Crystal Crowned Cover Reveal + GIVEAWAY!

The last book is here. . . so much sadness, and yet, so much EXCITEMENT!!! Before we take a look at the new cover, let’s take a trip back over the last eight, almost nine months, since we saw the first beautiful cover of this series. . .

They are all so beautiful!

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And for the FINALE!

Long live Solaris.

One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped. She fights as the champion of peace, but when the night is darkest will she be able to pay the price of a new dawn?

Is it not beautiful?!?

Personally, it is my favorite of the whole series. Below is more info on where you can purchase each of the books in the series, as a well as preorder links for Crystal Crowned which, by the way, comes out July 12th! Also below is some info on the author, the awesome Elise Kova, and how to enter the giveaway she is doing for the release of Water’s Wrath next Tuesday.

Purchase Links:

Air Awakens:

Fire Falling:

Earth’s End:

Water’s Wrath (Preorder):

Crystal Crowned (Preorder):

About the Author

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she’s honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she’s currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of “geekdom.” She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook.

Follow Elise Kova on Goodreads

Follow Elise Kova on Amazon

My Website:http://www.EliseKova.com

My Social Media:

• Twitter: @EliseKova
• Instagram: @Elise.Kova
• Tumblr: EliseKova
• Facebook: Elise Kova
• My Goodreads:
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8306309.Elise_Kova

And here’s the Giveaway!

FYI – There are two.  One for a cover print from the Air Awakens series and one for a Swag Pack and a Crystal Crowned paperback.

Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Earth’s End

Book Review: Earth’s End

Synopsis

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

Review

So many feels with this one!!  Relief, elation, laugh out loud hilarity, love, rage, annoyance, and feeling super impressed with some Vhalla badassery.  So many feels!  Elise Kova impresses once again with her writing, character development, and story writing.  

I just have to come out and say that I really appreciated the lack of recapping and overview at the beginning of the novel.  When reading a series, I feel the reader doesn’t need to be reminded of what happened in the last book, especially since  the books are being released so close together and not a year or more apart.

Vhalla has some serious decisions to make during this novel.  More often than not, her decisions simply boil down to this:  she must decide between what is right and what is easy. In regards to the war in the North, does she choose what is right by saving the North? Or does she choose what is easy by killing all the Northern people, so they don’t suffer more at the hands of the South? This is where Vhalla collides with the emperor once she figures out what his plans are.

The emperor makes me so angry. I got so frustrated with him. He is a power hungry idiot, and thinks of noone but himself! We are finally seeing his true colors in this book. He is willing to tear down the ones around him.  We are seeing his corruption, his wrecklessness, and his carelessness for his sons, his people and his country. Uuuuggh!!

Now that I’m done complaining about the Emperor, can we just take a minute to appreciate the beauty of Elise Kova’s writing! Elise is able to bring her setting and characters to life as you’re reading, so that you feel as though you are there with them.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes!!

** “His voice was a silken spell that held her in perfect thrall.”

** “The Emperor’s voice slithered across the room, and all levity shriveled up and died,”

** “It was like trying to wash the blood off their hands with mud, no matter that they were filthy with the acts that they were performing.”

 

This is how I feel when I come across outstanding quotes in a novel!

 

From here, I  must give a warning. If you have not yet read Earth’s End, and do not want to find out what they fate of a particular character is from the end of Fire Falling, I must give you a spoiler warning because below I talk about the characters in Earth’s End, so, SPOILER WARNING!!!!

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Characters

Vhalla – At the beginning of Earth’s End, Vhalla seems so human.  She is unsure of herself and questioning who she is and what she is capable of doing, but, once again, she becomes a badass. Standing up to the men in her life that don’t believe in who she is and who she can be. She is a reminder to me that I can be both a strong and delicate person.  That I can be a leader and who I am, as a woman, in the same being, and be good at both of those things.

Aldrik – It is really interesting, and I don’t think I noticed it until writing this post, but Aldrik and Vhalla seem to have opposite character development in this book. Aldrik is strong and stands up to the emperor closer to the beginning of the book, and as the novel continues Aldrik seems to become weaker. While he is still there as Vhalla’s support, he does give in to his father in the end, and he does not seem to be an individual anymore.  He is “attached” to Vhalla, and as my sister over at Between Pages put it, he turns into a bit of a love sick puppy.

