Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
I honestly have no idea how to write this review because I’m not completely sure how I feel about this book. So many people love this trilogy and have been telling me it’s a MUST read. I was told to expect an epic story with great characters and lots of swoons. While Shatter Me has an interesting concept and Tahereh Mafi is a gorgeous writer, I wasn’t completely sold. The pacing was a bit slow, the writing style takes some getting used to and I didn’t realize how heavily-focused it was on the romance. While I usually don’t mind that kind of thing, I was under the impression Shatter Me would be more about the world and the Dystopian society and it just kind of caught me off guard.
Juliette was an interesting character… I’m not really sure how I feel about her. She was one of those characters where I didn’t really like her but I didn’t really dislike her, yet I have no idea why I feel that way. She kind of sat around and let things happen to her; she didn’t do much to improve her situation or take control, but she sure whined a lot about not wanting to hurt anyone – which was admirable of her, don’t get me wrong. I know her mind was broken from all those days of solitary confinement, but once everything started happening and plans went into motion, you’d think she would try to snap out of it and fight. She definitely came into her own by the end of the book, though. It was obvious her fractured mind was finally starting to piece itself back together and I think her character development is going to thrive in book two!
I’ve heard many things about Adam and Warner and so far, all those things are right. Warner seems psychotic and Adam seems too good to be true. Right now, I don’t really trust Adam. I know he’s supposed to be the “good guy” but I have a feeling he’s keeping some pretty dangerous secrets. Even though Warner is the “bad guy,” at least he’s (mostly) upfront about his intentions. Adam just had moments where he was very cagey and evasive. I also feel like I’ve heard/read somewhere that he has a big secret. I’ve mostly avoided seeing spoilers for this trilogy, but I’ve seen some conversations on Social Media and I’ve read the synopsis for all three books, so I have some idea.. But Warner’s just like, “Yeah, I want to use your power against the rebellion. I like you and you fascinate me. What do you say?” I’m sure he has some ulterior motives we don’t yet know about, but for now, he’s still much more upfront than I suspect Adam is being. But Warner can be soooo sick and twisted, so that’s a big negative against him!
KENJI! OMG I LOVE KENJI!!!!!! No, seriously. Kenji is amazing. He’s hilarious and so, so cocky and full of himself. And yeah, so is Warner, but Warner is cocky in an evil bastard kind of way, whereas Kenji is cocky in a hilarious, goofy way. Hands down, he’s my favorite of the guys, though I’ve heard he’s not part of the love triangle, sadly; he’s just a good friend/brother-type character. But that’s cool. If Juliette doesn’t want him, I can have him all for myself ;) Also, the twist at the end and the big reveal regarding Kenji?!? Too freaking cool!!!!!
Another character who deserves a quick (and short) shout-out is James. He was adorable and funny and so cute. He was like this innocent, comic relief who had no idea how mean and dangerous the world could be; yes, he knew to a certain extent because he was living in it, but he was also shielded from much of it, so he wasn’t tainted by how cruel people could be.
As for the rest of the book… Mafi has an intriguing writing style. On the one hand, it’s clunky and stilted and takes a long time to get used to. Every time I put the book down for extended periods of time, it took me awhile to get back into it. But at the same time, her writing was gorgeous and beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such a conflicting writing style. But I’ve heard the writing style gets better – that it reflects Juliette’s character development; as she becomes a little more whole, less fractured, there are fewer strikethroughs and her thoughts become more focused and centered.
Like I said, the pacing was pretty slow, though the book was a fast read, overall. If that makes sense. The middle section of the book lagged and didn’t seem to have much purpose. Honestly, the whole book felt like it was just meant for world-building and character development. It was like Second Book Syndrome but with book one! The ending was pretty epic, though, and picked up a lot. It has me excited for book two, especially since I’ve heard each book gets better and better. The whole twist at the end was just… epic and completely not expected. I’m definitely intrigued and can’t wait to see what happens next.
Overall, while the writing was beautiful and the characters were intriguing, Shatter Me was just an okay read. It was so difficult trying to get used to the writing style, it actually distracted me from the plot itself. And while I don’t mind love triangles and books that focus on the romance, I also didn’t expect that of this book and it’s really thrown me for a loop. I expected it to focus more on the world – which definitely seems horrible, bleak, cruel, dismal… – and I’m hoping it still will as I move forward with the trilogy. And yes, I’m definitely still planning to continue on with the trilogy. I’m actually currently reading the first novella, Destroy Me (which I’ve been told is a must). I’ll have to take a short hiatus (to read some review books) before I read Unravel Me, but I’m definitely going to try to read it soon, while Shatter Me is still fresh on my mind!
