The Queen's Library (39): July, August, September, and October Books

The below books are from July, August, September, and part of October!! 

FOR REVIEW (Printed ARCS)
LET THE STORM BREAK by Shannon Messenger (from publicist/publisher)
CRESS by Marissa Meyer (from publicist / publisher)!!!!!!!!!!
SEKRET by Lindsay Smith (from publicist/publisher)
NIL by Lynne Matsen (from publicist / publisher)
HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno (from Amazon Vine)
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell (from Amazon Vine)
THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider (from Amazon Vine)
EXILE by Shannon Messenger (from publicist - Not Pictured)
CHASING SHADOWS by Swati Avasthi (from Amazon Vine - Not Pictured)
THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas (from Amazon Vine - Not Pictured)

FOR REVIEW (eARCs - Not Pictured)
CONJURED by Sarah Beth Durst (from Netgalley / publicist)
WHITE SPACE by Ilsa J. Bick (from Edelweiss)

THE SHADOW PRINCE by Bree Despain (from Edelweiss)

THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater (from Netgalley)
INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi (from Edelweiss)
AVALON by Mindee Arnett (from Edelweiss)
PANIC by Lauren Oliver (from Edelweiss)
CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge (from Edelweiss)

PURCHASED FOR KINDLE (Not Pictured)
ENSHADOWED by Kelly Creagh
FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Katja Millay
VALKYRIE RISING by Ingrid Paulson (freebie)
THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepard
THE WORLD OF DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (freebie)
FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund

PURCHASED AUDIOBOOK
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green (snagged the $3.95 daily deal)

WON FROM PAPER LANTERN LIT
FURY by Elizabeth Miles
ENVY by Elizabeth Miles (autographed)

WON FROM THE BOOK CELLAR
WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney (autographed and personalized)

Whew! So, that's all the books I've gotten during the past few months! Thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Amazon Vine, Random House, Simon & Schuster + Emma, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Macmillan + Ksenia, Paper Lantern Lit, Erica and anyone else I've forgotten to thank!

And a quick note: Sorry I've been a missing lately. My classes this fall are keeping me busy, but I should start having a bit more time to spend in the blogosphere soon!

My Weekly Recommendation

The feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

Review: EXILE by Shannon Messenger

Title: EXILE

Author: Shannon Messenger

Published: October 1st 2013

Series: Keeper of the Lost Cities #2

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Aladdin

POV: 3rd person limited

Pages: 576

Format: Printed ARC

Source: Publicist

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Sophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled into her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny--the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities--her life finally seems to be coming together.

But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there. And when Sophie discovers new messages and clues from the mysterious Black Swan group, she’s forced to take a terrifying risk—one that puts everyone in incredible danger.

As long buried secrets rise to the surface, it’s once again up to Sophie to uncover hidden memories—before someone close to her is lost forever.

In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more.

Sophie Foster is back, and in EXILE  she's in for a world of trouble and excitement. From training a rare alicorn (essentially, a very endearing winged unicorn) to trying not to fail her classes at Foxfire, Sophie's life becomes exceedingly complicated when the mysterious Black Swan group continues to send her obscure messages. As if that's not bad enough, Sophie's become even more of a strange outcast in her society -- especially since she now has a goblin bodyguard to keep her safe -- and her elfish abilities are starting to have some problems. In order to save herself - and the people she cares about - Sophie has to travel into unknown territory, and decide who she can trust to help her succeed... 

Once again, Messenger gives elves and other creatures of myth her own twist in this captivating sequel. Dangerous, thrilling, and incredibly surprising, EXILE is an outstanding sequel that will keep readers glued to the pages. I told myself I would only read a few chapters one night, and somehow found myself up at midnight, still reading. The characters I fell in love with in the first novel are given more page-time in this sequel, and Sophie's adventures take a darker, more emotional turn. While I highly enjoyed KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, Messenger surprised me with how incredible EXILE turned out to be. If you are looking for a fun and creative middle-grade series that is filled with surprises and fabulous characters, then you need to check out these books. 

Highlights: I love how important family and friendship is in this series. While Sophie relies heavily on herself, she also leans on her friends (especially Dex and Keefe) and family (the fabulous Grady and Edaline) when she needs some extra support. I even enjoyed Sophie's struggles with her abilities in this novel, and how she never let that hold her back. The new details Messenger included about Sophie's fascinating world were fantastic. While reading, I never knew what to expect from this story, so I was very surprised by certain moments. 

Lowlights: I didn't make note of any lowlights while reading, so I think it's safe to say that I highly enjoyed this entire story. I was a bit bothered by Fitz's moody attitude, but I understand why he acted the way he did. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. I love EXILE, so it is going on the top shelves in the royal library where everyone can see it. I'd highly recommend this book, because it is an incredible story and an exceptional sequel. 

My Reviews of Other Works by Shannon Messenger

More New YA Cover Reveals

I know I posted some new YA covers earlier in the week, but it appears that this is an epic week of cover reveals, so here are a few more! 

LET THE STORMS BREAK and INTO THE STILL BLUE 

(revealed on Hollywood Crush) (revealed on EW's Shelf Life)

FROZEN and ELUSION

(revealed on Publishing Crawl) (revealed on Epic Reads)

THE INVENTOR'S SECRET and THE PROMISE OF AMAZING

(revealed on Hollywood Crush) (revealed on Icey Books)

SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY and NEARLY GONE

(revealed on Mundie Moms) (revealed on YABC)

So many fabulous covers! Have you spotted any great new YA covers?

