A Graceful Masterpiece // Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Title: Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things #1)

Authors: Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Publication Date: July 12th 2016

Publisher: Harper Teen

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1/2 of Tiny Pretty Things

I Got A Copy Through: Harper Collins India (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Flipkart || Barnes And Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository

Blurb Description: Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.
Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.
When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best. 

They say that you see who people really are at the worst of times.

They say that you find out who your real friends are when you’re at the lowest of the low.

So, what if you’re there; what if you’re drowning, but there’s nobody to save you?

Tiny Pretty Things is a BEAUTIFULLY written, intense novel into the minds of three girls in a cutthroat ballet setting that will haunt you long after you’ve put it down.

Bette Abney has been the star all her life. When she was five, her mother moved her into the American Ballet Conservatory and she’s stayed ever since. All she wants is to ‘luminous’ like her sister Adele, land the roll of the Sugar Plum Fairy that was rightfully hers and remain the ballet IT couple with her boyfriend, Alec.

June is and has always been second best; the understudy, always. Being Korean-American, she can’t help but agree to her mother’s deal – get an actual role in a ballet within the year and she can stay on, or her ballet aspirations will be as extinct as dinosaurs.

Giselle Stewart is the new girl. One of the only dark skinned girls in a sea of white, Giselle isn’t like the other conservatory girls, and she was nowhere near prepared for the pure, unfiltered competition and animosity between the girls she spends her whole life with. After she gets cast in the lead role, displacing all the other hopefuls, it’s all she can do not to crack under the pressure.

I honestly first heard about this book when my friend Rhea D’Souza recommended it to me, and I bought the Kindle version, but never got around to read it. (YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES, RIGHT?) And then this beautiful book showed up on the Harper Collins catalogue, and I IMMEDIATELY asked for a review copy, and the awesome folks over at HC India obliged.

Apart from the triple perspectives of Bette, June and Gigi, there are SO MANY other WONDERFULLY COMPLICATED and FLAWED characters at the American Ballet Conservatory like Will, Eleanor, Cassie, Henri, Alec, Mr.K, Sei-Jin and others that the protagonists make you fall in love with, envy and hate at the same time.

Truth be told, I simply didn’t expect it to be THIS GREAT, and I didn’t expect myself to have fallen SO IN LOVE with this world and these characters.

There’s something so utterly raw about the authors’ writing that I felt like I KNEW these three girls better than I even myself knew. Their deepest fears, their shortcomings, their jealousy, their happy moments and the silly things they believed in WERE ALL SO WELL DONE.

Intense, nerve-racking and BEAUTIFUL, Tiny Pretty Things is a true masterpiece, that far surpasses any other ballet book out there.

SOMEONE GIVE ME THE SEQUEL.

ALL THE STARS.

What is the best ballet book or movie you've read or watched? Do you like ballet?

Have you read Tiny Pretty Things? I would definitely recommend it, even if you aren't a ballet fan, because it is BEAUTIFUL.

BLOG TOUR: Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich- Review, Interview & Giveaway

Author: Sarah Negovetich

Blurb Description: Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can’t wait for her Acceptance.

A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she’s shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.

A life behind barbed wire fences with the world’s most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she’s almost certain she can learn to
love.

But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

Available now at Amazon, B&N, Kobo & iTunes

AUTHOR BIO: 
Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that.

Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it's accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com
or follow her antics on Twitter @SarahNego.

#RiteOfRejection Reader Survival Pack

Prize pack includes:

Chapter 17 tissues (because that's when you'll need them), a jumbo sized chocolate bar (a hot commodity inside the PIT), an orange scented candle (courtesy of Rebecca's fondest memory from home, a dandelion pen (as featured on the cover), hand-crafted Molly bag (these are used extensively by the main characters), and a $10 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**INTERVIEW**

1.   What does it feel like to have your book out there, for the world to read?

Surreal! I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet. Maybe it will hit me on release date. In my head, this is still a project I’m helping one of my clients with. I’d describe it as equal parts excited and nervous, with a dash of ‘are we there yet’ thrown in for good measure.

2.      Tell us a little about the storyline for Rite of Rejection: 

The story follows Rebecca who is on the verge of becoming a full member of her society, but instead she’s identified as a future criminal and sent to prison for life. Except this prison functions as its own little community where the only thing you can’t do is escape. Having lived her entire life sheltered by her mother, Rebecca has no idea how to survive on her own. She needs the help of other teens, wrongly accused just like her. Together they make plans to create a new life and Rebecca learns how to start living, but when you’re surrounded by criminals it’s hard to know who to trust.

