COVER REVEAL: Raksha by Frankie Rose

***This cover reveal was hosted by Xpresso Book Tours***

Title: Raksha
Author: Frankie Rose
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication Date: 1st March 2013

And here is the cover....!!!
 

Cover designed by Chelsea Starling

 Synopsis...

"She has no name.

She has her knives; her training; her halo.

The first and second give her the tools and the skill to defeat the opponents she is pitted against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…

FearPainAngerHappinessDesireGuilt

Love.

When a newly-named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blonde boy, who she refuses to let save her. Still learning how to process the onslaught of her new feelings, the sights and sounds of Freetown are overwhelming and strange. There are a hundred differences between her old home and her new one, but one thing remains starkly similar: the matches. Yet where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.

Freed from the oppression of a society who stole her right to feel, the true horror of her old life leaves Kit wondering if she really has been freed at all. Would she be better off without the crippling horror of all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?
Raksha is the call of the dead. It is the rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await."

Links...

Goodreads
Author's Website  

My Thoughts...

The cover is definitely striking and bold, and that girl looks tough as nails! With that death stare and in that get-up, I think if I met her whilst walking down the street I'd probably just  turn and run! You know I love dystopians so I'm finding the synopsis of Raksha very intriguing too... Can't wait til March!

Author Bio...

 

Frankie Rose:

Frankie Rose was born in the United Kingdom, but now lives with her husband in sunny Australia.

She officially makes things up for a living, and when she's not doing that, she is generally making paper birds out of receipts and old lists or taking photographs that make her smile.
 
 

Waiting On Wednesday #1

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which we showcase upcoming books that we can't wait for!

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Publication Date: 5th February 2013

'tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.'

I loved Shatter Me (in fact I included it on my list of 'Favourite Reads of 2012'!) so I am so excited for this!! :D

I Am Alive Book Blitz

Title: I Am Alive (I Am Alive #1)

Author: Cameron Jace

Released: 23rd May 2012

Tagline: 'Every girl dies. Not every girl really lives.'  

 

Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.

The usual boring girl meets badboy story... hmm... with a twist ...

They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is  broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.

To prove that you're still alive you have to scream I Am Alive every six hours. Lower your voice, and you're dead.

Deccaa doesn't need Leo's company. She has a secret of her own. While they both can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank.

Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.

Does that sound scary or what?! The idea of this 'Monster Show' reminds me a little of The Hunger Games...and I loved that so I think I'll enjoy this! What do you think? I, for one, am definitely looking forward to reading this series!

If you want a little more of a taste of I Am Alive...
Here is a short extract from Chapter 22 of the book...

"I am not my heart rate. I am not my skills. I am not my sleeping problems. I am not my stress. I am not my fears. I am not how I look like. I am the very essence of me. I am my will. I am my passion. I am my beliefs. I am how much I can give and receive love. I am infinite and possible. I am my soul. How can the iAm ever measure this?

Most important of all, I am not that predictable."

Links:

Goodreads

Buy on... Amazon UK       Amazon US

Don't forget that for the duration of this book blitz (2nd Jan-3rd Jan), the 3 books in 1 bundle pack for Kindle is only 99c!
and...

Note: All "Likers" of Cameron's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/camjace) will receive book 4 free!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

Terms and Conditions...

• Giveaway is open internationally from 2nd January to 16th January
• There will be one winner who will win both prizes stated below
• Prizes are only available on Kindle format, but can be read through any Kindle app available free (here) for Macs, PCs, iPads, and iPhones.
• By entering, you are giving me permission to pass on your email address to the Book Blitz organisers in order that they are able to send you your prize.
• Winner will receive their prize week beginning 20th Jan

Prizes...

Grimm prequel pack (contains all 6 Snow White Sorrow prequels

 

)

I Am Alive bundle pack (3 books in1)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!!

 Well first of all...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

I hope 2013 brings everyone a happy and successful year, both in the blogsphere and in the...'normal-sphere'...!!

 
Can you believe 2013 has arrived already??! Time has simply flown by so fast I can hardly keep up! I can't believe The Book Parade has been up and running for almost a whole year now (I started in February 2012)! It seems like such a long time since then, yet also like no time at all! (If that even makes sense...)

Anyway, as we're waving goodbye to 2012...the year when the world was supposed to end...but didn't...at least it doesn't appear to have done...?? I would like to share the books I loved the most this year! So, here goes...

My Favourite Reads Of 2012!!!

I've read so many amazing books this year, so it was really hard to pick just a small selection, but I've finally managed to come up with a list of my top ten.There will be loads more that deserve to be on the list too but unfortunately I couldn't include them all! :(

1.     The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 
BEST. BOOK. EVER. 

I could spend all day talking about this book.

But don't worry.

I won't.

BEAUTIFUL PERFECT AMAZING DEVASTATING BRILLIANT GENIUS BEAUTIFUL AMAZING PERFECT

ASDFGHJKL

My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.

2.     Doomed by Tracy Deebs     

                                             

   I have to say, this one really surprised me. I didn't  expect it to be so amazing...but it really was! A tense,  thrilling adventure that had me so drawn in that I honestly could feel me pulse racing as I read it!

  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth

 After The Hunger Games and this, I was starting to fall in love with the dystopian genre. When I read this, at the beginning of 2012, I hadn't read many dystopians...but throughout the rest of 2012, I have read LOADS! This remains one of my favourites though! Read my review of it here :)

4. Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

 My mum picked this out at the library for me and I'm so glad she did because I ended up loving it! I read it in one day, and immediately requested  demanded the sequel! ;) Which she very kindly went to the library and brought home the next day! <3

This book was also the very first one I EVER reviewed on The Book Parade!! Check out the review here :) 

5. Shelter by Harlan Coben

  When I found this in the library I was really excited because I had been intrigued by the premise for a long time...and I was not disappointed. Shelter was a thrilling, gripping, shocking read. I can't wait to read more about Mickey!

