's TOUCH OF POWER, the first book in the Avry of Khazan series. It's sitting on my Kindle waiting for me to finish EVERY OTHER DAY, but I can still tease page one, can't I? And an entire paragraph! This is from the ARC.

TOUCH OF POWER releases December 27th, 2011 from Mira.

The little girl wouldn't stop crying. I didn't blame her. She was dying after all. Her lungs were so full of fluid she'd drown in another few hours. Tossing and turning on the thin mattress, I listened to her cries as they sawed through the floor boards and through my heart, cutting it in two.

Can't wait to actually start this once I finish up EVERY OTHER DAY.

What are YOU teasing this Tuesday?

In My Mailbox (16)

After our brief hiatus while my computer decided to die on me, Book Brats is (mostly) back! Coming soon - more reviews, more weirdness, more...something. Oh, and I will be participating in a giveaway hop starting on Tuesday. Be warned.

Anyway, this week was a WONDERFUL week for my mailbox - another great one! And I somehow managed to not buy anything. Gasp! Well, I bought myself a coffee table book for Christmas, but that doesn't count. Pop inside and see what came this week! It's very YA heavy this week!

Blood of Eden by Tami Dane (REVIEW)

BLOOD OF EDEN (Sloan Skye #1) by Tami Dane
Published December 6, 2011 by Kensington
342 Pages // Paperback
Goodreads

Sloan has a sky-high IQ, a chaotic personal life, and a dream: to work for the FBI. Her goal is within reach until an error lands her with the FBI's ugly stepchild: the new Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She'll get to profile criminals, but the pool of suspects is a little more...diverse. Yet even as Sloan tackles her first case--a string of victims, all with puncture wounds to the neck--she can't silence her inner para-skeptic.

To catch the killer she'll have to think like one. That means casting aside her doubts, and dealing with the bizarre nightmares that started with the job. But the strangeness is only beginning, as Sloan pieces together the shocking truth about a case that's more personal than she ever would have guessed.

When I was offered the chance to review BLOOD OF EDEN, I jumped on the opportunity. I love urban fantasy, forensic psychology, the FBI, vampires - and this start to a new series promises just that. We are introduced to our narrator, Sloan Skye, as she begins her internship with the FBI - or so she thinks. A strange series of events ensues, after which Sloan is shoved into the new (and somewhat kooky) Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit, or the PBAU. Their first case appears to be a serial killer who injects its prey with a tropical illness through bite marks on the neck. Sloan is thrown into the action almost immediately, and secrets begin to unravel from this point.

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine!

This week I am going to leave you with the cover, the information, and two words.


North Carolina.

A book that takes place in North Carolina? I'm down. Let's do this.



Note that this video has nothing to do with the book, but it has everything to do with North Carolina. That and this guy lives down the road from me so might as well promote local artists, even if they are convicted felons.

BELLES by Jen Calonia
Releases April 10, 2012 from Poppy
368 Pages
Preorder from Amazon

Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

In My Mailbox (15)

Welcome to another installment of In My Mailbox, a meme hosted by The Story Siren where you can show off what you've gotten in your mailbox this week!

I must be a little absent-minded this week because I swear I am going to forget to name a few things I received. Please bare with me and I am going to try to name everything! But this week was excellent because of bloggers - namely my Secret Santa (no longer a secret to me) and an RAK buddy that brightened my week so much! Step inside and see what I got!

200 Followers Giveaway WINNERS POST!

Thank you to everyone who entered my 200 Followers Giveaway. As you can see, we are now over 375 followers so I can safely say the giveaway was a huge success. Sadly, there could only be 2 winners - one who won the book of their choice, and one winner of the BOND GIRL ARC. And they are...

Book of Choice - Midnyte Reader
BOND GIRL ARC - Ashley H

Congratulations to both winners, but more importantly a big THANK YOU to everyone who has made Book Brats successful by commenting on reviews or memes, entering in contests, following me on Twitter, and doing anything that makes Book Brats the awesome place that it is. You guys make the site a joy to run. Thank you all and here is to 200 more followers!

