Cover Reveal: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm so happy to be a part of the cover reveal for the fourth book in Jennifer L. Armentrout's fantastic Covenant series! But not only is that being revealed, there's lots of things going on around Jennifer's Covenant series! What you'll find here today:

• Preorder links for Deity, book 3 in the Covenant series
• The official Deity book trailer revealed!
• The link to download Elixir, the novella from Aiden's POV, for free! (And 1.5 months early!)
• And finally, the cover for Apollyon, book 4 in the Covenant series!

Deity (Covenant #3)
Available in both print and digital versions on November 6, 2012
Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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The official book trailer for Deity:

It has this odd feel to it, kind of relaxed, but also creepy. And I LOVE the song choice! My favourite thing about it, is that it's sung by Collin McLoughlin, who is an current contestant on The Voice!

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Did you read an ARC of Deity and been dying to get your hands on Elixir, the novella told in Aiden’s POV and picks up right after the end of Deity? Well, you don’t have to wait any longer. The free novella is available now.

DO NOT read Elixir if you have not read Deity.

It will spoil Deity for you and not to mention, you will have no idea what is going on. Elixir will be available in print, Kindle, and Nook formats on November 27, 2012.

Click HERE to read Elixir.

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And we’re super excited to share the cover for the 4th book in the Covenant Series, Apollyon, which is due out April 2013!

What do you think of this cover? I love it! As soon as I saw it, I absolutely fell in love with the orange, and I'm not usually and orange fan.

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Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Official Website

Review: Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Pure
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date: April 3, 2012
Genre: YA, mythology
Pages: 329
Series: Covenant #2
1. Half-Blood (review)
2. Pure
3. Deity (November 6, 2012)
4. Apollyon (April 9, 2013)
5. Sentinel (expected pub 2013)

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

From Goodreads

I need to start by saying I’ve never switched “teams” in any book I’ve read. Like, ever. So far as I can remember, it’s NEVER happened. But Pure has me treacherously close to doing so. If you haven’t read it yet, don’t get me wrong, I love Aiden, I really do. Probably even more than I did after reading Half-Blood. But Jennifer has thrown my emotions in a blender and I don’t know how to feel, who to choose. I can only imagine how Alex feels...

I loved this book. More than I loved Half-Blood. If you’ve read my review, you’ll know that I found some moments in book 1 to be a bit slow. I didn’t find that at all in this book. There was always danger or heartbreak or excitement or suspense... Something was always happening and making me want to keep reading and reading (and reading).

Alex is lucky enough to be back in the Covenant, and still training with Aiden. She also has to train with Seth, which is something she’s not too crazy about. The romance in this book is seriously all over the place. Aiden and Alex are so confused and complicated. And then there’s Seth. Who’s an ass, but supportive at the same time. Alex is still the same Alex. Sarcastic, badass, stubborn, impulsive, strong. And she has to face so much in this book. She definitely has to be strong to get through everything that’s thrown at her.

I liked how we got to see the New York Covenant, where the Council meets. We learn a lot about the “traditional” ways of the Pure world, the way the Council runs things. And we find out they’re willing to do anything to preserve those traditional ways. And traditional definitely doesn’t mean two Apollyons.

By the time I reached the end of the book, my emotions were so jumbled. I didn’t know how to voice how I thought. All I wanted was for Deity to be in my hands so I could keep reading more about Alex, Seth, Aiden, and find out what’s to come for them.

Waiting on Wednesday (61)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!





This week I'm waiting on new books from some of my favourite authors!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Synopsis:
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love... or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: Maggie Stiefvater. That's all the reason I need.

Deity (Covenant #3)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: November 6, 2012

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time."

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

From Goodreads

Why I want it: I just finished reading Pure, book 2 in the Covenant series, and I'm just so excited to continue the story. And Jennifer's writing is fabulous!

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Teaser Tuesday (55)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading.

Here's what you do:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two sentences from somewhere on that page
Share the title and author
Try not to include spoilers!

This week I'm reading Pure, the sequel to Half-Blood, by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I'm remembering why I love Jennifer's writing so much. Here's a teaser:

Seth and I weren't getting along at the moment. In our last training session, he'd "accidentally" hit me with a blast of pure energy and I'd "accidentally" thrown a rock at his head.

Perhaps I did have a problem with throwing things.

*Snicker* I like Alex. The way Jennifer writes her is just so witty and sarcastic, and it makes me giggle and smile a lot. I can't wait to see how this book unfolds. I've heard amazing things!

Feel free to share your teasers with me! I'd love to see what you're reading.

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!





