Excerpt & Giveaway: Afterparty by Ann Stampler

Hey book nerds! :D I have something really different to share with you guys today, and I hope you'll all check it out. Over the last couple of months I've been in contact with Ann Stampler, and she ever so kindly sent me an ARC copy of her soon to be released novel, Afterparty. I have yet to read it, but I can't wait and I think it looks really fantastic. :) I just wanted to share it with all of you and to tell you that the first three chapters of Afterparty have been released online by Simon & Schuster for you lucky viewers! :P So, if any of you are interesting in reading a sample of it, I've put it below - along with the information and everything else you may need! There is also an international giveaway that Simon & Schuster and Ann are holding for a signed ARC of Afterparty - which I think it pretty awesome! ^.^ If you're interested in entering that, then just scroll down to the rafflecopter below. :3 Enjoy!

 

About Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Title: Afterparty.
Author: Ann Redisch Stampler.
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult.
Publication Date: January 7th, 2014.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster.
Format: Hardback, 384 pages.

Purchase

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

A toxic friendship takes a dangerous turn in this riveting novel from the author of Where It Began.

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother—whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma isn’t.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, a bash where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

 

About Ann Stampler

Website Good Reads Twitter

Ann Stampler was the mild mannered author of literary picture books when she broke out, tore off her tasteful string of pearls, and started writing edgy, contemporary young adult novels set in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and writer’s-helper rescue dog – without whose compelling distraction she would have no doubt penned dozens of novels by now.

 

Read The First Three Chapters

Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler (Excerpt) by Simon and Schuster

 

Giveaway!

• International residents may enter.


• I'd really appreciate it if you were a follower of my blog via Bloglovin' or GFC.
• The giveaway will end on; 3rd December, 2013.


• This giveaway is hosted by Simon & Schuster, so I'm not picking the winners - sorry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

E-Book Haul #10

 

Hey book nerds! :D I'm so sorry for my absence over the last week, I've had some personal issues going on and I've just not felt up to posting anything. I've barely been reading much as well, which is so strange! However, I do have a lot of stuff to keep my mind busy this week, today is the day I volunteer at one of my local Charity Shops, and tomorrow me and my parents are going to go pick up our kittens! I'm so excited, and can't wait to have them here. I'll be sure to post pictures if any of you are interested in seeing them. ^.^ I was also hoping to film my November book haul at the weekend, but I was so tired that I just forgot. I have a HUGE pile of books to show you for this month already, so I'm going to try and film that soon and maybe have it up by the weekend, but I can't promise anything. I'm sure the kittens will keep me busy. :P Anyway, that's it for today - I hope you all had a great weekend and you're looking forward to this week. x3

 

E-books Bought

Cerulean by Anna Kyss.
Cipher (Cipher, #1) by Cindi Madsen.
Skinless (Skinless, #1) by L. M. Davis.
Kami Cursed (Dragon and Phoenix, #1) by Julianne Price.

Six Dates with Jenna by Cynthia L. Moyer.
Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy, #1) by Mercy Amare.
Apocalypse (The Wasteland Chronicles, #1) by Kyle West.
Natural Selection (Forces of Nature, #1) by Elizabeth Sharp.

Ocean of Dust by Graeme Ing.
Be Here Now by Andrea Wolfe.
Play With Me (Grover Beach Team, #1) by Piper Shelly.
Avenging Amethyst (Immortal Eyes, #1) by Kaitlyn Price.

Six Days by Jennifer Davis.
Cave Dwellers by Jonathan Randall.
Erin the Fire Goddess: The Beginning by Lavinia Urban.
Werewolf Dreams (Taming the Wolf, #1) by Katie Lee O'Guinn.

 

Thoughts

Okay, so first off; aren't all of these covers just GORGEOUS?! :D I think all of them look really fantastic as well, so that's a plus. Add the fact that when I brought them they were all freebies on Amazon and I think it's a pretty sweet haul. :3 I think I may be most excited about Kami Cursed, mainly because it has hints of Japanese mythology in, and if you know me, then you'll know I love everything to do with Japan. I don't think I've heard much about any of these, and I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading them, as I have hundreds of e-books, but I may bump them up in my TBR list. :) Have you read any of these e-books, or have you heard of them? Let me know! ^.^

 

---

What e-books did you get this week? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Hey Book Nerds! ^.^ I'm so sorry this post is so late today! I had to go out this morning, and then when I got home; my dad was having computer troubles and I've been helping him for the last couple of hours. It's only just been sorted out, and I nearly forgot to post this at all, I'm sorry! I could only come up with four out of ten for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, as I decided to go for books that I've read and would redesign the cover - rather than just in general. :D Lastly, I posted my October 2013 Favourites video on my YouTube channel this morning, so if you're interested in that - feel free to go check it out. ^.^ Anyway, that's it for today, I hope you'll enjoy it, even if it's really short this week! I hope you have an awesome day/evening guy. :)

 

Top Ten Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

• 1. Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry.



Okay, so first off I would like to say that yes, I do know that Mira Ink is redesigning this cover (thank god!). However, this doesn't change the fact that this cover is horrible! I would never have picked this book up if I hadn't heard good things about it already. Also, I refused to actually buy a physical copy, preferring to have it on my kindle - due to the ugliness of this cover. I just think it ruins the fact that it's an incredible book - I don't think I need to say anything else!








• 2. As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.



This is a really fun and cute book and I really enjoyed reading it. However, the cover is too tacky and immature for my opinion. I love the starry background, but the girl on the cover has just been slapped on there and looks really out of place! The only redeeming quality this book cover has is the font, which is nice but the colouring doesn't match at all. I just think it looks ridiculous!








• 3. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.



This was a really awesome book, but the cover is just a big piece of rubbish in my opinion! I honestly have no idea what it's supposed to be... I prefer the US covers SO much more, and I wish I'd brought the other edition, but I found this one cheap and I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I really don't have a clue what on earth is going on with this cover, it's just ugly and a book I definitely don’t want displayed!







• 4. Ten Things We Shouldn't Have Done by Sarah Mlynowski.



Why, oh WHY did I buy the UK version of this book?! It's friggin' UGLY as hell! What on earth was I thinking? It's tacky and looks like something a little kid put together. Actually, saying that is being mean on the child! This book is really cute and fun, but the cover screams TRASH. I'm seriously considering re-buying the US copy and getting rid of my UK one, because I'd NEVER display it. At the moment I keep it stashed away in the back of my cupboard and have no plans to change that. Ever.

 
 
 
 

---

What are your Top Ten Covers You Wish You Could Redesign? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy reading! (:

Review: Substitute Creature by Charles Gilman

Title: Substitute Creature.
Series: Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #4.
Author: Charles Gilman.
Publication Date: September 24th, 2013.
Publisher: Quirk Books.
Genres: Paranormal, Middle Grade.
Format: Hardback, 176 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

It’s Valentine’s Day and a monstrous blizzard has descended upon Lovecraft Middle School, trapping twelve-year-old Robert Arthur inside the building! He and his companions have no choice but to spend the night – while snacking on cafeteria food, sleeping on the gymnasium floor, facing off against a sinister substitute teacher, and thwarting an army of abominable beasts.

This fourth novel in the Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Teacher’s Pest ended – with more action, more adventure, and more outrageous monsters!

 

Review

I always make a comment in my reviews about the awesome covers in this series, and today is no exception! Substitute Creature’s cover is just as awesome and weird, if not more so, than the others in this series. It even freaked my mum out when she walked past the book! Charles Gilman has done it once again; created another fantastic book in the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series! I never thought I’d enjoy reading a middle-grade book so much, let alone a series. I’ve always found that middle-grade characters are just too immature for my tastes, but Robert and his friends are very grown up for their age! Just because these books are meant for younger readers, it doesn’t mean that only that age group can read them! I believe that anyone, whether you’re a young-adult or just an older adult, should try them – you’ll easily get swept up in the suspense, mystery and adventure.

Substitute Creature is packed full of action, and twists that will keep you guessing until you’ve reached the end of the book! The illustrations throughout this series are fantastic and really creepy – I love them. They add an edge to the book and help make it as wonderful as it is. I love going along for the ride on Robert’s and his friend’s adventures – and there’s always something different, yet important, in each and every book! The Lovecraft Middle School is an enchanting and freaky place to be, with some terrifying and fascinating monsters that I’m sure will creep out even the bravest of people.

With every novel, Charles Gilman’s writing just keeps getting better and better, and I love slowly getting to know our main characters. Robert, Glenn and Karina are really fun and interesting kids to read about; they’re all kind, funny and such a joy to read about. Our main characters all come from very different backgrounds, and have very different personalities, but they don’t let that get in the way of their friendship – and this is one of the main reasons why I love them so much. There aren’t a lot of kids now who put prejudices’ aside and just be friends with someone. I especially love Robert, who was able to actually forgive Glenn for bullying him in the past.

Overall, I really loved Substitute Creature, it was an amazing book – and as I’ve said plenty of times before, a brilliant middle-grade series! Charles Gilman’s writing is fun, creepy, unique and quirky all at the same time – he’s definitely someone I want to read even more from in the future. I believe it well and truly earned the 4/5 star rating I gave it, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series - especially seeing as the end of Substitute Creature had a big cliff-hanger! Why do we have to wait so long for the sequel? I’ll just have to wait until I get my hands on it!

