Cover Alert! Endgame by Ann Aguirre (Be still my HEART!)

The cover to final book in the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre has been released! My opinion? FABULOUS. Seriously, the covers of this series are some of my all-time favourites... and Endgame is no exception. Like the books that came before it, it shows Jax (with her latest hair-do) looking kick-ass in a location that is actually related to the book. See, publishers? It is possible to have a cover that relates back to the book and is aesthetically pleasing!

Anyhow, take a look!

Endgame (Sirantha Jax #6) by Ann Aguirre 

Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait…

Her final mission takes her to La’heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Since then, the La’hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors.

All that’s about to change.

Now, as part of a grass-roots resistance, Jax means to liberate the La’hengrin. Political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her; this will be the most dangerous game she’s ever played—spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts, and everyone might not make it out alive…

Cover Alert! The Calling (UK) by Kelley Armstrong

Eep! I always get excited when a new cover comes out for Kelley Armstrong's books - but this one is especially exciting. Everyone, take a look at the UK cover of The Calling!

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong - Goodreads

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is - a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents including local bad boy Rafe, with whom she shares a dangerous, powerful secret. Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. After a terrifying helicopter crash, they find themselves stranded in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. But can Maya really trust her friends? And can she learn how to control the frightening new gift she has discovered before it controls her?

I adore the UK covers of the Darkness Rising series: I love how fierce the girls on the cover are; I love how the cover artists don't shy away from using a full face; I love the inclusion of the woods and wildlife. Love love love. My only issue with this cover is with the girl... she just looks a bit too Anglo. Which is odd considering how very non-Anglo the cover model of The Gathering was. Perhaps this is supposed to be a different character? Or perhaps they still plan on changing the model? This is clearly a preliminary cover (those editing lines can still be seen) so they may still make adjustments...  but besides the model, I really do adore this cover!

Read my OMG-this-book-is-amazing review of The Gathering here!

Book Notes: Scandals and Signings and Shakespeare, oh my!

Book Notes highlights bookish news, reviews, curiosities and gossip spotted across the blogosphere. May the drama be with you...

De-Gay YA

When I heard the news that a well-respected agency tried to get two authors to "de-gay" their YA novel, I can't say I was shocked. In fact, what surprised me was that the authors had come out and told their story to the mainstream press. I am sure this kind of thing goes on all the time, we just never hear about it... And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the agency came out denying everything. Which is certainly a new crisis management technique! Aja gives you the full scoop (and a very healthy rant) in her article in The Mary Sue. Read it!

New author deals

In other, less terrifying news, there have been some pretty brilliant new deals signed between authors and their publishers. Here are the ones I am particularly excited about:

• Historical Fiction writer Phillipa Gregory has signed with Simon and Schuster to write 4 YA Historical Fiction novels. The first will be published in summer 2012. I've never read any of Gregory's work, but it is exciting to have her in the genre! More on Dark Faerie Tales.
• Dark Life author Kat Falls will be publishing a dystopian romance trilogy with Scholastic. The first book, The Fetch, will be out in autumn 2012. I loved Dark Life, so I am really looking forward to what else Kat comes up with. More on Presenting Lenore.
• One of my favourite authors, Ann Aguirre, will be publishing an all-new science fiction trilogy with Ace. The books have been pitched as "prison break - in space", so needless to say that I am desperate to read them! They'll be out in autumn 2013. More on Ann Aguirre's website. 
• Rag & Bones is a new YA anthology, edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt, that will feature a whole bunch of my favourite authors. Among them: Kelley Armstrong! It is being published in 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (World). More on Tez Says.

New Covers

There are always new stunning and not-so-stunning covers coming out. But these are the ones that have really caught my eye:

 

• Illuminate by Aimee Agresti - I know, another red dress. But the summary for this book is just so intriguing!
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth - I haven't read Divergent and I really never planned to... but this cover is just so lovely! I am really tempted to pick up the first book in the series now! 
• The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellsion - No idea what this is about, but I find the cover gorgeously spooky. It's Dexter meets butterflies...

 

• Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - This cover is so spooky! Maybe I am developing a new love for somewhat terrifying things, because I just find this cover amazing.
• If I Die by Rachel Vincent - I have but one word: F-I-E-R-C-E. 

UK Signings!

