Giveaway: The Ceruleans by Megan Tayte

Death Wish by Megan Tayte
Ceruleans Series, Book 1
Amazon | Goodreads

Description (taken from Megan Tayte's website):

IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to an isolated English cove with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power.

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.

To believe the impossible.

About Megan Tayte

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction – young adult romance with soul – recently earned her the SPR’s Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in the village of Standish, Greater Manchester. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and- spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.

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Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

The Dark Artifices, Book 1

Cassandra Clare's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Cassandra Clare's website):

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.

A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other — but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, one in a long line of Shadowhunters tasked with protecting the world from demons. With her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of a secret Los Angeles where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries start turning up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were murdered years ago, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge — and Julian’s chance to get back his half-faerie brother, Mark, who was kidnapped five years ago. All Emma, Mark and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks . . . before the murderer targets them.

Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. As she uncovers the past, she begins to peel away the secrets of the present: What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents — and can she bear to know the truth?

Emma is a wreckless shadowhunter who always protects her loved ones.  She lives in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family.  The Balckthorn family consists of seven siblings: one stolen by the Fae to join the Wild Hunt, one in exile for being part Fae, and one left to raise the remaining four.  Emma would move the world for her parabatai Julian who is raising his siblings.  However there's only one passion of hers that is solely hers, and it is figuring out  who killed her parents.

After discovering a random mundane killing that was caused by something supernatural, Emma has to investigate.  There are too many similarities between this one and her parents' deaths.  When confronting Julian about it, something else is thrown into the mix that suddenly makes everything very personal.  And while they've been cautioned by multiple downworlders on how to handle this case, they focus solely on it and dive head-first into the investigation.

I tried very hard to write a convoluted review that gave away nothing.  I really enjoyed this book.  But honestly?  It's Cassandra Clare.  You already know if you love her books or not.  I definitely fall under the first category.  And while it took me a while to like a few of the characters, I still loved the book.  Until the next one.

Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Short Stories

Otherworld Stories, Book 3

Kelley Armstrong's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Kelley Armstrong's website):

The first of three Otherworld collections pulling together previously published stories along with new material.

Collection Contents

1) Demonology – Adam’s mother discovers what he is
2) Stalked – Clay/Elena honeymoon story from “My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon” & The Hunter & the Hunted
3) Hidden – SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella
4) Twilight – my unfortunately-titled Cass story from “Many Bloody Returns”
5) Chivalrous – Reese’s backstory from SubPress’s long sold-out “Tales of Dark Fantasy 2”
6) Lucifer’s Daughter – Hope/Karl story from “Blood Lite 2”
7) From Russia with Love – Elena bonus story included with hardcover of Thirteen
8) Vanishing Act – brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after Thirteen

I'm going to keep my review very short because obviously, you're not going to read this collection of short stories unless you've read the series...  One of my favorite series to read, and it's one of those where I definitely did not feel like the last few books were lacking.  I was so sad to see it end.  But these short stories give us a small moment to go back to this world and see how the characters are doing.

While I would like to say I had never read these short stories until picking up the book, I have no idea if that's the case.  Either I had read some years ago and it still felt fresh this time around.  Or they were new.  But I loved spending an hour in Elena's world.  And then jumping into Savannah's world.  While some of the stories regarded other werewolves that I wasn't as familiar with, I still wanted more.

Definitely worth your time if you're already a major fan of the Otherworld series.  I'm going to have to grab the next short story book.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Red Queen Series, Book 2

Victoria Aveyard's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Note:  This is the second book in a series.  I believe that's enough warning...

Description (taken from Victoria Aveyard's website):

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

This book picks up right where the first one ended: with Mare and Cal running from the treacherous King Maven.  Cal has lost his crown and Mare has escaped a death sentence.  But when they seek sanctuary with the Scarlet Guard, they find a lot more than they bargained for.

Mare is determined to save as many Reds with Silver abilities as possible before Maven has a chance to get to them.  She always gives them a choice to join her cause or run.  But even when she's hidden behind this choice, is it really a choice?  Or is she so blinded by blood that she will do anything to save people like her and destroy Maven?  And then we have Cal.  Once blinded by blood, but now there's no where for him to stand.  So why stay and fight for the other side?

I am so frustrated with this book.  And I'm frustrated with the fact that I can't tell you why I'm frustrated.  About fifty pages into this book, I determined it was going to be *yawn* a cliché second book.  And it did not prove me wrong.  There were many places within the book that had me hooked and heart-racing.  But it was like a countdown of the expected events.  However I did kind of really enjoy the last ten pages (I give full permission for judgement).

Frustrated camper here.  But I'm going to continue the series.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Genre:  YA Historical Comedy

Cynthia Hand's website

Brodi Ashton's website

Jodi Meadows' website

Expected publication date:  June 7, 2016

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Cynthia Hand's website):

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey, written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

A lot of historical English buffs are fascinated with the era of King Henry VIII.  But does anyone know what happened after his death?  This story is a re-imagining of what happens after King  Henry and King Edward's death.  But I'll give you a little spoiler.  It absolutely does not follow our history books at all.  This story's a little more comedic and fun-loving than the real history.

In Edward, Jane, and Gifford's world, there's a struggle between plain old humans and those who can shape-shift into an animal.  When King Henry accidentally outed himself as a shape-shifter in a very public setting, he began to support shape-shifting rights.  But after his death and with Edward's reign, things become a little wishy-washy.  Who does the royal family support?  And as the mysterious Jane steps up to the throne, what else could go wrong?  In this world?  A lot.

This story is very much a romantic comedy.  It makes light of a pretty depressing past that England has.  And the retelling is definitely funner to follow.  And while I really enjoyed the story, I have mixed feelings because I have read the history books.  I do know what happened.  And every time this book made me giggle and laugh, I wondered if I should be feeling guilty since that definitely wasn't what happened in the history books.  Eventually, you just can't compare the two and have to accept this is a work of fiction.

I picked this one up because of the trio of authors.  And I think anyone who enjoys these authors is not going to be disappointed...

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.