Quotes

Glenn turned to Robert. "What's more important?" he asked. "A stupid Valentine's Day concert of saving the world from an army of ancient monsters?"
When Glenn put the question that way, Robert felt as though he had no choice.
"I guess saving the world."
"I'll save your seats," Karina offered. "Have fun." — Page 19.

On the far side of the hole was the generator – a large rectangular box about the size of a railroad car, with slatted vents and long, raking claw marks over the front. The side panel had been peeled back like the lid of a tin can. Frayed bands of wires dangled out of the generator, as if someone or something had bitten clean through them. - Page 79 – 80.

“What is this place?” Karina whispered. Her voice echoed throughout the tunnel. Clusters of icicles hung from the ceiling like stalactites. Ahead of them, icy stone steps descended into darkness.
“I have no idea,” Robert replied. He had never heard of an underground cavern anywhere n the village of Dunwich. And yet this space seemed like it had existed for centuries. Robert snapped a small icicle from the ceiling and tossed it down the stairs; it disappeared into the gaping black void without making a sound. - Page 90.

Wrap-Up: October 2013

 

Hey book nerds! :) How are you all doing today? I'm sorry this post is so late this month, I was hoping to have posted it by the first or second of November, but like I said on Tuesday, I've been too busy to film. Of course I could have posted this Wrap-Up post without a video, but I didn't want too! :P I'm glad it's finally done though! ^.^ At the same time I filmed this video, I also filmed my October 2013 Favourites video, so once I've edited that, it'll also been uploaded to my YouTube channel. :D I've already finished reading one book this month, and I've started on my second; Substitute Creature by Charles Gilman, the fourth book in the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series, and I'm really enjoying it so far! It's a really short book (as are the other books in the series), so it won't take long to finish. Expect a review of it posted within the next week or so. :) Anyway, that's it for today - I hope you all have a great week and I'll talk to you all again soon. :3

 

Video

 

Books Read In October 2013

• Blood On My Hands by Todd Strasser.


• The Drowning by Rachel Ward.


• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.


• Wait for You by J. Lynn.


• My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent.


• Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.


• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.


• After Eden by Helen Douglas.

 

Total: 8 books read.
Click on the link to be taken to the review.

---

What books did you read in October 2013? Don't forget to leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy Reading! (:

Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Hey Book Nerds! :) How are you all doing? I hope you all had a great weekend and you're enjoying your week so far. :3 It seems like it's been months since I last posted a Top Ten Tuesday post, rather than just a few weeks. I couldn't make it to ten this week, but I still think finding seven is pretty darn good! I've found I've read a lot of standalone novels, and the series that I have read; I've either already got the next book in the series or it's already been released. ^.^ Anway, I've been really busy recently so I'm sorry for the lack of updates (once again ._.), so unfortunately my October Wrap-Up is going to be a little late this month, so I hope you all don't mind. That's it for today; I hope you enjoy today’s post! :D

 

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

• 1. Rain (Paper Gods, #2) by Amanda Sun.
  

  I absolutely ADORED the first book, Ink, in this series - and I really can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I can't believe I have to wait until June 2014 for it to be released, and we don't even have a cover for it yet to keep us going until then. ;_; June, WHY YOU NOT COME QUICKER?

  
  
  
• 2. The Forever Song (Blood of Eden, #3) by Julie Kagawa.



Okay, I think Julie Kagawa was trying to KILL US with the ending of The Eternity Cure! (The second book in this series) The Blood of Eden series has to be one of my favourite Vampire series. Ever! The minute I finished The Eternity Cure, I NEEDED to get my hands on this book, but unfortunately we have to wait until April 2014 - and it's killing me, it really is. D:




• 3. Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter, #2) by Megan Shepherd



I really loved The Madman's daughter, which is a retelling of The Island of Dr. Monroe, and the ending really killed me! The synopsis of this second book looks fantastic, and I love the fact it's going to be a retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - as I really enjoyed the original when I read it in school! It's such a shame we have to wait for so long until this one is released, I need to find out what happens next!




• 4. Be with Me (Wait for You, #2) by J. Lynn.



I know this is actually a companion novel to Wait for You, a new adult contemporary novel that I've recently read and loved. But I’ve decided I don't care - I'm SO excited about the prospect of reading more of J. Lynn's new adult contemporary writing. Jennifer's writing is fantastic and amazing and I just want to keep reading more by her, and see how she develops the characters that were mentioned in the first book who now star in this one. :D




• 5. The Nightmare Dilemma (The Arkwell Academy, #2) by Mindee Arnett.



