Cover Reveal and Giveaway - The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals #2) by Michelle Madow

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra is the second novel in Michelle Madow’s Elementals series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Book Info:

Title: Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra

Author: Michelle Madow

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: April 18, 2016

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Series: Elementals #2

Format: eBook and paperback

ISBN: 9781311296788

 

Synopsis:

A DEMIGOD WHO CAN KILL WITH A TOUCH. IT’S AN ABILITY THAT MUST BE KEPT SECRET FROM EVERYONE, EVEN FROM THOSE TRUSTED MOST.

Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.

Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.

The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.

Pre-order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

Add to Goodreads

And don’t miss the first book in the series, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! Click here to learn more.

I guessed that maybe Blake would be on the cover of the second book, and so he is!  And he is a hottie!  What do you think of that cover?  I love it!  Thanks to Barclay Publicity for allowing me to be a part of this awesome cover reveal!

My review of the first book will be posted on Monday.  So be sure to check that out. And before you go, check out the giveaway and countdown button below the author info!

About the Author:

Michelle Madow has always loved writing stories, but the possibility of being an author used to feel more like a dream than a reality. She didn’t share her stories with anyone until her junior year of college, when she signed up for an Intro to Creative Writing course. Her teacher and classmates read the first chapter of a book idea she had, and they loved it so much that they told her she had to finish the book so they could find out what happened next. By the end of the school year, Michelle finished that book, which would later be published as her first novel, Remembrance.

  

Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

Connect with Michelle:

Facebook: /MichelleMadow

Twitter/Instagram: @MichelleMadow

Email: michelle@madow.com

Visit Michelle online at www.michellemadow.com, and be sure to sign up for her newsletterc and follow her on Amazon to get instant updates on her books!

Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

   
 

Giveaway:

• Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

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Add the Elementals: The Blood of the Hydra Countdown Timer to your blog!  

Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

BOOK DETAILS:

Shallow Graves 
Author: Kali Wallace
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: January 26th, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Horror, Zombies, Fantasy, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural
 
Synopsis:

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

BOOK LINKS:
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663629-shallow-graves
Amazon paperback: http://amzn.to/1PbAhkz
Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shallow-graves-kali-wallace/1121727672?ean=9780062366207
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Shallow-Graves-Kali-Wallace/9780062366207
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shallow-graves/id985367604?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/es-es/ebook/shallow-graves-8

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: http://www.kaliwallace.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6863587.Kali_Wallace

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaliphyte

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kali.wallace.9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaliphyte/

  


My Review:
I was lucky enough to get an ARC in the mail.  So you've read the synopsis above if you're that far down into this post.  This book was definitely a very unique story.  

It starts with the main character, Katie is her name-she goes by Breezy though, being dug up out of the ground by a man she doesn't know.  And when she touches him, she sees flashes of people, memories he has of killing these people.  And so, she kills him.  She can do it with a touch. Really when we join her in the story, she is kind of traveling across the country. She's gone to her home, where she realizes how long she's been dead, and that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go and let her family or friends, know that she is back.  She's sure she's still dead. There are all kinds of signs.  And in her confusion and very acceptable depression, she does try to kill herself.  Breezy soon finds that every way she tries to kill herself, well, it doesn't work.  It doesn't seem like she can die.  So as she travels, she finds people who are killers, and she kills them.  Now, she doesn't know how she died, her last memories are of a fight with her best friend Melanie. 

She meets a boy named Danny at the first place we really start to get into the action of the story.  He gives her a flyer about a place that she can go if she is lost and needs help.  She ignores it, and goes on with the person she's chosen to take care of next.  But soon she decides she should go to this place, where  a man named Mr. Willow, a pastor or preacher of some sort, is in charge.    When she finally gets to this place, she meets a girl named Violet.  Now there is something familiar about Violet. And while at first Violet is very friendly and leads Breezy around to show her the place, at one point, she tells Breezy to run, not to stay.  But it's too late.  A man named Lyle helps Mr. Willow by chasing Breezy and bringing her back.  They knock her out, and when she wakes up she is in a cellar with another person.

That person is a woman named Rain.  And she explains to Breezy that they are being kept in the cellar by magic.  Soon they make a plan to get out, Rain tells Breezy she should go see a witch named Ingrid. Breezy doesn't know what she is exactly, is she a zombie?  And the witch can help her figure it out.  Rain calls someone to help them escape, and give them a ride back to where she's from.  His name is Zeke, and he is a ghoul.  Zeke and Breezy have a bit of a connection, and it seems he is only helping Rain because of a favor he might owe her or something.  He doesn't trust Rain, or the witch.  And he cautions Breezy about talking to her.

There are so many twists and turns with this, Breezy will find out what she is.  We will learn about other types of supernatural creatures and how they get by in the world.  We will learn what the bad Mr. Willow is hiding, and it will be something worse than Breezy can ever imagine.  My only complaint is that I feel like there were a few characters that were thrown in, yet their storyline didn't really go very far, and I could see that they might be something that could be in another story set in this world.  However as far as I know, this is a standalone.  It does end fine for a standalone, I was just left with a few questions about one or two characters and why we had so many details about them, when they really didn't do much for the story.  The main one that sticks in my mind is Ingrid's son.  

Overall a good story, creative, different, and many twists to keep you turning pages.

GIVEAWAY:

• Prize: Win (1) hardcopy of SHALLOW GRAVES by Kali Wallace (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Blog Tour: Author Interview and Giveaway - Lightning Kissed by Lila Felix

Book Details:

Lightning Kissed by Lila Felix
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: January 4th 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Colby Evans can leap from one country to the next in a heartbeat. She can see every sunset in every time zone in the same day. She can travel across the world in a flash. She defies gravity and physics with every breath she takes. She’s tested her abilities and found them limitless.

