Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication date: February 10, 2015
Pages: 320
Rating: 5/5 stars
Purchase: Barnes and Noble

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers. To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change. Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control. But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? 

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The Heir is Almost Here!

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

You guys! The Heir comes out in a day and I cannot hold my excitement any longer. We've waited too long to get to know America and Maxon's precious daughter, and now we're so close to finally meeting her in beautiful hardcover.

I know some chapters have been unlocked, but I have resisted the urge to read them. I just couldn't imagine how I would cope with missing chapters. Anyway, I can't wait to get my hands on the book. To "tame" my giddiness, let me share what I would like to see in The Heir.

1. America and Maxon - I know this isn't their story anymore, but I still want to see what happened to our favorite couple. How's married life for them? Are they still keeping the fire burning *eyebrow wiggle*? Ear tugs anywhere?
2. A strong lead - As much as I liked the romance in The Selection to The One, I want to see less romance in this book, with a strong female character that defies expectations.
3. Princessy stuff - I just wanna see how a princess lives, okay? 
4. An explanation - Why is there still a Selection? I thought they would have banned it after The One, but apparently it's still around. I just want to know why keeping it is important. (Was this explained in any of the books? If it was, sorry! It's been a long time since I've read them.)

What do you want to see in The Heir? Let me know in the comments section!

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To Post or Not to Post?

 

Hey, guys. I need your help. Lately I've been thinking of posting my work on Wattpad. They're just some of the novels I've written over the past couple of years, mostly in the Young Adult area, leaning more towards the romance and sci-fi genres.  I've heard and read that some Wattpad writers have gotten publishing deals from the views their works have received, and while that sounds exciting, what I really want is feedback from readers. Only very few people have read my novels, partly because I'm choosy with who gets to read them. However, I've realized that for me to improve, I need to hear what actual readers think. 

But here's the thing: I'm also afraid of posting because I don't know what security I can get. I accept that my work isn't 100% perfect and that I'd be too pretentious if I would say that it's the kind of thing that people would "steal", but I feel like my ideas are my babies, and I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to them like, I don't know, if someone stole them. I'm just extremely overprotective.

So what do you think? Should I post or not? Do you read/use Wattpad, and if so, what can you say about the site? Your response will mean so much to me. Thank you so much.

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Cleo by Lucy Coats

Title: Cleo
Author: Lucy Coats
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication date: May 7, 2015
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Her precious mother is dead - and it isn't an accident! The young Cleopatra - Pharaoh's illegitimate daughter - must flee the royal palace at Alexandria or die too. As her evil half-sisters usurp the throne, Cleo finds sanctuary at the sacred temple of Isis, where years later she becomes initiated into the secret Sisters of the Living Knot. But now Isis's power is failing, Egypt is in danger, and Cleo must prove her loyalty to her goddess by returning to the Alexandria she hates. She must seek out the hidden map which is the key to returning Isis's power - on pain of death. But will she be able to evade her horrible sisters? And will she find dreamy Khai, the über-hot Librarian boy she met as she fled Alexandria years before? Cleo's powerful destiny is about to unfold...

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Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel

Title: Charlie, Presumed Dead
Author: Anne Heltzel
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: June 2, 2015
Pages: 272
Rating: 5/5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie. Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their own. No one knows whom to trust in this thrilling tale of suspense and deception.

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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tom Doherty
Publication date: October 17, 2011
Pages: 316
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life. 

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