My god! The amount of love I have for the first book in this series is HUGE! I was approved for a NetGalley of The Nightmare Affair a while ago and I absolutely adored it! It has such a unique and interesting premise - and I'm sure everyone would love it! I'm just so excited to continue on with the story and find out what happens next! :D WHY YOU NO COME QUICKER 2014?!




• 6. Chasing Stars (After Eden, #2) by Helen Douglas.



I've only just recently finished the first book in this series, After Eden. I enjoyed it much more than I expecting too, and since then I've reviewed it and read the recently released synopsis for the sequel to this book, and oh my gosh! I'm so excited for the next book to be released, even though it's going to be ages as the first one has only just been released... D: It doesn't seem fair that we have to wait so long...




• 7. Take Me On (Pushing the Limits #4) by Katie McGarry.



I know this is also technically another companion novel in this series, but I don't care - I'm still excited! I've read and loved the first two books in this series, and I own an ARC of the third, which I can't wait to read. I don't know who the characters are in this particular book, but it still looks amazing. I can't WAIT to be able to read it as Katie's writing is really beautiful and incredible!

 

---

What are your Top Ten Sequels That You Can't Wait To Get Your Hands On? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy reading! (:

Review: After Eden by Helen Douglas

Title: After Eden.
Series: After Eden, #1.
Author: Helen Douglas.
Publication Date: November 7th, 2013.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Genres: Sci-Fi, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 288 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Eden Anfield loves puzzles, so when mysterious new boy Ryan Westland shows up at her school she's hooked. On the face of it, he's a typical American teenager. So why doesn't he recognise pizza? And how come he hasn't heard of Hitler? What puzzles Eden the most, however, is the interest he's taking in her.

As Eden starts to fall in love with Ryan, she begins to unravel his secret. Her breakthrough comes one rainy afternoon when she stumbles across a book in Ryan's bedroom - a biography of her best friend - written over fifty years in the future. Confronting Ryan, she discovers that he is there with one unbelievably important purpose ... and she might just have destroyed his only chance of success.

 

Review

I have to say that I’ve never read anything like After Eden before, it has such a unique and interesting plot and characters that I’m sure nearly everyone will love! Although it was a little predictable at times, and the writing a little amateurish, I really enjoyed it and sped through it – staying up until 2 o’clock in the morning to finish it! I kept saying to myself; ‘just a few more pages’, ‘I’ll just finish this chapter’ and ‘just one more chapter’. Before I knew it I only had 30 pages left and I just had to finish it and see what would happen at the end of the book.

Eden is our main protagonist and I thought she was a really interesting character to read about. I love the fact that she wasn’t the best at everything, as a lot of main characters seem to be now days. Eden has her flaws, but doesn’t complain about them all the time – or go looking for attention. Eden is funny, kind, interesting and a really good friend. She was always looking out for people and putting their needs above her own – and that’s what I loved most about her character.

Ryan is the love interest in After Eden, and I really liked his character. I wouldn’t say he was someone I would personally be attracted too, but I’d definitely love to be his friend! Ryan was a fun, kind and incredibly smart and interesting character to read about. I was rooting for his and Eden’s relationship from the start, and I’m so glad that it took a little time to develop. Their relationship was bordering on the line of insta-love, but it didn’t make me want to pull out my hair like most insta-love does!

Connor is Eden’s best friend, and to be perfectly honest – I didn’t like him that much at all. He seemed way too immature and rude and let his jealously get the best of him a lot of the time. I hated the way he treated Ryan, and he was usually quite rude to Eden as well! I get that Eden and Ryan had been best friends since they were little kids, but you just don’t treat people you care about that way – no matter how jealous you are!

Overall, I thought After Eden was a really funny, wonderful book and it went above and beyond my expectations. Even though Helen Douglas’ writing was a little rough around the edges, and could do with some improvements, it was a real pleasure to read. I’m sure over time Helen’s writing will continue to improve and she’ll turn into a really fantastic author. I believe After Eden well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating I gave it and I really can’t wait to continue on with this series and find out what happens next. I’m also really looking forward to reading more by Helen Douglas in the future; she’s definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Quotes

The door swung open and Ryan came in with two mugs of hot chocolate. He put them on the coffee table and sat next to me on the couch. I’d imagined Ryan as a strong-black-coffee kind of boy, not someone who would make hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. - Page 87.

‘Ah, the romantic train journey to Plymouth where I pulled you into the loos and showed you my credit cards.’ - Page 182.

Although the classrooms and corridors away from the drama studio were in darkness, the stairwell was brightly lit. Probably some health and safety thing. Keeping close to the wall, I crept up the stairs behind them, praying that they wouldn’t look down and see me creeping up behind them like some perverted stalker. - Page 221.