And yeah, I definitely recommend this book. I’ve seen mixed reviews, but those who love it? They love it beyond what words can express and a book that has such a loyal following deserves a lot of love! I’m also already excited to see what Mafi does next, outside of the Shatter Me world! Her strange, beautiful writing is hypnotizing and I’m eager to see what her next book world will look like.
Hey everyone! I’m so, so excited to share with you the cover for The Hidden Library by Heather Lyons (February 26th 2015, Cerulean Books). Heather is an amazing, amazing author. She creates beautiful, vivid worlds, beloved characters and swoony boys! If you haven’t picked up one of her books, you MUST add them to your TBR! You won’t be dissapointed!
Enough of my rambling! Let’s get into the cover reveal! Enjoy!
Heather Lyons is known for writing epic, heartfelt love stories often with a fantastical twist. From Young Adult to New Adult to Adult novels –one commonality in all her books is the touching, and sometimes heart wrenching, romance. And this book is absolutely no different! The Collectors’ Society’s adventures continue in ways you would have never imagined! Join them as you step into this adult fairytale with some of your favorite characters set to be released February 26th!! Heather worked with Victoria Faye from Whit and Ware for the design of this fabulous cover and we are so delighted to share it with you!!
ABOUT THE HIDDEN LIBRARY:
Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .
Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.
Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.
Don’t miss the first book in this series, THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo
About Heather Lyons
Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—she’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.
Website | Author Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook THE HIDDEN LIBRARY Goodreads
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Month9Books Spring 2015 Debuts Blitz!
These upcoming M9B books will be ones that you’ll definitely want to add to your TBR list!
You can enter for a chance to win 1 of 4 prize packs of eBooks open Internationally.
Horror Business by Ryan Bradford
Coming February 2015
Armed with a passion for classic B-grade horror movies, a script co-written by his twin brother, and a wicked crush on his death-obsessed neighbor; hardcore horror fan Jason Nightshade must finish his student film.
But his plans are derailed when the children of suburban Silver Creek start disappearing – his twin brother among them. Battling a possessed video camera, a crazy zombie dog, a monstrous bully, and a frighteningly broken down family life, Jason embarks on a mission to find his lost brother so the two can write an ending for his story.
As an any horror fan knows, saving the day won’t be easy, as Jason finds himself forced to face the real world where death isn’t just a splash of fake blood on a camera lens.
Ryan grew up in Park City, Utah. His fiction has appeared in Quarterly West, Paper Darts, Vice, Monkeybicycle and [PANK]. He currently lives in San Diego where he acts as Creative Director for the nonprofit literary arts organization So Say We All. He’s the co-editor of the anthology Last Night on Earth and founder of the literary horror journal, Black Candies. Find him at ryancbradford.com
Fingers in the Mist by O’Dell Hutchison
Coming February 2015
Sixteen-year-old Caitlyn Foster never believed in the legend of the Redeemers. That was before the trees started to whisper her name. Before a murder of crows attacked the town. Before she and her family came home to find a bloody handprint on their front door, marking one of them as a sacrifice. As Caitlyn’s friends are ripped from their homes, she knows it’s only a matter of time before the Redeemers come for her. Caitlyn has the power to stop the terror, but she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to sacrifice herself to save those she loves.
O’Dell was born in a small rural town in Idaho. There were no Redeemers living there (that he knows of). After attending college in the Pacific Northwest, he found his way to the Houston area. By day, he is a Business Systems Analyst and at night you can either find him sitting at home, dreaming of random super powers he wishes he had, or directing plays and musicals at various theaters around Houston.
Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show by Steve Bryant
Coming February 24, 2015
Lucas Mackenzie has got the best job of any 10 year old boy. He travels from city-to-city as part of the London Midnight Ghost Show, scaring unsuspecting show-goers year round. Performing comes naturally to Lucas and the rest of the troupe, who’ve been doing it for as long as Lucas can remember.
But there’s something Lucas doesn’t know.
Like the rest of Luca’s friends, he’s dead. And for some reason, Lucas can’t remember his former life, his parents or friends. Did he go to school? Have a dog? Brothers and sisters?
If only he could recall his former life, maybe even reach out to his parents, haunt them.When a ghost hunter determines to shut the show down, Lucas realizes the life he has might soon be over. And without a connection to his family, he will have nothing. There’s little time and Lucas has much to do. Can he win the love of Columbine, the show’s enchanting fifteen-year-old mystic? Can he outwit the forces of life and death that thwart his efforts to find his family?
Keep the lights on! Lucas Mackenzie’s coming to town.
