Meet The Author: Julie Eshbaugh, Ivory and Bone - Would You Rather + Giveaway

Hi Everyone, and welcome to the last day of Meet The Authors! I'll be doing a recap post tomorrow at this time, and announcing the winners for the first few giveaways, so do stay tuned!

For the last author, I have with me Julie Eshbaugh, author of Ivory and Bone and the upcoming sequel, Obsidian and Stars! I had the opportunity to be on the blog tour of Ivory and Bone last year and I LOVED it. You can read my review here!

I'm so thrilled that I got the chance to have Julie on the blog, so don't forget to say hi to her in the comments AND enter the WONDERFUL Giveaway she's hosting. 

It's such a pleasure to have you on the blog, Julie! I am SO EXCITED!

Would You Rather:

1. Spend the Day with Your Favourite Character or Your Favourite Author? 

I think I would rather spend the day with my favorite author, if it could be anyone living or dead haha. I would love to spend a day with Jane Austen!

2. Read one Book a Year and remember everything or read 100 Books In A Year are Remember Nothing? 

I think 100 books in a year and remember nothing, because I could just enjoy them all over again! I forget a lot of what I read, anyway. As long as I remember the story while I'm reading, it's all good!

3. Have Your Favourite Book Turned Into A TV Show Or A Movie?

 A movie, because none of my fave books are long enough to be made into a good series for TV.

4. Read The Last Chapter Of A Book First Or Watch The Movie? 

Watch the movie. There's always more in the book!

5. Have Unlimited Books For Free or Live Inside Your Favourite Book? 

Have unlimited books for free!

6. Spend A Day With Harry Potter or Newt Scamander? 

Definitely Harry Potter. That would be one of the best days of my life.

7. Meet Your Own Character In Person or Meet Your Favourite Fictional Character In Person? (not your own) 

I think I have to go with meet my own character in person. I feel like I know Kol so well, I would love to hang out with him in real life.

8. Read Only The First Page In A Book or Only The Last Page?

I think I would rather read only the first page, because I could make up the rest of the story in my own head. With only the last page, I would be completely lost!

9. Get Locked In A Bookstore or In A Library?

I think a library, because there would be all types of materials to explore. Also, my library has full sets of series, whereas the bookstore might only have the newest volume.

10. Read A Book With A Cliffhanger Ending or Read A Book With Your Favourite Character Dying at the end? 

I have to say cliffhanger ending! I hate when my favorite character dies, and I sometimes like the anticipation of a good cliffhanger!

Julie Eshbaugh used to have trouble staying in one spot, having lived in places as varied as Utah, France, and New York City. She eventually returned home to the Philadelphia area, where she now lives in the house she grew up in with her husband and son. Early on, Julie focused her artistic energies on filmmaking and online video. She made two short films and spent several years producing a web series for teens that became an early YouTube hit and received several honors from the Webby Awards. Julie's debut young adult novel, Ivory and Bone, will be published by HarperTeen in 2016. Julie is a member of the group writing blog Pub(lishing) Crawl, where she posts regularly. You can also add Julie on Goodreads, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Title: Ivory And Bone (Ivory and Bone #1)
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Publisher: Harper Teen
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/3 of the Ivory and Bone Trilogy
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository || BooksAMillion

Blurb Description: A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.
Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.
As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along. 

Title: Obsidian And Stars (Ivory And Bone #2)
Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Publication Date: June 13th 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2/3 of the Ivory and Bone Trilogy
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Books A Million

Blurb Description:  In the sequel to Ivory and Bone—the prehistoric fantasy novel that New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman described as a “richly crafted world of life-and-death stakes”—the story shifts to Mya’s viewpoint as vengeful adversaries force her to flee the life she once knew.
After surviving the chaotic battle that erupted after Lo and the Bosha clan attacked, now Mya is looking ahead to her future with Kol. All the things that once felt so uncertain are finally falling into place. But the same night as Kol and Mya’s betrothal announcement, Mya’s brother Chev reveals his plan to marry his youngest sister Lees to his friend Morsk. The only way to avoid this terrible turn of events, Morsk informs Mya when he corners her later, is for Mya to take Lees’ place and marry him herself. 
Refusing to marry anyone other than her beloved, and in an effort to protect her sister, Mya runs away to a secret island with Lees. And though it seems like the safest place to hide until things back home blow over, Mya soon realizes she’s been followed. Lurking deep in the recesses of this dangerous place are rivals from Mya’s past whose thirst for revenge exceeds all reason.
With the lives of her loved ones on the line, Mya must make a move before the enemies of her past become the undoing of her future. 