Teaser Tuesday (13)

Teaser Tuesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine) is a chance to explore small snippets from novels that bloggers are currently reading. Take two lines from your story, leave the title and author name, and make sure not to spoil anything!

This week I am teasing BLOOD OF EDEN, book one in the Sloan Skye series by Tami Dane that releases TODAY from Kensington. The story follows FBI intern Sloan Skye as she works with the brand new Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit as they track their first case, a suspected vampire rampaging through the Washington, DC area.

My teaser comes from page 67.

"The two of us began a search of our apartment, looking for clues to where my mother might have gone. Katie started in the kitchen; I headed for my bedroom."

Let me know what you are reading this week! I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to read and Teasers are such a great way to discover new stuff!

Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise (REVIEW)

With a cover like that, how could you resist picking up EYES TO SEE? Well, the story behind it might fall a bit flat from the amazing promises the book sets out. A decent urban fantasy book, it suffers from a few issues that bring it down a notch.

EYES TO SEE by Joseph Nassise
Published October 11th, 2011 by Tor
318 Pages
Hardcover received from publisher for honest review
Order from Amazon

In an urban fantasy that charts daring new territory in the field, Jeremiah Hunt has been broken by a malevolent force that has taken his young daughter and everything else of value in his life: his marriage, his career, his reputation. Desperate to reclaim what he has lost, Hunt finally turns to the supernatural for justice.

Abandoning all hope for a normal life, he enters the world of ghosts and even more dangerous entities from beyond the grave. Sacrificing his normal sight so that he can see the souls of the dead and the powers that stalk his worst nightmares, Hunt embarks upon a strange new career—a pariah among the living; a scourge among the dead; doomed to walk between the light of day and the deepest darkness beyond night.

His love for his departed daughter sustains him when all is most hopeless, but Hunt is cursed by something more evil than he can possibly imagine. As he descends into the maelstrom of his terrifying quest, he discovers that even his deepest fears are but prelude to yet darker deeds by a powerful entity from beyond the grave…that will not let him go until it has used him for its own nefarious purposes.

 

The back of EYES TO SEE promises a lot. A scary, thrilling, dark urban fantasy novel that will leave you wanting the lights on while you sleep. For me, it didn’t quite reach that level. With 275 pages of buildup to a climax that was extremely convenient, EYES TO SEE doesn’t live up to the aspirations I had for it when going in. It’s a decent beginning to a new urban fantasy series for adults, particularly fans of THE DRESDEN FILES and CSI, but it could have been so much better.

In My Mailbox (14)

Welcome to another installment of In My Mailbox, a meme hosted by The Story Siren where you can show off what you've gotten in your mailbox this week!

This week was a WONDERFUL mail week. I got some great books I can't wait to review and share with you, and trust me, there are some books in here you will want to get your hands on ASAP. And I am going to try and do things a bit differently this time and spotlight everything that I got, so bear with me. This might be a bit...weird.

Feature and Follow Friday (10)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

Welcome to another Book Brats installment of Feature and Follow Friday! If you are new to Book Brats, then welcome, and if you are a returning guest, welcome back! Did you know I have my 200 Followers Contest going on right now? No?! Click on the flamingo on the sidebar to find out more and enter to win!

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

 Well, I think this is pretty obvious. Doormats. A female heroine or love interest or whatever who is clingy, obsessive, weak, etc. I mean, the entire point of Book Brats is to bring to my readers strong heroines who don't need a man to complete them.

So it's time for my rant, but if you follow me on Twitter, you've heard it. Presenting relationships where the love interest is borderline abusive to the girl - controlling her, stalking her, actually harming her - is not something I want to read, nor is it something I want to support as a reader. And as a writer, too, but that's for my other blog. If I read another book with a doormat, I might hurl. Ladies, it's time to stand up and realize that romance is good and all, but girls standing up for themselves, their rights, and being kickass is better.

Let me know what your pet peeves are! As long as it isn't the opposite of what I said, I'd love to know :D

2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt - December 1st Stop

2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt

December 1st Tour Stop
QUESTION #2

I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

 Today's question is from Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
What did Cas’s father’s killer do to Tybalt, the family cat?

 Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!