Baldair – I am finally able to start trusting Baldair in this book!! Yay! He has some great lines in the book, and I feel as though he really cares for Vhalla, and the relationship she has with his older brother, despite the tension that still exists in Baldair’s and Aldrik’s relationship. He has a great line where he reminds us of what it is to be human and and an adult, and I love it.  “We’re all trying to find our way, no one has it figured out any more than you do, you’re not that special, Miss Windwalker.”

Daniel – I feel both annoyed by and sympathy for Daniel in Earth’s End. Daniel is in an awkward spot, and I think Vhalla takes advantage of him.  It’s not fair for her to use him emotionally without setting boundaries.  

Elecia – I am loving Elecia more and more.  However, I found it a little odd that she was so willing to trust Vhalla all of a sudden at the beginning, but once I figured it out I started to love her.  She seems to be taking Larel place, and I’m ok with that.  Fritz needs someone by his side.

Jax – I absolutely love Jax!! He is sarcastic and sassy.  He sees things that other people don’t, and isn’t necessarily quiet about it. I am really hoping he sticks around for awhile because he is awesome!

Rating

As usual,  Elise Kova delivers a beautifully written story.  The characters are imperfect, as they should be. The plot is fast-paced, and continually moving for the most part, and the writing makes me feel as though I am right there in the camp training with the Tower Guard, or that I am sitting at the meeting table discussing war strategy with Vhalla, Aldrik, Baldair, the Emperor, and the Golden Guard. Due to all the things listed above, gives Earth’s End a A-. The only thing that brings it down to an A- are the pieces of plot that drag and feel repetitive with Vhalla and Aldrik’s love story.

Happy Reading!
Erin

WWW Wednesday 3/2/16

WWW Wednesday 3/2/16

This is my weekly WWW Wednesday post in which I answer three simple questions.  It is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Go check her out, her blog is great!  Each week I will answer the following three questions about what is happening in my book world.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you are going to read next?

So, here we go.

What are you currently reading?

 

**Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

**Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Spring/Summer: Exclusive Excerpts from 20 Top New Titles

 

 

What did you recently finish reading?

 

**Earth’s End by Elise Kova

**Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Reviews on the Firebird series and Earth’s End coming this weekend.

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

(All synopses are from Goodreads)

**Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss

An intoxicating and transcendent debut novel that follows a critic, an artist, and their shared muse as they find their way—and ultimately collide—amid the ever-evolving New York City art scene of the 1980s.

Welcome to SoHo at the onset of the eighties: a gritty, quickly gentrifying playground for artists and writers looking to make it in the big city. Among them: James Bennett, a synesthetic art critic for the New York Times whose unlikely condition enables him to describe art in profound, magical ways, and Raul Engales, an exiled Argentinian painter running from his past and the Dirty War that has enveloped his country. As the two men ascend in the downtown arts scene, dual tragedies strike, and each is faced with a loss that acutely affects his relationship to life and to art.

It is not until they are inadvertently brought together by Lucy Olliason—a small town beauty and Raul’s muse—and a young orphan boy sent mysteriously from Buenos Aires that James and Raul are able to rediscover some semblance of what they’ve lost.

As inventive as Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad and as sweeping as Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings, Tuesday Nights in 1980 boldly renders a complex moment when the meaning and nature of art is being all but upended, and New York City as a whole is reinventing itself. In risk-taking prose that is as powerful as it is playful, Molly Prentiss deftly explores the need for beauty, community, creation, and love in an ever-changing urban landscape.

**A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

I can’t wait to hear what all of you are reading!  Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

Erin

Goodbye and Hello: February Wrap-Up/March TBR

Goodbye and Hello: February Wrap-Up and March TBR

February Books:

Finding the Sky by A.M. Burns

Loved it! Review here.

A Thousand Pieces of You  by Claudia Gray

Really enjoyed this one and it’s sequel. Super excited for the third one because, man, Claudia Gray knows how to write a cliffhanger.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Review for both A Thousand Pieces of You and Ten Thousand Skies Above You is coming this weekend.

Earth’s End by Elise Kova

Oh my god, Elise Kova, you are a goddess. You have no idea how much I appreciate a series of books being released so close together, and all of them being as amazing as they are! If you guys haven’t picked the Air Awakens series yet, DO IT. You won’t regret it!  My review for this one will be up this weekend as well.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

I really think the next trend in YA is going to be historical fiction, and this one did not disappoint.  Historical fiction mixed with a tiny bit of paranormal was very cool, and it had a crazy ending.  Review for this one will be up March 7th.

