Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Source: Publisher

Publication Date: 10 May 2011

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:  0805092528

Format: Paperback (ARC)

Pages: 324

Websites:

Kerstin Gier - Official Site (German)
Kerstin Gier - Blog

Kerstin Gier - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: London, England (various time periods)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First Line: Prologue: As she fell to her knees and burst into tears, he looked all around the park.

Related Posts: Fragment Friday

Ruby Red Series Order

Book 1: Ruby Red

Book 2: Sapphire Blue (Spring 2012)

Book 3: Emerald Green (Spring 2013)

Ruby Red is a book that I fell in love with the moment I heard it was about time travel. This is a plot device that I don't think I'll ever get tired of and one that can be so very very good or a tragic horrible read. Thankfully, Ruby Red falls into the very very good category. Words can not describe just how much I loved this book. Once I started it I could not put it down and simply flew through the pages. I fell in love with Gwen and her crazy family, her snarky best friend and the ghost at her school that only Gwen can see and who doesn't realize he's dead. I empathized with Gwen in living in a family that kept secrets from her and for when she was thrust into this world where she travels through time and has to quickly try and make sense of it all. 

The story is fast paced and filled with adventures. There is mystery, danger, intrigue and yes, even some romance in the form of darkly handsome Gideon. But there is just a hint of what could happen between Gwen and Gideon in this book...praise be there is no instant love...but instead there is a mutual initial dislike which then leads to grudging admiration and then finally to the seeds that will (hopefully) build into something more.  

Ruby Red is set in modern day London with a few trips to the past and all the glorious costuming that comes along with it. Well, there is once it is known that Gwen has the traveling gene and not her cousin Caroline as everyone thought. Gwen's first couple of trips through time are less than perfect filled with strange men hiding in cupboards, chases through houses in the dead of night and appearing in the middle of the street. Although her scheduled trips, also have their share of adventure and fighting and lots of edge of your seat moments.

This is one of those books that I am baffled at when people look at me with that blank look as they've never heard of it. Its just filled with so much goodness that I don't see how its not talked about by everyone. Ruby Red is a book that gets me so excited when I talk to people about it that I am practically bouncing. Its so well written...well...translated...I can only assume that it was well written in German since I can't read the language, but a translator can't make magic out of nothing right? I also really really wish that I read German so that I could get the other two books in the series and read them NOW. I don't want to wait to see what happens. I want to know all of this stories secrets but at the same time I love have all this book anticipation. 

Like many of my fellow book lovers I am suffering from series fatigue and I have been known to let out a groan when I find a book is a series. But that isn't the case with Kerstin Gier's books where I am so glad its a series as there is so much going on that one book couldn't do the plot justice. And unlike many books that are series these days there aren't any wasted words in Ruby Red. The writing is tight and there is no filler just to fill a gap to get from point A to B. Everything has a purpose. This book was such a fun read that I really can't recommend it enough. Gwen is a character that is sure to delight everyone she meets. Gideon is one that people will swoon over. Gwen's grandmother is a patriarch of the most snobbish sort and there are times you just want to smack her. While her aunt just makes you chuckle with her out there ways and visions. Ruby Red is easily my top pick for May 2011 and I urge everyone to go out and read this remarkable hidden gem of a book. Plus, have you seen that cover? Its ZOMG gorgeous!! The cover alone is worth buying this book alone. Thankfully the story inside lives up to the pretty.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray Contest

About the Book

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and complete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eye liner.

What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

 Enter for your chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray by filling out

this form

 - Contest is open to US/Canada only and will close at midnight EST on 31 May 2011 

- Entrants must be 13 years of age or older. 

- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified. 

- Contest is run by me but the prize is provided by a publicist & will be mailed out by them

Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news on Libba Bray and her new book Beauty Queens: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Publisher: Greenwillow

Source: Amazon Vine

Publication Date: 29 March 2011

Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN: 0062001035

Format: Paperback (ARC)

Pages: 480

Websites:

Heather Dixon - Official Site
Heather Dixon - Blog

Heather Dixon - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Eathesbury

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First Line: An hour before Azalea's first ball began, she paced the ballroom floor, tracing her toes in a waltz.

