Crown of Midnight

Review Time! This review is way overdue but I'm excited to be finally reviewing it, Crown of Midnight is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Sarah J. Maas' sizzling 2012 YA Debut, Throne of Glass! I absolutely loved the first book so it was without question that Crown of Midnight was one of those few books I did manage to read this year! You can purchase a copy of Crow of Midnight from The Book Depository | Fishpond | The Nile | Bookworld. Thanks to Bloomsbury for the review copy! (Much love SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU GUYS!)

(Goodreads) Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

The Short Story? - There are not enough words in the english language to describe how amazing this sequel was! I don't know about you but I was expecting the second book flop and instead Maas outwrote herself with this spectacular sequel that absolutely blew my mind to pieces and took me to plot heaven. Seriously - I DIE. This book was one of the best sequels I've ever read, the plot was fast-paced, action-packed and filled with heart-stopping romance and jaw-dropping twists and turns. I fell head over heels in love again with Celaena and Chaol, I'm pretty much living my love story through them. Beautifully written, Maas shows true talent with this pleasing and captivating sequel, Crown of Midnight gets two thumbs up from the Badass Bookie!

The Long Story? - Honestly, this book is amazing beyond words (but perhaps numbers can help. A 4.52 average rating on Goodreads with a total of 9048 ratings - IMPRESSIVE). There is little not to love about the storyline of Crown of Midnight. It was fast-paced and filled with action, suspense and mystery. Basically everything needed to make a good book. I remember reading through this book and finding myself constantly shocked by the unpredictability and unexpected twists in the book. Maas definitely knows how to drop bombs (you emotional terrorist!) in the right places. I can't get through this review without at least talking about the SIZZLING chemistry between Celaena and Chaol, probably one of my favourite couples, the romance between the two has definitely blossomed in this sequel however there are so many obstacles for them to overcome, my heart truly breaks! Beautifully written, I'm 120% pleased with the plot, LOVE LOVE LOVE what Maas has accomplished and I look forward to a third book!

Celaena is one of those characters that I felt an instant connection to from the very first moment we were introduced to each other and over the course of two books I've grown even closer to her. She's just so strong and independent. If I was ever placed in any situation that was similar to what Celaena has gone through, I wouldn't have survived. She's so badass yet there is this sweet side to her which she only shows when she is around Chaol. She's so strong yet vulnerable. I liked how in Crown of Midnight, the story was told in alternating perspectives between Celaena, Chaol and Dorian because it truly brings the reader closer to the character. I found this was especially the case with Chaol, on the outside he is so proper and serious yet after reading his perspective you can totally see that he is a passionate man who truly find himself head over heels in love with Celaena. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Dorian because he truly is the other guy in this situation, I'm certain a part of Celaena still loves him but I'm rooting for Chaol along with 98% of the other readers! I couldn't have been happier with the characters!

It seems to me after that raving review that there is not much I didn't like about the book ( or nothing). No wait, I hate the long wait til the THIRD BOOK AFTER THAT ENDING. Maas has truly written an extraordinary sequel that will please many if not all followers of the series, fantastic plot, great characterisation and beautiful writing. A top effort!

What's it Worth? - Break Out the Piggybank

Badass Bookie xx

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Day Eleven: OPEN ROAD SUMMER + Giveaway!

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Book Profile

Name - Open Road Summer (Goodreads)
Author - Emery Lord
Genre - Contemporary YA Romance
Release Date - April 15th 2014

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

Available - The Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Insider's Scoop

Ten secrets about OPEN ROAD SUMMER:

1. My natural narrative voice is so different than my main character's. She's quippy, using shorter sentences, and I tend to limn on and on with lots of imagery. In order to get her voice down at first, I'd intentionally write when I was undercaffeinated and grumpy. 

2. I don't generally "cast" my books in my head, but my character Matt Finch is named after Matt Lauria. Because c'mon.

3. The two girls in my book are completely fictional, but that bond is very much inspired by my own BFF. We've been friends since we were nine. Like the girls in my book, we seem like we don't have much in common on the surface, but we *get* each other and can be completely real--and that's what matters. 

4. I spent a full week torturing over whether or not two characters should sleep together. Like, barely wrote anything while I obsessed over this. It was hard to figure out which was the more realistic thing: that they would or wouldn't. Eventually, I figured out the right thing, but it still makes me laugh that one of the problems in my professional life is: should the people I made up do it? 

5. I named a character after a friend's horrible stepmother. Then the character wound up being not so horrible at all...and I feel bad about it! Haha.

