TCM is closing down!

I've loved blogging here, this was my first blog, where I discovered the magic of book blogging and I'm sad to let it go. 

But I've had to make a decision, and that is to stop blogging here and fully dedicate my time to my other two blogs: Deliriously Falling, the Lauren Oliver fansite I started over a year ago, and my Spanish book blog, Mi Café Literario. Since Deliriously Falling is now a fully functioning YA book blog, as well as being a fansite, I thought I'd take more advantage of my time if I focused only on that blog.

That being said, I'll leave this blog open so people (and I) can still see its content. But I won't be blogging here anymore, unless I change my mind in the future. 

You'll be able to find me over at DF and email me at deliriouslyfalling AT hotmail.com. Anyone, author or blogger, who's had contact with me, please email me at my new email. Any requests I get to review books here will be transferred to DF.

Followers! I LOVE you all, and if you want, I invite you to follow me at DF, I have a wonderful group of people there, and we've got some new stuff coming soon.

It's been wonderful! 

See you later,

Ella

Finding the perfect photo for your book cover, getting the photographer's OK on using it...

...and three minutes later, being told by the photographer that an editor wants to buy exclusive rights to the photo and use it in a book cover. 

FML.

This is the photo, btw. Raven Heart by (c) curcabeata '11

That's CORA! That's Insomnia's cover! This picture represents my book so perfectly.

Argh, I'd already made the cover, and it looked so beautiful, you guys. Curcabeata was so nice to me, apologising for telling me yes first, and then no. She said she'd let me know if the editor did use the cover, because they weren't sure yet. 

So, be on the lookout for this photo in a cover! I'm sure it'll be a YA title, because of the girl. 

I do hope they buy the pic from her, because she'd be making some money then. But, then if they don't, this will definitely be Insomnia's cover. 

Go and see her portfolio, it's awesome!

*I'll go and silently cry in my room...*

The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation, #1), by Avery Williams

Release Date: January 3rd, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall: 5 out of 5 Stars 

Categories: Paranormal, Drama, Romance, Reincarnation 
Goodreads Page - Buy The Book

Read in January 2012

Summary:

After spending six hundred years on Earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world's riches but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy that allows them to take the bodies of other humans from jumping from one vessel to the next, ending the human's life in the process. No longer able to bear the guilt of what she's done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never kill again.

Then sixteen-year old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific car accident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body while trying to save her. For the first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she's inhabiting--and falling in love with the boy who lives next door. But Cyrus will stop at nothing until she's his again, and every moment she stays, she's putting herself and the people she's grown to care about in danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that's eluded her for centuries: true love?

My Opinion:

A great, fast-paced debut from new author Avery Williams! It seems reincarnation is the topic that's "in", what with Jodi Meadows's upcoming Incarnate.

I read this last week, in a few hours split into two days. I hadn't read a book that fast in a while! 

Since this is the first in a series, I'll forgive Avery for not giving us as much backstory as I would have liked. But I'm guessing she's saving the best for later. 


The book opens with Seraphina going to a ball in Victorian Era's London, and right after that we meet Cyrus, the boy who will change Sera's life forever. She's badly injured, but instead of watching her die, he gives her the life elixir, turning her into an Incarnate. From then on, she'll have to steal other people's lives to stay living. 


What I loved about this book, was Sera's voice. The way she narrated her story was unique, and I can't wait to read more. 


Also, Avery's use of alchemy for something other than gold-making was really surprising! I'd love to see what's in Cyrus's book on the subject. The idea of body-hopping to stay alive was great, it gave the MC something to think about: does she want to keep living like this, killing others for her own benefit; or is she ready to let go, and go into the unknown? 


All in all, I found Sera to be a really strong character, and I can't wait to see what happens to "the boy next door"! That ending was terrible, in a great way! 

TCM Against SOPA

The Clock Monkey is blacking out today in protest of Internet Censorship.

Learn more about SOPA, let's fight it together.

WoW #22: Unraveling, The Treachery of Beautiful Things, Undeadly and Enchanted

Paranormal, fairy tales, beautiful covers, what more do you need? All of these books sound great, some are being released later in the year, but Undeadly releases in February!

