Giveaway: Zom-B (winner announced)

When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's racist father thinks it's a joke-- but even if it isn't, he figures, it's ok to lose a few Irish.

B doesn't fully buy into Dad's racism, but figures it's easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. And when dodging his fists doesn't work, B doesn't hesitate to take the piss out of kids at school with a few slaps or cruel remarks.

That is, until zombies attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers.


Rules:
1. You must be 13 or older.
2. You must follow my blog.
3. You must have a US address I can ship it to.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you're the winner, please email me your US mailing address. If I don't receive an email by Sunday November 4 11:59pm, I'll choose a new winner.

Short Story Review: Far

Lesbian zombies, fucked up love and a sentient world...

Once, Mana stole back souls for a living. As a Runner, it was her job to snatch the dead out of After and spare them from a dubious future provided by a machine known as the Recycler. Through magic and will, she joined the stolen souls to their dead bodies and brought them back to "life" as Reanima. It was gruesome--and illegal--but it was business. Mana was the best Runner in the nameless city...

And then she met Far.

Far had been waiting her entire life to die. The city smothered her, and there was no way out. Far had treasonous questions about her existence, and though Mana loved Far with all her heart, love was not enough to save her.

When Far dies, Mana goes against her wishes and steals back her lover's soul, losing her own in the process. Now a Reanima and alone, Far must decide what's more important: truth, freedom, or the love of her death.

"Far" is a dark fantasy short story, just over ten thousand words in length.

I enjoyed re-reading Sugar Moon by Sarah Diemer so much, that I decided I needed to read something else by this fabulous author. Far is the second ebook I bought, so I read this one today. It's a short story, so it's a quick read, but definitely enjoyable.

Mana is a Runner who sneaks/tricks her way into After, the realm where the souls of the dead go. She steals souls back for coin and reanimates the body with it's soul. It's a way for people to get their loved ones back... temporarily. Until their body starts to decompose. Mana is able to make enough money to support her and her girlfriend, Far, because being a Runner is very dangerous.

The story picks up just after Far's death. Mana buys her body and goes into After on her most important mission. This Run isn't for money; it's to save her lover. The first chapter is from Mana's point of view, and then the following two chapters are narrated by Far. I liked that I got to read from both points of view. I wasn't sure what to think of them and their relationship until I understood it from both girls. The writing was fantastic and the story was unique. If you like zombies and/or lesbian romances, pick this one up!

I'm definitely looking forward to more from Sarah Diemer. Up next: The Dark Wife.

Book Review: The Awakening

You don't have to be alive to be awakened.

Chloe Saunders is a living science experiment—not only can she see ghosts, but she was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. She's a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control, which means she can raise the dead without even trying. Now Chloe's running for her life with three of her supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and they have to find someone who can help them before the Edison Group catches them.

Or die trying.

Chloe and her friends escaped from Lyle house, but they didn’t get far. The Awakening picks up right where The Summoning ends. Chloe is locked in a cell, separate from her friends. She knows one of them is dead, but what about the other four? Have they been captured? Are they dead too?

In this second installment of The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong, Chloe and her friends learn even more about the experiments that were done on them. They continue trying to evade The Edison Group and capture. Things heat up between Chloe and Derek, while Tori and Simon deal with being of rival races. One of the wonderful things about this series is that even while all of the characters are supernatural, they deal with the same things teens do in our world: relationships, speech difficulties, diabetes, etc... The characters are interesting and fun and Kelley's storytelling is amazing.

Being the middle book in a trilogy, it’s a bit slower than The Summoning, but leaves you excited for The Reckoning. Be sure to check out all three!

Book Review: Broken

Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld.

In this thrilling new novel from Kelley Armstrong, a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on twenty-first-century—and become his next target.

Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough—only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers—unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs.

Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for—which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.

Kelley Armstrong's Broken is my favorite Elena novel out of the four. She and Clayton are expecting twins, and life is anything but normal. Elena accidentally opens a portal by activating a spell on a letter written by Jack the Ripper. "Kill a bug, launch the apocalypse."

Granddaddy-to-be, Jeremy Danvers and fellow pack members, Antonio and Nick Sorrentino join them on their Toronto adventure. Diseased rats, zombies, the plague... when the portal was opened, it brought along with it issues from Victorian London. The last time a portal was opened (in Industrial Magic) Paige and Lucas called Jaime. So the pack calls in our favorite necro, Jaime Vegas. She shows up, without a moment's hesitation to aide the pack. Mostly because of her seemingly hopeless crush on the smexy alpha.

With a vow to not be possessed or kidnapped this time, the pack accepts her help. Together they work to close the portal and restore Toronto to normal. Along the way we meet Zoe Takano, hot Asian vamp and her friend Tee... an insane necromancer, which forces Jaime to literally face her worst fear, the fate of most necros... madness.

Elena's pregnancy professes faster than normal, due to her being a werewolf, Clay is injured by a decomposing zombie, and Jeremy and Jaime grow closer. But can they stop an evil sorcerer and close the portal before Toronto is destroyed?

Another exciting installment of The Women of the Otherworld. Be sure to check out this amazing series!

Book Review: Graveminder

"Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

I have been a fan of the Wicked Lovely series since book one. I was lucky enough to get to read three of the books in the series early, and now, Graveminder. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved her faeries. But this was walking dead… and adult.

I LOVED IT!   Honestly, in my opinion, it was even better than her Wicked Lovely books. The writing was amazing. If you’ve read her young adult series, you can see the writing getting stronger with each book. The story was new and unique. The characters were well developed. I can’t say enough good things about this book. Definitely pick this one up when it hits shelves.

Synopsis:

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you." 

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place--and the man--she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D--a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

*If I get to 750 blog followers by the time I meet Melissa again on May 27, I'll give a signed copy away ;) *

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth (and contest winner)

I really loved THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. I had heard good things, but I also heard that it was "awful". I assure you it was most definitely NOT awful. I could not put it down. I was sucked in from the beginning. There were some things that annoyed me, though I think they were supposed to. The Sisterhood is a group of women who serve God and set the rules. The Guardians enforce the rules. And Mary, our MC, is a headstrong girl who believes things she shouldn't. Stories her mother tells from generations ago about life before the Unconsecrated, aka zombies. Stories of a vast ocean and buildings as high as the sky.

I felt really connected with Mary. I've always been the different one. The one who believes and thinks differently. I don't know that I would have had her courage, but I certainly hope I would. The story was sad, but then again, it's about people who are living the only life they can in a world over-run with zombies. There's violence, death, and sadness. Be prepared for tears.

Definitely can't wait for THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES.

Synopsis:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future - between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

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As per the changes for this giveaway, there will be two winners. Winner 1 gets first choice. Winner 2 get the other. The choice is between a paperback of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH signed by Carrie Ryan and swag and THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES (not signed) and swag.

Winner 1: twistedfates
Winner 2: Chloe

Book Review: Strange Angels

So, I'm still on a young adult reading kick. I just finished reading STRANGE ANGELS by Lili St. Crow. Her adult books are published under Lilith St. Crow. It was amazing. There were a few twists, and this book was less predicable than most. I can't wait to read the next one in the series. I loved the main character, Dru, and her friend, Graves. Also, I really love the covers.


Synopsis:

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

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Book 2, BETRAYALS, comes out this fall.