National Novel Writing Month

Instead of doing homework (like I should be doing) I thought I would post my (almost) first post of November.  In 1.5 hours November first will be upon us, and for us writer folk that means one thing: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).  For those who don't know what that is, it means that a ton of people will be trying to chug out a 50k novel in 30 days.  I participated, and succeeded last year, so I figured I'd go for it again this year.

If you're interested in checking this out, click here (it will direct you to the website).  Otherwise, I wanted to warn my followers that not many book reviews will be put up this month (I'm thinking maybe 3, at the most - I just finished a fantastic novel, titled Vixen, expect that review sometime this week) because most of my free writing time will be dedicated to writing my novel.  Now, because I won't be updating here frequently, I was trying to figure out what I could do to make it up for you. And. I figured it out.

This month, every Wednesday (and sometimes a Saturday or Sunday) will be deemed a "Writing Wednesday" where I share a bit of what I wrote with you all.  I'll pick a passage from my novel, and post it up here, and you can comment on it, make suggestions, give me ideas to proceed.  You can also tell me if it sucks, though I might not like that as much (but I can take it, tell me how it is, haha).

So what is my novel going to be about you ask? (Or didn't, but either way you're going to hear about it.)  It's going to be a role reversal of Beauty and the Beast.  That means that the girl is getting turned into the beast, and the boy?  Well, he'll have to learn to love her as she is, and vice versa.  Sound interesting?  I think so.  Now, have I done any outlining for this? No. Have I done any planning at all?  No. So. We'll see how this goes, but last year I went in sans plans and it turned out okay.

So, now that it's just a bit closer to midnight, I am off to actually do some homework before the night strikes midnight.  Good luck to all my fellow participants, if you're interested in being a writting buddy, hit me up on the site (username:  xtastethesky).  Also, if you're looking for an aim friend, shoot me a message on the site/tweet me.

Good luck to all, and good night!

Darkest Mercy Swag Winners

First let me apologize for not getting this information out earlier, this past week has been insane with the amount of work my professors were assigning, but fear not, here are the winners of the Darkest Mercy swag!

First up is the winner of the Solitary Fey bracelet:

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Winner is: Teril

Second up is the winner of the signed Darkest Mercy bookmark:

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Winner is:  Lisa Huang

Winners will be contacted today and have 24 hours to respond before their prize is given to the next in line.

DON'T FORGET: I have a contest giving away a SIGNED copy of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld!  Check out that contest information HERE.

Scott Westerfeld in Cincinnati

As I said in my review last night I got to meet the amazing Scott Westerfeld when he visited the Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I wrote up a blog about the event that's over on my friend, Regan Coomer's blog - Thoughts on YA books for the not-so-young adult.  Here is an excerpt below, check out the rest by clicking here.

So last night I ventured out to the amazing Joseph-Beth Booksellers to meet the fantastic Scott Westerfeld, the author of the Midnighters, Uglies, novels as well as the more recent novels: Leviathan, and Behemoth which are part of his most recent trilogy.

I’ve been reading his novels since Uglies first came out (no I haven’t read Midnighters yet, but it’s been on my “to-read” list for a very long time) so when I found out he’d be in Cincinnati I knew I couldn’t pass up this chance....

Don't forget I'm also giving away a signed copy of Leviathan, click here for contest details.

Book Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Format:  Paperback
Length:  464 pages
Rating:  4/5

Right away when I started this novel I realized that it is pretty close to nothing I have really read before in the current YA market.  The novel, the first in a new trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, is an alternate history of WWI.  It starts out with Alek, the illegitimate son of the Archduke Ferdinand, is playing in his room.  He is then awoken in the night, and told by his teachers he's off onto a lesson his father prepared for him.  Once on their way the ball is dropped, both his parents had been assassinated, and he needs to flee Austria because there are people who want him killed.

On the other side of the continent, in England, there is Deryn Sharp who desperately wants to be part of the British Air Service, the one problem?  She's female.  Hiding her identity she takes on a new name, Dylan, and has her brother tutor her and goes in for a test to become a member, but during her test something goes terribly wrong and she's suddenly thrust into tricky situations that lands her on Leviathan, one of the British's largest aircrafts, as a midshipman.