This week I'm waiting on:

Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication date: April 3, 2012

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: I loved loved loved the first book, Half-Blood, and the prequel, Daimon. I totally fell in love with Jennifer's writing when I read those. I can't wait to continue Alex's story. See my review of the prequel Daimon here, and the first book Half-Blood here. They're both spoiler-free!

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Cover Reveal: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Okay, I know I JUST did a big post of book covers, but the cover for DEITY, third book in The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, was just revealed and I love it. It matches perfectly with the other covers. And so I had to share with you all!

To start, here's the previous covers:

DAIMON is the prequel to the series (which is very valuable to read before hand), HALF-BLOOD is the first book, published October 18, 2011, and PURE is the second, to be published April 3, 2012. I can't wait for PURE!

Now that you've seen the first three covers, here's the fourth!

I love the choice of red this time around. And I'm interested to see why, for the first time, there's part of a person on the cover. I do love that they're sticking with the flaming flowers, though. DEITY is slated for publication on November 6, 2012.

Find The Covenant Series on Goodreads here.
Find Jennifer L. Armentrout's author website here and her blog here.
Read my reviews for the prequel Daimon, and the first book Half-Blood.

Waiting on Wednesday (42)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!





This week I'm waiting on:

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Synopsis:
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: I loved HALF-BLOOD, Jennifer's debut novel and first in the Covenant series, when I read it in the summer. Her characters have wit and her plot lines are exciting. I couldn't put it down. I think OBSIDIAN sounds like a different book that what we're used to these days. Not many authors are writing about aliens. I don't think the cover is the greatest, but I can live with that.

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date: October 18, 2011
Genre: YA, mythology
Pages: 281
Source: From publisher for review
Series: Covenant
Daimon (prequel)
1. Half-Blood
2. Pure (April 2, 2012)
3. Deity (November 6, 2012)
4. Untitled (expected pub 2013)

Synopsis:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi--pure-bloods--have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals... well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1: Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

From Goodreads

First and foremost, I’d recommend you read the prequel DAIMON before even thinking of starting HALF-BLOOD. It gives you the full perspective of how Alex got to where she is at the beginning of HALF-BLOOD. It is also a great introduction to Alex as a character. Check out my review here.

Now onto HALF-BLOOD. It really starts out great. That much action in the first few pages is enough to catch my attention, for sure! After that, life gets pretty tough for Alex as she deals with what happened to her mother, how close she is to being kicked out of the Covenant, and returning to the Covenant campus after being gone for 3 years. I think because I read the prequel, I connected a bit better with Alex. From page 1, I already knew what she was going through and I felt for her. That sentiment only continued as the story went on and she had to deal with more and more crap.

I liked a lot of the characters. I love how Alex fell right back into step with Caleb, her best friend from before she left the Covenant. Whenever he was around, it seemed like Alex could relax a bit and have some fun. He also proved to be the most loyal best friend a girl could have. I love him for that, and everything else. Then of course, there was Aiden. I don’t even know what to say about him. He was really tough on Alex overall, but I know he was just making sure she’d be ready to attend the Covenant in the Fall. He was looking out for her and doing what he thought was best for her. Although I liked him, I have to say I didn’t fall as in love with him as I would have liked. He was a really great love interest in this story. And then, Seth. He seemed like an ass in the beginning, but really he was just brutally honest. Ok, he was sometimes an ass, too. But he really developed as a character throughout the story, and I’m excited to see more of him in the next book.

The storyline is exciting to start out, then gets pretty subdued for the first half of the book, until we start getting lots of info and surprises thrown out at us. Then Alex sulks for a while as some other stuff happens, before she does some dumb stuff, and there’s an exciting climax. Vague, I know but necessary. Looking back, the book is laid out nicely, in terms of pacing, but when I was reading it seemed like there wasn’t much happening. I think it’s because Alex doesn’t do anything until the end, except train and attend parties. But when stuff starts going down at the end, it just keeps going and I didn’t want to stop reading.

HALF-BLOOD has a great set of characters that grow throughout the story. Although I had some issues with the pacing, the story is perfect for the beginning of a series, allowing room for the characters and storyline to grow. Jennifer L. Armentrout is a promising debut author that I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on in the future.

Thanks so much to Spencer Hill Press for the ebook review copy!

Teaser Tuesday (31)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away, so that you don't ruin the book for others)

Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR list is they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading Jennifer L. Armentrout's debut novel, Half-Blood. I read the prequel, Daimon, over the summer and thought it was a great introduction to the series. Here's my teaser this week:

The worst possible thing happened. A wall of flames flew up in front of me, burning through benches and shooting at least eight feet into the air. It was real. No illusion. The heat blew back at me and the fire crackled, eating through the walls.