March Books:

I am finally, after months of saying I’m going to read them, going to tackle the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin this month with a few books in between that I’m really excited about.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held sway over an age of enforced peace are dead…victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard’s son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King’s Landing. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers.

A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and wartime. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors.

Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment;a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords…

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

With A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth volume of the landmark series that has redefined imaginative fiction and stands as a modern masterpiece in the making.

After centuries of bitter strife, the seven powers dividing the land have beaten one another into an uneasy truce. But it’s not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes…and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance — beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone — a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

Why I Want to Read the Series?

I have been a fan of the show since the beginning, and I love fantasy.  So many of my friends have recommended it to me and have been waiting for me to read it for over a year.  This is the year that I’m going to tackle it despite the book series not being completed, damn you, George R.R. Martin!  Can’t wait!!

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Claire

The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

Why I Want to Read It?

Oh my goodness! I have been waiting for this book for what feels like forever. I was so mad when it’s release date got pushed back 6 months. But, now IT’S HERE!!! Why wouldn’t I want to read? It is connected to one of my favorite YA book series of all time, and I love that Cassandra Claire continues to find ways to wrap us in and keep us connected to the Shadowhunter world and the same Shadow hunter families.

What are you guys reading this month??

Happy Reading!
Erin

Water’s Wrath Cover Reveal! and Giveaway!

Water’s Wrath Cover Reveal! and Giveaway!

I am so excited to bring you this today!! I have several things for you all:

1. The cover reveal of Elise Kova’s fourth book in the Air Awakens series: Water’s Wrath.
2. The synopsis for Water’s Wrath.
3. A Cover Reveal Exclusive featuring Elise Kova’s thoughts on the covers of her novels.
4. A Giveaway!

Air Awakens Series

If you haven’t already heard of or taken the time to check out the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova, I would strongly encourage you to do so, especially if you are into YA Fantasy literature.  Here is all the information you could possibly need to check it out:

Air Awakens

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond…

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

Air Awakens on Goodreads

Fire Falling

Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?

Fire Falling is the second book in the Air Awakens Series.

Fire Falling (Air Awakens #2) on Goodreads

Earth’s End

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

Earth’s End (Air Awakens #3) on Goodreads

And finally…

Water’s Wrath

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Synopsis:

Librarian turned sorcerer. Sorcerer turned hero. Hero turned puppet.

The Solaris Empire found victory in the North and, at the cost of her heart and her innocence, Vhalla Yarl has earned her freedom. But the true fight is only beginning as the secret forces that have been lurking in the shadows, tugging at the strings of Vhalla’s fate, finally come to light. Nowhere is safe, and Vhalla must tread carefully or else she’ll fall into the waiting arms of her greatest foe. Or former lover.

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Isn’t it beautiful!?!?  The blues are so pretty!! And, oh my gosh, the synopsis! What’s gonna happen??? But, we don’t have to wait for long! In just over 8 weeks it will be available, so make sure to pre-order it!!  Here’s everything you need to do that:

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│iTunes│Amazon UK

Cover Reveal Exclusive: My Thoughts on the

Covers’ Symbolism So Far

Six months ago, almost to the day, Air Awakens came out. It was my debut novel as an independent author, no publisher and no agent behind me, and I had no idea what would come of it. Now, six months later, I can’t believe I’m revealing the cover on the fourth book of the Air Awakens series.

I say every cover is my favorite, because it gets harder and harder to pick. Each of the covers, in their own way, has been perfect for the book they belong with. My cover artist, Merilliza Chan, is amazing at taking direction and incorporating my suggestions.

Part of why each cover is perfect is because there are little hints, teasers, and call-outs to the story within. Without giving too many spoilers, here’s a couple notes on each of the Air Awakens covers so far!

Air Awakens

First off, notice how Vhalla’s sash is black. In the book, the sash that goes with her apprentice robes is cerulean. This, combined with her robes slowly turning black around the back of the cover is indicative of sorcery making a mark on her. But she hasn’t yet committed, she has yet to don all-black robes. The wind in her hair and sense of movement is a call-out to her affinity. The book in her hands, is representative of three things: her work in the library, the book she exchanges notes in, and the book she brings to the garden. Which, speaking of, the roses around her… well, if you’ve read the book you know what, or who, those are meant to symbolize. But I told Meril I wanted something ominous, something wicked about them. And the thorns going through them were perfect!