Waiting on: Unraveling, by Elizabeth Norris

Expected publication date: April 24th, 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Add to Goodreads - Pre-order on Amazon
Debut Author

Summary from Goodreads:

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

Waiting on: The Treachery of Beautiful Things, by Ruth Frances Long

Expected publication date: August 16th, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Group USA

Add to Goodreads - Pre-order on Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

Waiting on: Undeadly, by Michele Vail

Expected publication date: February 28th, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Add to Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath.

Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with.

To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly—against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

Waiting on: Enchanted, by Alethea Kontis

Expected publication date: May 8th, 2012

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Add to Goodreads - Pre-order on Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.
When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.
The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

Writing on Monday: Getting the hand of the whole "Showing vs. Telling" thing

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to write something other than the WIP that I'd been trying to write for over a year. So, I left Insomnia hanging and dived into a completely different world.

But I missed my characters too much. I knew just where I wanted to take them (or rather, where they were taking me), but back then I lacked the inspiration. Well, that inspiration's back, stronger than before.

Last year I'd uploaded part of my WIP to inkpop and had a couple of people read it. I also had a couple of betas helping me. They all said the same, that my writing was coming along just fine for a newbie, but that I needed to mature in the sense of  Showing vs. Telling.

A week ago, I picked Insomnia back up, and re-read those very helpful critiques. I googled "Showing vs. Telling" and read a bunch of articles about the subject. And then I opened my .doc file and started writing/editing my WIP. I feel confident that I'll have it finished in a month or two, and I'm happier about it than ever before. Just thinking that I'll have written a book -ME!- fills me with joy. Even if that book is not National Book Award-winning material (oh, wait, I'm not eligible for that, given where I live and all...). Even if the only people who read it are my friends and family, and maybe you? I'll just be happy to have finished it.

Last night I hit the 45k mark on my word count, reaching 157 pages on my WIP. From my calculations, I'm 3/4 of the story in, so that means I still have thousands of words left to write. And I love that! Cause it means it'll be the longest piece I've ever written.

Now I want to show you the first paragraph of the first chapter of the new draft. If I haven't lost you on the way, and you're still reading, thank you! I wanted to show you the old version, but silly me, I edited on it and didn't save the edit as a new .doc. I hope you'll read what's next and let me know what you think. This is how Insomnia begins:

I wasn’t going to make it. My stomach heaved, bile rose up my throat, its bitter taste filling my mouth. One of my hands shot up to cover it, the other hugged my chest. My lungs struggled to catch a breath, the simple effort of trying to breathe hurt my muscles as they strained to let air in. A loud bang reverberated against the walls as the front door shut closed and the sound echoed in my head, louder and louder. Beads of sweat ran down my face, trickling down to the wooden floor. Each splash ricocheted against my eardrums, as my heightened senses took it all in. The minor headache I’d woken up with this morning had turned into a full scale migraine. 

Here are some of the articles on S. vs. T. I read:

• Show, Don't (just) Tell by Dennis G. Jerz
• T is for the "Telling" Truth by Barbara Dawson Smith 
• Creative Writing 101 - Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group
• Writing Workshop: Show vs. Tell by Bonnie Grove

And I just read this very illustrating post by Veronica Roth about what goes on behind the publishing biz. 

I'd love to know what you're writing! Leave me a comment and I'll stop by your blog and read whatever you've posted.

The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe

Release Date: January 24th, 2012

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall: 1 out of 5 Stars 

Categories: Drama, Dystopia, NetGalley, Did Not Finish*

Goodreads Page

Read in January 2012

Summary:

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.
When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?

My Opinion:

I was expecting to love this book -the premise is good and it's categorised as a dystopia, which is a genre I love- but alas, I did not. A lot of other people seem to have liked it, and maybe that's why I was expecting too much from this novel. I'd seen a lot of 5 stars reviews on GR.

The novel's protagonist, Kaelyn, begins writing a diary for her ex-bestfriend, Leo. It starts out slow, but that's understandable, because that's how you're supposed to write a diary, little by little, not like a normal prose narrative book. But further on, that's exactly what it becomes; the diary transforms into something else, where Kaelyn narrates everything, but still in a slow pace.

I could not for the life of me relate to any of these characters: Kaelyn, her brother Drew, her cousin Meredith, her father... they were all there, but none (it seemed to me) had enough depth, they didn't seem real to me.