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Meet The Author: Caleb Roehrig, author of Last Seen Leaving - Interview

I ADORE YA thrillers and the AMAZING Caleb Roehrig, debut author of Last Seen Leaving, agreed to come onto the blog, I was SO EXCITED! Caleb is SUCH fun to talk to (albeit is was just through emails) but I had such fun anyway.

Last Seen Leaving is a YA Mystery about a boy who's girlfriend goes missing, and he's the number one suspect in her disappearance!

It's also an amazing sounding LGBTQIA Novel that I NEED TO GET MY HANDS ON ASAP! All of the reviews I've read are positive.

Caleb is here with a Guest Post on the Top Ten Book Endings That Shocked Him. Please do say Hi to him in the comments!

Welcome to A Thousand Words A Million Books, Caleb. It is AMAZING to have you here.

TOP TEN ENDINGS THAT SHOCKED ME:

10. THE SONG IS YOU, by Megan Abbott. I adore Megan Abbott, and will read anything she writes, but this atmospheric, noir mystery—a fictionalized look at the real (and still unsolved) disappearance of actress Jean Spangler in 1949—is perhaps my favorite of her works. Full of twists and turns, it’s a seamless blend of reality and Abbott’s sly imagination, and the ending is one I never saw coming.

9. DAMAGE DONE, by Amanda Panitch. Sardonic, witty, and deliciously sinister, DAMAGE DONE is a real page-turner about a girl haunted by a dramatic and violent incident—which she claims not to remember clearly, owing to trauma. When her past unexpectedly catches up with her, however, it becomes clear that she’s hiding something. With bold characterizations and an unforgettable voice, this book boils to a conclusion that definitely belongs on this list.

8. THE FIXER, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Okay, I’m cheating just a little bit with this one. I chose THE FIXER not because it has an especially shocking ending (although there is a big plot twist that gets delivered near the end of the story,) but because Barnes does a brilliant job of repeatedly shifting perspective on established bits of evidence to suddenly reveal them to the reader in a dramatic new light. As a result, this book bombards you with constant surprises, and keeps you on your toes.

7. THE STONE BOY, by Sophie Loubière. This French mystery novel is one of the better entries in the lately-popular subgenre of the Unreliable Narrator. When Madame Préau becomes convinced that something untoward is happening in her neighbor’s home, she fails to persuade anyone of what she claims she’s seen. This is in part because Mme. Préau has a history of delusions, and guilt over a tragic event from her past may be causing a relapse of her condition. To the very end, this book had me second-guessing what was real and what wasn’t.

6. SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN, by SaraShepard. Nobody is quite as deft with misdirection, red herrings, and shocking twists as Sara Shepard—and SEVEN MINUTES, the sixth and final book in her LYING GAME series, delivers all three of these in spades. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but it goes a little like this: a girl assumes her murdered, long-lost twin’s identity and tries to catch her killer. Each book introduces new layers and new motivations, and just when one suspect is ruled out, another one appears. A lot hits the fan in this last book, and the final showdown is shocking, exhilarating, and downright scary.

5. THE KEY, by Sara Bergmark Elfgren &Mats Strandberg. THE KEY is the final book in the ENGELSFORS trilogy, a Swedish series about a disparate group of teenagers in a failing mining town who learn overnight that they are all prophesied witches—and that it falls to them to save the world from an approaching cataclysm. I’ve also included THE KEY not because its ending is especially shocking, but because the entire book functions as a shocking conclusion to the ongoing story. There are huge reveals, major characters bite it, and the climactic sequence will leave you breathless.

4. BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, by SJ Watson.This is a thoroughly ingenious take on the Unreliable Narrator trope. The story is told in the first person by a woman with anterograde amnesia—the loss of ability to create new memories after a traumatic event. Every day she wakes up with no knowledge of who or where she is, and has to rely on her husband, her doctor, and a daily journal she’s been keeping in order to re-learn her life. Simply put, it’s a brilliant approach; through warnings she finds in her journal, and small clues she’s able to piece together, she begins to realize that something in her life is out of place and that she cannot trust anyone around her. But what are they hiding from her? It’s the book version of the movie Memento, and I simply could not put it down until I reached the last, thrilling page.