Related Posts: NA

What first attracted me to Entwined by Heather Dixon was its cover, I am such a sucker for a pretty cover, but I became sold on it when I learned that it was a fairy tale retelling. From a young age I have adored fairy tales. I love the magic and possibility of them all. I usually enjoy it when an author adapts one to make it more modern and accessible although there have been a few retellings that never quite hit the right note. Sometimes an author can make too many changes that the magic of the original is lost. This isn't the case with Entwined where  Heather Dixon does a beautiful job with breathing new life into the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.  

In the beginning the story dragged a bit for me although the writing throughout it all was beautiful. I loved the descriptions of the music and the dancing as well as the interactions between the sisters. But in the beginning, after the sisters first found the Pavilion, I was a little bored as the same events just seemed to repeat. It was when the girls' father returned to the palace that I became fully entranced by this story and became incapable of putting it down. Entwined sucked me slowly, seduced me and wouldn't let me go until I read it in its entirety in  a single sitting. 

The story had me laughing and bits of it gave me that heart-achy feeling that I love so much in a book. And yes there were moments that near broke my heart as well. There was a true sense of family, friendship and love contained in Entwined's pages and its a world that I dreamed of after turning the final page. The Keeper was at once friendly and spooky and I enjoyed his character. Although I do think that bits of the climax were a bit rushed especially considering all the time spent on the build up. But in the end I found the entire story to be believable and complete. The ending was satisfying and I gave a happy sigh after I read the final words. This is a book that I am glad to have read, one that I will re-read at some point and feel good about recommending it to everyone. As a fairy tale, Entwined is suitable for people of all ages and I think there is something for everyone in this story. This was a first book for Dixon and I know that I am already eager to see what she comes up with next.

Book Trailer Monday (57): Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

Book Trailer Monday is where I feature a trailer for a book that has captured my attention. This trailer might be for a book that is about to be published, or maybe its for a book that has already been released. There won't be any rhyme or reason to the trailer that I choose....the only common denominator will be that I liked it. That it made me stop or made me think or maybe it made me laugh. I do this mainly for my own enjoyment because I love book trailers. I find them fascinating and I hope that you enjoy the ones that I show here each week as well.

Its been awhile since I've posted a book trailer and I'm not sure when I will post again. But when I was shown this trailer I just had to share it with you. This weeks trailer is for Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn which will be released from Avon on 31 May 2011. I always love Julia's trailers as they are always quirky and fun. I am also really excited about this book as it deals with a member of the Smythe-Smith family. Anyone whose read any of Julia's books has probably heard of them as they host the most horrible musicals...and yet always draw a crowd and events that happen there are always sure to entertain the reader. I think it will be wonderful fun to get the inside look on what a Smythe-Smith thinks of the famously horrible tradition. But until its out there is this quirky little trailer to watch. It made me giggle and I just loved how the end transitioned so smoothly into the book cover. Well done.





What did you think of this weeks selection? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured on Book Trailer Monday then please send me an email with a link to irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com.

Winners! Clarity and Near Witch

The winner of a signed Clarity is Ivy from Ivy Reads and her favorite junk food is chocolate. I think Clare would approve.

The winner of the Epic Contest of Awesomeness which includes a signed finished copy of The Near Witch, a print of starry night, a DVD of Princess Bride and a pre-order of Hourglass by Myra McEntire is April of Book Away....and the book she'd most like to read again for the first time is Harry Potter.

Congrats to the winners! Prizes will be mailed out/pre-ordered soon! 

Thanks to everyone who entered there will more contests coming in the near future so stay tuned!

Character Interview: Ciaran from Unnatural by Michael Griffo

Hello everyone,

I recently reviewed the book Unnatural by Michael Griffo here on Ticket to Anywhere (my review) and today I am please to share with you a character interview from that book, Ciaran. Ciaran is the younger brother of Ronan and the roommate of Michael. In the book Ronan and Michael become a couple and Ciaran is caught in the middle. 