Some big names are coming to the UK. Some seriously, seriously big names! I really hope y'all can make some of these great signings:

• Christopher Paolini will be at Forbidden Planet on Wednesday 28 September! Christopher Paolini will be signing the first three volumes of The Inheritance Cycle at the Forbidden Planet Megastore. The signing is a lead-up to the publication of the final book in the cycle. I tried to read Christopher's books, but they aren't for me. Even still, I find the story of his publication extremely inspiring! For more information about this signing, see the Forbidden Planet website. 
• Erin Morgenstern, author of the highly anticipated The Night Circus will be discussing her fin-de-siècle fantasia of magic and mischief at Foyles in Bristol, Monday 10 October. I have been dying to read this book - so it's extremely exciting that the author is coming to the UK! Read more here.
• Peter F Hamilton will be signing his short story collection Manhattan in Reverse at the Forbidden Planet Megastore on Thursday 6 October. While I haven't had the chance to read any of Peter's works yet, he is an absolute rock star in the SF genre!More details on the Forbidden Planet website.
• Christopher Priest, the multiple award-winning fantasy/SF/horror author will be at London Foyles not once, but twice! He'll be in the Gallery discussing his career and new book, The Islanders, on 29 September. Read more here. And then he'll be back for the "House of Fear" event along with Sarah Pinborough and Paul Meloy. Read more here.
• Moira Young and Philip Reeve will be doing a joint chat in Guildhall, Bath on Sunday, 25 September. Tickets are £5, but I am sure the event will be unforgettable! More information is available on the Waterstones website.

The waters of the Avon...

And last but not least, Oxford Dictionaires has a great new online test for you all... How Shakespearean are you? You just stick a bit of your own writing into a box, and they give you a verdict. Apparently my English is 81 percent Shakespearean. "The waters of the Avon almost lap at your feet."
Give it a go!

Cover Alert! The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

I've just discovered the US cover for the second book in the Darkness Rising series by Kelley Armstrong, and I am loving it!  I was not overly keen on the US cover to the first in this trilogy, The Gathering (which I loved, by the way), but with this book, I am starting to come round.  I know Kelley plans on introducing Derek and Chloe into this trilogy, and I can only hope that that happens in book 2!

The Calling (Darkness Rising #2) by Kelley Armstrong

April 2012 - Goodreads

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!

Now I am extremely eager to find out what the UK publishers will come up with!

Shelf Analysis - YA has (another) Heart Attack

Once upon a time, I wrote a post about a YA trend that involved hearts. Lots and lots of hearts.  Well, apparently hearty covers must really be selling well, as they are still absolutely everywhere.  And, the more I looked into it, the more I found heart-astic covers on not-so-recent releases.  It's been something we've been stumbling into over the last 5 or so years.

In other words, the heart is here to stay.

 

You Had Me At Halo by Amanda Ashby

Undercover by Beth Kaphart

 

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

 

In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

 

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

 

Dangerous to Know by Katy Moran

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

 

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Recovery Road by Blake Nelson

While some of these I find rather blah (see Fauxmance), there are also some pretty unusual takes on the idea.  Like the last two with a girl making a heart with her hands - it's cute but also slightly sad...

But my favourite has to be the very first - You Had Me At Halo.  The pun is fantastic and the cover adorable - all round, very cute!

Favourites anyone?

Cover Alert! Muse by Rebecca Lim

Yet again, I spotted a gorgeous cover over on Tez Says - this time, the UK cover to the third (and final?) book in the Mercy series, Muse.  I was not at all keen on the UK cover of Exile (Book 2) although I adored the cover to Mercy (not to mention I loved the book too!).  But this cover?  So friggin' gorgeous I can't even speak:

While I'm at it, let me talk about why I am really starting to love all three of the UK covers.  You see, Mercy is in a different body in every book.  She changes, both physically and mentally, and becomes a whole new character (albeit, with a certain something that makes her Mercy).  So while it makes sense for the covers to be similar, it is also rather important that the cover images be very different.  So even though I am not a big fan of the Exile cover, I like how the publishers have kept the same gorgeous font on dramatically different images.  Take a look:

However, I still really like the Australian covers for this book.  There's a certain otherworldly elegance to them that I just can't get enough of:

Needless to say, I cannot wait for Exile to come out - May 1st in Australia, June 9th in the UK!   I'm also very very happy that I don't have to wait an age for Muse to come out, as it is supposed to be released at the end of this summer.  I think this will be one of those series I buy multiple copies of!

(P.S. Notice how I didn't rant and rave about the hideousness that is the US cover?  That's how you know I'm in a good mood today.)