3. What inspired you to write Rite of Rejection?

I remember reading a news story about a senseless crime and wishing there was a way we could know ahead of time who would do this kind of thing. From there I brainstormed what that would look like if we could (think Minority Report) and it all snowballed from there.

4. Do an Acronym for Rite of Rejection (one word for each letter of the title)

Whoops! I should have picked a shorter title. This was crazy hard and probably doesn’t make any sense unless you’ve read the book. Spoilers! J

Rebecca’s

In

Trouble.

Eric

Offers

Freedom.

Revolutionaries

Escape

Jail,

Except

Criminal

Trades

Information

On

Niceguys

5. What is your opinion on negative reviews?

I have a love/hate relationship with them. So far most of my reviews have been favorable, but I’ve had a few readers that really didn’t like the book. I’m not going to lie, those reviews sting, but not as much as I would have thought. While I adore getting those 5* reviews, I also appreciate the readers who didn’t like it. Negative reviews remind me that I still have room to grow and learn so I can be a better writer. They motivate me to work toward putting out an even better book next time. 

**MY REVIEW** 

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars!

A Good, but not great new book in the Dystopian World!

I swear I've gone on a Dystopian String this week, starting off with watching (and just sitting in the theatre long after it was over going NO in my head) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay 3, then I read  Amanda Thorne's Ruination and almost immediately started this!

While I really LOVED the idea of an Acceptance Ball in the modern world, and to a girl that dreamed and thought about it, to get Rejected for no reason, and pretty much everything else unfair about a system that claims to be flawless- I found that the execution could have been a lot better.

It was nice, don't get me wrong, but I felt like there could have been more anger, more emotion early on from Rebecca, her parents, everyone. I feel like The Acceptance should have been given more importance so that the reader understood what it was to live the 'proper' life, not leave it to his/ her imagination.

Still, the story picked up later on, and I found myself enjoying the book:) I would recommend the book

Feature and Follow #4 (I'M FEATURED!)

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

1. When did you start blogging?

I started blogging eight months ago- on the 24th of March! I remember that day so clearly, because I was supposed to be studying for my physics final, but was too excited with blogger and everything bloggy to concentrate!

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

I'm going to answer this in two parts (cheating, I know, but still:P)

-- the whole array of new books I've gotten the opportunity to read- that I wouldn't have heard of or seen, due to the fact that I live in India!
-- the second is that I have the freedom to do what I want with my blog- I can write any way I feel like, play around with posts and the overall layout when I want, and just the sense that this is entirely my own (which is big, to someone who is still in school- in my country at least!)

3. What type of books do you mainly blog about?


I mainly blog about YA books, as, well, they're awesome- and I'm a young adult! I do some NA, and some Adult, but very little.

4. What are your favorite books?


Even if someone held me at gunpoint, I could never answer this question. So, I usually go with the most recent- favourite book I've read- Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis! P.s. It's BRILLIANT!

5. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

The answer is the same as my second- that I've gotten the chance to dig deeper into the world of books, with freedom to do what I want, and also, all of the AMAZING books I've won! 

What books would you give to newbies in your favorite genre? (Ex. I'm a newbie to high fantasy and EVERYONE said to ease into it with the Throne of Glass series!) - Suggested by Take Me Away...

I don't really have a favorite genre, so I'm going to go with a couple:

1. Contemporary- (I'm going with all the 'classics' in the YA world here)- The Princess Diaries, or the first ever YA book I read- Teen Idol!

2. Dystopian/ Adventure- Harry Potter (but they can be overwhelming) so I'm going to have to go with The Hunger Games!

3. Conspiracy Theories- If people are REALLY into this genre, I would recommend any Dan Brown book, or any Scott Mariani book.

4. General Recommendations:
-- We Were Liars
-- The Fault In Our Stars
-- The Grisha Trilogy
-- Stolen Songbird!

Thanks for stopping by! If you leave me a comment with your link, I'll be sure to check your blog out and follow you!!
P.S: This site prefers a BLOGLOVIN' Follow!

The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden- Trailer Reveal

Author:Alys Arden

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis: Seven girls tied by time.

Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.
* * *
After the Storm of the Century rips apart New Orleans, Adele Le Moyne and her father are among the first to return to the city following the mandatory evacuation. Adele wants nothing more than for life to return to normal, but with the silent city resembling a mold-infested war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal will have to be redefined.
Events too unnatural – even for New Orleans – lead Adele to an attic that has been sealed for three hundred years, and the chaos she unleashes threatens not only her life but everyone she knows.
Caught suddenly in a hurricane of eighteenth-century myths and monsters, Adele must quickly untangle a web of magic that links the climbing murder rate back to her own ancestors. But who can you trust in a city where everyone has a secret, and where keeping them can be a matter of life and death – unless, that is, you’re immortal.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18717360-the-casquette-girls?from_search=true

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989757714/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0989757714&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

AUTHOR BIO:

ALYS ARDEN grew up in the Vieux Carré, cut her teeth on the streets of New York, and has worked all around the world since. She still plans to run away with the circus one day.

www.facebook.com/TheCasquetteGirls
www.thecasquettegirls.com
www.alysarden.com

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100 Followers Day 6- Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Ian Reading- Review, Interview and Giveaway

Author: Iain Reading
Publication Date: December 2012
Part of A Series?- Book 1 in the Kitty Hawk Series
Review Copy: Paperback via the Publisher
Blurb Description: Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

**GIVEAWAY**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**INTERVIEW**

How does it feel to have the Kitty Hawk Series out there for the world to read?

It is actually a really great feeling.  One of the things that I love most about putting these books out there is the feedback I get from various readers.  It is fascinating to see what aspects of each book resonate with readers and I can say that quite often the feedback I hear has inspired me and pushed the future stories into different directions than I had originally planned.  In that sense it's like a collaboration between author and reader.  So...  if you read the books and happen to find anything about them particularly interesting, then don't be scared to post some reviews on Amazon saying how you feel.

What inspired you to write the book?

It was the Kitty Hawk character herself who inspired me to write this book.  After the idea originally came to me (and I Googled it to be sure that no one else already had come up with it) I felt myself pulled more and more each day to write Kitty Hawk's world into existence.  She had a life of her own from the very start and was quite impatient to get going on her adventures.

Tell us a little about your main character:

Kitty Hawk is a really great lead character and one that I admire very much.  She is a pilot – an excellent one at that – with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane that she's using to fly around the world.  Every stop along the way brings her to new places, cultures, landscapes...  and of course, new mysteries for her to solve.  She has kind of a knack for getting herself into trouble and finding mystery.

Do you follow a writing schedule- or have a writing spot? (Please elaborate with pictures if possible)

The closest thing to a schedule that I follow when writing is to try and pace myself every day so that I take a walk and thinking about where the story is going for the next few thousand words.  Having that sorted out in my head, I then sit down to actually write it.  The key thing being to never write further than I have already sort of gone over in my head.  And I wish that I had a nice writing spot, but I am afraid it's just a regular old IKEA desk with a run-down old Dell computer sitting on it.

What is your opinion on negative reviews?

I think that negative reviews can be very disheartening to receive.  But I can honestly say that I often don't disagree with some of them.  The negative points that some reviewers have made are often things that I myself feel that my books could probably be a little stronger on.  But I always say that a person can only write the book that they are capable or writing, as much as they might WANT to write something bigger, faster, better, stronger, whatever.  

If Kitty Hawk were turned into a movie, you dream cast would be:

Oh, it would be so amazing to see a Kitty Hawk movie!  I would really love to see her little red and white plane soaring through the skies of Alaska, the Florida Keys and beyond.  And people often ask who I think would make a great Kitty Hawk.  And I usually answer that I really have no idea.  I can't really think of any actress who would really 100% fit the role.  Perhaps there is someone perfect out there dreaming of being a movie star as much as I would dream of having the books turned into movies.  And that actress is probably absolutely perfect.

**MY REVIEW**

When Iain Reading's publicist emailed me a review request, I felt like I was going back to my Nancy Drew days! Those days when the only thing I could and would see were my yellow hardbound books, and nothing else!

So, when my review copy finally arrived in the mail, I shrieked and got to reading right away! 

Just a Gist: My initial premise, about 50 pages into the book- was that Kitty Hawk is a somewhat more grown-up and modern Nancy Drew- but BRILLIANT just the same.

Kitty herself was a perfect character- with her confidence, up- for- anything spirit (sushi!) with a kind hearted and helpful attitude,  and even her flaws that Iain Reading portrayed perfectly- with the tiny doubts in the back of her mind about her decisions- and even her being tongue tied around boys (Edward Cullen- hilarious!)

Never before have I seen so much detail in a book- so much research put in that I actually felt like I was flying over the oceans with Kitty! The history, the accuracy and even Edward- everything was just BRILLIANT!

I can't really say much, but it did take a while for me to get into the book- mostly because of the minuscule font, but a great read- that I can't talk much about without giving something away!

My Verdict:

I can't WAIT to get my hands on the next few books!

