Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Vessel by Lisa T Cresswell

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

VESSEL by Lisa T. Cresswell

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

The sun exploded on On April 18, 2112 in a Class X solar storm the likes of which humankind had never seen.

They had exactly nineteen minutes to decide what to do next.

They had nineteen minutes until a geomagnetic wave washed over the Earth, frying every electrical device created by humans, blacking out entire continents, and every satellite in their sky.

Nineteen minutes to say goodbye to the world they knew, forever, and to prepare for a new Earth, a new Sun.

Generations after solar storms destroyed nearly all human technology on Earth, humans reverted to a middle ages-like existence, books are burned as heresy, and all knowledge of the remaining technology is kept hidden by a privileged few called the Reticents.

Alana, a disfigured slave girl, and Recks, a traveling minstrel and sometimes-thief, join forces to bring knowledge and books back to the human race. But when Alana is chosen against her will to be the Vessel, the living repository for all human knowledge, she must find the strength to be what the world needs even if it's the last thing she wants.

Title: Vessel
Publication date: May 2015

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Lisa T. Cresswell

Lisa, like most writers, began scribbling silly notes, stories, and poems at a very young age. Born in North Carolina, the South proved fertile ground to her imagination with its beautiful white sand beaches and red earth. In fifth grade, she wrote, directed and starred in a play "The Queen of the Nile" at school, despite the fact that she is decidedly un-Egyptian looking. Perhaps that's why she went on to become a real life archaeologist?

Unexpectedly transplanted to Idaho as a teenager, Lisa learned to love the desert and the wide open skies out West. This is where her interest in cultures, both ancient and living, really took root, and she became a Great Basin archaeologist. However, the itch to write never did leave for long. Her first books became the middle grade fantasy trilogy, The Storyteller Series. Her first traditionally published work, Hush Puppy, is now available from Featherweight Press.

Lisa still lives in Idaho with her family and a menagerie of furry critters that includes way too many llamas!

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

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Review & Giveaway: Feral - Holly Schindler

Feral
by Holly Schindler
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: August 26th 2014

Synopsis:

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened. 

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Holly Schindler’s gripping story is filled with heart-stopping twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

I've been intrigued by Feral ever since I first read about it so I was really looking forward to reading it. I wasn't let down. Feral opens with the gruesome commentary of a murdered girl who can still feel everything happening to her and hear the struggle of her killer whilst trying to hide her body. With that opening I was hooked and read until the early hours of the morning to find out 'whodunnit'...

From the moment Claire Cain arrives in Peculiar everything seems to be a reminder of the brutal attack she  only just survived in Chicago. Hoping for a fresh start Claire realizes that small-town Peculiar is no different to the big city.

Follow the FFBC Feral Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Holly Schindler is the author of the critically acclaimed A BLUE SO DARK (Booklist starred review, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year silver medal recipient, IPPY Awards gold medal recipient) as well as PLAYING HURT (both YAs). 

Her debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY also released in ’14, and became a favorite of teachers and librarians, who used the book as a read-aloud. Kirkus Reviews called THE JUNCTION “...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve.” Bloggers also quickly fell for the book; Susan at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books said of THE JUNCTION, “Triumphant and compelling, this is one of those books that will make you cheer. And look a little bit closer for the unique beauty in all of us.” 

FERAL is Schindler’s third YA and first mystery / thriller. She encourages readers to get in touch, and can be found on her website, her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

Giveaway is open to US/CAN Only | Must be 13 or older to enter 

Win (1) signed hardcover of FERAL (US/CAN)

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Waiting On Wednesday #88 - A Wicked Thing

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

A Wicked Thing - Rhiannon Thomas
ISBN - 9780062303530
Publisher - Harper Teen
Expected release date - February 24th 2015
Find - Goodreads 

'A spinning wheel. A prick of a finger. A terrible curse.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairytale.

Her family is long dead. Her “true love” is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. Everyone expects Aurora to marry her betrothed and restore magic and peace to the kingdom before revolution tears it apart. But after a lifetime spent locked in a tower for her own safety, Aurora longs for the freedom to make her own choices. When she meets a handsome rebel, he tempts her to abandon everything for a different kind of life.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her.

With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run...' - Goodreads

Fairy tale? Yes. Retelling? Yes. Sleeping Beauty? Yes. Enough said, fairy tale, retelling and Sleeping Beauty equal automatic placement on the wishlist! 

