Monday, August 26, 2013

Books To Movies Giveaway Hop

I'm so excited to be participating in this hop! Is there anything more exciting than your favorite book going to the big screen?
So there's three movies I'm super excited to see and I hope, wish, and pray that they do the books justice. You have a choice to pick your prize on this hop. I'm offering three super cool  books! You have to do the hard part and pick one.
A big thank you to Book Hounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting this hop.
THE MAZE RUNNER-
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

ENDER'S GAME
Once again, the Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?
Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.
Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.
Isn’t it?

THE BOOK THIEF-
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. 


To enter this giveaway you must be a follower of Mug of Moxie. Please put your GFC name, your book choice and a way to contact you in the comment box below.  For an EXTRA entry "LIKE" me on Facebook. Icon is at the right of my sidebar. Thanks for following and hopping.
Good Luck and have fun!



Thursday, August 22, 2013

Book Review: MAID OF SECRETS

Maid of Secrets (Maids of Honor, #1)

MAID of  SECRETS
416 Pages
May 2013
Simon and Schuster Publishing

Summary Taken from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril.
For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle.
A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love…

My Thoughts:
I've been reading alot of debut novels lately and I have to say that these new writers are blowing me away!
Maid of Secrets is Jennifer McGowen's first novel and it's the first book in the series-Maids of Honor.
It's a combination of historical fiction and mystery, set in London, England 1559.
Meg, a seventeen year old orphan is the main character of this tale. She is a feisty thief with a talent for pick pocketing. She makes her living being part of The Golden Rose acting Troupe. As spectators are watching the show on stage Meg makes her way around the crowd lifting wallets and jewelry.
One fateful day she is caught and arrested. But here's the spin. Instead of being thrown in a dungeon to rot she has actually been kidnapped and forced to work for the crown as a spy-Meg is put in the service of Queen Elizabeth to watch, memorize, and report for the queen and her master spies.
Against her will Meg is forced to train and learn the ways of the court as well as how to serve and protect the queen at all costs. Meg is not the only spy working for the queen. There are actually five ladies in waiting-watching the queen as well as the court. Sophia- who is a seer, with a gift for seeing the future. Jane-the blade, she has the ability to blend and the courage to kill. Beatrice is the beauty and the charmer of men, and lastly there is Anna, she is the puzzle solver and master linguist. I look forward to finding out more about Meg's fellow spies as the series continues.
With Queen Elizabeth's  royal court filled with opportunists all looking for the Queen's favor, and enemies who want to see her dead these spies very kept busy.
Meg is ordered to spy on a handsome Spanish courtier who may possibly be connected to the murder of a fellow spy. With traitors and conspirators at every turn Meg struggles to know who she should trust and who will betray her.
There are plenty of twists and turns that kept this reader guessing and the pages turning.
I LOVED Maid of Secrets and I can't wait to see what what this author has in store next.
Rumor has it that the sequel is in the works and is called Maid of Deception. YEAH!
To learn more about the Maids of Honor go to Jennifer McGowan web page for all kinds of fun extras and information. Seriously, go there.
A big thank you to Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I will be donating this book to my local middle school library.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

The Last Hurrah Hop


It's been a fun filled summer full of road trips, BBQs and sun soaked afternoons. I've had the chance to read some great books the last few months. I'm giving away a book that I read at the beginning of the summer and it still hasn't left my mind. It was that good!
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein

To enter this giveaway simply be a follower of Mug of Moxie. Leave GFC name in comment section below along with a way to contact you if your name is drawn. For an extra entry be my Bloglovin buddy. Icon is at the right of sidebar.
A big thank you to Candace's Book Blog for hosting this hop.
Happy Hopping!
 
 

Stacking the Shelves(1)

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves!
From Net Galley I received:


 I Bought :



                                                  Received from Author/Publisher:

I'm super excited to dig into these new books.
Thanks to Merit Press and Ember.
Stay tuned for reviews! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August New Release Giveaway Hop


Summer is winding down and school is getting ready to start. Let's celebrate and have a hop!
I'm giving away one of these books that was released this month. You choose which one you want.
A giant thanks to Book Twirps and Refracted Light Reviews for hosting this hop.