100 Followers Day 2: Keeper of the Innocents by Kristy Centeno- Interview & Giveaway

Author: Kristy Centeno

Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC

Date Published: July 6, 2014

Part of a Series?- Book 2 of The Witch Keepers Trilogy

Length: 276 pages

Book Blurb: Demi Redding has used her powers to vanquish demons for years, but when one shows up next door she will be forced to set both her experience and instincts aside to battle a war that has nothing to do with magic, and everything to do with matters of the heart.

As a Keeper of the Innocents, Demi’s load as a guardian reduces with only one charge to take on at a time. However, when her new foe proves to be a force she can neither see nor find, she has no choice but to doubt the so-called good intentions of the stranger one door down.

Rhyzel Connor is not your average neighbor by any means. The red specks of color in his green eyes alone sets him apart and his demonic heritage makes him an easy target. Because of who he is he can’t afford a mistake that will result in his demise, but the fact that he knows way too much about Demi quickly raises the suspicion veil over him.

There is a mission he must complete, and secrets he must fight hard to keep, but the biggest hardship he must face will be forfeiting his life in order to save Demi’s.

BOOK TRAILER: The Keeper Series by Kristy Centeno

**GIVEAWAY**

Giveaway:

--2 E-copies of Keeper of the Innocents (INT)

-- 2 E-Copies of Keeper of the Lost Souls (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the author:
Kristy Centeno is an author of paranormal romance, young adult, new adult, horror, and  contemporary romance. She has always had a passion for books and after years of being an avid reader, she decided to transform her desire to write into a reality and thus, her first novel was born. In her journey to create memorable reads, she has delved into several genres, creating fictional characters meant to entice readers and captivate the mind. 

She is currently working on finishing off the Keeper Witches series among other projects, which include sequels to her published work. When she’s not busy taking care of her five children or 
holding down the fort, she finds time to sit and do what she loves the most: writing.

Website *** Facebook *** Twitter *** Goodreads *** Blog

**INTERVIEW**

We would love to know more about you:

1    --5 of the funniest (or weirdest) things about you:

I’ve been told I wiggle my nose a bit when I’m nervous.

I can multitask better than anyone I know.

Sometimes I procrastinate because of lack of interest, but once I get to that point where I absolute have to do (it), I move really fast.

I like the smell of hot peppers, but cannot eat one.

I think I have a little of an obsessive disorder—when I organize my house, I can’t stand it when someone moves an item or doesn’t put it back where it’s supposed to go.

2   --The one place you would do anything to visit:

Paris, France.

    The cheesiest line you've ever heard:

Did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?

--This or That:

-- Contemporary or Mystery

I love a great mystery any day.

-- Snow or Fire

Snow.

-- Physical Books or E-Books

Both. I love the feel of a traditional book, but e-books are much more convenient.

-- Salsa or Hip-Hop

Definitely both. I love a little variety in the music I hear as much as in what I read.

And now, onto your masterpiece(s)

4    Give us a brief outline of your books in the Witch Keeper Series:

The Keeper Witches series are basically designed as a stand-alone read. Each book begins with a new story and completely different characters. In every book a new witch is introduced, and we quickly learn that she must overcome some obstacles and learn how to put any personal issues, problems, vendettas aside in order to fulfill her duties as Keeper Witches.

In book # 1 we come to know Bryn McCaskey. She’s shy, can see the dead, and lacks the ability to communicate well with others because she’s been ostracized her entirely life, but as part as her responsibilities she has to care for a Lost Soul that holds a deep, emotional grudge against witches.

In book # 2 we meet Demi Redding. Demi is a lot more confident and secure about who she is, but she doesn’t trust easily. When a demon—of all people—appears next door she has to contend with the possibility that his intentions, and his reasons for being there, might not be as bad as she’s made them out to be.

Eventually, the books will transcend beyond what I have come up with so far and feature more witches, more stories, and I hope to bring Demi and Bryn together in a special edition Keeper Witches novel in the near future.

5.      

What inspired you to start writing the series?

I’m a vampire/werewolf junkie. I’ll admit it. So this time I want to write about something different. I wanted to venture outside my comfort zone so to speak. Witches seemed like the best choice so I started there.

Once I had the first few chapters down I couldn’t stop. I became involved with the characters and their stories.

6.      If there was a singular piece of advice you could give your main characters, what would it be?

Follow your hopes and dreams. No matter how bad things get, keep moving forward. The past is the past. The only thing that matters now is the present.

7.      Where can we see you after this?

Well, I’m currently working on a blog tour for my latest release, Payback is Sweet. This is a new adult/contemporary romance novel of approximately 91,000 words, which I’m just getting around to spread the word about.

I’m also working on my latest MS, which will be a sequel to another of my YA/paranormal romance novel called Secrets of the Moon.

Thanks for being here, Kristy! It's been an absolute pleasure!