ETA: So, there is definitely going to be a fourth book in this series: Fury.  Which, according to HarperCollins UK, won't be out until June 2012.  Aaages from now.  But still, a fourth book!  Yay!

Cover Alert! Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells

So, I was scrolling through twitter when, lo and behold, I saw that the cover to Jaye Wells' fourth book in her Sabina Kane series had been unveiled!  Take a look at the pretty:

This is probably my favourite cover yet.  For the first time, we get a bit of a background behind Sabina, but it doesn't change the tone of the covers at all.  Sabina is looking fiercer than ever!  I am super happy about this cover, as the cover tease Jaye gave us a few months ago had me worried it would descend into the mid-drift-baring badness that dominates most UF.  But not for our girl Sabina!

Anyhow, you will no doubt be seeing this cover a few more times this year - as the book does not (alas) come out until January 2012. *sighs*

Cover Alert! Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

My GOD, I know it has been an age and a half - but I have been hit by my annual case of reading slump.  Usually happens this time of year (seriously, it is clockwork - this must be my 5th annual reading slump?) as this is when I get back into the groove of studying - in this case, working!

Anyhow, I needed to share the awesome news I saw on twitter... the cover to Simone Elkeles's third book in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy: CHAIN REACTION.

I really like it - albeit not as much as the covers for Rules of Attraction and Perfect Chemistry.  I have a feeling it is going to be quite a, er, steamy book... friggin awesome.  Anyhow, it will fit perfectly next to the two on my shelves!  Super exciting!

Chain Reaction will be out on May 24th, 2011.... So what do y'all think?

Shelf Analysis - YA has a Heart Attack

You might have heard that the Vampire Academy books in the UK are to be rereleased with brand new covers.  Very exciting, of course, as it is bound to attract more readers – hopefully by the masses.  And despite how lovely the new cover is, I can not say that I am a fan.  Why?  Well, take a look.

 

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead – New Edition

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

This book has suffered from its cover, at least on my behalf.  I saw it in the store and thought it was Claire de Lune!  It wasn’t until I saw The Bookette’s review that I remembered that I had seen this book on the shelves… that said, really want a copy!

 

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma 

One of the few times this cover is applicable.  Hello, incestuous relationship?  Certainly merits a barbed-wire heart.

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson 

Not quite as hearty as some of the other covers, but it is still clear what they were going for!

 

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Love this cover, but my goodness gracious is it ever the same as the cover of Forbidden!

The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Jen Bryant

This is the US cover, but I think the UK cover will be the same.  Lovely ghost-smoke effect… but, er, yeah.

I noticed the glaring similarities between The Dark and Hollow Places and Forbidden a couple of months ago, but it seems that publishers have gone crazy with this new trend.  When is unfortunate is that, unless you are really focussing, these covers blur together.  Unlike the Twilight-effect on YA covers – which, at least, resulted in some vaguely distinguishable book covers – I have a feeling all of these books will just blend together and then no one will end up buying any of them.  *frets*  Is no one else worried?

Cover Alert! New 2011 YA Cover Art

Here are a few new book covers that you may or may not have seen about the blogosphere – loads seem to have just come out, but these are the ones I have been waiting for!  Some aren’t that fantastic – actually, I’d say most are a bit bland – but what do y’all think?

 

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson – May 5th 2011 by Orchard Books

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater – July 12th 2011 by Scholastic Press

 

Bite Club by Rachel Caine – April 2011 by Signet

Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs – June 28th 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

Defiance by Lili St. Crow – April 2011 by Penguin / Razorbill

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder – UK Cover –  January 1st 2011 by Mira Books

Cover Alert! The Gathering (UK) by Kelley Armstrong

OMG there is a new cover for The Gathering!  Apparently the UK publishers, in their infinite wisdom (and no, I am not being a smart ass this time), decided to revamp the cover for Kelley Armstrong’s first book in her new YA trilogy Darkness Rising.  The US cover (which I flailed about here) was all well and good, but I think that this cover is just brilliant.

 

 

Isn’t it just lovely?  I think there might be a revamp of this version before it comes out, but I am extremely excited nonetheless! Kelley Armstrong wrote about the new UK covers on her Darkest Powers blog, and kindly put up a very high quality version of the cover.

 

So… what do you think!?