She is the lightning. She is Lucent. And nothing can stop her.

Except him.

Theodore Ramsey isn’t supposed to be able to flash like Colby. The power of travel is passed on from mother to daughter in their people. Except once in every hundred generations.

Theo is the one.

He can flash like Colby. And it makes him a target to their enemies and to himself. His abilities change everything he knows about life and throws his future into an uncertain tangent. In fact, the only thing certain in his life is the love he feels for Colby.

Their love defies time and space and has been the only constant thing in their lives since childhood. But even their infallible love will be stretched to its limits.

She will risk her life to protect him. But he will risk everything to protect them all.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25750003-lightning-kissed?ac=1

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Kissed-Lucent-Book-1-ebook/dp/B017QAEQSS

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lightning-kissed-lila-felix/1122163366?ean=2940151977845

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/lightning-kissed/id1008487798?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Author Interview:
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1.  What does your writing process look like?  Do you know the whole story when you start?  Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?  If you plan it out, how do you do that?  Outline, note cards, post-it notes, etc.?

My writing process looks like…sitting down and writing. I wish I was more eloquent, but that’s all there is to it. I’m a total pantser with my contemporaries but a clear plotter with my paranormal romances.

Each novel has its own journal full of notes and character bios.

2.  How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?
 

It’s all different. Sometimes I see people in the grocery store and I make up their back story. Other times, a song will pique a story. I never know when the next story is going to pop into my head.

 3.  How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for almost four years.

4.  What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Read, write, read, write, and read some more. Listen to inspiring music. And then read some more.

5. How important are names in your books?  Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds, or the meaning?  Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

I’m a big fan of quirky names. I come up with most of the names on my own and sometimes with help from my friends.

Some fun questions:

Favorites:  

Books/authors/genres: YA Contemporary romance/Any YA author/Twisted by Amity Hope and anything by Anne Eliot

Movies/TV Shows: I’m on a Chuck binge

Music: ANYTHING!

Food/writing snack: I’m trying not to eat while I write but I love hummus and pita chips.

Social Media Site: Instagram all the way!  

AUTHOR BIO:

Lila Felix is full of antics and stories. She refused to go to Kindergarten after the teacher made her take a nap on the first day of school. She staged her first protest in middle school. She almost flunked out of her first semester at Pepperdine University because she was enthralled with their library and frequently was locked in. Now her  husband and three children have to put up with her rebel nature in Louisiana where her days are filled with cypress trees, crawfish, and of course her books and writing. She writes about the ordinary people who fall extraordinarily in wild, true love. 

Author links:

http://www.lilafelix.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLilaFelix/

https://twitter.com/AuthorLilaFelix

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519682.Lila_Felix

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (US only)

• Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Prize pack

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Behold the Bones (Beware the Wild #2) by Natalie C. Parker

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  This week I've chosen a sequel that I didn't even think about coming out until I saw someone else post about  it.  You can read my review to the first book, Beware the Wild,  HERE.  It was such an original story, I thought, so now I'm just eager to see where the story goes next.  Here is the blurb for the sequel from Goodreads:

Candace “Candy” Pickens has been obsessed with the swamp lore of her tiny Louisiana town for . . . forever. Name any ghostly swamp figure and Candy will recite the entire tale in a way that will curl your toes and send chills up your spine.

That doesn’t mean Candy’s a believer, however. Even though she and her friends entered the swamp at the start of summer and left it changed, Candy’s the only one who can’t see or feel the magical swamp Shine. She’s also the only one who can’t see the ghosts that have been showing up and spooking everyone in town ever since. So Candy concentrates on other things—real things. Like fighting with her mother and plotting her escape from her crazy town.

But ghosts aren’t the only newcomers in Sticks, Louisiana. The King family arrives like a hurricane: in a blur and unwanted—at least by Candy. Mr. King is intent on filming the rumored ghostly activity for his hit TV show, Local Haunts. And while Candy can’t ignore how attracted she is to eighteen-year-old Gage King and how much his sister, Nova, wants to be friends, she’s still suspicious of the King family.

As Candy tries to figure out why the Kings are really in town and why the swamp that had previously cast her aside now seems to be invading every crack in her logical, cynical mind, she stumbles across the one piece of swamp lore she didn’t know. It’s a tale that’s more truth than myth, and may have all the answers . . . and its roots are in Candy’s own family tree.

Sounds like we have kind of a companion story to the first one, instead of the same main character, it is one of her friends.  Should be a neat way to continue the story!  Have you read the first book?  What about you?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Cover Characteristic: Moon

The Cover Characteristic meme is hosted at  Sugar and Snark.   Here are the guidelines:

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite covers with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, then just make a post, grab the meme picture (or make your own) and leave your URL in Linky (so we can visit).
You don’t even need to participate, just stopping by and saying hi would be great! Don’t forget to stop by the other participants!

I found a lot of covers with moons, but not as many with the moon big in the background as I thought.  Again some of them are in a series where the moon is on all of them, so those I'll group together.  And once again I'll be sharing 10 covers.

10.  I think this is the moon, otherwise I'd have it higher, but I'm not quite sure.

9.

8.

7.  I don't remember the actual cover being this blurry, but this was the image on Goodreads.

6.

5.

 
4.
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3.

2.  Actually I found that this author, Robert McCammon had a lot of books with moons on the cover, but my first thought with this characteristic was his The Night Boat.

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1.  And my favorite is a series with the moon big on every book, because it is really major part of the story.

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So, those are my picks. What do you think of them?  What other books with moons can you think of?