6. The book has been titled OPEN ROAD SUMMER since before I wrote the first chapter.

7. The cover has always been the same too. The designer nailed it on the first try! 

8. I didn't write ORS chronologically. I wrote the last two chapters very early on. 

9. The last chapter is probably the one that has changed the least.

10. The chapter that changed the most? The first. I rewrote it four times before even sending it to my agent!

~Giveaway~

Emery is giving away an ARC of OPEN ROAD SUMMER! 

Rule of Entry -

- US ONLY

- Ends 11th of January

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on either of Emery's posts +2 each

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Emery on Twitter +1 (@emlord1)

   * Add Open Road Summer to Goodreads Shelf +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx

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Day Ten: All About Emery Lord (OPEN ROAD SUMMER)

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Debutante Profile

Name - Emery Lord
Debut – Open Road Summer
Publisher - Walker
Genre – Contemporary
Website– HERE
Blog - HERE
Twitter - HERE

Emery Lord lives in Cincinnati with her BFF/husband, two rescue dog sidekicks, and a closet full of dresses. She spends way too much time reading, shopping for impractical shoes, and laughing so loudly with her girl friends that other people in the restaurant get mad. OPEN ROAD SUMMER is her first novel.



Dream Debutante Dress - 

"This Jenny Packham dress forever, but with a stitch or two in the neckline because otherwise my mom will make me go home and change."

Notes from a YA Debutante

Random factoids:

1. Yep, Lord is my real last name.

2. My parents are high school sweethearts, so my existence is actually the product of a YA love story.

3. I had braces for six (SIX!) years.

4. My family is full of incredible athletes--lacrosse, tennis, golf, you name it. During my first soccer game as a kid, I sat down by the goal and made a crown out of clovers instead of playing defense.

5. I wanted my name to be Annabel when I was little because I was obsessed with the book NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE.

6. Okay, I actually still wish my name was Annabel. Let's call me Annabel from now on.

7. I played Anita in my high school's WEST SIDE STORY production. There's a DVD. You will NEVER see it.

8. I write in cursive at all times. It's easier and faster to me, not having to pick up the pen for every letter. When I have to print for medical forms, I'm like a chimpanzee with an oversized pencil--
awkward and slow.

9. I never saw the show FRIENDS when it was on the air, but I started watching it a few years ago. Now I watch the series on loop if I can't fall asleep. And I kick ass at FRIENDS trivia.

10. I worked at Starbucks for all four years of college, and every year was full of coffee and dance parties and plenty of crying in the back room. It remains my second-favorite job, other than writing books!

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Bookie's Note: Em, the fact that you're the product of a YA love story makes OPEN ROAD SUMMER just THAT. MUCH. COOLER. I had excellent cursive handwriting as a fourth grader, the first in my class to get my pen license yet I only ever print my words now! And braces are awesome, think of all the beautiful smiles you can share with the world now :P (I have braces right now. I got them by choice. Peer pressure. Everyone else had perfect teeth). Remember to come back tomorrow for the second half of Em's feature + a giveaway! :)

Badass Bookie xx

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Man Made Boy REVIEW + GIVEAWAY

Review Time! Man Made Boy is the latest book from YA author Jon Skovron (usually writes books that are dark, strange and humorous - he kinda looks like a vampire too). This review and giveaway was initially part of the Australian Blog Tour but that was back in November and I had exam block so I completely couldn't make my posting date! HOWEVER better late than never right? You can purchase Man Made Boy from The Book Depository | The Nile | Fishpond | Bookworld. Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy and the giveaway!

(Goodreads) Love can be a real monster.

Sixteen-year-old Boy’s never left home. When you’re the son of Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride, it’s tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it’s important they maintain a low profile.

Boy’s only interactions with the world are through the Internet, where he’s a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can’t escape his demons—both literal and figurative—until he faces his family once more.

The Short Story? - An imaginative and interesting concept that was executed nicely! I definitely felt this book was directed more towards a male audience (male protagonist, writing seemed fit for more of a guy reader etc etc.) however I enjoyed it (and I'm SWEAR I'm not a guy) so it's definitely a book everyone can get into and enjoy! A coming to age novel about Boy, the son of Frankenstein and Bride and how he struggles between monster and man, obligations and desires and finding who he really is. Cute, funny and entertaining from cover to cover, Skovron's Man Made Boy is a hilarious story about a boy (haha!) who struggles to find his place in the world!

The Long Story? - I'm not really quite sure how to describe this book because it's not really a retelling or a re-imagining. It's more like a imagining of a what if situation...do you get me? I'm not a huge fan of coming-to-age novels (they're just not my cup of tea) however I thoroughly enjoyed Man Made Boy because although it was a coming-to-age novel, there were so many supernatural elements to the story. Firstly, the characters aren't human and secondly the plot was very different. In Skovron's world, monsters are living in hiding among humans. Boy's family is part of The Show, a broadway production run completely by monsters. The Show is a source of income as well as a haven for monsters in New York. Boy struggles between wanting to live a life of his own or staying at The Show. The pace of the book is a little slow and the writing style and narration takes a little to get used to however that aside, it was beautifully written, the plot was imaginative and interesting and a little bittersweet. The romance was cute and most importantly it was funny!