3. UNBELIEVABLE, by Sara Shepard. Sara Shepard gets two spots on this list, because she is just that freaking good at writing a twist ending. UNBELIEVABLE is the fourth novel in the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series, in which the identity of the mysterious and malevolent A is finally uncovered. (Well, the first A.) These books are addictive, twisty af, and filled with surprises. This book, where the girls finally figure out who’s been tormenting them all along—and why, and how this person learned their secrets to begin with—made my jaw hit the floor.

2. DANGEROUS GIRLS, by Abigail Haas. I read this book in one sitting while speeding across the Mojave Desert. (I wasn’t driving.) A non-linear thriller that jumps time frames, it tells a grisly story ripped from the headlines—one part Amanda Knox and one part Natalee Holloway. A group of friends go on spring break in a foreign land, one is murdered, and another stands accused; she swears she’s innocent, but circumstantial evidence is damning enough to make her the primary suspect. There are so many twists and turns that you reach a point where you just can’t tell who’s being honest and who isn’t anymore. When I got the final reveal, I was gasping for air.

1. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, by AgathaChristie. It is honestly impossible to overstate the effect that reading this book had on me as a teenager. Agatha Christie is the undisputed master of the twist ending, again and again building intricate puzzles with confounding solutions. DEATH ON THE NILE, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION are all deviously plotted and satisfyingly shocking—but ATTWN is her pièce de résistance. Ten people trapped on an island, dying one by one, lured there and targeted by an unknown maniac who wants to punish them for crimes they got away with in the past…the premise alone is goosebump-inducing; and, as the suspect list is slowly whittled down, you’re forced to rethink every one of your previous hypotheses. When the answer arrives in the last few pages, it will knock you to the floor. Number one with a bullet. (OR MAYBE WITH A NOOSE???)

Caleb Roehrig is a writer and television producer originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Having also lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Helsinki, Finland, he has a chronic case of wanderlust, and can recommend the best sights to see on a shoestring budget in over thirty countries. A former actor, Roehrig has experience on both sides of the camera, with a résumé that includes appearances on film and TV—as well as seven years in the stranger-than-fiction salt mines of reality television. In the name of earning a paycheck, he has: hung around a frozen cornfield in his underwear, partied with an actual rock-star, chatted with a scandal-plagued politician, and been menaced by a disgruntled ostrich.

Twitter || Instagram || Website

Title: Last Seen Leaving

Author: Caleb Roehrig

Publication Date: October 4th 2016

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone

Buy Links: Amazon || The Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || BooksAMillion

Blurb Description: Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?
Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.
But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.

 What are the some book endings that have UTTERLY Shocked you? What are some of your favourite YA Thrillers and LGBTQIA Novels?

Don't forget to say Hi to Caleb in the comments below!

Meet The Author: Sarah Porter, Vassa In The Night - Interview + Giveaway

Ack! I've been missing posts and I'm so sorry! I had a three hour college mandated aerobics class today and all I wanted to do was SLEEP after. Sigh.

Today I have with me the WONDERFUL Sarah Porter, author of Vassa In The Night! I heard of this book when I saw the September Owlcrate Box on all the beautiful #Unboxing pictures! ALSO, IT'S A MAGICAL REALISM NOVEL steeped in Russian Folklore and also plain bizarre-ness that I AM SO EXCITED FOR!

Please do read the interview with Sarah's AMAZING answers (her fictional crew is so cool!) and enter the awesome giveaway she is hosting!

Stay tuned, and in a few hours, I'll have another author for you to meet.

Welcome to the Blog, Sarah. It's such a joy to have you here.

We'd Love To Get To Know More About You:

1. Which five fictional characters would you have on your crew? 

It depends on what we were trying to do. On my crew for saving the world, or just for hanging out?

Charlotte Holmes from  A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro would keep things snappy either way, and bring cunning and insight and a collection of macabre bric-a-brac with her. Arya Stark, for obvious reasons; I'm a dreamworldy nerd and badassery isn't my strong suit, so Arya would help make up for that. Octavian Nothing from M. T. Anderson's THE POX PARTY, for his unyielding, incisive nobility. Breq from Ann Leckie's IMPERIAL RADCH trilogy, because I love her, and because there's something about her quality of aching reserve that inspires such trust. And, let's see, Arsinoe from THREE DARK CROWNS by Kendare Blake; she isn't especially powerful, and she might not actually be that helpful in a save-the-world scenario, but she's also a character who could surprise you.

