Stacking the Shelves (#16)

This is a weekly post I make (originally hosted by Tynga's Reviews) where I tell you which books I've acquired throughout the week.

Hey guys. Sorry to disappoint, but I haven't acquired anything this week! I'm trying to catch up on the books I already own and save some shelf space and box space before we move. (Whoops, have I spilled the beans?) 

Also, this is a scheduled post as I'm out of town today. Thanks for reading!

Review: Redemption by Veronique Launier

Series: Hearts of Stone #1
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
To be published September 8, 2012 by Flux
Find the author: Website // Twitter
Find it:  Goodreads // Amazon UK
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Guillaume: For five hundred years I've existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I've watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl's power . . .
Aude: Getting attacked twice in as many days is strange in itself, but even stranger is the intriguing guy I keep running into. There's something so familiar about him, like a primal drum rhythm from my dreams. But spending time together only raises more questions--about my heritage, a native Mohawk prophecy . . . and an unearthly magic threatening our city... - Summary from Goodreads

My Review

When I discovered this book, I was super excited at the prospect of a paranormal romance involving gargoyles. I know we've all read vampires and werewolves, so it was nice to read something new. Redemption is an original addition to the world of Young Adult paranormal romance, even if it lacks a bit of finesse. 

This book alternates between Aude and Guillame's point of view, and I'm not certain if I enjoyed that. Looking back I think it's the best way to tell the story in order to get Guillame's back story, but I don't think I enjoyed the alternating POVs as much as other books I've read. Their voices weren't as distinct as I would have liked. On the other hand, I absolutely love this author's ability to set a scene. My favourite aspect of this book was the setting of Montreal and Veronique does an amazing job at making me want to visit! 

While I enjoyed reading this book, I feel like parts of it were underdeveloped, as if it just needed some oomph. I really wanted to like the characters, but I felt pretty apathetic about the side characters like Guillaume's companions. Perhaps they just needed some more memorable scenes or background stories. They have so much potential!

I'd recommend this book to anyone curious about a paranormal romance with gargoyles and like an alternating point of view. It's a fresh take on paranormal romance, albeit not gracefully executed. I'm not entirely convinced that I'll continue with the series. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Every week I get to show you a title that I'm eagerly anticipating the release of! Please link up your posts or tell me which book you can't wait for!

Dualed (Dualed #1)
by Elsie Chapman
To be published February 26, 2013 by Random House
Goodreads

Would you live through the ultimate test of survival?
The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.
Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.
Elsie Chapman’s suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better. -Summary from Goodreads

I saw this book a while back. I'm absolutely in love with the premise. I think the cover could be more exciting, but it probably fits the action-y mood of the book.

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Romances That Would Make It In The Real World

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic are book romances that I think would actually make it in the real world.

Most book romances started because of extreme circumstances that pushed the two together and I'm just not sure that they'd actually survive without that. However, I do know a few that I think would really make it in the real world. I've only chosen five because I didn't want to talk about couples I didn't actually believe in.

1. Ron and Hermione (HP series)

These two developed some crazy feelings for each other over a very long time. They also bicker adorably and I see this as being such a realistic romance! I'm sure everyone else will too.

2. Clara and Tucker (Unearthly)

If Clara was just a regular girl, I really do think they'd have a great romance in the real world. They complement each other! However, back in their paranormal world, I'm actually team Christian.

3. Alec and Magnus (The Mortal Instruments)

Deep down, past the warlock and shadowhunter business, they're just an absolutely adorable couple who just want to be together. I actually just want them to have a normal real world relationship. :)

4. Katsa and Po (Graceling)

Though they went through quite a lot before they fell for each other, I think that if they were just two normal people they'd still be together. That's when you know a fantasy romance is great!

5. Alex and Lena (Delirium)

If they hadn't been forced to have a secret relationship, I really do think it would have gone somewhere. They're another couple I think deserves a chance in the real world!

So what do you think?

Review: Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic
Format: eBook
Published March 25, 2012 by Train Renoir Publishing
Find the author: Blog // Twitter // Facebook
Find the book: Goodreads // Amazon
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Space germs wipe out virtually everyone who has passed through puberty.
Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple. For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon.
But nobody has predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure.
On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her -- adolescence. - Summary from Goodreads

My Review

This book is one of those crazy 'what if' moments I knew I just had to read. What if virtually all adults in the world died overnight? What would humanity look like then? Night of the Purple Moon will answer all of these post-apocalyptic curiosities in an extremely haunting and realistic way. Be prepared to not be able to look away from the world Scott Cramer has created.

The characters are the very heart of this book, as the story is very character driven. At the ages of 13 and 12, the main characters Abby and Jordan along with their baby sister are suddenly forced into this mature role of caring for younger children on the island and finding efficient means of survival. You can plainly still read their innocence, but with each passing chapter you watch them grow up and the reader becomes genuinely invested in the success of the children. That's definitely my favorite part of this book.

Some readers may have trouble with the graphicness of this story. While the characters aren't exposed to much violence, they very often discover the aftermath of the new world. If you are vehemently against dead bodies, you may want to skip this one. It was a bit off-putting at first, but I'm glad I read something out of the norm for me in that sense. It's just plain realistic that those sort of things happen in a post-apocalyptic sort of situation.