Now, I haven't even told you the most interesting part, the bit that makes this something new - the European continent is split, as it is in WWI but also along other lines, the Clankers and the Darwinists.  The Clankers (such as Austria, Serbia, and the Ottoman Empire) are all in favor of machinery, huge machines, think like the machines in Star Wars, believing the creatures from the Darwinists are "godless".  The Darwinists, in contrast, have huge creations of their own, but they're all living.  Each creation is the right combination of different animals to create a contraption that they can use.  So the Leviathan?  A huge whale cross over that you could compare to something like a blimp. And what did Alek run away on?  A huge Cyklop Stormwalker (think something similar to the Star Wars walkers).

Overall I found this novel incredibly interesting.  I haven't read an alternate history, probably ever, at least not one geared towards young adults.  I also love that this is a retelling of WWI, mainly because I've always found WWI more interesting than WWII, probably has something to do with the fact that you're beaten over the head with WWII history as soon as you can vaguely understand what "history" is.  While this retelling isn't completely accurate (Westerfeld clues you in on such discrepancies in the afterword), it's still very good.

I really enjoy the characters, especially Deryn.  She's a very strong female character that I sometimes believe is missing from some novels today.  I really love how she takes charge of situations, and for the most part (like when it doesn't threaten her secret/position in the Air Service) doesn't take crap from anyone.  She's a pretty strong role model, and I'm excited to see it here in this novel.

My only complaint is the pacing.  It's a very slow going novel, which is normal for your typical war novel, let alone a novel setting up a trilogy that is based around said war.  The pacing is something you can get over really quickly once you're sucked into a world of Darwinist and Clanker creations (my brain is still trying to wrap itself around some of the creations that were described - even if there were some pictures to go along with it).

This is where I would normally promote the next novel's due date but it's actually just came out - Behemoth.  I've just started reading it and it's amazing (picks up where Leviathan left off).  Go pick up a copy of both novels today! You won't regret it, especially if you're into history.

Now, I got to meet this fantastic author last night, and let me tell you, he did not disappoint.  I wrote up a report about the event which will be over at my friend, Regan Coomer's blog soon (click here to check out her blog).  But part of this is I am giving away a signed paperback copy of Leviathan.  Here is what you have to do to enter:

• Follow my blog
• Comment on this blog and include what is your favorite Scott Westerfeld series/novel and why
• For an extra entry follow me on twitter
• For another extra entry tweet about this contest

This contest will run from today until November 14th.  This is a US only contest, and don't forget to leave an e-mail so I can contact you if you win!  Good luck to all!

So, as per tradition, I should do a marry/shag/cliff but... eh... I'm so much older than these characters I find it mildly awkward, so instead I'm going to go with who I would want to have as a sibling, best friend, and the cliff can still pertain. So.

• Sibling:  Alek
• Totes Best Friend: Deryn
• Cliff:  Ehhhhh. Idono. There isn't one specific person, sometimes Volger, just cause he can be a jerk (even though I know half the time it's understandable).

October Updates

So for my October Updates I'm going to list a few novels that I'm excited about being released this month, as well as list the next titles I'll be reviewing, and books that I plan to read in the near future.  I may even include some other bits of information such as events I plan on going to.

Notable Novels

Nightshade by
Andrea Cremer

One of the first novels I'm excited to get my hands on is Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.  It's a new take on the werewolf myth.  A brief synopsis is that the main character, Calla is slated to marry Ren.  They are both from two controlled packs.  Their marriage will result in a new pack, which is the plan until Shay, a human comes into the picture.  Calla finds herself falling in love with him, and as the quote from the book's trailer goes "She can control her pack, but not her heart".

Beautiful Darkness by
Kami Garcia and
Margaret Stohl

The next novel I'm really excited about, and already own (but have yet to read) is Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  This is the follow-up novel to Beautiful Creatures (see my review here).  This novel picks up where the last left off.  Lena and Ethan have to deal with everything the town of Gatlin throws at them, until Lena starts to pull away.  While trying to deal with that, Ethan is haunted by visions only he can see.  Needless to say I'm extremely excited to find the time to read this novel.