At the very least, this would make for an incredible dinner party!

2. If you could enter any fictional world, which one would it be and why?

I'd love to go to the world of Phillip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, because I want a daemon of my own. I was so envious of Lyra and the other characters, each with their own sidekick-soul in animal form. It made our world feel terribly lonely by comparison.

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

The ability to explore the deepest parts of the ocean. I'd need to be able to resist the crushing pressure and the cold, as well as breathe underwater. Flying would be awesome, too, but I'd choose the sea over the sky. There's so much to discover!

And Now, Moving On To You Masterpiece:

4. If Vassa In The Night had a theme song, it would be:

Hmm. "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, since it's about the same kind of emotional struggle that Vassa goes through: to accept unbearable loss, to let her pain transform her instead of fighting and denying it, and then move on.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to each of your main characters, what would it be?

To Vassa: Oh, honey, it gets better! Be brave and keep going. You are loved far more than you can know.

To Night: Remember your own beauty, your billion constellations, the ecstasy of a mind made of stars. Seriously, why would you want to pretend to be human?

To Babs: You lost yourself when you betrayed your best friend, Bea. But Vassa is right; it might not be too late for you to win your redemption. Don't let your chance slip away!

To Erg: I'm not even going to try. It's not like she'd listen to me.

To Chelsea: You don't need my advice. If anything, I should be taking advice from you!

6. What was the hardest scene to write in Vassa In The Night?

It's so hard to answer this without spoilers! But there are two scenes right near the end that made me cry uncontrollably while I was writing them. I sobbed for a few days straight. I hope that anyone who's read the book will know what I'm talking about!

 I write stories that seem to me to be quite true enough for all practical purposes. Among them are VASSA IN THE NIGHT, THE LOST VOICES TRILOGY, and the forthcoming WHEN I CAST YOUR SHADOW and TENTACLE AND WING. Realism makes little sense to me and I experience more truth in the fantastic. I always have new novels underway, both Young Adult and Grownup/ Literary/ Speculative. When not writing my own weird stuff, I can often be found leading creative writing workshops with amazing young NYC public-school writers via Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Or I might be drawing, or gardening, or wandering wraithlike through the streets. I live in Brooklyn, land of mystery, with my awesome husband Todd and our two cats, Jub Jub and Delphine.

Represented by Kent D. Wolf of the Friedrich Agency.

Title: Vassa In The Night
Author: Sarah Porter
Publication Date: September 20th 2016
Publisher: Tor Teen
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || BooksAMillion

Blurb Description: In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.
In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling away again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.
But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair…

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Meet The Author: Destiny Soria - Iron Cast - Interview + Giveaway

Hi Everyone!

I have four authors for you over the next twp days, with some fabulous giveaways, and I hope you have fun!

Today's author is Destiny Soria, author of the wonderful Iron Cast. I've been dying to read Iron Cast ever since it's release day - it has some awesome female friendships, a historical setting AND it is a diverse read! Since I haven't been able to get my hands on the book, I decided to see if the author would come onto the blog, and the AMAZING Destiny did!

So please welcome Destiny Soria, read her interview and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

We'd LOVE To Get To Know More About You:

1. If you could be any Marvel or DC Superhero, who would you be? 

Oooh, that’s a tricky one. I’d have to go with Black Widow, because her particular brand of kickass is an inspiration.

2. What is your version of an ideal day? 

Sleep + kitty snuggles + pancakes and bacon + more sleep. Rinse and repeat. I might add some reading in there somewhere.

3. What is your dream car? 

When I was in high school, one of the kids in my grade had a black Mustang GT, and I thought it looked just like the Batmobile. I’ve wanted one ever since.

And now, moving onto your masterpiece:

4. If you could describe Iron Cast in five words, they would be: 

An excess of witty banter.

5. Who would be cast in the Iron Cast movie? 

I think Jasmin Savoy Brown would make a lovely Ada, and Zoey Deutch has the right snark to play Corinne.

6. If you could give one piece of advice to your main characters what would it be? 

Put all your money on the Cincinnati Reds for the 1919 World Series.