Bout of Books 11 Goals

So, my goals for Bout of Books are going to be a little bit different this time round. For the first four days I'll be updating on Twitter so make sure you follow me @BookishOutsider.

I'm also not sure how many books I'm going to be able to read over the first four days but hopefully the rest of the week will involve some serious reading time.

Time devoted to Reading

At least 1 hour a day

My goals

Finish at least five books

Books to read

No idea yet but will add them here before the start on Monday

Review - Ascension of the Whyte

Ascension of the Whyte - Karen Wrighton

ISBN - 9781497446519

Publisher - CreateSpace

Release date - June 9th 2014

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Sara Carson did not believe in life after death, Heaven, Hell or even reincarnation. However, what she didn't know was that some of us are special. For some of us, death is just the beginning of our next great adventure. Sara Carson was one of those special people, and her most incredible journey did not begin, until the day she died. 

Ascension of the Whyte is the first book in a series called The Afterland Chronicles and is an intriguing fantasy that will have you turning the pages. I'm a sucker for any book that starts with a map so I couldn't wait to see the places on the map described so I could picture them in my head.

The beginning of the book opens with Sara chatting to a friend as they leave school and ends with a sudden & horrific death. We're then transported to another dimension and the story really begins.  We are introduced to a whole new way of life where, when you die, your soul ascends and becomes another person who may or may not have ascended many times before. Meet Rose, the first Whyte Ascendant for a thousand years, who with Ash, Auriel and Lee, make a very select cell who will save the world of Hydrarygrum if a prophecy written centuries before is to be believed.

I found it quite hard to believe that this was a debut novel. The writing was mostly extremely well written and each & every character had their own distinct voice. The magical system created was nothing short of amazing and quite frankly there were one or two potens (or abilities) that I would love to be real. The ability to read dozens of books in mere minutes would have come in very handy at school!

I became so immersed in the world Karen has created that I didn't even realize that it was starting to get light outside, I managed to read Ascension of the Whyte from start to finish and get to watch the sun come up! If you like your fantasy well thought out with an intriguing magic system, djinns who want to take over the world  and characters who will become friends then this is the book for you. Karen has created a fascinating world which made me laugh and made me well up, I was thoroughly entranced by the writing and the characters. Also, as a word of warning, Karen isn't afraid to kill characters off so don't get too attached! I'm now desperate to read the next book in the series as things are just getting warmed up. Need another beta reader?

August New Release Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the August New Release Giveaway Hop hosted by Book Nerd! The hop runs from today through to midnight on July 31st 2014. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $20 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here.

All you have to do is choose any new release published in July and leave me a comment stating what book you would like (you can change your mind later!) and a way of getting in touch with you if you are the lucky winner (either an email address or Twitter) - following the blog via GFC, email, Linky or Bloglovin', Goodreads or Twitter is not compulsory, just nice!

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Check out the list below for all the other blogs taking part, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #87 - Ticker

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Ticker - Lisa Mantchev

ISBN - 9781477825280

Publisher - Skyscape

Expected release date - December 1st 2014

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

'A girl with a clockwork heart makes every second count.

When Penny Farthing nearly died, the brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick managed to implant a brass “Ticker,” transforming her into “the first of the Augmented!” But soon it was discovered that Warwick kidnapped and killed dozens of people striving to perfect another Ticker for Penny.

The last day of Warwick’s trial, the Farthing factory is bombed, Warwick disappears, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom demand for all of their Augmentation notes if they want to see their parents again. Who is trying to stop their work? Or to control it? Or is the motive more sinister?

Determined to solve the mystery and reunite their family, the Farthings recruit their closest friends: fiery baker Violet Nesselrode and gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling. Unexpectedly leading the charge is Marcus Kingsley, the young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.' - Goodreads

I absolutely adored the Theatre Illuminata trilogy and Lisa Mantchev's writing so I've been patiently waiting for her to write something else. I can't wait to get my hands on this, I love the cover and the premise sounds like it was written for me. Roll on December!

Top Ten Tuesday #63 - Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read Anymore

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely people at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read Anymore

I have a terrible habit of doing this. I'll buy a book because I love the cover or I've heard good things about or everyone in the universe seems to be reading it. And I don't... It sits on my shelf gathering dust while I procrastinate about what to read! Most of these titles are mostly because I'm burnt out on series, The Casual Vacancy though was a gift from someone who knew I liked reading but obviously has no clue about my reading tastes.