Misguided Angel by
Melissa De La Cruz

The third novel I'm really excited about is the fifth novel in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz.  It's title is Misguided Angel and it looks like it's going to pick up from where The Van Alen Legacy (click here for review) left off with Schuyler and Jack heading off to Florence while the enclave is finding itself in shambles.  Schuyler has to protect the seven gates keeping Lucifer form entering the mortal realm, the fate of the vampires on her shoulders.  Sounds easy enough, right?

Secondhand Charm
by Julie Berry

The last book I'll bring up is Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry.  After reading her debut novel this past summer, The Amaranth Enchantment, I was eager to find out when her next novel would be released, to my excitement it was this October!  Secondhand Charm follows Evie, who is an exceptional healer.  As the synopsis says on Amazon, gypsy charms are especially potent on her, while on others their little more than trinkets.  The thing is that she wants more than a small, quiet town, so when the King's carriage comes to town one day, she might actually have a chance to shine.  Needless I'm super excited to get my hands on this novel.

To Be Reviewed

      

Currently Reading

      

To Be Read

      

Beautiful Darkness Dog Tag Winner

Good morning blog followers, how are you today? I'm here to announce the winner of the Beautiful Darkness dog tag necklace.

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And the winner is: April X

You will be contacted shortly, if I do not get a response within 24 hours the prize will be given to another who entered.

Thank you all for entering!

DON'T FORGET: I have another giveaway going on, a solitary fey bracelet and a signed bookmark by Melissa Marr (author of the Wicked Lovely series). Click here for more details.

Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Title: Darkest Mercy

Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Format: ARC
Length: 327pgs
Rating: 5/5

The time has arrived (or almost at least) for the Wicked Lovely series finale. I got extremely lucky a few weeks ago. As you know I went to the Smart Chicks Kick It tour, and got to meet a bunch of authors, one of those authors was the fantastic Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series, as well as an upcoming novel Graveminder.

At each stop of the Smart Chicks tour she gave away a copy of the last book in the Wicked Lovely series, Darkest Mercy, and I was one of the lucky ones to win a copy!

So, because I promised that I wouldn’t write anything with a summary or say anything spoilery, (which, I would never want to do anyway, it would ruin it for all the other readers out there, and that’s just not cool) this will be short and sweet.

Darkest Mercy picks up were Radiant Shadows left off (to read my review on Radiant Shadows click here), and the plot just takes off from there. This novel is probably one of the absolute best series finales I’ve ever read.

Once this novel is released I’ll have to write a “Part 2” review so that I can talk about specifics, but just know that Darkest Mercy does not disappoint. As a reader from the very beginning, I was extremely satisfied with the ending. It felt very complete, and when it comes to a series finale, you can’t ask for anything more.

Now, I have some goodies to giveaway with this novel as well. As part of the pelting, I grabbed a bracelet that reads “Solitary” as in “Solitary Fey” and I’m giving it away. The other thing I’m giving away is a DM bookmark signed by Melissa Marr.

Here is what you have to do to be eligible for the giveaways (can’t ship outside of the US, sorry!).

- Follow this blog

- Comment on this blog post

- Say why you love this series/What you're most excited about in regards to Darkest Mercy

- Let me know which item you are interested in (bookmark, bracelet, or indifferent)

- +1 if you tweet about this (add the link to the tweet in your comment)

Good luck to all! Contest ends October 27, 2010. Don’t forget to include an e-mail address so I can contact you when you win.

Don’t forget:

Tomorrow is the last day to enter the contest to win a Beautiful Darkness dog tag necklace. Click here to see the details.

Marry/Shag/Cliff:

I would marry Seth.

I would shag Seth.

I would throw both Sorcha and Bananach off the cliff.

This is not a Book Review.