 Full Name: Ciaran William Eaves

Nickname: Ciar (pronounced Keer)
Age: 16
Favorite food: Shepherd’s pie
Favorite color: Yellow like the sun
Favorite number: 3.14 (pi)
Favorite kind of music: U2, but most people probably think it would be Tchaikovsky


Please tell us a little about you. 

 

My family life is a mess, my parents detest one another, I haven’t seen my father in years, my mum loathes me, my step-mum is beyond balmy, if it weren’t for my science labs I’d despise school, other than that I’m a very cheery chap.  

 

What where your first thoughts on Archangel Academy? 

 

I loved it right on. It’s beautiful, remote, and has one of the most advanced scientific labs in all of England. I couldn’t have found a better school if I had searched for one myself. Even though I know there are a lot of wonky things going on here, I still love it. It’s been very much of salvation for me.  

 

How would you describe your relationship with Ronan? 

 

Ronan and I have a love/hate relationship. He’s my brother, but I wish he were my mate. I will always have his back, I’m just not sure if he’ll always have mine. Things are definitely getting better, but we have a long way to go to being true brothers. I don’t really blame him for it all, our mum’s the problem, she’s caused the wedge that exists between us. It’s just that Ronan is everything I’ve ever wanted to be so it’s hard not to be jealous of someone like that.

What is one of your favorite memories with him? 

 

I don’t have many memories at all of growing up with Ronan, our mum separated us when we were very little. I do remember finding some snaps that were taken of us when we were three or four, he has his arm around me like a real big brother. I have no idea who took it or what we were doing, but when I was growing up by myself I’d take it out and remember that I had a brother and imagine all the things he could teach me. Most of the time it made me feel better and less like an only child.

What were your first thoughts on Michael? 

 

I knew right on that he was going to change my life forever and he has. He’s different, a good friend, but someone who looks at life completely different from me. He’s also been a really good influence on Ronan, changing him as well, and because of Michael my relationship with Ronan has improved quite a bit, I’ll always be grateful to him for that. At the same time I knew that Michael would become closer with Ronan than I ever have or will, I’m happy for both of them, but, you know, it’s made me feel like a third wheel sometimes.

 

 What do you like to do in your free time? 

 

I spend most of my free time in the lab conducting experiments for my classes or doing research for my side projects. I know most people hate spending time in a lab, but I find it relaxing, plus I’m really good at it. I can spend hours there. Other than that I enjoy practicing my swimming, I’ll never be as good as Ronan, but I’m getting better. When the weather’s good I love to go into Eden and spend the day, there’s always something fun to do there.  

 

Is there anything else you might want people to know about you? 

 

I’m not as serious as I come off. I know I’m quiet and pensive, but that’s because I’ve had a lot of serious and strange things happen in my life. I’ve learned early on that not everything is fun and games just because you’re a teenager. But I’m a great friend and I don’t know anyone who can keep a secret better than I can, that’s for truth! 

 

I hope that you enjoyed this look into the book. Be sure to leave a comment if you did and don't forget to check out my review of Unnatural.

The Near Witch Rap! (and an Epic Contest of Awesome!)

Greetings and Salutations everyone,

Today I have something super duper fun (and potentially life scaring) to share with you. Today is also the 3 month mark until the release of Victoria Schwab's debut novel The Near Witch. What does one have to do with the other you might ask. Glad you asked because I along with a few other bloggers all fell in love with The Near Witch once we read it. (This is a book that I wish I could read again for the first time.) Well, one of my blogger friends loved it so much that she wrote a song for it....and then someone convinced a few others to sing it with her. Not just sing it but do a video...(do you see where the life scaring part comes in now?)...this video was then shown to Victoria who almost chocked on her English tea and biscuits before saying how much she adored us all for being so crazy. We then all sat on it until now....the 3 month mark until the release of The Near Witch...and if you are so inclined you can see it below:

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/rTIXANb2ahc

As a thank you for embarrassing myself so completely over her book Victoria graciously answered a few questions for me

GFY: In NW, what was your favorite scene to write? And just because I am mean to my blog readers please refer to it by either page or Chapter number and not give any more details than that. Also, if you can explain (without spoiling) why you like this scene then please do.