Fire Falling

Here is the first cover we see our dark prince on. Fire Falling is named after three incidents in the book… When Aldrik falls to his knees before Vhalla in the Crossroads, the Rites of the FALLen in the Crossroads for another, and the end of the book. Since two of the three aspects of the title of the book related to Aldrik it was only natural that he had to be on the cover. In Fire Falling, Aldrik is beginning to function as a guiding force for Vhalla and, on the cover, he’s looking over his shoulder at her. He can’t openly admit to their association. Vhalla’s eyes are glowing orange and she’s alight, immersed in flame. This was done to symbolize their Bond andJoining. That not only can his flames not harm her, but that he is connected on a mental and magical level. She is also wearing the armor Aldrik crafted for her.

Earth’s End

Now, the symbolism is beginning to get heavy. Vhalla is alone again on the cover, venturing into the wilderness. She’s almost facing the camera, symbolizing how she is growing into her own and becoming a more realized person. In the sky above her is a fire bird. We literally see this formed in the book, but it also is symbolic of a phoenix,
rising from its own ashes. I think this works for Vhalla and Aldrik in their own ways through Earth’s End. The cloak she’s wearing is the one she receives from Tim with slash marks. The watch in her hand was gifted to her. And, in her other hand, we see a special sort of magic… Finally, one other note… Carved into a tree that’s on the back of printed books is a symbol –that is actually the symbol of Shaldan!

About the Author

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she’s honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy toromance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she’s currently working on the next installment inher debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of “geekdom.” She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!

Author Links: Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY!

Win an ARC of Water’s Wrath!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

 

WWW Wednesday 2/17/16

WWW Wednesday 2/17/16

This is my weekly WWW Wednesday post in which I answer three simple questions.  It is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Go check her out, her blog is great!  Each week I will answer the following three questions about what is happening in my book world.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you are going to read next?

So, here we go.

What are you currently reading?

**Earth’s End by Elise Kova

I will definitely finish this one tonight! As with every book so far in the Air Awakens series, Elise pulls you into Vhalla’s world with beautiful description and a wonderfully written story. Look for a review on this one coming very soon.

**Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Spring/Summer: Exclusive Excerpts from 20 Top New Titles

This fourth edition of Buzz Books: Young Adult provides substantial pre-publication excerpts from 20 forthcoming young adult books. Now everyone can share the same access to the newest YA voices the publishing industry is broadcasting for the spring/summer season.

You will find a full range of YA titles previewed here—romance, fantasy, humor, literary and the first installment of five new series. Excerpts include new work from established giants of the field: David Levithan, Richelle Mead, Matthew Quick, and Maggie Stiefvater.

From John Corey Whaley and Kimberly McCreight to Kiersten White and Alyson Noel, this latest edition of Buzz Books: Young Adult has must-read selections from eight New York Times bestselling authors. As always, many Buzz Books are sure to make bestseller and “best of” lists.

Start reading some of the best future books right now, and then share the fun by telling your friends and family to download this free edition of Buzz Books for themselves at any major ebookstore or at www.buzz.publishersmarketplace.com.

For even more great reads, be sure to download Buzz Books 2016: Spring/Summer, also available now, for the best in adult fiction and nonfiction.

What did you recently finish reading?

**Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Review on the Firebird series coming this week.

What do you think you’ll read next?

(All synopses are from Goodreads)

 

**Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

**Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss

An intoxicating and transcendent debut novel that follows a critic, an artist, and their shared muse as they find their way—and ultimately collide—amid the ever-evolving New York City art scene of the 1980s.

Welcome to SoHo at the onset of the eighties: a gritty, quickly gentrifying playground for artists and writers looking to make it in the big city. Among them: James Bennett, a synesthetic art critic for the New York Times whose unlikely condition enables him to describe art in profound, magical ways, and Raul Engales, an exiled Argentinian painter running from his past and the Dirty War that has enveloped his country. As the two men ascend in the downtown arts scene, dual tragedies strike, and each is faced with a loss that acutely affects his relationship to life and to art.

It is not until they are inadvertently brought together by Lucy Olliason—a small town beauty and Raul’s muse—and a young orphan boy sent mysteriously from Buenos Aires that James and Raul are able to rediscover some semblance of what they’ve lost.