So I thought I’d take the time to write a more “normal” blog entry. I haven’t taken the time to really just write a fun blog entry that introduces you, the readers, to me, Chelsea, the writer. Basically all you may want to know about me is that I’m a sophomore college student at Miami University (of Ohio). Before you ask, I’m majoring in Individualized Studies (that means I’m designing my own major). I’m combining English, Psychology, Sociology and a few other disciplines to eventually develop a major I hope to call “Literacy Development and Engagement in Adolescents”. In a nutshell I hope to eventually take my degree into publishing YA fiction, as well as hopefully being a YA author.

Anyway, enough about my schooling, I’m sure if anyone is even bothering to read this, they’re already thinking “Why is she even bothering to write this?” Well, there is a point! The point is that I want this to be a free flowing blog where I might talk about anything going on in my life, as well as the (hopefully often) YA book reviews, as well as giveaways. This also ties in because I plan on blogging like this frequently in November, mainly because, yes, I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

The other thing I plan on using in these types of blog updates are to let you know what books I have to review still, currently reading, as well as going to read in the near future. So… because I don’t want to ramble any longer, without further ado I’m going to just scoot along and start talking about the books, because I’m actually currently in a meeting that I…. just don’t want to focus in (hence the writing).

To Review:

Darkest Mercy

Will Grayson, Will Grayosn

As You Wish

Sisters Red

Currently Reading:

Leviathan

Mockingjay

Dark Flame

Clockwork Angel

Burned

Going to Read:

Behemoth

Tattoo

Zombies vs. Unicorns

The Maze Runner

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Format: Paperback
Length: 563pgs
Rating: 4/5

In honor of Beautiful Darkness coming out October 12, I thought I would finally get my review of Beautiful Creatures online. First let me say that I was lucky enough to meet the fantastic creators of this novel, Kami Garcia and Margaret Sthol, on the Smart Chicks Kick It tour when they stopped through in Cincinnati about two weeks ago. Now, on with the review.

The novel follows the main character, Ethan Wate. He lives in small town in the south named Gatlin. When we meet him he’s been going through a rough time because his mother passed away, and his father has become a recluse. The only person really taking care of him is their family’s house keeper, Amma.

Everything in Gatlin stays the same – nothing ever changes. Ethan increasingly feels boxed in, wanting to change while the town wants to keep everything the same. So when Ethan starts having dreams of a girl he’s never seen before, and she shows up at school it throws him through a loop. No one has moved to

Gatlin for a very long time, so the new girl, Lena, is instantly labeled as an outcast – it doesn’t help that her uncle is the town’s resident “weirdo”.

Ethan instantly feels a connection to Lena, but because of her status as an outcast, Ethan has to choose between what he has always known, and Lena. As they become closer things become more complicated, secrets become unearthed, and they find they may be more connected than they could have imagined.

I was really excited to read this novel, especially after hearing about all the positive press it had been receiving. Once I finished Beautiful Creatures I did not regret reading a single page. Compared to a lot of paranormal fiction on the shelves right now, I can honestly say that this is one of the more original ones amongst the many vampires (don’t get me wrong, I love me some vampires, but reading about new paranormal beings was refreshing).

The writing process for Kami and Margaret is interesting. They both write everything in the novel, not every other chapter, or one character or another. It’s amazing how cohesive the novel comes out when you know this fact. You can’t tell where the writing switches back from one author to another, which is fantastic.

Honestly, if you haven’t taken the time to pick up Beautiful Creatures yet, you should probably go do so. Right. Now. It’s very good. Now, a little bit of fun. On the Smart Chicks tour, the authors had a bit of fun pelting their readers with a bit of book swag. I was able to snatch up a Beautiful Darkness dog tag necklace, and it is up for grabs. If you’re interested in snagging this necklace here is what you have to do:

• Follow this blog
• Comment on this blog post

For an extra entry you can tweet about this contest, make sure you let me know in your comment here on the blog post.

Make sure you leave me your e-mail or some other way so I can contact you when you win! This contest will run through October 16, 2010. Good luck! (U.S. only, sorry!)

Also, something done on the tour was "Marry, Shag, and Throw off a cliff". I'm going to start doing this with each novel I review. So. Here is my list:

• I would marry Ethan
• I would shag (and, by that I mean kiss) Link
• I would throw Ridley off a cliff