The Queen's Library (33)

This week was amazing, and not just because of the books. First, I attended an incredible book signing on Sunday that featured six fantastic authors.  

Then, I found out on Monday that I received four A's for this past college semester - my first ever 4.0 GPA! I could hardly believe it, especially since two of those were from senior-level classes that made me work for those grades. I've been a crazy-happy mess all week!

Finally, I changed the design for YA Book Queen. Changed, as in, I gave it a clean slate. It's not flashy, but I'm happy to see YA Book Queen looking less cluttered. I deleted most of the items in my sidebar, moved a few around, and changed my social media icons (thank you Lori, for the free & fabulous options). I'm attempting to find / make a decent background, but in the meantime, I'll likely keep changing it to different colors. Although, I'm pretty sure I screwed up coding somewhere, because I don't seem to be capable of using bullet points without it looking like a mess...but that's what I get for messing with HTML myself! I'll have to put "professional blog design" on my Christmas list!

Now, onto the books! 

GIFTED FROM FAMILY
IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby (autographed to me)
LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger (autographed to me)
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler (autographed to me)

FOR REVIEW
NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis (via Edelweiss)
THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales (via the fabulous Ksenia)

PURCHASED
JANE by April Lindner ($3.60 at Amazon!)

I also got my copies of THE BODY FINDER, THE DESIRES OF THE DEAD, MOONGLASS, and all of Sarah Ockler's books autographed. I still can't believe I got to meet the authors! Many thanks to my family for the books, to Ksenia + Macmillan for TSWSYL, and to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for NaDtD!

What books did you get this week? 

The feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

Recap: Summer Lovin' Tour Stop at Copperfield's Books

I managed to find the time to attend the May 19th stop on the Summer Lovin' tour, and I'm so glad that I did! The lovely Zoe from Zoe's Book Review's was moderating, and there's was a nicely sized group readers in attendance (including Nancy of Ravenous Readers, Katie of Twirly Reads, and likely other people I didn't get a chance to talk to since I was in a rush).

I managed to get a few clips of each author speaking. But, my camera is getting a bit old, so there's some extra noise and the image quality is only decent (I'm sorry it isn't better!):

Accidentally cut off Morgan Matson... 

All six authors!

The book signing begins...

Fun Facts I Didn't Catch On Camera

*   Sarah Ockler uses tarot cards quite a lot. Also, she's apparently a total master at using spreadsheets to plan her books.

*   Jessi Kirby was arrested in the middle of class during high school by a police officer (who happened to be her uncle). Her mom put him up to it, though. 

*   Author Stacey Jay stopped by, and she was rocking some killer boots (my battery died, so I couldn't snap a pic)


And honestly, I probably forgot all of the other fun stuff, Sunday was a crazy day for me. If you live near the last two tour stops, you should definitely visit these ladies! I wish I could have stuck around for a bit longer, it was a great event!

Waiting on Wednesday (98) (times two!)

WoW is hosted by Breaking the Spine

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

Kasie West

July 2nd, 2013

"Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about."

I feel like I've read a story similar to the synopsis before, but nonetheless, I am interested in this book! I'm a fan of contemporary novels, so this one is definitely on my wishlist. 

EXILE 

(KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES #2)

Shannon Messenger

October 1st 2013

"Sophie Foster thought she was safe. Settled into her home at Havenfield, surrounded by friends, and using her unique telepathic abilities to train Silveny--the first female alicorn ever seen in the Lost Cities--her life finally seems to be coming together.

But Sophie's kidnappers are still out there. And when Sophie discovers new messages and clues from the mysterious Black Swan group, she’s forced to take a terrifying risk—one that puts everyone in incredible danger.

As long buried secrets rise to the surface, it’s once again up to Sophie to uncover hidden memories—before someone close to her is lost forever.

In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more."

I thought the first KEEPER book was a fun story filled with fabulous characters, so I can't wait to see what happens next for all of them! 
What are you waiting on?

COVERS: Levels, Falling Sky's, Madness, and more

 

Not quite sure what I think about these covers...they look a bit odd, but perhaps they'll appear better in person. Then again, I still haven't read TNotS, so perhaps the covers fit the story!

Read an excerpt of The Madness Underneath at Hollywood Crush!

Such great covers! Especially Level 2, And, as a long-time Sarah Dessen fan, I was excited to see some new looks for her books this week! These two are my favorites so far... 

 

Don't miss out on the giveaways for Dessen's books!Mundie Mom's are giving away 3 paperbacks of That SummerPenguin Teen is giving away 3 paperbacks of Someone Like YouThe Frenetic Reader is giving away 3 paperbacks of Keeping the MoonSteph Su is giving away 3 paperbacks of This Lullaby Green Bean Teen Queen is giving away 3 paperbacks of Dreamland
Any covers catch your eye lately?

TMU cover from Hollywood Crush; Dessen Covers from Dessen's blog; Others from Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (71)

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Keeper of the Lost CitiesShannon MessengerOctober 2nd, 2012

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She's a Telepath--someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It's a talent she's never known how to explain. 
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there's a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known. 
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie's memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for. 

I've been reading Shannon Messenger's blog for a long time now, so I'm very curious about her debut! It sounds like it'll be such a great story - and how awesome is that cover?
What are you waiting on?  
Image & Summary from Goodreads