Purchase HERE!
Steve Bryant is a new novelist, but a veteran author of books of card tricks. He founded a 40+ page monthly internet magazine for magicians containing news, reviews, magic tricks, humor, and fiction; and he frequently contributes biographical cover articles to the country’s two leading magic journals (his most recent article was about the séance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle).
The Perilous Journey of the not so Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham
Coming March 17, 2015
Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except she suspects she may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family’s steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. But the trip proves more harrowing than she had anticipated, revealing secrets and testing her strength as well as her heart. Love, adventure and restitution await her in Canada, but only if she can survive the voyage.
Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked as a waitress, maid, artist, math teacher, nurse, web designer, art director, thirty-foot inflatable pig and mule wrangler before she settled down in the semi-quiet role of wife, mother and writer. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens and two suspected serial killer cats. If the air is cool and the sun is just coming up over the horizon, you can find her running the streets of her small town, plotting her next novel with the sort of intensity that will one day get her hit by a car.
I Heart Robot by Suzanne Van Rooyen
Coming March 31, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won’t belittle her musical aspirations.
Q-I-99 aka ‘Quinn’ lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.
Tyri and Quinn’s worlds collide when they’re accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn’s love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?
Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing, she teaches dance and music to middle schoolers and entertains her shiba inu, Lego. Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
Where the Staircase Ends by Stacy Stokes
Coming April 2015
After her best friend orchestrates the lie that destroys her reputation, Taylor wants more than anything to disappear from her life. But when an accident turns this unspoken wish into reality, instead of an angel-filled afterlife, Taylor must climb a seemingly endless staircase into the sky.
Instead of going up, the journey plunges her into the past. As she unravels the mystery behind her friend’s betrayal, she must face the truth about life and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable — unless the staircase breaks her first.
Stacy grew up in Dallas, TX, but has lived all over. After spending time in Austin, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, she is happy to call San Francisco her home, where she lives with her husband. When she’s not bringing the voices in her head to life, she’s working as a brand and marketing professional in the consumer products industry. She has a slight obsession with puns (they are, in her opinion, the highest form of humor), which might be linked to the three years she spent studying improv comedy at Chicago’s Second City and IO theaters. She holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business. WHERE THE STAIRCASE ENDS is her debut novel.
Nobody’s Goddess by Amy McNulty
Coming April 21, 2015
In a village of masked men, each loves only one woman and must follow the commands of his “goddess” without question. A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever. And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.
Where the rest of her village celebrates this mystery that binds men and women together, seventeen year old Noll is just done with it. She’s lost all her childhood friends as they’ve paired off, but the worst blow was when her closest companion, Jurij, finds his goddess in Noll’s own sister. Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever loved her: she is in fact the goddess of the mysterious lord of the village, a Byronic man who refuses to let Noll have her right as a woman to spurn him and who has the power to fight the curse. Thus begins a dangerous game between the two: the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither Noll nor the veiled man is willing to lose.
Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently spends her days alternatively writing on business and marketing topics and primarily crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.
The Artisans by Julie Reece
Coming May 19, 2015
They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Raven Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.
To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.
Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad’s drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.
But Raven’s stepdad’s drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she’s ever known out of jail, or worse.
Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries’ clothing line, signing over her creative rights.
Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can’t imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.
But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?
Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.
I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.
Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.
Then I thought I’d write one down…
Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!
Summer Of The Oak Moon by Laura Templeton
Coming May 5, 2015
Rejected by the exclusive women’s college she has her heart set on, Tess Seibert dreads the hot, aimless summer ahead. But when a chance encounter with a snake introduces her to Jacob Lane, a black college student home on his summer break, a relationship blooms that challenges the prejudices of her small, north Florida town.
When Jacob confesses that Tess’s uncle is trying to steal his family’s land, Tess comes face to face with the hatred that simmers just below the surface of the bay and marshes she’s loved since birth. With the help of her mentor Lulu, an herbal healer, Tess pieces together clues to the mysterious disappearance of Jacob’s father twenty-two years earlier and uncovers family secrets that shatter her connection to the land she loves.
Tess and Jacob’s bond puts them both in peril, and discontent eventually erupts into violence. Tess is forced to make a decision. Can she right old wrongs and salvage their love? Or will prejudice and hatred kill any chance she and Jacob might have had?
Laura Templeton lives near Athens, Georgia, with her husband, son, and a menagerie of animals. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, gardening, ice skating with her family, and taking long walks on the quiet country roads near her home. Her previous novel, Something Yellow, was released in 2013 and is set in one her favorite places – the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Vessel by Lisa Cresswell
Coming May 26, 2015
The sun exploded on April 18, 2112. It exploded in a Class X solar storm the likes of which humankind had never seen.