As inventive as Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad and as sweeping as Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings, Tuesday Nights in 1980 boldly renders a complex moment when the meaning and nature of art is being all but upended, and New York City as a whole is reinventing itself. In risk-taking prose that is as powerful as it is playful, Molly Prentiss deftly explores the need for beauty, community, creation, and love in an ever-changing urban landscape.

I can’t wait to hear what all of you are reading!  Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

Erin

Earth’s End Book Blitz, GIVEAWAY! & EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Hello All!!

I am extremely excited to be a part of the Earth’s End Book Blitz!  Earth’s End comes out Thursday, February 11th.  Yes, as in tomorrow!! As a part of this very special event and book release, I bring you an EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT and a GIVEAWAY!!

If you haven’t heard of the Air Awakens series, you should definitely check it out. Here are the links to both Air Awakens and Fire Falling on Goodreads.

Air Awakens on Goodreads

Fire Falling on Goodreads

And while you’re there, you might as well add Earth’s End to your TBR list. In case you haven’t done so already, here’s a link to do that as well.

Add Earth’s End on Goodreads

If you haven’t already bought the books and are interested in doing so, and trust me, they are oh so definitely worth the purchase. Here are all the places you can get the Air Awakens series:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│iTunes│Kobo│Amazon UK│Google Play│The BookDepository

If you haven’t read the first two books in the Air Awakens series yet, but want to know more about them, here are my reviews of Air Awakens and Fire Falling.

About the Author

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she’s honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she’s currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of “geekdom.” She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Face

book (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here comes your one and only WARNING!

If you continue to read any further down this page you will stumble upon spoilers in the EXCLUSIVE Earth’s End excerpt I am about to give you.  So, if you do not wish to receive any spoilers due to not having read the previous two books in the series, I would suggest you either stop reading now. Here we go!!

Exclusive Excerpt From Earth’s End

Vhalla snapped the reins and dug her heels into Baston’s sides, forcing him into an all-out run. From above, she heard the shouts of her waking enemy.

Thick and melodic calls erupted in the night, a language completely foreign to Vhalla’s ears. She didn’t have to know the words to know they weren’t friendly, so Vhalla pushed harder, pressing herself to Baston. Vhalla took a breath as she heard arrows being knocked overhead.

The sound of bowstrings being drawn in mass made gooseflesh dot her arms. Another shout, a single word and arrows cut through the air, determined to rain death around her. Even if Vhalla was certain her chainmail would shield her, the horse was completely unarmored; if Baston died, she was as good as dead. Vhalla twisted in her saddle, sweeping a hand through the air. The curtain of wind sent the arrows scattering harmlessly.

They shouted in protest, angst-ridden that she continued on unscathed.

The second assault came faster and hastened Vhalla’s mounting frustration. She had to be out of their range soon. More lights began to blaze above and behind her, casting the ground below in a faint glow. The light illuminated the edge of the city, and Vhalla was forced to stake her life on the hope that once she was out they wouldn’t catch her.

The arrows soared through the air once more and Vhalla twisted, knocking them away in mass. She expected to hear a cry for a third assault, but instead what she heard was even more disheartening. Two words that someone said in a thick Southern Common.

“Wind Demon!”

She became their prey. The sound of thundering hooves came from the direction of where the city first began.

Vhalla crossed under the edge of the city, plunging into the welcoming darkness. Had it been a day ago, Vhalla would not have given those riders a moment’s worry. Baston would outrun any normal horse, plus with her wind he was faster than thunder across the sky. But Baston had been ridden hard with only a brief rest.

Vhalla shifted her vision and peered over her shoulder. In the distance she saw them, riding relentlessly after her.

Sweating, panting, clutching the reins with white knuckles, Vhalla pushed all her energy into the wind at Baston’s and her back. More—they both had to give more. In her blind determination she almost missed the whiz of an arrow through the air.

Vhalla thrust out her arm and stopped the arrow midflight. She closed her fist and threw her arm backwards. The arrow turned and sped back at its original owner. Vhalla watched it soar straight into the Northerner’s eye, the one she pointed a finger at. The man slumped, and then fell off his saddle. She swallowed hard, looking away as the others’ cries grew louder.

Eyes, she would always go for the eyes. Whether someone was or wasn’t a Groundbreaker with stone-like skin was a risk she couldn’t take; she wouldn’t have many shots. Another archer held his bow, waiting for a different opportunity to take his chance.