The gruesome aspects of this book, partnered with its shorter length really create a great story. The writing style and plot get straight to the point. Not everything needs to be a 500 page novel. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre. It may only take you a day or two to read, but it will stay with you much longer than that once you've put it down.

Enter a *GIVEAWAY* to win one of five copies of Night of the Purple Moon and read my interview with Scott Cramer!

Author Interview: Scott Cramer (Plus Giveaway!)

I'm thoroughly excited to have Scott Cramer, author of Night of the Purple Moon, on Paperback Fantasies for an interview! I have already had the pleasure of reading his seriously awesome book and you can read my review this weekend! Keep reading to find out more about him and how you can have a chance to win your own eBook of Night of the Purple Moon.

Scott Cramer
Writer of YA and MG novels, mysteries, screenplays, picture books, magazine features, newspaper articles, and poetry. I've tackled just about everything except a stage play.

Find Scott Cramer:
Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Find Night of the Purple Moon:
Goodreads | Amazon | My Review 

What is the oddest thing that has inspired your writing?

Well, I’m going to approach this question from a slightly different angle. Inspirations can come from conversations, travel, watching the news, sports, riding my bike, taking a shower, folding laundry, surfing, waiting in the dentist office… They strike without warning at all times of the day. But inspirations are also fleeting. They come and go. Mostly they go and stay gone. The trick is how do you keep writing day after day when you have no inspirations, when you are in an inspiration vacuum. Writing during these moments can be quite arduous. It helps to have realistic expectations, to know that writing is a slow, incremental process. And if you keep chip chip chipping away, you’ll surprise yourself.

What made you want to write for the Young Adult/Middle Grade audience?

Honestly, I did not write for the YA or MG audience. I didn’t write for any particular audience. I had a story to tell, and I knew that if I told the story well then people of all ages would find it compelling. My characters happen to be young and my writing style is fairly simple and straight forward, similar to some YA/MG novels, but I just had a story to tell. That’s what I focused on.

Do you think your writing has been influenced by any other authors? Who?

Most definitely. In fact, I learn something about the craft of writing in almost every book I read. Sometimes I find myself too susceptible to a particular writer’s voice and style, which is why I usually only read non-fiction when I am writing fiction.

Who? I love the straight forward narrative of the Norwegian writer, Knut Hamsun, and the incredible humor of Roald Dahl and the action of Jules Verne and the mind-bending sentences of Cormac Mccarthy. I love the humanity of Lois Lowry and the jazz-like riffs of Ernest Hemingway. Stephen King is a brilliant writer, and I recently re-read for the third time, What is the What by Dave Eggers.

Do you have a writing ritual? (i.e. Do you listen to music or drink a load of coffee?)

I generally write first thing in the morning. I am a morning person. Correct that, I am an early morning person. Before-the-sun-rises-totally-alert person. We have a dog and a cat that like to eat before 5:30 a.m. There are many days when I am the one who wakes them up.

So it is quiet in the house before dawn and the animals are fed and I drink extra strong coffee. That is when I am most in the writing zone, most productive.

What drove you to write a dystopian novel?

I had written two character-driven YA novels. Small, quiet dramas, I’ll call them. When I was thinking about what eventually would become Night of the Purple Moon, I wanted to go big, write a high concept novel, create a world in which my characters would be thrust into darkness and face impossible challenges. To make things even more difficult, I gave my main characters less life experience--made them younger, 13 and 12 years old respectively. Rather than have their parents die, I had virtually all adults—everyone who has passed through puberty—die. That is the starting point in which my characters struggle and try their best to succeed.

Describe Night of the Purple Moon in three words!
Never. Give. Up.

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Check out Scott's post-apocalyptic/dystopian book that will have you thinking long after you finish. Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win one of 5 eBook copies of Night of the Purple Moon. 

Night of the Purple Moon
by Scott Cramer
Published March 25, 2012
Space germs wipe out virtually everyone who has passed through puberty.
Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple. For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon.
But nobody has predicted the lightning-fast epidemic that sweeps across the planet on the night of the purple moon. The comet brings space dust with it that contains germs that attack human hormones. Older teens and adults die within hours of exposure.
On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her -- adolescence.

Giveaway Open Internationally

Ends Wednesday August 23, 2012 at 12:01am EST

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves (#15)

It's Saturday! You know what that means- it's time for me to let you know what I acquired last week. Just one book to show you this week. I'm definitely going to be putting an emphasis on reading what I already have in my pile this month. This great meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Tell me what you got; I'd love to visit your haul!

The Assassin's Curse

by Cassandra Rose Clarke

To be published October 2, 2012

From Publisher For Review

Feature and Follow Friday (#17)

Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and AlisonCanRead. It's set up so bloggers to discover new blogs and gain new followers. Join in! Every week two different blogs are featured. This week's featured blogs are Compelled by Words and The Bookshelf Review. Here's this week's question:

Q: What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

A: Honestly, I wouldn't start my blog over. I started it in March (just 5 months ago) and I really hit the ground running, I think. While I'm always looking for ways to improve Paperback Fantasies and making changes, there isn't anything I feel I left out or did wrong.

If you're a new follower, leave me a comment so I can follow you back!