Wishlist Wednesday #58

Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

So what do you need to do to join in?

• Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
• Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
• Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com/) somewhere in your post.
• Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:

Pretty Girl - 13 by Liz Coley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Reminiscent of the Elizabeth Smart case, Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological mystery about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity.

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

Liz Coley's alarming and fascinating psychological mystery is a disturbing - and ultimately empowering page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

I like the sound of this one, the synopsis is quite gripping.  I want to know what has happened to Angie and why she has been missing for three years.   Oooooh exciting stuff!  On the wishlist it goes, but knowing me it won't be on there for long.

If you've chosen a book for Wishlist Wednesday be sure to leave a link in the comment section below and I'll check it out!!

Cover Reveal: Darker Days by Jus Accardo

Darker Days (Darker Agency, #1) by Jus Accardo Cover Reveal 

Hi Guys!  I'm really thrilled to be able to give you a sneak peak of the new book cover by Jus Accardo, Darker Days.  I for one am really looking forward to reading this, Jus is one of my favourite authors :)

Synopsis 

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course... When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin. Seven deadly ones, in fact. They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing... There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

Excerpt

 “So not your biggest fan at the moment,” I said, closing the office door behind me. The runofffrom my jeans had soaked my sneakers pretty good. With each step, I gave a slight squishing noise accompanied by an annoying squeak against the old tile floor. From across the room, Mom stared. “What happened to you?” “It attacked me.” Tossing my bag on the couch, I sank into her chair and made sure to grind my butt into the cushion. Got it nice and wet. I was all about sharing the love—and right now, the love was soggy. She laughed, waving a folder in my direction. “Surely you’re overreacting. It was one little zombie. They don’t attack people.” “I’m serious, Ma. It tried to drown me. And the client assaulted me with ugly footwear. As far as punishments go, I’d say we’re probably square. I’ve learned my lesson.” “You’re serious?” Amused expression now replaced by concern, she crossed the room and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me. “As a coronary.” Once I was sure the chair had sponged up all it could, I stood and huffed past her. Pulling at my favorite T-shirt—the word Fate inside a blood red heart, is a four letter word on the back—I said, “Child welfare would not be happy to hear you tried to feed your only child to a walking corpse…” “But why would it attack? Did you provoke it?” Folding her arms, she frowned. “Insult it, perhaps?” I winked at her. “Provoke it? Sure. I went and wiggled my ass in front of it yelling lunch just to see what’d happen.” I’d called it Stinky, but that didn’t count as an insult. Something couldn’t be considered an insult if it was true, right? Right eyebrow twitching, she fought against a smile. “But you’re okay, right? No bites, broken bones, head injuries, possessions…?” I smiled and did a little twirl. “All in one piece and still me.” Mom had a checklist she went through at the end of each job. I was known for taking almost as much damage as I inflicted. “Oh, and you’re probably going to get a call from the client. I sorta smashed her fence in the process.” Mom groaned. “I told you to be more careful.” “It’s not like I tried to break anything.” “Something tells me you didn’t try hard enough not to break anything, either.” “In my defense, it wasn’t a simple trap and slap…” “We can’t afford this.” She reached down and pulled a white envelope out from under a stack of papers. “This is the bill for that Mercedes you smashed.” “Oh! So not my fault. How was I supposed to know that Spring Heel was gonna land on the car? If it makes you feel any better, I think he was aiming for my head…” “If you keep this up, we won’t even be able to afford the rent.” She was right, of course, and it made me feel horrible. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a wrecking ball wrapped in blue jeans. Take my cut of this job and put it toward the repairs. Keep my paycheck for the next month, too.” A good start, but it didn’t feel like enough. Sure, it would cover the damages—I hoped—but I felt guilty about upsetting her. The bills that were piling up kept her awake at night. This was only going to make things worse. We got a fair amount of business, but the overhead in our line of work was sky high. As much as I hated the idea, I knew what would cheer her up. “I’ll even throw in pet possessions for the next month.”

 Find Darker Days on Goodreads

  About Jus Accardo 

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing.

Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013.

A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.

Find Jus Accardo Website  | Blog |  Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour: Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

Hi Guys! I'm really thrilled to bring you my tour stop of Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff.  I recently reviewed this book and found it to be an excellent read.  You can check out my review HERE

For my tour stop I have a wonderful interview with Allen.  If you scroll down you will see all the blurb on this book.  Enjoy!

Author Interview - Allen Zadoff

As you know, I really enjoyed reading Boy Nobody. Where did the idea for the novel come from?
It came from Boy Nobody himself. My novels often begin when a character starts speaking to me, usually a character who is angry about something in his life and wants to change it. Imagine my surprised when I heard a teen assassin talking to me! When I asked him his name, he told me he didn’t have one. Later I would find out that wasn’t true, but he had purposefully buried his real name deep in his unconscious so memories of his old life wouldn’t interfere with his work. This was the beginning of the Boy Nobody trilogy.