Baston was already breathing heavy, and Vhalla knew she had to get them off her tail. The four riders behind her rode on fresh mounts and had the advantage of their night’s worth of sleep. Vhalla turned and pointed a finger. Sweeping herhand upward, an arrow freed itself from the other archer’s quiver. With a twist of her wrist, and the keen focus of a killer, Vhalla sent it into the unsuspecting Northerner’s eye.

One of the remaining two riders fell away as they swerved through the trees, his companion pushing forward. As the man swung wide, Vhalla realized they were trying to flank her. Vhalla grabbed for the dagger strapped to her wrist, sending it straight for his eye.

In the process, the woman rider had caught up with Baston, raising a wickedly curved blade toward his haunches. Vhalla threw out her other arm, sending the rider toppling head over heels. It wasn’t chance that the assailant’s blade slit her wielder’s throat in the fall.

Vhalla held out an expectant palm, her own dagger returning to it after a moment.

Wiping the blood on her thigh, she quickly sheathed it against her wrist before grabbing the reins once more. Vhalla swallowed a cry for speed; shouting at the horse would not make it go faster. It would only further compromise her position.

Vhalla pressed her lips together, forcing herself to keep her composure. It was not the first person she had killed. She had killed on the Night of Fire and Wind, she had killed the man who had murdered Larel, and she had killed with her bare hands at the Pass. What had sunk deep into her bones was the acceptance of what she must do. It was knowing she had become a killer. It was how easy it was for her to slay her foes without even thinking of each of them as a whole person that showed Vhalla she’d gone far down a path she’d never wanted. They were entities, enemies, barriers, but they weren’t human.

Distracted by her inner conflict, Vhalla was caught completely off-guard

by the first assault coming from the trees. A Groundbreaker swung down from the air, bringing his sword against the back of her head. Vhalla attempted to dodge at the last second, but it was too late. The blade slipped off her chain mail but it left her vision blurred and her ears ringing.

She blinked, trying to sort her senses as she pushed Baston onward, putting the assailant behind them. Groundbreakers jumped from limb to limb in the trees above her—free and fearless. Vines came to life to meet their extended hands, allowing them to soar through the air. With a twist or a tug, their lifeline shrunk back, curling around branches to pull them upward.

She wanted to feel amazed; perhaps she would have, if these people weren’t out to kill her. Another swung low, and Vhalla dropped off to the side of the saddle to dodge. Righting herself, Vhalla redrew her dagger in one quick motion as a third swung forward to attack. She sent the blade soaring through the vine the Groundbreaker held.

The man fell through the sky; Vhalla’s mind betrayed her, showing a different body plummeting through the air.

With a growl, she turned her blade to the next Northerner she saw, relying on the same tactic. She would show them why one did not hang above the head of the Windwalker. The other body fell with a sickening thud, and Vhalla left them behind her. With a twitch of her wrist, her blade returned to her hand.

Baston’s pace had slowed, and Vhalla snapped his reins again. This was the first time the beast did not heed her command, and she felt uneasiness settle across her.

Five Northerners still jumped from tree to tree overhead as dawn began to fade into early morning. Vhalla wondered if they were biding their time for rider and mount to tire. If she were they, she’d do the same thing. Baston’s sides heaved with exhaustion.

Their presence began to wear on Vhalla, and she watched them with bated breath, waiting for the next assault. Another hour passed and Baston slowed to a trot; she expected this to be the moment they attacked. But the Northerners held fast, following from welcoming branch to welcoming branch, each bent to meet their feet and hands.

They were toying with her, like cats with a mouse.

****

OH MY GOSH!!!  So much excitement, and still so many questions!! What’s going on with Vhalla? We know who’s chasing her, but how is she going to get out of it? Where is she headed to? Most importantly… Where is, and what is going on with Aldrik?  I just want to find out ALL THE THINGS!!!

Deep breaths everyone! We only have to wait ONE MORE DAY!

Now that I have calmed myself down, a very special thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for hosting this awesome Book Blitz! Make sure to check out her delightful blog.

WWW Wednesday 2/10/2016

WWW Wednesday 2/10/2016

This is my weekly WWW Wednesday post in which I answer three simple questions.  It is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Go check her out, her blog is great!  Each week I will answer the following three questions about what is happening in my book world.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you are going to read next?

So, here we go.

What are you currently reading?

**Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

**Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Spring/Summer: Exclusive Excerpts from 20 Top New Titles

This fourth edition of Buzz Books: Young Adult provides substantial pre-publication excerpts from 20 forthcoming young adult books. Now everyone can share the same access to the newest YA voices the publishing industry is broadcasting for the spring/summer season.

