Top Ten Tuesday: Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted by one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. Everyone is welcome to join, just make sure to link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so everyone can check out other blogger lists. Have fun!

Top Ten Series I'd Like to Start But Haven't Yet

While there's a lot, I'm going to list those that have been on my TBR list the longest time.

1) The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong

2) Legacy of Tril by Heather Brewer

3) Medusa Girls by Tera Lynn Childs

4) All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

5) Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

6) Newsoul by Jodi Meadows

7) The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

8) Royal House of Shadows

9) Healer Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder

10) Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Review: Anew + Giveaway!

Title:  Anew (Archers of Avalon #1)
Author:  Chelsea Fine
Pages:  378
Genre:  Paranormal Young Adult
Publisher:  Acacia Publishing
Obtained:  From Publisher for Blog Tour
Summary:  Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery... until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out her her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past... might just be the death of her.

The Dish:  Oh my... I want more!  That's how I felt while reading Chelsea Fine's Anew.  I'll admit I had a completely different story in mind when I first read the summary, and Fine definitely delivered a heart-pounding story.  And when I say "heart-pounding" I mean literally in our heroine's case.

After waking up two years prior with no recollection of any memories, Scarlet has been living as normal a life as she can manage in Avalon, Georgia.  She has a guardian who provides for her every need, a best friend who brings her happiness, and she has just started seeing one of the most gorgeous of guys.  Despite these things, Scarlet wants to know about her past, about who she is and why she would have been left in the forest alone without anyone coming to look for her in the past two years.

Scarlet is an amazing character.  With all that she has been through in first trying to figure out who she is and then in dealing with the fact that she is living with a curse that forces her to die, I would have freaked out a lot sooner than her.  She's a strong person and an admirable girl.  What confused me was after she found out about Gabriel and Tristan and how she couldn't understand why she was so drawn to one brother.  Granted, with the way one treated her versus how the other treated her, her confusion was rather justified.

I was very intrigued and smitten with both Gabriel and Tristan Archer, but at the same time, the mystery behind their curse was a factor that really pushed me through the story.  There was one brother that really caught my attention, and I'm very curious to see what will happen in the next book.

While some of the questions put forth in the story were answered, there were others that had yet to be resolved.  Readers will love the dynamic between Scarlet, Gabriel, and Tristan as well as the mystery behind their curse, though I highly recommend having Awry, the second book, on hand.

Thanks to Acacia Publishing, I have one physical copy of Anew for US residents and one ebook copy for International residents!  Enter below to win a copy of Anew by Chelsea Fine!

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Blog Tour: Anew by Chelsea Fine

I'm happy to welcome author Chelsea Fine and to participate in the blog tour for the first book in Chelsea's Archers of Avalon series, Anew.  Please give a warm welcome to Chelsea Fine as she discusses the background behind her idea for the Archers of Avalon.

The Fountain of Youth, Archers of Avalon Style

By Chelsea Fine

Nearly every culture in the world has their own legend of the Fountain of Youth, also known as the Water of Life, the Elixir of Immortality, and the Fountain of Bounty. Names for this sought-after fountain have come and gone through the years and across the world, but the desire for eternal life has yet to fade from human existence. Because with life being as fleeting and frail as it is, who doesn’t want to be immortal?

When I was first developing my Archers of Avalon series I knew I wanted to make my characters immortal, but I didn’t want them to be creatures. While vampires, fairies, and angels are intriguing subjects, they are still creatures. I wanted to write a story about human beings who happened to have eternal life. But how would a person go about becoming immortal?

 The Fountain of Youth.

 In American history, legend has it that a Spanish explorer named Ponce de Leon traveled to North America in the sixteenth century and allegedly discovered the Fountain of Youth in northern Florida.

My Archers of Avalon series is set in the small town of Avalon, Georgia—just a short distance away from the supposed location of this mythical fountain. Coincidence? I think not. J

While my interest in the Fountain of Youth started out as just research for my books, it has slowly turned into a fascination of mine. Which is ironic because, in my story, water from the Fountain of Youth is entrancing, yet dangerously addictive, stealing the life from those who consume it.

But my immortal characters (two brothers) are not trying to drink the water. They are searching for the fountain so they may undo a curse that has plagued them for centuries and threatens to kill the girl they both love. This curse was sealed by their eternal blood and can only be broken by the very thing that gave them their immortality in the first place; water from the Fountain of Youth.

And so the story begins….  ;)

Thank you, Chelsea, and it's wonderful to see your take on the Fountain of Youth as a means of creating immortal humans.

About the Author:

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, AZ where she spends most of her time writing young adult fiction, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs.  Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks.  She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen. 