It's always easier for me to forge a connection with a character if they have boobs. Let's face it, girls understand girls (most of the time) better than they do of the opposite sex. It was a little hard to connect with Boy initially not only did he not have boobs, he was quiet and shy and conserved (which is three things that I definitely am not) however as the boob progressed, I found myself growing closer to Boy. You can definitely see Boy grow into a completely different person from cover to cover. He grew a backbone, he started living his own life and he gave himself an identity. It's wonderful when you can see a character grow throughout a novel as their experiences shape them into a different person. Boy was a fantastic character! Claire and Sophie were as different as day and night however I adored both characters. They were a very nice balance of each other and their relationship with Boy was completely adorable! 

I found myself enjoying Man Made Boy a lot more than I thought I would! It seemed like such a "guy book" and although there were elements that suggest this, overall I found myself thoroughly enjoying Skovron's humorous "sorta re-imagining" of Frankenstein. A highly unique concept that was executed very well with likeable characters and an interesting plot! I definitely recommend this book to lovers of both contemporary fiction and supernatural fiction!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

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GIVEAWAY

Since I enjoyed Man Made Boy so much, Allen and Unwin has provided me with an opportunity to provide THREE (3) lucky winners with the same opportunity! We are giving away a copy of Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron to three AUSTRALIAN READERS!

- AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS ONLY

- Ends 25th of December

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on this review +3

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Allen and Unwin on Twitter +1 (@AllenAndUnwin)

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

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Badass Bookie xx

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Day Nine: LANDRY PARK + Giveaway

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Book Profile

Name - Landry Park (Goodreads)
Author - Bethany Hagen
Genre - Science Fiction
Release Date - February 4th 2014

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

Available - The Book Depository | Fishpond | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Insider's Scoop

The Inspiration for Landry Park

I'm always fascinated to hear how different authors find inspiration for their stories. For some, it seems to be a single moment or experience that spawns a story, and for others, it's a gradual evolution. I think Landry Park was one of those--something that snowballed over time, just waiting for the right catalyst.

Ever since I started reading something other than Animorphs and Sweet Valley Twins, I've loved stories from the past. I loved Jane Eyre and Jane Austen's oeuvre especially, but also anything to do with King Arthur and Shakespeare. And then, in college, when my husband and I ate lots of ramen noodles and lived in an apartment where the layout of the units allowed me to hear (in vivid detail) my neighbors using the bathroom, I went through a phase where I only watched the Science Channel. Every night, I fell asleep to Paul Gasek droning about the birth of the solar system, and while I studied for my classes, I watched shows about black holes and dark matter and whether or not a super-volcano was going to blow up Wyoming. 

So then, King-Arthur-obsessed, Regency-gown-loving, Science Channel nerd that I was, I got a job at the local museum. Where, when I wasn't terrifying fourth graders with outlawed classroom-control tactics, I patrolled exhibits featuring the Gilded Age and the Edwardian Era. I gave tours of the 1950's All-Electric House and read books about Cold War nuclear hysteria.

And over the course of a year, things started to come together. Atoms and lacy dresses and radiation burns and lavish parties. And during the long hours at the one-room schoolhouse, waiting for visitors, in between bouts of cutting slate rags with pinking shears, I started writing the story. 

And even though it morphed and changed dramatically over time, I can still clearly see how all these ideas melded together to become Landry Park.

~Giveaway~

Bethany is giving away a Pre-Order of LANDRY PARK! 

Rule of Entry -

- INTERNATIONAL (Wherever Book Depository Ships)

- Ends 9th of January

- Must be 13 or older

- Optional Entries :

   * Leaving comment on either of Bethany's posts +2 each

   * Follow Me on Twitter +1

   * Follow Bethany on Twitter +1 (@Bethany_Hagen)

   * Add Landry Park to Goodreads Shelf +1

   * Tweeting Giveaway +1

   * Follow Badass Bookie via GFC/Linky or RSS +2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Badass Bookie xx

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THESE BROKEN STARS BLOG TOUR: Guest Post

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GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! It's a beautiful Monday morning here in the land down under (personally I have no qualms about Mondays since I'm on holidays and it's like Sunday everyday - and I'm not wearing any pants). As part of the Australian blog tour for THESE BROKEN STARS (Allen and Unwin - December), I have Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner stopping on the blog today with a guest post!