The way Kaelyn retells the events happening in her island are dull and unsufficient for my reader curiosity. Nothing interesting happened, and I found myself (after reading 157 pages) skipping chapters, that didn't show much promise either. The ending was predictable, too.

Needless to say is, I was very disappointed. I was truly expecting something different from what I got. I do want to keep reading what Megan writes, though. Maybe I'll like Give Up The Ghost, people say it's funny. 

*It wasn't that I didn't finish it, more like -like I said above-, I skipped chapters after reaching the middle, only to see how it ended and move on to my next read.

Firelight (Firelight, #1), by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: September 7th, 2010

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall: 4 Stars 

Categories: Fantasy, Paranormal, Dragons, Romance

Goodreads Page
Other books in the series: Vanish (Firelight, #2) 

Read in January 2012

Summary:

A hidden truth. Mortal enemies. Doomed love.
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

My Opinion:

Firelight drew me in and didn't let go until I was done! What a good read! It took me a while to read this, but that was because I waited until it was published in Arg, instead of buying it through the internet. But now, I don't know if I'll be able to wait until Vanish is published here, I want to read it now!

Although I really enjoyed this book, I was a little annoyed at the plot: girl's family has to move for whatever reason (in Firelight it was to save Jacinda from a terrible fate), girl starts new school, doesn't make many friends, and the cutest guy -the one all the girls drool about- notices her among the throng.

But I get it: sometimes these things -writing about new kids in school and falling for the boy/girl you've dreamed about/seen in your mind/are destined to meet/etc.- are inevitable if we want to make the story work. I know this from experience, I'm writing a book where my female character dreams about a boy whom she later meets, and oh, what a surprise, she meets him because he's new in school. But I've learnt it doesn't matter what others write, it's what you make of your story. Honestly, I don't see any other way for neither mine nor Sophie's story to work: Jacinda's in danger and they have to move. She's the new kid in school -along with her sister, Tamra- and it's there where she meets Will, the hunter who refused to kill her.

And it's because of that that she wants to be around him (why did he spare her, when he kills her kind for a living?), and also, because without him, her draki (her dragon spirit) will certainly die in the hot desert where her mother took her.

I love dragons, and this story did not disappoint. Their history was explained very well through Jacinda's voice, which I thought was unique. I loved that the draki have all different abilities, like Jacinda being a fire draki, the last of her kind, and that they live in closed communities. And I also can't wait to learn more about the enkros and the hunters, and Will's story.

I only wish the love triangle wasn't so strong and present in the book. Sophie created wonderful characters, and while I can tolerate the new girl syndrome, I really dislike a bad love triangle.

I'd recommend this to Inheritance's fans: while this is nothing like Paolini's series, a) it's got dragons, and b) we've got no more Inheritance books, so we might as well move on to the next series.

Becca Fitzpatrick reveals title for book four in the Hush, Hush saga

Just moments ago, Becca revealed the final title in the Hush, Hush saga!

*drumroll*



The title is... FINALE!

Just like she said, that word has a musical tinge to it, which goes great with the series's previous titles.

Now we'll have to wait for the cover reveal. She also said that she won't be accepting any offers to turn the series into films, and I couldn't be happier with that decision, because lately, we're hearing a lot of authors saying that their books would be made into films, and I don't think the films/producers take the books' essence into consideration enough, and these books turn out to be only a ghost of what the books were.

The live video chat isn't over yet. Come and join us!

Happy Book Birthday: The Fault in Our Stars, A Million Suns & Jessica Rules the Dark Side

BOOK INFO:
 
Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Hardcover
Age Group: Young Adult
Categories: Contemporary, Illnesses
Goodreads Page - Amazon - TBD - Barnes & Noble

Summary:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, 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.

BOOK INFO:

Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Hardcover 
Age Group: Young Adult
Categories: Sci-Fi
Goodreads Page - Amazon - TBD - Barnes & Noble

Summary:

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.
In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

BOOK INFO:

Release Date: January 10th, 2012
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Hardcover 
Age Group: Young Adult
Categories: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads Page - Amazon - TBD - Barnes & Noble

Summary:

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

I want them all! I haven't read Across the Universe yet, but it's on my TBR list for this year.