Shelf Analysis: ARCs vs. Final Copies

You know that feeling when you see the cover of a new book for the first time and think “I need to know that book”.  I think of it like falling for someone the first time.  Where you see them is important (coffee store or university library - science fiction shelf or biographies), and so is their reputation (whether they are friends of friends – if there is a quote from your favourite author on the cover).  But let’s all be honest, good looks come first.  If they aren’t attractive you won’t go out of your way to get to know them.  Sure, you can fall for someone who looks like Jensen Ackles and they can turn out to be a complete waste of neurons – just like that bloody Hush, Hush book and…

Ok, maybe I went a bit crazy with the metaphor.  But I think you get my point.

Looks matter.  Book covers matter.  They meet your eyes across a crowded bookstore and scream “Pick me!” until you give in.

But sometimes the unthinkable happens.  You fall in love with a cover, the cover of a book you haven’t yet had the chance to read and enjoy but, golly gosh, you have so much hope because surely a book that pretty must be brilliant.  Then, publishing day finally arrives and…

The publishers have changed the cover.

I’ve complied a few recent examples of changes for good and for ill.  I have some pretty fierce opinions about them all, but please let me know yours! 

 

very old // old // new

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (September 14th, 2010)

Even though I am super excited about this book, I can’t say I am overly in love with any of the covers.  The first was very much an ARC cover, the second (my favourite) looks a bit bland, and the final cover looks like it belongs on a PNR shelf – not YA.  Honestly, how old are those models?

 

old // new

Ghost Town (UK cover) by Rachel Caine (October 26th, 2010)

The new cover for this book just came out in Rachel’s newsletter, and while it is a small change… I am not sure I love it.  I am used the the covers of Caine’s Morganville Series to feature random!girls and crappy backgrounds – but this cover so obviously features Eve, and that is bizarre in itself.  I was perfectly happy with my own picture of Eve, and frankly?  This one kinda creeps me out.  I shall likely be getting the hardcover US edition – especially considering my UK copy of Kiss of Death had pages falling out after a single read!

 

old // new

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (January 1st, 2010)

There have been a lot of ARC covers for this book out on the wild-web as it was featured on Teen Fire to help the publishers choose a cover.  This new cover is currently considered the “final” one, but it may change.  Even though I LOVE new cover (*pets*), I think the original was much more guy-friendly.  :/

  

old // old // already out on the bloody shelves

Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

Ok, I have waited a long time to rant about this cover, so – er – take cover. 

I HATE the covers for Betrayals and Jealousy – the second and third books in the Strange Angels series.  And the transition from brilliance (Strange Angels cover) to complete and utter crap (Jealousy cover) can be seen right here.

The Strange Angels series is about Dru and her complete and utter misery (oh, and vampires and whatnot).  It is not about her romantic entanglements – which, while brilliant to read, are not fundamental to the plot.  But looking at the covers to Betrayals and Jealousy you would think that that is all they are about.  That the only thought Dru has is “woe is me, I have two hunky boys to choose from!".  And that?  That pisses me off.  This is Dru we are talking about here.

The original cover for Betrayals (furthest left) is fantastic.  It matches the Strange Angels cover, and Dru looks like the tough, depressed girl she is.  She has her hood up and her hair all over the place - she can clearly kick your ass.  In the final cover she has her hood down – because gosh let’s not intimidate the cheerleaders – and pushed back.  Oh, and there are two emo guys watching her every move.

I think Betrayals laid the way for the craptastic cover of Jealousy.  The publishers decided a change of direction was in order, and decided to ignore Dru’s angsty goodness and focus on the love triangle.  Et voila!  Let’s dress her up as a prom queen and put her in the arms of some protective hunk - because that’s all teen girls want anyways.  *slams head on table repeatedly*

How can you not get pissed off by this???

*gets off soapbox*

Anyhow, opinions anyone?

Shelf Analysis: Forbidden vs. The Dark and Hollow Places

Soo... I was checking out the lovely UK cover to Carrie Ryan's third book The Dark and Hollow Places and I had a slight WTF moment. Just take a look:

 

Yup, that's right.  The Zombie Apocalypse book and the Incestuous Teen Romance have virtually the same cover.  Totally gorgeous covers, I'll admit - but seriously?  *stares*

Now, apparently the whole barbed wire thing is quite relevant to The Dark and Hollow Places plot.  And the whole forbidden romance thing is really expressed wonderfully on the cover of Forbidden.

Despite the ludicrous similarity - I am totally down with barbed wire hearts becoming the new Twilight cover.  I much prefer this UK cover of The Dark and Hollow Places over the US cover.  I still believe the cover to Forbidden is absolutely  perfect for the content.