They had nineteen minutes.
Nineteen minutes until the geomagnetic wave washed over the Earth, frying every electrical device created by humans, blacking out entire continents, 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 have destroyed nearly all human technology on Earth and humans have reverted to a middle ages like existence, all knowledge of the remaining technology is kept hidden by a privileged few called the Reticents and books are burned as heresy.
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.
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 coming soon from Featherweight Press. Lisa currently lives and writes in Idaho with her family and a menagerie of furry critters that includes way too many llamas! You can visit her website at www.lisatcresswell.com
Hey everyone! I’m so excited to share with you the cover for For the Record by Charlotte Huang (2015 by Delacorte)!
So, are you ready to see the cover??
Are you sure?
It’s gorgeous!
Okay, ready?
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Here it is!
Isn’t it amazing?!?!?!?
Here’s some more information on For the Record, including the official synopsis:
Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like . . . until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything.
Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen hearthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.
Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule . . . Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?
Goodreads
Finally, we have an amazing giveaway for you! One lucky winner will get the very first ARC of FOR THE RECORD, signed! Plus FOR THE RECORD swag. To enter, fill out the Rafflectoper below!
About the Author:
Charlotte Huang is a graduate of Smith College and received an MBA from Columbia Business School, which is clearly something every aspiring writer should do. When not glued to her computer, she cheers her two sons on at sporting events and sometimes manages to stay up late enough to check out bands with her music agent husband. Charlotte lives in Los Angeles and is the author of For the Record (Delacorte, 2015)Website | Blog
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Hello everyone! Welcome to Month9Books 2014 Books you may have Missed Blitz!
Check out all M9B 2014 titles below and enter for a chance to win 1 of 3 prize packs of eBooks! International
Click on the cover for book information.
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Welcome to Month9Books’ gift blitz for our amazing winter titles: CROWN OF ICE by Vicki L. Weavil, PRAEFATIO by Georgia McBride, ENDLESS by Amanda Gray, A MURDER OF MAGPIES by Sarah Bromley, DEAD JED (1 & 2) by Scott Craven, and TRACY TAM by Krystalyn Drown! Are you looking for the perfect winter/holiday read? Then these are the titles for you! Oh and as a thank you to our readers we have an amazing giveaway for you!
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!
This week, we are revealing the first chapter for
presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won’t belittle her musical aspirations.
Q-I-99 aka ‘Quinn’ lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.
Tyri and Quinn’s worlds collide when they’re accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn’s love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?
Title: I Heart Robot
Publication date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Suzanne van Rooyen
Tyri
If today were a song, it’d be a dirge in b-flat minor. The androids cluster around the coffin, their false eyes brimming with mimetic tears. They were made to protect and serve their human masters, to entertain and care for us. Now, just one generation later, we toss them in the trash like nothing more than broken toasters.
The androids huddle in a semicircle, four adults and a child droid with synthetic curls. They all look so human; their grief real even if their tears aren’t. The two male-droids are even good looking in that chiseled, adboard model kind of way. They’re a little too perfect. With their machine strength, they lower the cardboard box into the dirt and the child droid begins to sing. His exquisite voice shatters like crystal in my ears, heartbreaking.
Asrid and I shouldn’t be here—the only two humans amongst the machines—but I loved Nana. I loved her before I knew better than to feel anything for a robot. It doesn’t matter how attached you get. A robot can never love you back, regardless of how human their advanced AI might make them seem.
“Why’re they burying it anyway?” Asrid mutters beside me. My friend doesn’t wear black to the funeral, refusing to acknowledge the passing of my nanamaton, an android that always seemed more like a mom and less like an automated child-minder.
“Should be sending it to the scrap heap. Isn’t this against regulation?” Asrid’s face scrunches up in a frown, marring her impeccable makeup. She’s a peacock amongst ravens, and I’m a scruffy crow.
“Nana was like a mother to me. I’ll miss her.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes as the coffin disappears into the earth, and the droid keens a eulogy.
“I know you will, T.” Asrid gives me a one-armed hug.
Svartkyrka Cemetery is losing the battle to weeds. Human tombstones from back when there was real estate for corpses lie in crumbling ruin covered in pigeon poop. No one gets buried anymore—there’s no space and, anyway, it’s unsanitary.
“Can we go now?” Asrid hops between feet to fight off the chill. Autumn has shuffled closer to winter, the copper and russet leaves crunching beneath our shoes. The leaves look like scabs, a carpet of dried blood spilling into the open earth. Fitting for my nanamaton’s funeral, but robots can’t bleed.