You will find a full range of YA titles previewed here—romance, fantasy, humor, literary and the first installment of five new series. Excerpts include new work from established giants of the field: David Levithan, Richelle Mead, Matthew Quick, and Maggie Stiefvater.

From John Corey Whaley and Kimberly McCreight to Kiersten White and Alyson Noel, this latest edition of Buzz Books: Young Adult has must-read selections from eight New York Times bestselling authors. As always, many Buzz Books are sure to make bestseller and “best of” lists.

Start reading some of the best future books right now, and then share the fun by telling your friends and family to download this free edition of Buzz Books for themselves at any major ebookstore or at www.buzz.publishersmarketplace.com.

For even more great reads, be sure to download Buzz Books 2016: Spring/Summer, also available now, for the best in adult fiction and nonfiction.

What did you recently finish reading?

**A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

What do you think you’ll read next?

(All synopses are from Goodreads)

So I’m putting the reading of the A Song of Fire and Ice series on hold because Earth’s End by Elise Kova is coming out on Thursday this week, and I plan on reading that the minute I pull it out of my mailbox.  After that, on the 15th, I am starting a read along on Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin with Mariam at Flying Through Fiction.  Hopefully, I will get to A Game of Thrones before the end of February.

**Earth’s End by Elise Kova

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

Book Three of the Air Awakens Series

**Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

I can’t wait to hear what all of you are reading!  Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Reading!

Erin

Cover Reveal: Earth’s End, Q&A with the author and cover artist, and a GIVEAWAY!!

Cover Reveal: Earth’s End, Q&A with the Author and Cover Artist, and GIVEAWAY!!!

You guys. I’m so excited to bring you the cover of Earth’s End, the third installment in Elise Kova’s Air Awakens series. I have so much info for you in addition to having the cover for you!

So, without further ado! Here it is!!

It’s AMAZING!!  It is so powerful, and Vhalla looks so strong. Earth’s End will be released February 11th, 2016.

Now that you have seen the cover, here is what Earth’s End is all about:

Earth’s End Synopsis

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out the whole Air Awakens series

Add Fire Falling and Earth’s End to your To Read Shelf on Goodreads!!

Goodreads:

• Earth’s End:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26760091-earth-s-end
• Fire Falling:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26047438-fire-falling
• Air Awakens:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23127048-air-awakens

Don’t Forget!!

Fire Falling is being released this Friday, November 19th!!!  Make sure to pre-order it. You can do that on all these websites:

If you haven’t yet read Air Awakens, I would definitely recommend it.  You can check out my review of it here, and you can get it from all of the following:

Q&A with the Author and Cover Artist

Elise’s Q&A:

How did you come to work with zwxArt (Meril Chan)?

Well, when I decided to self-publish I knew the cover art would be one of the most important things about my book, and I also knew I wanted drawn artwork over photography. I, personally, feel like it’s “iconic high-fantasy” to have a painted cover and so that’s what I began searching for. Also, as an indie author, I wanted to work with someone else who wasn’t a big cover art company and perhaps was just getting their start also. So I was thumbing through DeviantArt for illustrators I liked and I found Meril.

It was the image below that made me know I needed to work with her. It was like she’d already created something that I thought captured the essence of Air Awakens, even if the visuals I wanted were completely different.

Can you explain the process from the author’s perspective? How are covers made?

Well, I can only explain in my limited experience. It’s my understanding that traditional authors get little to no control over what their covers look like. For me, I started by sending Meril what had been my query letter and a handful of scenes I pulled out from the story. I also sent her the draft manuscript in case she wanted to find how a particular scene I’d chosen to pull out fit in. I’d been told that cover artists are too busy to read their client’s work in its entirety, so I wasn’t offended by the notion of just handing her some scenes.

To my surprise, Meril read it all. Talk about knowing you made the right choice as an author! I seriously count my blessings every day for this.

So, Meril reads my draft manuscripts (she’s usually among the very first to read them before my editor) and then she begins drafting thumbnails. These are very rough, quick sketches to give me an idea of the layout. She explains a bit of each, what she sees as the inspiration and story for each cover. From there we tweak them.

Tweaking can be everything from, “What if she’s holding…” to “I like the third and fifth sketch, can you try to merge them?”

This process can take anywhere from two days to a week, depending on how long I need to stare at them and how many changes are being made.