Although I haven't gotten around to reading THESE BROKEN STARS yet (it's on my TBR pile for December), this is a book that I hold close to my heart because 1) Amie and Meagan are two of my favourite author friends and 2) they're Australian (well Amie is and Meagan lived here so pretty much the same thing)!

Anyway enjoy the guest post! I know I did!

(Also can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is? That green dress is so magnificent and I wish I could pull off green as well as red heads)

                                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five Things We Learned Writing These Broken Stars

1. If you want to drop an escape pod through the atmosphere onto a planet, you need it to have a parachute, or the inhabitants will die like flat, flat pancakes. (Thank you, helpful NASA physicist friend Ben for pointing this out!)

2. If you’re out of water and you put snow in your mouth to melt, your body will expend energy trying to warm the water up to your core temperature. This depletes your energy, which is obviously a problem since you’re already in a survival situation. Still, water is better than no water.

3. If you say “That would kill a LOT of people” in a public place (in our case, the Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs), the people around you definitely start respecting your personal space verrrry carefully. We promise we were only talking about crashing our fictional spaceship.

4. If you are going to google what happens to dead bodies when they decompose, try to avoid an image search. Trust us on this.

5. If you want to blow something up, where you place the explosives is very important—get it wrong, and you’ll just blow a hole in it instead. So what you want to do is… actually, maybe we better keep the details to ourselves. (But thanks to our explosives expert Nic for helping us out!)

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About the Authors:

Left: Amie Right: Meagan

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have travelled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, lives just outside Washington D.C. (though she considers herself an honorary Aussie), while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips and second breakfasts.

You can find them on Twitter at @AmieKaufman and @MeaganSpooner.

Visit Amie's website

Visit Meagan's website

Sign Up to Amie and Meagan's MONTHLY NEWSLETTER for Exclusive Behind the Scenes Sneek Peeks and Giveaways! - HERE

About the Book:

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?
Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

Badass Bookie xx 

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Day Eight: Bethany Hagen (LANDRY PARK)

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Debutante Profile

Name - Bethany Hagen 

Debut – Landry Park

Publisher - Dial

Genre – Science Fiction

Website– HERE

Blog -  Here

Twitter - HERE


Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur, and went on to become a librarian. She has a basement full of books and a computer full of writing. She loves drinking coffee and doing karate with her husband (usually not at the same time.) Her debut novel Landry Park will be out from Dial/Penguin in Winter of 2014.

Dream Debutante Dress -  

"I LOVE this dress. I found it while I was writing the early drafts of Landry Park, and Madeline actually wears it at the first dance she attends in the novel."

Notes from a YA Debutante

A Series of Un-Connected (and Potentially Strange) Facts About Me:

1. I'm a third degree black belt in kenpo karate. I started doing karate when I was twelve, and the dojo is where I met my husband while we were both teens on the demo team. We just got our third black belt last summer and now we're working towards our fourth. My goal is to one day burst into flower petals like Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda.

2. I have this thing called narcolepsy. I was diagnosed when I was sixteen, although I exhibited symptoms from a really young age. I consider napping to be one of my passions. I'm a nap connoisseur, if you will. 

3. I used to be a 1904 schoolmarm. But mostly only on weekends. I did first person interpretation at a museum for a few years, where I dressed in a long skirt and white shirtwaist and I yelled at children all day. Not a bad gig. The pail lunches got old after a while, though.

4. I'm in an oil painting. In further attempts to pretend that I actually live 100 years ago, I have modeled for a painter. Now, we weren't in a desolate Parisian garret or anything, but it was still pretty special. 

5. Secretly wish I were married to Bill Bryson. Or maybe that he was my uncle. Or maybe that he just read books to me every now and then.

6. I probably have toxoplasmosis. Which according to the internet means that I'm more likely to be solitary, take risks and end up with dementia. Still waiting to find the disease that makes me resistant to wearing real pants.

7. I resent wearing pants. I own a magnificent collection of sweatpants. I have maxi skirts for when I have to be extra adult and go to the grocery store and the dentist and stuff.

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Bookie's Note: Bethany, #7 is me too. Pants are just so unflattering. When I'm not in pyjama shorts or yoga pants, I'm in a dress or a skirt. I'm not a girly girl - I just HATE PANTS. I've learnt new diseases which I can't pronounce but they don't sound too bad and not going to lie, the first thing that came to mind when you said you had a black belt was ass-kicking in a dark alley way (haha, I hope you never get mugged). Make sure to come back tomorrow for the second half of Bethany's feature when she gives us the INSIDER'S SCOOP on LANDRY PARK (do I even still have to mention there is a giveaway or is that assumed knowledge?). 

Badass Bookie xx

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