Destiny Soria grew up in a tiny town in Alabama that you’ve never heard of, where she spent her summers playing with sticks in the woods and exploring such distinguished careers as Forest Bandit, Wayward Orphan, and Woodland Fairy Princess. After college, she ran away to New Zealand for seven months and only pretended to be a character from Lord of the Rings on special occasions. Nowadays she lives and works in the shadow of the mighty Vulcan in Birmingham, AL.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Iron Cast 
Author: Destiny Soria
Publication Date: October 11th 2016
Publisher: Amulet Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
Buy Links: Amazon || Powells || Books A Million || Barnes and Noble || Indebound || Wordery || The Book Depository

Blurb Description: In 1919, Ada Navarra—the intrepid daughter of immigrants—and Corinne Wells—a spunky, devil-may-care heiress—make an unlikely pair. But at the Cast Iron nightclub in Boston, anything and everything is possible. At night, on stage together, the two best friends, whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art, weave magic under the employ of Johnny Dervish, the club’s owner and a notorious gangster. By day, Ada and Corinne use these same skills to con the city’s elite in an attempt to keep the club afloat.
When a “job” goes awry and Ada is imprisoned, she realizes they’re on the precipice of danger. Only Corinne—her partner in crime—can break her out of Haversham Asylum. But once Ada is out, they face betrayal at every turn.

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Meet The Author: Erin Summerill - Ever The Hunted, Interview + Giveaway

Hi Again!

I have seriously forgotten what the number of this Meet The Authors post is, so I'm just going to say Welcome Back! I still have six briliant authors coming on to the blog after today's author, and I hope you fall in love with them and their books as much as I have.

For today, I have the LOVELY Erin Summerill, author of Ever The Hunted! I've had an ARC of this book for a long time, and I'm going to start it any day now and I AM SO EXCITED.

Ever The Hunted is about the lovely Britta Flannery, whose father, the bounty hunter is killed and she's tasked with finding his killer - the boy who broke her heart.

I am SO excited (like I gushed earlier) about this book, and also at having Erin on the blog!

Welcome, Erin, to a Thousand Words A Million Books, and thank you so much for being here.

We'd Love To Get To Know More About You:

1. If you could be stranded on a deserted island with one fictional character, who would it be?

I would choose Katsa from Graveling!!!! She's the ultimate survivor and I know she would figure out a way for us to make it off the island alive. Also, she's fascinating.

2. Your top five favourite YA books are:

This is so hard. I love reading so much more than walking or talking or regular life. So here goes --

1. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner 

2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

3. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

4. Matched by Ally Condie

5. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

3. If you could travel in time, where would you visit first (fictional answers allowed)

I would go to the 1800's Hawaii. It would help a lot in the research I'm doing for an upcoming project.

Or I would pop on over to Scotland and visit the Outlander cast 

And now, moving onto your masterpiece:

4. How did you find out you were getting published?

My agent called me and said, "Erin, we have an offer." I don't know what he said after that because I started screaming, which then turned into ugly crying. It was the greatest day ever. 

5. If you could describe Ever The Hunted in five words, they would be:

Girl hunts accused father's murderer 

or 

hot boy helps girl hunter...you decide...ha ha

6. Where did you get the idea for Ever The Hunted?

The idea came from a few different places. I've always been entranced by the Redwoods in California and the Oregon coast. After taking a family trip there, I wanted to set a book in a wooded setting. But I didn't realize I wanted to write about a hunter until my friend, Madalyn, confessed she was into hunting. While traveling to New Zealand with Madalyn, she spent 13 hours telling me about all things hunting. By the end of the trip, I knew my character needed to be proficient in the woods with medieval weaponry--thus, a dagger and a bow. 

It was a big step out of my comfort zone since I'm not by any means a hunter. I don't particularly like red meat. And my version of camping in the great outdoors involves a pimped-out travel trailer, showers with hot water, and food heated in a microwave. 

But I loved venturing into the Ever Woods with Britta. Hopefully you will too!

Erin Summerill was born in England. After spending years bouncing between Air Force bases in Hawaii, England, and California, her family settled in Utah, where Erin graduated with a B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. She had aspirations to write the next great American novel, but writing proved tougher than she first thought. So she grabbed a Nikon and became a professional photographer while crafting manuscript after manuscript. The scenic detour of shooting weddings across the United States, as well as internationally, provided world-building inspiration. It gave her the vision to draft her debut YA fantasy, EVER THE HUNTED. Now when she isn’t writing, or shooting a wedding, she’s chasing her four kids, two dogs, one cat, and five chickens. This could be why she downs massive amounts of Coke Zero and Hot tamales.