“Sure, we can go.”
Asrid wends her way toward the parking lot as I approach the grave. Nana loved yellow anemones, said they were like sunshine on a stick.
“Hope there’s sunshine where you are now, Nana.” I drop a single flower into the ground and wipe away the tear snailing down my cheek. Why Nana chose to permanently shut down and scramble her acuitron brain, I can only guess. Perhaps living in a world controlled by groups like the People Against Robot Autonomy, PARA for short, became too much for her.
“Sorry for your loss,” the child droid says in a tinkling voice.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I say.
“She would’ve wanted you to be here.” The other nanamaton, gray haired and huddled in a trench coat, doesn’t meet my gaze.
I stuff my mitten-covered hands into the pockets of my jacket and hunch my shoulders against the chill. You’d think the universe might have had the courtesy to rain given the sullen occasion, but the sun perches in an acid blue sky.
“Tyri, you coming?” Asrid shouts from the gate, remembering too late that we’re supposed to be stealthy. Government regulation stipulates cremation for humans and scrap heaps for robots. If the authorities discover us committing metal and electronics to the earth instead of recycling, Asrid and I will be fined. The robots will be decommissioned on the spot.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper to the androids before turning away. Their artificial gaze follows me, boring into my back sharp as a laser.
“Botspit, I’m hungry. I could gnaw on a droid. Where’re we going to lunch?” Asrid ignores the dead and grieving as if none of it exists.
“I think I’ll just go home.”
“Come on, T. I know she was your Nana but she was just a robot, you know.”
Just a robot! Nana changed my diapers. My first day of kindergarten, Nana held my hand. When I came home from school, Nana made me cocoa and sat helping me with homework. Nana cooked my favourite dumpling dinner every Wednesday and made me double-chocolate birthday cake. Nana taught me how to tie my shoelaces and braid my hair. The day I turned sixteen, Mom decided we didn’t need Nana anymore. She should’ve been decommissioned then, but Nana disappeared the day before Mom’s M-Tech buddies came to kill her core and reprocess her parts.
“She was more than that to me,” I say.
“Ah, you’re adorable.” Asrid casts nervous glances across the lot. Satisfied no policemen lurk behind the bushes, she slips her arm through mine and drags me through the gate. The wrought iron is warped and daubed with rust. Marble angels stand sentinel, broken and stained by time. One misses a nose, and the other has lost a wing.
“You didn’t say anything about my new bug.” Asrid pouts when we reach her vehicle. The hoverbug is neon pink, matching her shoes, handbag, and the ribbons holding up her blond hair. The ‘E’ badge that stands for Engel Motors looks more like a spastic frog than the angel it’s supposed to represent.
“Is it meant to smell like cherries?” Even the plush interior is unicorn puke pink. I put on my sunglasses in case all that color stains my eyes.
“Yes, in fact.” Asrid flicks a switch and the engine purrs. “Slipstream Waffles.” She assumes that monotone voice she always uses when addressing machines.
The last thing I want is to sit on sticky vinyl in a noisy waffle house, indulging in sugar and calories served by permanently smiling droids on roller-skates.
“Take me home to Vinterberg.”
“Tyri, don’t annoy me.”
“Sassa, Don’t patronize me.” I give her the glare she knows better than to argue with.
“Vinterberg,” I say again and Asrid heaves a melodramatic sigh.
“Be boring. Going home to make love to your violin?”
“Why ask when you know the answer?” Nana’s coffin lowering into the ground replays in my mind to a soundtrack in b-flat minor.
“How does Rurik put up with being the other love of your life?”
It’s my turn to sigh. Rurik doesn’t really put up with it or even understand why I love music so much. But then, I don’t understand why he gets so hung up on politics, and I definitely don’t understand why he didn’t show up for Nana’s funeral when he knows how much she meant to me.
“We manage.” I stare out the tinted windows at the darkened scenery whipping past.
The hoverbug takes the quickest route, zipping along the street ways that skirt the chaotic center of Baldur. The jungle of concrete and steel thins out into a tree-shrouded suburb studded with modest brick homes. Rurik calls my redbrick bungalow quaint, and it is, complete with flower boxes and a patch of green lawn out back. It’s nothing at all like his dad’s slick penthouse, all glass and chrome with a panoramic view of the city. The funny thing is, Rurik used to live right next-door till his mom had the affair and his dad became a workaholic, transforming the family business into an automotive empire.
The hoverbug slows and lands in my driveway.
“I’ll call you later,” I say before disembarking.
“You heard anything yet?”
“No, but tomorrow is the last day so I’ll hear soon.” I’m trying not to think about why it’s taking so long to hear back after my audition for the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra.
“You’ll get in T. I’m sure of it. You’re brilliant.”
Asrid’s words make me smile despite the morbidity of the day. She waves and the hoverbug zooms off, leaving me in the rustling-leave calm of Vinterberg.
I press my thumb to the access pad and the front door hisses open. Mom’s at work like always. Taking off my coat and shoes, I whistle for Glitch. She pads into the hallway, her face lopsided from sleep. She stretches and sits down with a decisive humph as if to say, ‘Well, human, I’m here. Now, worship me.’ And I do.
“Hey my Glitchy girl.” I fold my cyborg Shiba Inu into my arms and sweep her off the floor. Her mechatronic back leg sticks out straight and stiff, the rest of her soft and warm. She licks my ear, one paw on my forehead.
“Good afternoon, Tyri. Would you like some refreshments?” Miles whirs out of the kitchen into the hallway. He’s nothing like Nana, just a bipedal mass of electronics and metal with assorted appendages capable of mundane tasks. He doesn’t even have eyes, only a flashing array of lights. Despite Mom designing a new generation of androids for M-Tech, we can’t afford the new model housebot. Maybe it’s better this way. I don’t feel much for our bot, but I dubbed him Miles. It seemed to fit.
“Would you like some refreshments?” he repeats.
“Tea and a sandwich.” I carry Glitch into my bedroom at the back of the house. Glitch leaps from my arms, landing on the bed where she curls up in a knot of black, white, and tan fur amongst my pillows.
Still in my black lace skirt and corset, I stretch and flex my fingers. Twisting the cricks from my neck and rolling my shoulders, I ease out the graveyard tension. My violin lies in a bed of blue velvet, waiting for my touch. With the strings in tune and the bow sufficiently taut, the instrument nestles against my jaw as if I was born with a gap there just for the violin. It completes me.
I warm-up my fingers, letting them trip over the strings as my bow arcs and glides. Then I’m ready to play: Beethoven’s Kreutzer violin sonata in A major, Nana’s favorite. Glitch’s ears twitch back and forth. She raises her head to howl but thinks better of it, yawning and curling back into sleep.
The frenzied opening of the sonata segues into a melancholy tune and in the brief moment of calm, my moby warbles at me. I have mail. I try to ignore the distraction and play through the screeching reminder of an unread message, but it might be the one I’ve been anticipating.
Vibrating in my hand, the moby blinks at me: One unread email. Subject: BPO audition.
“This is it, Glitchy.”
She raises her head as I sit beside her. One hand buried in her fur, I open the email. The words blur together, pixelate and run like wet ink across the screen. Disbelief makes my vision swim. I have to read the message several times over to make sure I haven’t misunderstood.
“Codes! I got in.” Blood warms my cheeks as I whisk Glitch into my arms, spinning her around before squeezing her to my chest. She does not approve and scratches at me until I drop her back on the bed. Miles enters with a tray of tea and neat triangular sandwiches.
“Miles, I got in! I’m going to play for the junior BPO. This is amazing.” I’m jumping up and down.
Miles flashes orange. “Could not compute. Please restate.”
“I’m going to play for the best junior orchestra in the country. This could be my chance to break into the scene, to meet all the right people, and make an impression!” My one chance to escape the life already planned for me by Mom. The last thing I want to be is a robot technician.
Miles keeps flashing orange. “Apologies, Tyri. Could not compute, but registering joy.” His visual array flashes green. “Happy birthday!” He says in his clipped metallic voice before leaving the room.
I clutch the moby and read the email another ten times before calling Mom. I reach her voicemail, and my joy tones down a notch. I don’t want to talk to another machine, so I hang up and call Rurik instead.
“Hey, Tyri. Now’s not a good time. Can I call you back later?”
“I got in,” I say.
“To the orchestra?”
“Yes!”
“That’s great.” He doesn’t sound half as happy as I am.
“Thanks, I’m so excited, but kind of scared too—”
“T, I’m just in the middle of something. I’ll call you back in a bit, okay?” He hangs up, leaving me babbling into silence.
Deflated, I slump onto the floor and rest my head on the bed. Glitch shuffles over to give me another ear wash, delicately nibbling around my earrings. I should’ve known Rurik would be busy getting ready to go to Osholm University. Getting a scholarship to the most prestigious school in all of Skandia is way more impressive than scoring a desk in the Baldur Junior Orchestra. Still, I received better acknowledgment from the housebot than my boyfriend. I call Asrid.
