The Archived Giveaway! And the winner is...

I'm almost finished reading THE ARCHIVED and I'm not disappointed. What an amazing read! Much thanks to the 12 who entered the giveaway. (-: Here's a screenshot of the winning number from Random.org.

So, the winner is #5. Which means...

KATHY ANN COLEMAN

...you are the winner!

Now, for all of you who did not win...get yourselves over to Amazon, or to your local independent bookstore, and get your own copy of THE ARCHIVED by VICTORIA SCHWAB. You will LOVE IT!

Coming up on Try This Book on for Size, I will have a few new reviews popping up. Though I am behind in my reviewing, I am not behind in my reading. Look for reviews of The Archived, Teeth and a few other YA and NA books in the near future.

Thanks for playing! 

Kathy: Please email your mailing address to: kevintcraig @ hotmail.com

Win a Hard Cover Copy of THE ARCHIVED by VICTORIA SCHWAB!

After yesterday’s cover reveal of Cheryl Rainfield’s STAINED, I think it’s a great time to host a contest! How about a book giveaway?!

I happen to be ditzy enough to have pre-ordered VICTORIA SCHWAB’s THE ARCHIVED twice! That’s how excited I was to get her latest novel. I fell in love with Schwab’s writing while reading her debut novel, THE NEAR WITCH! You can click on the cover of The Near Witch below to read my review:

Here's the prize up for grabs:

I won’t make anybody jump through hoops for a book giveaway. I don’t think it’s fair…it only frustrates the participants, no? So, here’s how complicated this contest is—LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1^st, 2013 at 5PM my time (Toronto, Ontario). That’s it and that’s all. Simply leave a comment. I will use random.com to pick a winner. You can only enter once.

The winner will be announced right here on TRY THIS BOOK ON FOR SIZE. The next step…all the winner will have to do is email their mailing address and I'll send them a fresh brand spanking new HARD COVER COPY of VICTORIA SCHWAB’s THE ARCHIVED.

My idiocy is somebody else’s gain. (-: I’m almost finished reading this book, and I can guarantee that the winner is in for an amazing treat! Such a great story, well told!

U.S.A. & CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY PLEASE!

Good luck!

Now, should you wish to purchase either THE NEAR WITCH or THE ARCHIVED (I highly recommend both books!) please go to the following link:

Victoria Schwab's author page on Amazon.com

And a gift from Victoria Schwab, for fans of The Near Witch - Before he came to Near, he was THE ASH BORN BOY!

 

Follow Victoria Schwab on Twitter: @veschwab

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION of THE ARCHIVED:


Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

 

Cover Reveal! Cheryl Rainfield's STAINED!

It's cover reveal time!

I'm a big fan of CHERYL RAINFIELD. Her fiction is biting, relevant and true. She covers YA issues like nobody's business, yet she never comes off as preachy. Great stories, great issues, important reads and intuitive intelligent characters.

Today I have the privilege of sharing a cover reveal of Rainfield's next novel, STAINED! 

 

What is STAINED about?

 

In this heart-wrenching and suspenseful teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal." Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

 

 

And NOW, the COVER of CHERYL RAINFIELD'S STAINED!

Sometimes you have to be your own hero.

When will STAINED be released?

 

Nov 19, 2013

Publisher: 

 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Here's what Cheryl Rainfield has to say about STAINED:

 

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself.

Where can you pre-order a copy of STAINED?

 

Amazon (hardcover)

 

Amazon (kindle)

Amazon.ca (hardcover)

 

Amazon.ca (ebook)

Amazon.co.uk (hardcover)

Amazon.co.uk (ebook) 

Where can you read my reviews of Cheryl Rainfield's previous books?

 

PARALLEL VISIONS 

 

HUNTED

SCARS

 

Where can you watch the book trailer for STAINED?

Cheryl Rainfield - PARALLEL VISIONS - A Review of a Teen Psychic Novel 1

TITLE: Parallel Visions

AUTHOR: Cheryl Rainfield

RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2012

FORMAT/PAGE COUNT: Kindle/146 pages

PUBLISHER: Rain & Sun Press

PURCHASED: Amazon

SYNOPSIS:

Visions can kill you. Would you risk your life to save someone else's?

Kate sees psychic visions of the future and the past—but only when she's having an asthma attack. When she "sees" her sister being beaten, she needs more visions to try to save her, along with a suicidal classmate—but triggering her asthma could kill her. Parallel Visions is the story of one brave, caring girl whose unusual gifts put her own life in danger. (From GOODREADS)

REVIEW:

Parallel Visions was one of those books I just wanted to devour in one sitting. It grabbed this reader from the first sentence! 'My chest hurts like my ribs are scraping my flesh with every breath, and I can already hear the wheeze.' Kate, the narrator of the story, has chronic asthma. Growing up with a brother who suffered asthma, that opening sentence practically made me hold my breath so I could listen for Kate's. What Rainfield did with the already present drama surrounding bad asthma attacks is pump up the severity of the action by adding foretelling visions to the character's attack experience. And she did it well!

A short read, Parallel Visions more than makes up for its size with its action packed goodness. The way Rainfield began the story with the immediate action of an asthma attack was a brilliant way to get the reader to become invested in the narrator. And the narrator's fears for what she 'sees' happening to the characters around her causes the reader to become invested with them as well. Kate sees a bleak future during her opening asthma attack...a future where death and mayhem occur. With her visions, Kate introduces us to a teen who is struggling with the destruction of her life at the hands of merciless and violent bullies. The visions also show us Kate's own sister, whose life is spiraling out of control at the hands of an abusive husband. The tone of the novel is set with the visions Kate experiences in this opening asthma attack. And the pace is put into full throttle as we move forward in a race against the possibly inevitable future Kate's visions have given her. But wait...this attack also introduces the reader to a possible hero (and love interest) in Kate's classmate, Gil. Gil is not only her classmate, but the brother of the teen Kate sees suffering at the hands of bullies. This draws Kate and Gil together, as they team up to figure out a way to save the day.

Rainfield is an excellent storyteller, and conscientious of the struggles facing today's teen community. Her books always deal with these hot-button topics in such an amazing way...a way that is neither preachy nor condescending. She makes her stories and characters approachable and real. She takes these issues and weaves wonderful stories around them. Readers can see her passion for justice and equality in every word...and they get a wonderful fast-paced ride of excitement thrown into the deal. Parallel Visions is no exception. This story deals with bullies, homophobia, abuse, rape, individuality and the struggles of being different. But beyond the task of tackling these tough issues, Rainfield delivers an exciting read. One you will remember for a long time. This is a story with bite. Just don't be surprised if you feel yourself gasping for breath along the way. Rainfield writes asthma like one who has experienced it in one way or another. Being someone who grew up around it, I constantly found myself panicked in the face of Kate's attacks. The writing is true and urgent.

MY REVIEW OF CHERYL RAINFIELD'S HUNTED

MY REVIEW OF CHERYL RAINFIELD'S SCARS


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