You can follower her on twitter: @erinsummerill

Title: Ever The Hunted (Clash Of Kingdoms #1)

Author: Erin Summerill

Publication Date: December 27th 2016

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/2 of the Clash Of Kingdoms Duology

Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery 

Blurb Description: Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.
However, it’s not so simple.
The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force. 

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The Most ADORABLE Book Ever // REVIEW: Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt

Title: Unconventional
Author: Maggie Harcourt
Publication Date: February 1st 2017
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Usborne Publishing (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon || The Book Depository || Wordery || Waterstones || Foyles || Google Play Store

Blurb Description: For fans of Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins
Everyone's a fan of someone...
Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing... Until author Aidan Green -  messy-haired, annoyingly arrogant - arrives announced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi's life is thrown into disarray.
In a flurry of awkward encounters, lost schedules and late-night conversations, Lexi discovers that some things can't be planned... Things like falling in love. 
Six Conventions, A Girl With A Clipboard, A Boy With Two Names - and One Night Than Changes Everything

Before Unconventional, I NEVER thought that HAPPY TEARS could POSSIBLY be a thing, but now that it’s happened, it has changed my whole meaning on what it means to be in LOVE with a book.

In a nutshell, Unconventional is a masterpiece that will make you BELIEVE in love, magical boys that write books that feel like they’re speaking to you and pineapples all over again!

Maybe you never needed your faith in pineapples to be reaffirmed, BUT IT WILL BE REGARDLESS.

Lexi Angelo is a convention Kid – the High Priestess of the Order of the Clipboard, you could say. If you don’t know what those are, prepare to be educated. Lexi’s father, Max Angelo runs an event planning company and while he has his team to do all the big stuff, he personally (along with his daughter, of course) loves planning the conventions.

Think the Comic-Con you’ve always wanted to go to, and a Max Angelo Convention is probably better.

Lexi has every aspect of the conventions planned out, even though she knows that fifteen minutes, it will all go to hell. With her team of friends, they organise and manage the chaos that is thousands of fans and temperamental artists with poise, and reprieves under tables.

Lexi thought she had it all… until Aidan Green.

And believe me, YOU will never experience a love story as FREAKING ADORABLE as this one is!

If you haven’t gotten it from a) the happy tears or b) the five star rating let me tell you, I LOVE THIS BOOK. LOVE IT. LOVE IT SO MUCH THAT I WAS SQUEALING AND FLAILING AND FANGIRLING AND FALLING for this world and these characters, and let me tell you why:

1.       IT’S CENTERED ON CONVENTIONS: If this isn’t THE MOST ADORABLE place to place to set a book I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. It has chaos, and MORE CHAOS and some crazy characters and forms SUCH a fun background, it’s really difficult to describe.

2.       THE CHEMISTRY: It is VERY hard to get chemistry right, VERY HARD. And yet somehow, Maggie Harcourt managed to make this awkward chemistry PERFECT, with all their ups and downs and it made me SQUEAL WITH DELIGHT.

3.       THE ADORABLENESS: I honestly cannot DEAL with the amount of adorableness that this book contained (hence, you will find the word adorable in this review about 8,000 times) but the dialogue between Aidan/ Haydn and Lexi was brilliant and REAL and awkward and everything you’re looking for in a book like this.

I think I should stop ranting now and just MAKE YOU GO READ THIS BOOK.

Unconventional every fangirl’s adorably awkward dreams put in the shape of a book, and you need it in your lives. ALL THE STARS. 

Maggie Harcourt was born and raised in Carmarthenshire, west Wales. At 17, she moved to London to study English Literature - and later took a Master’s degree in medieval literature - at University College London.

She always wanted to be a writer, but has also worked as a hotel chambermaid, a PA and for a French chef along the way, as well as spending several years involved in convention running. Writing is still her favourite thing, but she also loves the theatre. She currently lives in Bath - where she can usually be found in a bookshop or somewhere near the river. She guards the secret of her favourite coffee shop jealously, because she has the perfect spot picked out there for people-watching.

You can follow her on Twitter and on Instagram.

She is represented by Juliet Mushens at Caskie Mushens.

What was the last book you FELL IN LOVE WITH?

Have you been to a Fandom Convention/ Book Event/ Comic Con? HOW WAS IT?

Again, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH. If you consider yourself a Fangirl, you'll LOVE IT.