There are some really cool gadgets Boy Nobody uses, my favourite was the lethal pen, where did the ideas come from?
I’m glad you like the gadgets! I worked hard on those. In the story, Boy Nobody is a chameleon who can fit in anywhere he goes. He shows up looking like a boy when in fact he’s a soldier and assassin. His tech gadgets are the same way. On the surface, they look like average items in the world. Under the surface they’re sophisticated tech devices or deadly weapons. In the case of the pen, I thought, “What is the most mundane thing a teen boy might have that could be used as a weapon?” That’s where the lethal pen came from. It’s sort of absurd and chilling at the same time.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
“A brainwashed teen assassin is forced to choose between his deadly mission and a girl he loves.”
 If you want to read the book after that sentence, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
 Shakespeare. I believe he was the greatest dramatist and storyteller in the history of the English language. Can you imagine having him as a writing teacher? My only fear is that I’d sit down with him, and he’d say, “I don’t know how I wrote them. I just dreamed them up.”

If you could travel back in time to a certain event in history, what would it be?
Forgive my neuroses, but can I bring antibiotics with me? Because through most of history you could get a little ear infection and die two weeks later. With that said, I’d like to go back to the Renaissance and live during the time when art, culture, and thought flourished in Europe. That would be thrilling.

Many thanks to Allen Zadoff for stopping by Chocolate Chunky Munkie

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff

Released: 23rd May 2013

Publisher: Orchard Books

Series: Yes #1 in the Boy Nobody series

Source: From publisher for review purposes

Format: ARC

Find at:  Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Author Site: Allen Zadoff

Boy Nobody Facebook Page

Goodreads Synopsis:

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target.

When his own parents died of not-so-natural causes at the age of eleven, Boy Nobody found himself under the control of The Program, a shadowy government organization that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the boy he once was, the boy who wants normal things (like a real home, his parents back), a boy who wants out. And he just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's next mission.

Cover Reveal: The Rising King by Shea Berkley

The Rising King (Keepers of Life, #3) by Shea Berkley Cover Reveal 

Hi Guys! I'm thrilled to bring you the cover reveal for The Rising King by Shea Berkley.

Synopsis

The summer before Dylan Kennedy’s senior year in high school is turning out to be anything but boring. Ridiculously hot girlfriend? Check. Killing evil Dark Souls who suddenly have aspirations of taking over the magical realm of Teag because its protective spell is gone? Check. Not even Teag’s King, Dylan’s father, Baun, can stop them. People are dying, and a dark magic that his girlfriend, Kera, received from Baun is growing stronger. Dylan wants to believe Kera is suppressing the darkness that’s in her, but every day he sees that control slip just a little more. Baun sends Dylan to find a powerful magic that stop the Dark Souls, a magic so strong that Baun hid it so no one else could use it. When Dylan doesn’t expect to find along with it, are consequences that could end the lives of those closest to him.

Excerpt

 I ease my hand into Kera’s and lace our fingers together, bringing her deep violet eyes onto me. They sweep over my face, and the edges of her full lips curve upward as if she’s fighting a smile. She sets aside the book and leans close bringing the scent of summer with her. “You scared me to death.” I love it when she worries about me. When it comes to my life, someone caring enough to worry is sort of a new thing. “You do that all the time to me.” I tug her hand and bring her closer so I can snag a quick kiss. Kera pushes away, but I don’t let go. The look she throws me is serious. “I’m not kidding, Dylan. You have to be more wary, especially when it comes to creatures like the millispits.” “I didn’t die.” It’s a reminder that’s kind of obvious. “Because I saved you.” “What’s that make? Two for me and one for you?” She leans back, testing the limits of our reach. “Are you keeping score?” “No…” I hate getting caught like that, and slowly pull her back toward me, “…it just sounds like I am, but I’m not.” I pull her right off her chair and onto the bed and on top of me. I bury my face in her hair and breathe deeply. No one smells as good as Kera. “Was anyone else hurt?” I ask even as I place little kisses along her jaw. She stretches her neck back for me. “Leo received a splinter.” “Ummm,” I say, enjoying the feel of her skin against my lips. “Will he live?” “To see Lucinda hover over him after we got back, you would not think so. She very clearly said we were not allowed to take him anywhere without her.” I twist and flip her onto her back until I’m hovering over her. As seriously as I can, I say, “Lucinda’s crazy. You know that, right?” “I am aware of a few odd peculiarities that make up her personality.” She brushes my hair back and twirls a piece over my ear. “With that said, she does seem to honestly care for Leo.” “Like an owner does a pet. But for how long?” I ask, more to myself than to her. “As long as it pleases her to do so, I imagine.” I’m not in the mood to dwell on Lucinda and what her agenda might be. All I want is to hold Kera. I nibble just below her ear and she giggles. I love the sound of her laughter. I stop and place my forehead to hers. “And how long will you care for me?” “My heart would be crushed if I were to never see you again. I would die a thousand deaths every day.” Are those actual tears in her eyes? “My heart is crushed every time I see you and I can’t kiss you.” I’ve never said a sappier statement, or a truer one. She places a sweet kiss on my lips. “That rarely happens.” I kiss her back, and say against her lips, “Because you crave my kisses.” She laughs and pushes free. Rolling to her feet, she says with a smile, “Because I like to kiss.” “Me,” I say, popping up on my elbows. “You like to kiss me.” Her smile widens. I snatch her hand. She’s adopted wearing a wide, tight leather bracelet on her right wrist. It’s etched and embossed with a swirling pattern that is so Kera, I can’t remember when she didn’t wear it. We do a quick, playful game of tug of war before I yank her back. “Tell me you love me.” She winds her arms around my neck and smothers my face with tiny kisses. “I love you madly.”

