Freebies and Contest Links

Freebies

*SYNC is offering up two free audiobook downloads - one YA title and one Summer Classic - each week from 6/23/11 to 8/17/11!

This week you go to SYNC's website and download Shiver and Romeo & Juliet for free! (I'm listening to Shiver now - Jenna Lamia and David Ledoux capture Grace and Sam perfectly!). 

*Thanks to I Heart Monster for posting about this freebie! :)

Contests

1.  I'm hosting a contest to win The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (US and Canada). The Kirks over at Teens Read and Write are hosting a contest as well, so enter both for better chances to win - be sure to check out all of their other contests too! 

2.  Melissa Walker is giving away 5 ARC's of her upcoming novel, Small Town Sinners - check out her blog for details on how to enter! 

3.  Lori from Pure Imagination is having a I Have Too Many Books International Giveaway, as well as another US only one.

4.  Jenn from Books at Midnight having quite a few giveaways: a copy of Fairy Bad Day (such a cute book!); The Carrier of the Mark swag;  a finished copy of Dead Rules; a signed ARC of Infinite Days; and a copy of Spellbound!

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Release: May 3rd, 2011

Pages: 224 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Source: Amazon Vine

Summary:

"I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both." 

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. 

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

Review: Moonglass is a lot more than a summer book - it's a spectacular and heartfelt story. 

From the first page in, Anna's voice grabbed me. As the chapters went by, it was easy to see that Anna's not like other YA heroines, but she was still relatable and likable. The ocean has always been a part of Anna's life, and it was also what led to her mother's death. Moving to Crystal Cove, the place where her parents met years ago, she starts uncovering secrets about her parents - and especially her mother - that she never could have believed... 

Set in Crystal Cove (and yes, Kirby's descriptions of it do make it sound like a gorgeous, stunning place to live), Moonglass is flush with wonderful descriptions of the beach, cottages and summer life...It makes this book the perfect summer read. Kirby's prose is reminiscent of Sarah Dessen's work, with easy to enjoy characters and a nice flow to the writing. In the end, I felt it was worthwhile to read this story. Filled with  a dash of humor and touching, heartwarming moments, Moonglass is worthy of being put on your To-Be-Read list.

Highlights: Kirby introduces a more confident protagonist with Anna, which is a bit of a rarity in YA lit. Despite her extra-flirtatious attitude, she was still human and had flaws and doubts. I enjoyed how her other supporting characters were flawed as well - no one in this story was perfect. While there is a romantic element, it never felt too important to story (which I loved. This book was about Anna and her family, plain and simple).

Lowlights: It was far, far too short and not enough for me to give it a full rating. I was honestly surprised by how quickly it ended, because the story didn't feel complete to me. I need more of these characters(like Tyler, Ashley, and my favorite character - the Crystal Crawler), and more development with them. *fingers crossed Kirby writes a sequel*

Rating:   

Waiting on Wednesday (Times Two!)

Hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Release: March, 2012

Summary: 

Gabby Gardiner wakes up in a hospital bed looking like a cautionary ad for drunk driving and lacking a single memory of the accident that landed her there. What she can remember, in frank and sardonic detail, is the year leading up to the accident.

As she takes us through her transformation from invisible girl to on-trend Girl Who Dates Billy Nash (aka Most Desirable Boy Ever), she is left wondering: Why is Billy suddenly distancing himself from her? What do her classmates know that Gabby herself does not? Who exactly was in the car that night? And why is Gabby left alone to take the fall?

Putting the pieces together will take every ounce of Gabby's strength. As she peels back the layers of her life, she begins to realize that her climb up the status ladder has been as intoxicating as it has been morally complex...and that nothing about her life is what she has imagined it to be.

I am curious! So sad that it comes out in March, though...

***

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (special edition!)

Release: August 2nd, 2011

Summary:         

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

This one had me at the "Special Edition" circle on the cover. I really enjoyed Delirium, so I'm looking forward to this edition (a sample chapter of Pandemonium inside? I need this edition!!). Although it still appears to be a hardcover, and not the paperback...so that's weird. 

What are you waiting on?