6. The Maze Runner

I liked this one so much I bought it for two of my friends as birthday presents! There's a really great mystery underlying this - What is the purpose of the maze? Why is it there? Who built it? And just when you think the mystery is almost resolved at the end, a whole new can of worms is opened...

7. Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

 Do I really need to say more? Yes, this book was as awesome as pretty much EVERYONE says it is! :D

8. A Long, Long Sleep

 This was another of those ones that took me by surprise. I thought it would just be another fairytale retelling - sweet and likable at best - but it was so much more. Even had tears pouring down my cheeks at one point! Read my review of it here :)

9. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

This was one of the very first books I read this year. It was gripping and nail-bitingly tense - literally - I found my fingertips hovering near my mouth at points! I must read the sequel soon!

10. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

  I was in holiday in Canada when I read this and although on holiday you're meant to go out and do exciting things...all I wanted to do was stay in and read! Skin-tingling romance between Adam and Juliette <3

Well, that was a harder task than I would have thought!! There are SO many more books I feel I could mention but we'd be here all day if I did!

Feel free to leave any comments with your thoughts about my best reads of 2012, or yours! And once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :D  

 

BOOK REVIEW: 1984 by George Orwell

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
This edition: Anniversary Edition, Paperback, Penguin Books (2009)
Pages: 355
Tagline: 'War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength'

 

 Summary...

"Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time."  (Goodreads)

My thoughts...
 
I read The Hunger Games about three years ago and fell in love with the dystopian genre; since then I have read many of the countless other dystopians that seem to have recently flooded the YA genre. Seriously. I have read A LOT of dystopians, and A LOT of them have been amazing, and I have loved A LOT of them. So, it was probably about time that I read a classic dystopian, I thought. 1984 was the obvious choice (and I intend to read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley sometime soon too.) 

I know that a lot of teenagers will be deterred by the idea of ‘classics’ – for some, they conjure up the image of musty, old-fashioned books – but I loved 1984. It was completely on a whole different level to all the ‘modern dystopians’ I have been reading recently. Not to discredit any of those at all, but 1984 honestly is in a league of its own.

The world created by Orwell is fascinating and so plausibly and realistically portrayed that I felt, not like I was reading a fictional novel, but a real, non-fiction account of what actually happened in 1984. That’s how believable Orwell’s writing was. I think what may have added to the depth of the dystopian world created in 1984, as opposed to other dystopians I have read, was that there was a political background and reasoning given for how things were the way they were.

I found it absolutely fascinating to contemplate some of the concepts of the 1984 world. Could it really be possible to keep a whole population docile by limiting their vocabulary, thus not giving them a means to express any disagreement or dissent? Could it really be possible to effectively wipe out everyone’s memory of the past by continually changing it to fit whatever version of events the government wished to tell? Would people actually accept this? Would they, or the majority at least, remain oblivious to what the government was doing?

This dystopian world that Orwell created is one of the most shocking I have read about, and it is made all the more terrifying by how realistically it is portrayed. I strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the dystopian genre, and, in fact, to anyone who wishes simply to read a truly praiseworthy novel.

Best Of The Bunch - November 2012

"Best of the Bunch is a monthly wrap-up and award ceremony hosted [at Always Lost in Stories] on the last day of each month, where we can look back over the books we have read and give a Best of the Bunch award to our favourite book of that month"

I just stumbled across this meme and thought it sounded fun so I'm going to give it a go! :)

This month I read...

1. Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver
2. Die For Me by Amy Plum
3. 1984 by George Orwell
4. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
5. Rebel Heart (Blood Red Road #2) by Moira Young
6. Losing Lila (Lila #2)  by Sarah Alderson

And the book I'm going to award the Best Of The Bunch Award for November is...

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green!!!!

"Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind."


This book has not just become my favourite book for November, but my favourite book of ALL TIME. It pains me somewhat to admit that, yes, it has in fact just pipped The Hunger Games as my favourite book...(although I do still love the Hunger Games!!!!) But The Fault In Our Stars seriously is a FANTABUMAZING book!!!! I don't know why I didn't pick it up sooner and I politely request demand that everyone who hasn't read it yet does so as soon as possible immediately.
 

 
 

The Dirt BLOG TOUR: Spotlight+Giveaway!

Hi there! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Dirt by Lori Culwell, which is being hosted by AToMR Tours! For the full tour schedule, go here :)

Now, in case you're not really sure what The Dirt is about, here's a little bit of info...

Title: The Dirt
Author: Lori Culwell
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Released: November 2011 

Book description:

Lucy Whitley cannot wait to get out of Palm Desert. It’s not a place for a frizzy-haired science nerd, particularly when her fashion-obsessed older sister Sloane is the head of a clique of pretty girls who rule the school—and practically the whole town.Fortunately, life is about to change forever. Lucy’s dad is getting re-married, and then she can transfer to a boarding school in Connecticut, escaping all the mean girls and the endless whispers about the Whitley family scandal. Everything is going to be perfect—as long as the wedding goes smoothly.

Links:

Amazon UK       Paperback         Kindle Edition
Amazon US       Paperback         Kindle Edition 
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Find the author on...

Facebook            Twitter                Her website

And now, for the bit you've all been waiting for...
The GIVEAWAYS!!!

There are two giveaway - one is open to US residents only and one is international. Here's what's up for grabs...

1. 5 Paperback Copies of The Dirt (US only)
2. 12 E-book Copies of The Dirt (Int.) 

Enter in the Rafflecopters below! :)

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

  a Rafflecopter giveaway