VS: *CHAPTER 26*

This might be the only scene that survived from first draft to final copy. I don't think there's anything I can say that won't spoil, but it remains my favorite scene. It's dark, and unsettling, and a crucial point in the book.

GFY: Which line do you find more difficult to write? The first or the last?

VS: THE LAST. I love first lines. NW went through 5 of them. But oh man do I struggle with the last lines. They are the final words, the taste that will linger in people's mouths, and they. must. be. right.

GFY: If we were able to take a peek at your nightstand, what book(s) might we find there?

VS: Right now, Imaginary Girls, Forgotten, A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, and my Kindle, Judas.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions Victoria...and thanks for providing us with a list of some of your favorite things. It was so hard to chose a couple of them to form this Epic Contest of Awesome....but I did narrow it down and one winner will get all of the following:

A print of Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh - the one I am currently looking at is 36 x 24 - but if I can find a good price on a framed print then I will swap it out - so the size you get might be different. Like Victoria I love this painting of van Gogh...this one has a special place in my heart ever since the Doctor and Amy Pond paid a visit to van Gogh on the show Doctor Who. Such a wonderfully done episode and so I'm doubly glad to be able to share this work of art with someone.

A DVD of The Princess Bride - please let me know if you want BluRay or not. Like Victoria this is a movie that I can quote word for word....I watched it so much growing up it made the banned movie list. That is a list my sister made up with movies that I wasn't allowed to watch while she was home. Its an excellent movie and if you haven't seen it yet then what are you waiting for?

A pre-order of Hourglass by Myra McEntire which will be released on 14 June 2011. I will order this from Amazon and have it sent to the winner when it is released. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of this book and fell in love. Not only does Myra reference Doctor Who but she's also crafted a strong snarky heroine and a captivating story. Again is for a pre-ordered finished copy and so you will get it whenever Amazon starts shipping.

And last but not least a signed first edition of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab! This will not be an ARC but a finished copy of the book. In case you couldn't tell by the fact that I was willing to do a rap for this book then know that I am a total fan girl for this book. So I am positively giddy with excitement to be able to share with you a finished copy of this book - which I've heard will look totally fabulous! As this is a finished copy this won't be sent out until closer to August and will be sent to you from the publisher.

To enter fill out THIS FORM!!! And in the comments tell me what book you would most like to read again for the first time. You must post your answer in the comments in order to be entered.


All prizes but The Near Witch will be provided by me and shipped directly to the winner from Amazon.com unless I can find it cheaper elsewhere. As such this contest is only open to those with a US/Canada shipping address.

Contest will close at 9 PM EST on Saturday, 07 May 2011.

To enter you must be 13 years old or older. If you are under 18 then please ask your parents permission before entering. You must fill out this form completely otherwise your entry will be removed. Multiple entries will also result in disqualification. I also reserve the right to change the rules of this contest at anytime and may declare 4 separate winners if the number of entries is high. If you have any questions please ask before entering in the comments below or via email.

For more chances to win pretty prizes the check out the blogs below....and you'll want to check them out as they are all giving away something different.=) Not just is everyone giving away something different but on each blog you'll get different questions from Victoria and so learn something new about this really amazing author.

Erica - The Book Cellar
Nikki -Wicked Awesome Books
Dani B - Frenzy of Noise
Dani J -Overflowing Bookshelf
Jen -Secret Life of a Bibliophile

Victoria - Victoria's Schwab's Official Blog


Buy the book on 02 Aug 2011 from:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/fIq8WB
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/h2Q3Ns
Book Depository: http://bit.ly/hH2uaP
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/gtlp5R