To enter this hop you must be a follower of Mug of Moxie. Simply put your GFC name in  the comment box below.  This contest is open to all, including International. A winner will be drawn on September 1st.
Good luck!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Book Review-In The Shadow of Blackbirds


IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS
By Cat Winters
387 Pages
2013
Abrams Publishing

Summary taken from Goodreads:
In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?
My Thoughts:
Creepy with a capital C.
I LOVE historical fiction-now combine that with Young Adult and you've hooked me. I fell in love with the cover first. It's beautiful, mysterious and a tad creepy. Happily the story was just as grreat as the cover.
Author Cat Winters has set her story at a time in our history that was filled with terror and fear.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds is set in 1918 during the height of World War I. Young men are being shipped over seas to fight in The Great War while here in the United States people live in fear of the Spanish Influenza.
People are dropping like flies on the shores of foreign countries as well as in our own backyard. People are paranoid and superstitious, desperately looking for a miracle cure for the flu.
Main character Mary Shelley Black has had her world turned upside down. She has been forced to leave her home in Oregon and relocate to San Diego after her father has been accused and jailed for anti- war activities.
San Diego offers family connections and the promise of a fresh start. San Diego is also home to her childhood friend/first love Stephen Embers who's fighting the war in Germany.
Things go horribly wrong when Mary Shelley decides to visit Stephen's family-while there she is convinced that Stephen's ghost is trying to communicate with her. Stephen's brother, a spiritual photographer and opportunist insists that Mary Shelley be photographed in hopes of capturing Stephen's ghost on film . To make money or to have closure?
During this time people looked for comfort and peace through seances and spiritual photography-a way to contact their dead loved ones or proof that their spirits lived on. Mary Shelley is a smart girl with a scientific mind-she's determined to investigate the strange happening and come up with a logical answer. She believes that ghosts are not real. Are thesee encounters with Stephen imaginary?
Things are not as they seem as Mary Shelley unwittingly gets caught up in a mystery that has many twists and turns along the way.
I absolutely loved how Cat Winters combined actual history of the Spanish Flu and World War I with the creepiness of seances and spiritual photography.
The attention to detail and research was incredible. I can hardly believe that this is her debut novel. I look forward to more from this writer.
For more information on Cat Winters visit her web page.
And I just read that Online Booklist just announced that In the Shadows of Blackbirds made the Top Ten Horror Fiction for Youth 2013. Congratulations to Cat Winters!!
A big thank you to Abrams for sending me this book to read and review. It was given away last month as a prize in a giveaway.

Book Trailer: In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Book Review-PRECIOUS BLOOD

PRECIOUS BLOOD
By Tonya Hurley
June 2013
432 Pages
Simon and Schuster

Summary taken from Goodreads:
What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?
Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book in The Blessed Trilogy by Tonya Hurley.
This book was origianally published as The Blessed last year. It was re-released with a new title and a  beautiful new new cover by illustrator Abbey Watkins.
I can sum this story up in three words: Confusing, Bizarre and Intriguing.
I found myself having a bit of a love/hate relationship with Precious Blood.
Three very different girls, all through tragic circumstances end up at the same hospital on Halloween night. All three have given up on life and are knocking at death's door. Suddenly a mysterious and beautiful starnger named Sebastian visits each girl at their bedside gifting them with identical braclets and promise of better things to come.
Precious Blood is told from four different points of view-Lucy, Agnes, Cecelia and Sebastian which kept the pace of the story moving along but could also be confusing at times.
Although these girls have been brought together for a similar purpose(that remains a mystery throughout Precious Blood) they are all very different from one another. As the story progresses we find out more about each girl-their lives and trials are revealed. Lucy is an out-for-herself, party till dawn, it girl of the moment. Cecelia is a down on her luck musician who speaks to people through her soul baring music. And Agnes is the helpless romantic who just desperately wants to be loved.
Tonya Hurley's attention to detail is exceptional as she describes Catholic sybolism and the history of martyrs and saints. She reveals small bits while building suspense page after page.
On the downside  there were times throughout the book I was literally scratching my head and saying, "What???"
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the things that take place in the basement of the church....
 Is Sebastian crazy? If these girls are modern day martyrs and saints what is their purpose?
o many questions that I' hoping will be revealed in the second book(Passionaries) of this trilogy. But I  have to wait until January 2014!
So here's the beauty of Precious Blood-even with the plot holes and lack of character deveopment I'm sticking with it. Why? Because I'm hooked! I can't get this story out of my head. I REALLY need to know what happens next.
To read about Tonya Hurley, Precious Blood and more details on saints and martyrs she visit her website.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read and review Precious Blood. This book was passed on in a giveaway earlier this month.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Book Trailer-Precious Blood


Here is the beautiful book trailer for Precious Blood by Tonya Hurley.
I'll be posting my review of Precious Blood tomorrow.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Contest Winners


I have winners to announce!!
*Awesome ARC Giveaway-4 ARCs-The Lady Vampire
*Book Review and Giveaway-fml-Joana Vieira
*Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop-Precious Blood-Dukie Castro
*Summer Giveaway Hop-Maid of Secrets-Cindi
Thanks to all who have entered, hopped and participated.
I'll be doing some more hops and giveaways in the next couple of months-
*The Last Hurrah Hop-August 18
*Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop-August 20
*Books To Movies Giveaway Hop- August 27
For more information click on sidebar on the right of web page.