Find Shea Berkley Website |Goodreads |The Marked Son (Keepers of Life #1) Goodreads  |Amazon |Barnes and Noble |The Book Depository 

 |The Fallen Prince (Keepers of Life #2) Goodreads |Amazon

Wishlist Wednesday #57

Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

So what do you need to do to join in?

• Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
• Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
• Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com/) somewhere in your post.
• Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

I've seen this one everywhere and I have to say it's definitely one that has caught my eye.  I'm a little bit excited about it.  It's just been released, but I've noticed it's not on kindle (UK) yet which is a little disappointing.  So I'm going to keep my eye on this one and as soon as it's on the kindle I'm getting it!!!

If you've chosen a book for Wishlist Wednesday be sure to leave a link in the comment section below and I'll check it out!!

***Review*** Siege by Sarah Mussi

Siege  by Sarah Mussi

Released: 7th March 2013

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Series: No

Source: From Publisher for review purposes

Format: ARC

Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository

Author Site:  Sarah Mussi

Goodreads Synopsis:
Leah Jackson - in detention. Then armed Year 9s burst in, shooting. She escapes, just. But the new Lock Down system for keeping intruders out is now locking everyone in. She takes to the ceilings and air vents with another student, Anton, and manages to use her mobile to call out to the world.

First: survive the gang - the so-called 'Eternal Knights'.
Second: rescue other kids taken hostage, and one urgently needing medical help.

Outside, parents gather, the army want intelligence, television cameras roll, psychologists give opinions, sociologists rationalize, doctors advise - and they all want a piece of Leah. Soon her phone battery is running out; the SAS want her to reconnoiter the hostage area ... But she is guarding a terrifying conviction. Her brother, Connor, is at the center of this horror. Is he with the Eternal Knights or just a pawn?

She remembers. All those times Connor reached out for help ... If she'd listened, voiced her fears about him earlier, would things be different now? Should she give up her brother?

With only Anton for company, surviving by wits alone, Leah wrestles with the terrible choices ..

My Review:

Wow! What an explosive book this was.  Within the first few pages I was gripped.  Great concept for a book and one hell of a ride from start to finish.  It's horrific and emotional.

There is so much tension in this book, I did have to take a few breaks from it, I don't think my nerves would have coped.  The main character Leah dodges so many bad situations that you wonder if she indeed possesses super human powers, but then again the will to survive can just give you that extra bit of strength.  I did feel quite exhausted after I finished this book, my mind is still digesting all the story. 

There is definitely the feel of big brother in this one and you could liken it to the novel 1984, but obviously it is set in the future and the location is in a high school.  Well I say high school it feels more like a prison with places being put on lock down, including the toilets.

I liken this book to bungee jumping the adrenaline kicks in and you feel like you're on a rush.  I do think this will be one of my top books of the year.  So if you haven't got a copy then I urge you to get one!! And get one now!!

Overall:
I would highly recommend this book, it was edgy and original and had me gripped from start to finish.

My Thoughts on the Cover:
I just love this colourful cover, it's certainly an eye catcher.  I think the bullet hole in the front is genius.

 **Many thanks to the Publisher for the review copy**

***Review*** Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Released: October 2010

Publisher: Vintage

Series: Yes #1 in the Warm Bodies series

Source: Bought

Format: Kindle book

Find At: Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

Author Site: Issac Marion

Goodreads Synopsis:

 'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...

My Review:

I've had this book lurking on my kindle for absolutely ages, it seemed to have fallen into a kindle black hole.  But with the upcoming movie it made me seriously get my reading hat on.  I hate watching movies without reading the book first.  Sorry but that's just me.  Oh and by the way I haven't watched the film yet, why, well because I didn't want to spoil the after glow enjoyment of the book.

Why did I wait so long to read this?  Especially as I've had a good long spate of zombie novels.  Something I thought would never happen, but thank you Carrie Ryan you started it!

Right back to the book...... yes it was good, yes I enjoyed it and the only reason it gets a star knocked off it that it did just take me a few chapters to get into.  I can't really knock the book otherwise.  Totally absorbing and engaging and like no other zombie novel I have ever read.   

I also liked the fact that it was from the zombie's point of view, normally you have a pov from a survivor.  No not this time.  I could also see how the main character 'R' starts to evolve, this is what won the story over for me. 

I would recommend this book and I can't wait to get stuck into the next book in the series.

Overview:
A very nice addition to the zombie genre, I would recommend this book

My Thoughts on the Cover:
I like the simplicity of this, it is eye catching too.