In front of me, he walked right through the flames, looking every bit like a daimon hunter should.

I hope that's intense enough for you. Can you believe this action happens in the first chapter? Yeah, it's a pretty explosive start. I'm really enjoying it so far! Make sure to check out my review of the prequel, Daimon, if you haven't yet.

Feel free to share your teasers with me. I'd love to see what you're reading!

Review: Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Daimon
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publish Date: May 10, 2011
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 62 (ebook)
Series: Covenant
Daimon (prequel)
1. Half-Blood (October 18, 2011)
2. Pure (April 2, 2012)
3. Deity (expected pub November 2012)

Synopsis:
For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty.

According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill.

The daimons have found her.

From Goodreads

DAIMON (pronounced DEE-mun) is the prequel to Jennifer's debut series. The first book, HALF-BLOOD, is one book coming out in the Fall that I'm really excited about. Last time I had the opportunity to read a prequel to a book, I ended up reading it after reading the book itself. I thought the prequel was cute and could see how it was useful to read before starting the book. This time, I read the prequel before the book (DAIMON before HALF-BLOOD). It’s definitely made me want to read HALF-BLOOD even more than I wanted to before.

DAIMON is a really great intro into the world of the Gods and their descendants. It gives us a peak at the main character, Alex (Alexandria), and the way she’s living her life. Very quickly, I found myself having an emotional attachment to Alex, probably because of the trouble she runs into (and if that’s not an understatement, I don’t know what is!). We get a glimpse at her relationship with her mom, and how she’s unhappy with the fact that they have to live among mortals. Most of all, there are a lot of questions raised about WHY they have to live among mortals.

So far, I like Jennifer’s writing style. She puts a lot of humour in her writing, mostly in the form of sarcastic comments from Alex. One of my favourite lines:

I was so going to kick a Covenant Instructor in the face if I ever made it back there alive.

pg. 54

That is one line of many that made me laugh out loud. There’s definitely no shortage of them, and that’s what I like about her writing. At the same time, Jennifer also knows how to take things down a notch and make it serious and emotional when it needs to be, by including a good amount of detail without having it be overwhelming or drawn-out.

If you’re planning on reading HALF-BLOOD when it comes out in October (or before, if you have an ARC), I highly recommend reading DAIMON first. It is a great way to introduce us to the characters, and to Jennifer’s writing. And it ends exactly where HALF-BLOOD starts, which makes you want to pick up HALF-BLOOD right after finishing it!

Book News

Jennifer L. Armentrout's Adult Book Deal

Jennifer announced on her blog yesterday that she has a new 3-book deal for an adult urban fantasy series! It sounds really awesome. It's about demon-hunters, fallen angels, and Nephilim. Right up my alley! Here's the blurb:

Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just … wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

Mortal enemies, the fact that Lily and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary. Even she can build a laundry list of why getting close to him is career suicide, but she can’t shake her not-so angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

As if Lily already didn’t have enough problems, the hits just keep coming. Blindsided when a traitor is discovered working from within the Sanctuary, Lily is shocked to find he's determined to get her kicked out. Her relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion, and she quickly finds herself being hunted by well, everyone. Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything—and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her … or destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

The blurb is taken from Jennifer's blog.

It's due for release in March 2012. Check out her post where she announces the book deal here. While you're at it, go here to add it to your Goodreads shelf!


Karsten Knight's "Twins"

Also yesterday, Karsten Knight announced that his debut novel WILDEFIRE (July 26, 2011) will have two sequels! Here's the info:

Book #2: EMBERS AND ECHOES (Summer 2012)

Book #3: AFTERGLOW (Summer 2013)

I'm reading Wildefire now and I love the writing. Ashline is a kick ass character so far, and I can't wait to read more. I've heard that WILDEFIRE ends in a pretty big cliff-hanger, so I'm happy to hear that there will be more than one! Check out Karsten's blog where he makes the announcement here. Go to Karsten's author page on Goodreads here to add the whole series to your shelf.

Exciting stuff going on! What do you think of this news??

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!
I first heard about it from PageTurnersBlog.




My Waiting on Wednesday this week is:
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: September 15, 2011

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi—pure-bloods—have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals—well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the pure-blooded Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

From Goodreads

For starters, check out that cover. No, don’t just look at it. Click on and see the full image. You need to. I’ll wait while you do that…Back now? What do you think? I think it’s awesome. It looks so magical and the purple is so strong! I can’t wait to see what it looks like in reality.

The plot itself really interests me. Forbidden love. The fear of what is to come in the future. Gods and mortals combined. All in all, I’m pretty excited for this book and am really looking forward to it!

What are upcoming releases are you looking forward to?