The Curse Workers Series by Holly Black gets a new look

And while they are beautiful and everything, I still hate it when they change the cover design halfway through. Cause now I'll have books with different cover styles, and I don't like that at all. 

They could have designed Black Heart's cover like the previous two, and maybe change all of them later.

Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll just have to buy BH with this new cover and have it stand out because it doesn't blong.

And, what was so wrong about the old covers? I loved them, I thought they were haunting and dark and reflected the book's essence just fine.

Compare the new vs the old covers:

Demon Whisperer (Caden Butcher, #1), by Tawny Stokes

Release Date: September 28th, 2011

Kindle Edition

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall: 5 Stars 

Categories: Action, Paranormal, Underworld, Boy's POV, Bewitching Book Tour Review

Goodreads Page - Author's Website

Read in December 2011

Summary:

Awake a year-long coma, where he literally spent in hell, Caden Butcher, 17, developed a special power. He can speak to demons in their own language. This new trick helps him take over the family exorcism business, from his broken alcoholic father. Having to take care of the finances, Caden makes a decent income getting rid of demons. He’s known as the young whiz-kid exorcist to the stars, obtaining most of his work in Hollywood. But what others don't know is the exorcisms are all staged with the help of his best buddy, a demon he met in hell named Dantalion (Dan).
When an exorcism goes wrong, Caden discovers the demon inside a teen girl is not the run of the mill malicious entity but an adversary from down under who is hell bent on Caden’s destruction. The International Order of Exorcists, an organization that tolerates Caden at best because of his respected father, starts their own investigation because of his screw up.
Now with the help of his demon buddy, and Caden’s girlfriend Aspen Spencer, a skilled necromancer, Caden must track down the rogue demon before he can expose Caden as a fraud and destroy everything that matters to him in his life, ending his reign as the one and only Demon Whisperer.

My Opinion:

I wasn't expecting to like this book that much, but boy, did I LOVE it! Who doesn't like a book in a boy's POV? And what a voice did Caden have!

Tawny created a fast paced book that'll leave you wanting more. 

Caden is a 17 year old boy (19, according to his ID) with a heavy baggage. He's got a secret he's not willing to tell anybody: he's been to Hell and found a way out. During his time inside, Caden learnt how to speak Demon, with which he can talk to demons and make them do his will. He made a friend there too: Dan. 

I really liked how Caden and Dan's relationship was built: Dan was a good friend to Caden, but he was still a demon, and he acted as such, never saying he was sorry for what he did. Tawny found a great balance there.

I also liked how she crafted Caden and Aspen's relationship: he was in love with her, and ultimately, he wanted to save her, but it wasn't a lovey-duvey thing and it had a solid basis. I enjoyed reading about them, and how their love progressed, because really, it looked real. Things like that happen in real life (the love thing, not the teen exorcisms and such) and it's good to read about it too, to help you keep your head on the ground and not up in the clouds. 

Caden's a character that goes through a mayor transformation throughout the book; I loved how much he grew up and realised he couldn't do it all on his own, and that he needed help.

There were many different things at play here, and they kept me hooked to the book. So much so, that I finished its 228-ish pages in 4 days! I hadn't read a book in that few days in a long time!

I'll definitely be reading Tawny's other books in the future. 

In My Mailbox #8

I went to two of my local libraries today and got (all books are in Spanish, and I thought I'd show you what covers they've got, as some are not the same as their English counterparts):

Chica de Fuego (Firelight, Firelight, #1), by Sophie Jordan

This one's been in my TBR list since it came out, and I loved seeing it in my local library, so of course I bought it!

Dragons and romance, hell yeah!

Prueba de Fuego (The Scorch Trials, Maze Runner #2), by James Dashner

Loved The Maze Runner, and I'm hoping to love this one even more!

Dulce Fuego (Fire Study, Study #3), by Maria V. Snyder

The Insider Series made me love Maria's writing (can't wait for book 3!), and when I saw this one in a used bookstore, I actually squaled. Too bad I don't have neither Poison Study nor Magic Study, but now I'll definitely see if I can find them!

Cinco Cerditos (Five Little Pigs, Poirot #24), by Agatha Christie

I haven't read any Christie yet, so I thought this was a good time to start.
Also bought in the used bookstore.

Have you bought anything interesting this week?