 Find Chelsea on:

Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Website

About the Book: 

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in a forest alone, afraid, and with no memory. Lost and confused, her past was a complete mystery... until she met Gabriel Archer. Intrigued by his voice and its familiarity, Scarlet immerses herself in his life only to stumble on a secret. Gabriel has a brother. Once Scarlet meets Tristan Archer, her life becomes even more muddled. She's instinctively drawn to both of them and confused out of her mind. She can't figure out why Gabriel feels so familiar or why she's so attracted to Tristan. But the Archer brothers have more than just one secret and they know a lot about Scarlet that she doesn't--including the fact that she's cursed. They all are. 

Find Anew at: 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Website 

Please be sure to visit other blogs on the tour linked here!

Review: The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen

Title:  The Mephisto Covenant (Mephisto Covenant #1)
Author:  Trinity Faegen
Pages:  434
Genre:  Paranormal Young Adult Literature
Publisher:  Egmont USA
Obtained:  Library
Summary:  Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger--she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx's biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant--God's promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he's finally found the girl he's been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

The Dish:  Sasha has a lot being thrown at her all at once.  Within a single day, she's confronted the leader of a supposed cult to find out about her father's murder, stoned by members of said cult, rescued by a young man dressed in black, and had her memories erased of anything about said man.  When she gets home after all of this has happened, she learns her mother is being departed to Russia for being suspected as a spy, and Sasha is going to live with the uncle and aunt she never knew about.  May I take a break from the Tilt-O-Whirl of events, please?

With everything that's being hurled at Sasha, I'm surprised she's still standing and able to take in everything.  I admire that aspect about her as a character, but there were some issues I had with her behavior, too.  Yes, I realize it might have been due to her proximity to Jax, but to see her constantly stating, "No, I have to stay away from him," and then turn right around to run to the one she thought was "not right" was driving me up the wall.  It felt like I was at Wimbledon watching Sasha going from one side of the court to the next. 

Other than being a Son of Hell, Jax didn't seem like that bad of a guy.  What he does is ultimately for the greater good even though it means no redemption for the Lost Souls from humans who pledged themselves to Eryx.  And when it came to Sasha, it appeared as though he did everything in his power to help her, which really speaks of his character and the fact that he does want redemption from God.  It was nice to also be introduced to his five brothers as I believe each of them will be a focus for the next books in The Mephisto Covenant series. 

What was rather disheartening was how quickly certain people seemed to give up and follow Eryx.  Were they that desperate enough to give up their souls?  I won't go into greater detail because I don't want to spoil the story, but it was something that gave more despair to the story sometimes even more than what Sasha had to endure. 

Trinity Faegen has told a story that revolves around the fight between good and evil and given it a new twist.  I was impressed with how Faegen chose to handle the religious aspect of the story, and I'm already curious to see what she has in store for the next book, The Mephisto Kiss. 

Book 6

Waiting on Wedneday: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

The Raven Boys

By Maggie Stiefvater

Publish Date September 18th by Scholastic Press

From Goodreads~

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said. "Either you're his true love...or you killed him."

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them--not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He has it all--family money, good looks, devoted friends--but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore. 

Let's face it, folks, Maggie's done it again, and this one sounds so very mysterious.  I'm eager to see how this fantasy series will turn out with the first novel, and it reminds me a bit of the film, Krabat.  September will be here before we know it, and I'll be getting my hands on a copy as soon as possible.  

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

TGIF (18): Book Series Finales

TGIF is a weekly meme created and hosted by Ginger of GReads! that recaps the week's posts and has a different question each week.

This week on Denim-Jacket Librarian Dishes:

In My Mailbox (28)

Guest Post from S.J. Bell Author of Bonds of Fenris

Top Ten Tuesday (41): Books to Read in a Day

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

***

Which book from any series has been your favorite ending?  What about your least favorite?

My Answer:  I haven't finished many series, most likely because I read a lot of stand-alones and also have just read the first and second books of the series I've started.  This is my reason for not having a least favorite series ending.  I really loved the ending of the Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder and a close second is The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. 

In My Mailbox (26)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers post about the books they have received in the past week whether for review, purchased, or checked out from the library. ^_^

Bought:

Lord of Rage (Royal House of Shadows Book 2) by Jill Monroe

This one was such a bear (pardon the pun) trying to find in any bookstores, so I snatched it up once I spotted it!

Soulless Volume 1 by Gail Carriger and illustrated by Rem

I'm actually more inspired to read the series now that I've read the first volume.

A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang
Yep, I just had to get this one since I enjoyed A Brush of Darkness so much.

Won:

Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees

Won from Reading Lark's Emptying the Nest Contest

That's all for me this week. What did you get in your mailbox?