“Hey T, what’s up?” Asrid answers with Sara’s high-pitched giggle in the background.
“I got in!”
“That’s awesome, except I guess that means more practicing and less time with your friends, huh?” Asrid sounds genuinely put out, as if she’d even notice my absence when Sara’s around. Codes, isn’t there someone who could just be happy for me? Maybe Mom’s right, and I am being selfish wanting the “Bohemian non-existence” when I could have a “sensible and society-assisting” career in robotics.
“Sorry, I . . . thought you’d like to know.”
“I’m happy for you, Tyri. I know it’s a big deal to you. Congrats. Seriously, you deserve this considering how hard you practice,” Asrid says, and Sara shouts congratulations in the background.
“Thanks, Sassa.”
“Hey, our food arrived. Chat later?”
“Sure.” I hang up and reach for my violin. Nana would’ve understood. She would’ve danced around the living room with me. She probably would’ve baked me a cake and thrown a party. Determined not to cry, I skip the second movement of Beethoven’s sonata and barrel straight into the jaunty third. The notes warp under my fingers, and the tune slides into b-flat minor.
Two days until the first rehearsal. Maybe I’ll be able to do something different with my life; something that makes me happy instead of just useful.
Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing, she teaches dance and music to middle schoolers and entertains her shiba inu, Lego. Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
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The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski 
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.
Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.
I finished The Winner’s Curse six day ago and I’m just sitting down to write this review. I wanted to LOVE this book, the way almost all of my fellow bloggers did. And though I definitely enjoyed it, I didn’t like it as much as I had hoped to. I’m thinking it was more me than the book, though. I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life and I think that stuff just interfered with my enjoyment of reading for a small period of time — Case in point: I read 6-8 books/month in September, October and November… We’re half-way through December and I’m only on my second book of the month.
So I tried to put aside the issues I had while reading (I was bored and easily side-tracked; I went days without reading) and I decided that, if those things were me and not the book, then the book itself was actually pretty good. Marie Rutkoski is a gorgeous writer. She created a marvelous world with epic characters and plenty of twists and turns! The first half of the book was a bit slow, but it built up to a crazy second half of the book. It read like a stand-alone (meaning no major cliffhangers and though it’s part of a series, it can stand on its own just fine) and I was very satisfied with the ending. In fact, the ending made me even more excited for the second book!
I liked Kestrel a lot. She was stubborn and defiant, fighting against the two options her father selected for her future – become a soldier in the military or get married. Kestrel didn’t want anything to do with either of these potential futures; she wanted to map out her own life and do the things that made her happy. She was also very intelligent, yet reckless, at times. She did some pretty stupid things and she often did things without thinking through the consequences first. She was kind to those who didn’t deserve her kindness and she tried to treat the servants with some dignity.
I really, really wanted to like Arin. For the most part, I did; however, he definitely had his moments where he was cold and said some truly unforgivable things, especially to Kestrel. I definitely liked his rapport with her, though. They seemed to understand each other on a deeper level than could be possible, especially given how little time they spent together. It was like they could read each other. I didn’t really ship them in the beginning, though. I know everyone swooned over Arin and desperately wanted to see him and Kestrel together, but he was just too cruel in the first half of the story – not too mention all the hatred and lies that stood between them. Some of the revelations concerning Arin’s past were intriguing, though predictable.
I’m not sure how I feel about Ronan. I liked him enough to care about his fate in the end. But I just couldn’t see him as the third part in a love triangle. It was so obvious how that situation would end that I didn’t even bother giving him too much of a second glance. I really liked Jess and Benix, though neither of them was without their faults, especially Benix. Yet they didn’t deserve their fates. Enai was another character I adored. I would have liked to get to know her more and I found my feelings mirrored Kestrel’s on this one. I liked Sarsine and I hope we see more of her in book two. I’m torn with how I feel about General Trajan… Finally, for obvious reasons, I despised Lord Irex and Cheat.
I think the most fascinating thing about this book was the fact that we saw a revolution unfold before our eyes. Normally, YA books lead up to a revolution or take place several years after, not during. It was intriguing to see a different side of a revolution for once.
I LOVED the ending, though it felt slightly rushed, like the battle started and ended too quickly; however, it was still epic and crazy and insane and had SO MUCH political intrigue. I loved the ending so much that it basically made up for all my negative thoughts while reading. And the ending is the reason I rounded my rating up to 3.5 stars. It was THAT GOOD.
Overall, while I loved the characters, plot, world and writing, it did take me forever to read (11 days! That’s a lot for me..) and I felt a major disconnect with the book. As I mentioned earlier, I really think that was my own issue, not an issue with the book, so I’m letting it slide for now. I think The Winner’s Curse really sets things up nicely for the second book and I’m eager to read it and find out what happens next! I definitely recommend this book despite the issues I had because I seem to be in the minority with said issues. Marie Rutkoski is a fantastic author and I’m interested to see what she does next (outside of the final book in this trilogy).
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Suspicion by Alexandra Monir 
"Take The Princess Diaries and add magic, murder and mystery, and you've got SUSPICION. A delightful read!"—Amy Plum, author of the of the international bestselling Die For Me series
"If Alfred Hitchcock had directed Downton Abbey, the result would have been this book. Alexandra Monir takes us on a gripping, nonstop thrill ride with just the right amount of supernatural and an ending that you definitely won't suspect. I devoured it in one sitting."—Jessica Brody, bestselling author of the Unremembered trilogy
Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.
"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.
Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.
All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?
Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.
Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Suspicion blog tour! Today, I’m sharing with you my review of this creepy, magical murder mystery. Enjoy!
I was really excited to read Suspicion when I first read the description and saw that gorgeous cover – It sounded epic and exactly like the kind of book I would love! And Suspicion EXCEEDED my expectations. It was such an amazing, fun, creepy and thrilling book, I wish I had a physical copy so I could hug it and re-read it!
First of all, Suspicion is described as The Princess Diaries meets Downton Abbey. One friend described it as The Princess Diaries meets The Secret Garden. And as I read, I pictured it as The Princess Diaries meets What A Girl Wants. So, which is it, you ask? All of the above! I could completely feel the The Princess Diaries vibe of the book from very early on and I completely agree with my friend about it also having a Secret Garden feel. And then, about 29% into the book, I got the whole What A Girl Wants vibe, since Suspicion has a young American girl who is suddenly thrust into the British Peerage system.
I’ve always loved YA historical fiction, especially when it’s set in the 1800s and early 1900s and especially when it has royalty, castles, fancy gowns and ballrooms, horse-drawn carriages, etc. But I must say, reading Suspicion – which takes place in present-day – really opened my eyes. I love ANYTHING to do with England and royalty and that whole world. I think that’s one of the reasons I loved this book so much. I was completely fascinated by that part of the book.
I really liked Imogen. She had a great voice, a great personality and she was relatable. The beginning of the book is a bit odd because we have a prologue and then the book starts off in the past, when Imogen was ten-years-old. It’s only for one chapter, to give the reader context. But it threw me a little bit. I had a hard time relating to a younger Imogen, although the back-story was intriguing and a bit horrifying – and something we definitely needed before moving forward with the book.
Imogen was committed to honoring her family and her duties. She may have run from Rockford Manor when she was younger, but now that she’s older, she accepts that she can’t let her father’s legacy be ignored. I admired that about her. She was, essentially, leaving everything she knew and everyone she loved behind to go to a place that she hadn’t been in almost a decade, a place that held bad memories for her, just to do what she knew had to be done. She also didn’t just sit back and accept things as they were. She dug into her family’s history to discover the truth.
Sebastian was… an interesting character. I wasn’t crazy about him in the beginning. There was just something off about him and his temper was scary. I also couldn’t see him and Imogen as a couple in the beginning. But then, when there was a major plot twist with him, I didn’t believe it at all, despite my not trusting him. I really liked Theo, though, and really shipped him and Imogen for awhile. But by the end, I was totally Team Sebastian!
I didn’t trust Maisie or Mrs. Mulgrave from the absolute beginning. There was something about them that irked me out. I chalked it up to Mrs. Mulgrave being a creepy, bitter woman and I was half-right. Now that I’ve finished the book and I’ve discovered the truth about the two of them, I feel like I need to re-read the book and read the parts with them more carefully the second time around.
Other characters worthy of being mentioned were Oscar and Alfie. They were like the father/uncle/brother-figures for Imogen. And they were so loyal to her. I never doubted them or suspected them for a second.
The ending was… an insane Parent Trap-esque thrill-ride that had me scratching my head and thinking back on everything that had happened. So many revelations!!! This is a stand-alone and the ending was brilliant. A few things were left open-ended, just enough to hint at what could come. But there weren’t any huge cliffhangers or unanswered questions that left me feeling annoyed or wanting more, though I’d LOVE a sequel, if there’s any chance it could happen. I’m not 100% convinced the supernatural elements were necessary to the story, but since I love supernatural/paranormal books, it was like an added bonus.
Overall, I do highly recommend this book. If you’ve read the reviews, you might be skeptical, but I urge you to put those thoughts aside and give it a chance. It might just surprise you! I really loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author!