Following that, Meril moves onto the final sketch with a bit more detail. Once we’re certain we’re on the same page with the final direction she starts rendering. As an author this stage of the process is basically magic to me. Because she transforms (granted, an already amazing rough) into an even more amazing final illustration.

When she’s close to the final she sends it to me (by this point I’ve already poked her for updates because I’m way too excited not to) and we do any last-minute editing like color changes, softening lines, or adding small details.

Once all that is done she sends me the final illustration and I do the text layout on it. And, that’s how the Air Awakens covers come to life!

What’s your favorite cover so far?

I like them all… They each have something that I think is perfect for the book they’re representing about them… I suppose, it’s a toss-up between Earth’s End and Fire Falling. Earth’s End just wows me with the background Meril created, it’s going to be a gorgeous hardcover book. There’s also a lot of teasers in there. But, Fire Falling has Aldrik on the cover, and that’s never a bad thing!

Meril’s Q&A:

What program do you use to create your artwork?

I use various tools to create artwork. When starting out with ideas I prefer making them on my sketchbook first, not minding specific details and just having fun with idea generation and doodling. This is the stage we call ‘thumbnails’. The next step I usually use the digital media to finalize the thumbnails, but sometimes I go straight out and sketch my favorite thumbnail to turn into a finished linesketch. As such, all my finished artworks are painted and done in Adobe Photoshop (CC 2014, currently), along with my old and trusted Wacom Intuos 4.

What’s your background? Did you study art in school?

I finished university in 2014 with a degree of Bachelor of Finearts, Major in Advertising Arts. My Alma Mater is the University of Santo Tomas here in Manila, Philippines. The course I took focused on graphic design, branding and marketing for agencies, which is a very good background to have in any art industry. During our 3rd year to 4th year we had special classes we called ‘Electives’, which are basically specialized classes, this was the time I decided on focusing more on digital painting and illustration, rather than going into graphic designing, so I took electives related to my chosen field. By the time I got to the thesis phase, which is the final requirement before finishing the course, I decided to take on Book Illustration. I’ve learnt many things from my background that if it weren’t for it I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do the same things I’m doing right now.

What attracted you to doing the covers for the AIR AWAKENS series?

The AIR AWAKENS series was my very first book cover series. I’m not going to lie that I first took interest on the project because it was an opportunity for me to finally work on the book industry. Any artist starting out would be uncontrollably excited when offered a project as such. And THEN I read the story, read about the characters, got to know an amazing client and author, a friend, and so there lies my true answer. It was the perfect project for me, I loved the world, I loved the characters and I loved the idea behind it all. And so I wanted to make sure that I make it very special.

What is your favorite cover so far?

That’s hard to say. I loved all of it so far! (Or I’m being extremely biased, because well, I worked hard on all of them! haha) But if I’m being asked as an artist I would probably say the first cover. It was simple, straight to the point, saying, ‘Hey, this is Vhalla, the Heroine for this amazing world/story’. I like covers that has that iconic, unique feeling to it and so I would say that the first cover definitely did it for this series.

(Without any spoilers) What did you like about the third book in the AIR AWAKENS series: Earth’s End?

Earth’s End is my favorite of the 3 books so far and my main reason is that it felt like everything was coming down together, finally! Especially for Vhalla. I loved the Vhalla in this book. The character has developed into something much more and although she’s still probably transitioning, she’s finally getting there. In general what I liked about Earth’s End is that there’s more action, more storyline focused on Vhalla and her world, there were more things learned about the other characters too such as Baldair, among many others. Elise has outdone herself with this one.

What’s one thing that you think would surprise people about the process of creating the AIR AWAKENS covers? Or, one thing people may not know?

Elise has always told me that she and her author friends never expect their artist to read the whole manuscript. And I read the whole thing because well, I just couldn’t help it. I have become very attached! She says I make the most ‘official-est’ fanart ever and I agree.

Make sure to check out Meril’s blog, here, for more info on the process behind creating the Earth’s End cover.

GIVEAWAY!!

And now what you’ve all been waiting for, the Giveaway! Elise will be giving away an Air Awakens Swag Bag!  This will include:

• Air Awakens “Shatter the Sky” Canvas Bag
• Silver Wing Earrings
• Signed Paperback of Air Awakens OR Fire Falling
• Signed Air Awakens Postcard
• Signed Air Awakens, Fire Falling, and Earth’s End Bookmark Set

Make sure to enter to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway