CBY Book Club

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway - Mark of Destiny by Azrael James

Mark of Destiny

Author: Azrael James

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Publisher: Branch Publishing

Date of Publication: 03/02/2017

ISBN: 1544070276

ISBN-13: 978-1544070278

ASIN: B06XDSHCSS

Number of pages: 403

Word Count: 82,331

Cover Artist: T.K. Chapin

Book Description:

Her destiny will change the world forever.

Belstrom—an ancient and mystical land where the Curo Wizards rule and life is cheap.

Tizrah—a lowly armory brat who dreams of one day becoming a warrior but fate has other plans.

Korlin—a recent graduate of the High Wizard’s School of Curogath is tasked with an assignment to eradicate a lost magic system that threatens the very stability of Belstrom. Mark of Destiny weaves together the threads of a captivating fantasy adventure, while remaining epic in scope, and modern in its originality.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2017/03/nerd-blast-fall-by-james-preller.html

The Fall

Author: James Preller

Book Description:

An innovative new perspective on the tragedy of teen suicide.

The summer before school starts, Sam's friend and classmate Morgan Mallen kills herself. Morgan had been bullied. Maybe she kissed the wrong boy. Or said the wrong thing. What about that selfie that made the rounds? Morgan was this, and Morgan was that. But who really knows what happened?

As Sam explores the events leading up to the tragedy, he must face a difficult and life-changing question: Why did he keep his friendship with Morgan a secret? And could he have done something-anything-to prevent her final actions?

From James Preller, the author of Bystander, another unflinching book about bullying and its fallout.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ B&N ¦ Book Depository

Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know Of)
Author: F.J.R. Titchenell
Genre: YA Horror-Comedy
Release Date: April 4th, 2017

Book Description:
The world is Cassie Fremont’s playground. Her face is on the cover of every newspaper. She has no homework, no curfew, and no credit limit, and she spends her days traveling the country with her friends, including a boy who would do the chicken dance with death to make her smile. Life is just about perfect—except that those newspaper headlines are about her bludgeoning her crush to death with a paintball gun, she has to fight ravenous walking corpses every time she steps outside, and one of her friends is still missing, trapped somewhere in the distant, practically impassable wreckage of Manhattan. Still, Cassie’s an optimist, more prone to hysterical laughter than hysterical tears, and she’d rather fight a corpse than be one. She’ll never leave a friend stranded when she can simply take her road trip to impossible new places, even if getting there means admitting to that boy that she might love him as more than her personal jester. Skillfully blending effective horror with unexpected humor, this diary-style novel is a fast-paced and heartwarming read.

Buy Links:

Kindle US ¦ UK ¦ Paperback US ¦ UK ¦ B&N (Paperback) ¦ Nook ¦ iBooks ¦ Kobo ¦ Smashwords ¦ Indigo ¦ Books-a-Million ¦ Indiebound

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34091857-confessions-of-the-very-first-zombie-slayer

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - Standing Ground by Alice Rachel

Standing Ground
(Under Ground, #2)

Author: Alice Rachel
Publication Date: October 27th, 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult

Book Description:

When the authorities strike to regain control over the riots in Eboracum City and use drastic measures as retaliation against the civilians, the citizens are forced to fight back to survive. A virus has spread through the Underground, taking down the refugees one by one, soon contaminating the rebels. If Thia wants to save the ones she loves, she will have to retrieve the cure, quickly. But certain decisions are costly, and not all actions are free of consequences.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32791409-standing-ground?ac=1&from_search=true

Shifters & Glyphs
(Fairy Tales of the Magicorum, #2)

Author: Christina Bauer
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication Date: October 30th, 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting by Justine Prado, Illustrated by Jenn St-Onge

Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting
Author: Justine Prado
Illustrated by: Jenn St-Onge
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Release Date: January 2017
Emet Comics

Book Description:
Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting is a graphic novel about Molly Sanchez-Talebi, an unemployed art school grad who hesitantly starts catsitting to pay the bills. She dreams of breaking out of suburbia and her artistic rut, but she has a lot of self-discovery to do before that happens. The comic follows her funny misadventures as she learns that maybe these (sometimes) friendly felines are just what she needs to get her life on track.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33401165-finding-molly-volume-1

At First Blush
Author: Beth Ellyn Summer
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: April 4th, 2017
Bloomsbury Spark

Book Description:
Who would have thought that a teenager could have a successful career creating makeup tutorial videos on YouTube? For Lacey Robbins, this dream has been her reality. An up-and-coming YouTuber, she has thousands of fans and can't wait for the day when her subscriber count reaches the one million mark. And when she is offered a high school internship at On Trend Magazine, she figures that this could be the make it or break it moment.

But sometimes your dream job isn't all that it seems. Her editor is only interested in promoting junk products, and her boss in the Hair and Makeup department introduces her to the larger world of makeup artistry, making her wonder if making tutorials online is all she is meant to do. To top it all off, when the magazine's feature subject, musician Tyler Lance, turns his broodingly handsome smile her way, falling for him could mean losing her fans, forcing her to make a decision: her YouTube life or her real life?

Fans of Zoella's GIRL ONLINE will fall right into the world of this YA DEVIL WEARS PRADA and stay hooked from the first blush to the last glossy kiss.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ B&N ¦ Apple ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Play ¦ Bloomsbury

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25613996-at-first-blush

The Amarant
Author: Tricia Barr

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Date Published: February 2017

Book Description:

A fictional world brought to life, a dark romance that promises eternity, and a secret that threatens to end it all.

Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who, having survived a dark childhood, finds her escape in reading a popular vampire series. After some investigation, she becomes a very active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. But her happiness is short-lived as she discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most-wanted, some who want to kill her before she becomes a threat, and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ B&N

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34400555-the-amarant?ac=1&from_search=true

BOOK REVIEW - Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows

Author: Michelle Madow

Genre: YA Fantasy

Book Description:

Witches are real. They're descendants of the Greek gods. Now, five witches with elemental powers must fight to stop a war against the Titans.

Nicole Cassidy is the new girl in town with a new problem -- she's a witch descended from gods. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, she's welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers -- and by Blake, the town's notorious bad-boy.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, and three of their classmates are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect -- it opens the portal to another dimension that has imprisoned the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes, they're forced to follow a cryptic prophecy, while learning to work together to stop the spread of evil. If only they can succeed in time to save their town... and possibly the world.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - Just Like You Said it Would Be by C.K. Kelly Martin

Just Like You Said it Would Be
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Publication Date: February 15th, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Book Description:

Did you ever want something so much that it felt like a kind of sickness, one you didn’t want to be cured of? On New Year’s Eve the feeling compels seventeen-year-old Amira to text the Irish ex-boyfriend she’s been missing desperately since they broke up at the end of summer, when she returned to Canada.

They agreed they wouldn’t be friends, that it would never be enough. But that was then— back when Amira’s separated parents had shipped her off to relatives in Dublin for the summer so they could test-drive the idea of getting back together on a long haul cruise. Back when Amira was torn away from a friend in need in Toronto only to fall in love with a Dublin screenwriting class and take a step closer to her dream career. And only to fall for cousin Zoey’s bandmate, Darragh, the guy who is first her friend, then her enemy and later something much more complicated—the guy she can say anything to, the guy who makes every inch of her feel wide awake in a way she hadn’t known was possible. The guy she might never see again. Or is there, despite the distance, somehow still a chance for them?

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ iBooks ¦ Kobo

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33975313-just-like-you-said-it-would-be

Fate of the Stars
Author: Arwen Paris
Publication Date: September 1st 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

MY SATURDAY CURRENT READS IS:

Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 8th, 2016

Book Description:
Everyone in the islands of O’Ceea has a magical ability: whatever they imagine can be brought into existence. Whoever becomes a master over these powers is granted the title of magician and is given fame, power, riches, and glory. This volume of books follows the journey of a group of kids as they strive to rise to the top and become members of the Magician’s Workshop.

Layauna desperately wants to create beautiful things with her magical powers, but all she can seem to do is make horrible, savage monsters. For years she has tried to hide her creations, but when her power is at last discovered by a great magician, she realizes that what she’s tried to hide might actually be of tremendous value.

Kai just wants to use his powers to have fun and play with his friends. Unfortunately, nearly everyone on his island sees him as a bad influence, so he’s forced to meet them in secret. When one of the creatures they create gets out of control and starts flinging fireballs at their town, Kai is tempted to believe that he is as nefarious as people say. However, his prospects change when two mysterious visitors arrive, praising his ability and making extraordinary promises about his future.

Follow the adventures of Kai, Layauna, and a boatload of other characters as they struggle to grow up well in this fantastical world.

Buy Links:
Amazon US ¦ UK

Friday, 31 March 2017

Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - Myths of Mish (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #2) by Katie Hamstead

Myths of Mish
Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #2
Author: Katie Hamstead
Genre: YA Space Opera/Scifi/Fantasy
Release Date: March 14th, 2017
Curiosity Quills Press

Book Description:
Hansel and Gretel Herrscher survived the witch in the woods, but the experience has made Hansel paranoid for the past ten years. He sees dark magic at every turn. When Gretel has a marriage arranged to a much older man, and Hansel discovers he's about to be sent halfway across the galaxy, he knows something sinister is afoot.

Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel's quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she's discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back.

The problem is, Hansel's paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they're all being hunted.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31762751-myths-of-mish

Digging in the Stars
Author: Katherine Blakeney
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication Date: March 28th, 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Book Description:

A lost ancient civilization and the tomb of a legendary king lie buried beneath centuries of ash on the volcanic planet Thror, but that’s not the only reason sixteen-year-old Carter has tricked her Archaeology of Outer Space class into coming here. Her best friend Conrad has just disappeared on a trip to Thror, leaving behind little more than a broken vintage camera. The strange and disturbing photographs she manages to extract make her suspect Conrad’s disappearance is somehow connected to the hidden tomb of the last king of Thror.

Unfortunately, the ludicrously over-friendly ‘Furry Giants’ who have taken over the planet’s barren surface would rather offer her cheap souvenirs than answers, and the local officials insist they have no record of Conrad’s existence. Inspired by fear for Conrad’s life and the chance to make the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, Carter and her friends follow Conrad’s footsteps deep into the mountains of Thror’s forbidden Black Zone and launch an illicit excavation.

Coded messages, stunning ancient ruins, and clues left by Conrad himself begin to surface as the young archaeologists fall victim to an alarming series of accidents staged by the increasingly hostile Furry Giants. Piecing together a history of dictatorship, terrorism and disguise, Carter glimpses the horrors beyond Thror’s flamboyant façade and startling revelations about the friend she thought she knew. The masks of Thror hide devastating secrets, and the golden tomb buried deep in the frozen core may claim the lives of everyone she loves.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ Kobo

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31328304-digging-in-the-stars?ac=1&from_search=true

Wyatt Watkins and the Adder Stones
(Wyatt Watkins #1)
Author: Jacob Tate & Kate Callahan
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: May 28th, 2015

Book Decription:
Wyatt Watkins is like most young boys his age. He’s an excited daydreamer, always eager to make friends – and he always keeps an eye out for his next adventure.

Life in New York City has always been simple and pleasant for Wyatt and his siblings, Josh and Rose. Wyatt works hard in school, gets good grades, and enjoys a reliable and fun circle of friends. But when tragedy strikes the Watkins family, they are forced to relocate from the city to Upstate New York and the rural, forgotten town of Cloverbrook.

A seemingly harmless, small town of roughly 3,000 people, nestled at the base of the Adirondack Mountains, Cloverbrook welcomes the family quickly as it prepares for its 72nd Annual Pumpkin Smash and Harvest Festival. Wyatt finds the massive forests, blanketed in a sea of orange, red and yellow leaves, the perfect playground to adjust to his new life, while the family struggles to cope with their loss.

But deep in the dark forests that surround the town, a hidden evil lurks…waiting…watching. And while the evil forces in the forest continue to grow, Wyatt uncovers an artifact with untold power that will thrust the entire family into the middle of an ancient struggle between good and evil.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ DE ¦ FR ¦ ES ¦ IT ¦ NL ¦ JP ¦ BR ¦ CA ¦ MX ¦ IN