Surrender - by Elena Johnson

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....

Today I'd like to talk about a new book by Elana Johnson entitled Surrender.  It is book #2 in the Possession series.  Imagine a Dystopian/Sci Fi novel where everything is about control.  I purchased this title online from kobobooks.com (I seem to be buying fewer paper copies.  Sorry Chapters!) and have been reading it on my phone on the way to work.  I'm not quite ready to do the review yet but Elana has a Never Surrender blogfest happening.  She is challenging everyone to tell a story about a time when you didn't surrender.

I'm not sure if this would be considered as "never surrendering" but it was certainly a challenge for me.  In September 2010 my Mom was diagnosed with ALS.  Her health deteriorated very rapidly.  By February 2011 she was unable to move anything below the neck.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the disease, it is also called Lou Gehrig's disease.  No one knows what causes it, there is no cure and it affects people in different ways.  Most of the time it causes your muscles to stop working.  I made the incredibly hard decision to move across country to spend time with her, taking my daughter (aged 3) with me and leaving my husband behind to work.  I was granted a year's leave from my own job.  We had to sell our house and share a room (both of us) in the basement at my sister's house.   As the year progressed, my Mom's condition actually worsened.  Eventually she was unable to speak and had trouble eating.  I spent most days feeding her, spending time with her her and talking with her when I could to give my Dad a break. He's in his 70's and wanted to keep her comfortable at home.  Imagine how difficult things were for him looking after my Mom 24/7 at his age.  In December 2011, she was having difficulty chewing, swallowing and even breathing.  Once diagnosed, most patients have between 2 - 5 years to live.  My mom hung on for 18 months.  She passed away just after Christmas.  Never surrendering to me means that even when things feel like they are at their lowest, you just take it one day at a time.  I came across an interesting fortune recently.  If you want the rainbow, you'll have to put up with the rain.  I'm expecting a huge freaking rainbow once my life settles down again.  Although difficult, the last 5 months with my Mom was worth the heartache.  Not only did I get to spend time with her but she was also able to get to know her granddaughter a little and I was able to teach my daughter the importance of family.

Waiting on Wednesday - June 13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Here's one that I know will be on Curlypow's TBR list.  Louise Rennison is like a reader's laugh your ass off author.  A Midsummer Tights Dream is book #2 in the Misadventures of Tallulah Casey series.  Have you read Withering Tights yet?   

Let's Hear It For the Boys - Invisible Sun by David MacInnis Gill

Published: March 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Pages: 370

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery. There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme. Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the datacenters housing the rest of MUSE.

Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme’s complex. During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead. Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars--and kill Durango in the process.

Back in February of last year I reviewed Black Hole Sun, the prequel to Invisible Sun.  It was one of my 'loved it But...' reviews.  I did enjoy it enough to jump at the chance to read Invisible Sun when I saw it at the library, and I am so glad I did.  It was great - no buts this time around.  For me this definitely did NOT fall into the second in series slump.  I was sucked in from the first line -

'Vienne points the gun, squeezes the trigger, and fires a live round square into my chest.'

- and loved every minute until the very last page.There is high octane action, grin inducing humour, heart stopping tension and a wonderfully kick-ass hero and heroine. 

Mr MacInnis Gill does not hold back on the violence, but it never seemed gratuitous.  Durango and Vienne are trying to find out more about MUSE and nothing seems to be going their way.  This Mars is gritty, inhospitable and extremely dangerous and just about anything can, and does, happen.  There is more filling in of backstory this time around - which I thought was missing in Black Hole Sun - and we find out a little more about the main characters.  I'm thinking Durango is a little more than 17, but I'm still not sure.  Must do some investigation here - the Mars years don't seem to correspond to ours and there is talk of him being 'year nine'!  Vienne is just so tough and hard-core, but we get a glimpse of a slightly softer side - for about 2 minutes.

I get the impression that Black Hole Sun was started as a stand-alone, but Invisible Sun - called the 'companion' to BHS - ends very definitely set up for a sequel and I for one cannot wait for the continuing adventures Shadow on the Sun (Spring 2013).  You don't need to have read the first to read this one, but it doesn't hurt.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them both.

Check out the webpage   I just love the new artwork.

In My Mailbox - June 11th

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week.  Books may be won, taken out from the library or bought from a store.

Got this one from the library this week, can't wait to read it.

These two I added to my personal library to finish up sets:

And this one I got for review - check out the giveaway at the end of the month on our Musings by Knitwits post on the 26th.

That's about it for me this week.  I don't know what Christinabean picked up.

Shout out to Indies

We here at The Paperback Princesses often receive emails from Indie authors requesting reviews and are blessed with free book copies. Often we are unable to get to so many titles before our mass market published books take over our TBR shelves. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great reads though! We want to give back to those Indie authors and are declaring EVERY SECOND SUNDAY our SHOUT OUT TO INDIES MEME. For those of fellow bloggers, please feel free to add our meme to your regular schedule. We only ask that you quote and link back to us as a courtesy. For all of you Indie authors, we invite you to contact us at the contact link to your top left. We will select 1 - 3 titles (each time we post) that sound interesting. Lastly, for you readers, this is a bit of a test so please do comment and let us know what you think. We will also be offering up giveaway copies whenever we can! So without further ado, here are this week's picks -

An Island that Shouldn't Exist...
A Life He Didn't Know...
A Destiny That Can't Be Escaped

There was no turning back. We were going to set into motion a revolution that could either save Atlantis or leave it destroyed in the process.

Sixteen-year-old Trey Atlas' known life is a lie. While he was raised in Miami, Trey was actually born in Atlantis. Sent off the legendary island as a baby for his own safety, Trey is the only living heir to the Atlantean throne. Whether he likes it or not, Trey has to go back to his birthplace and accept his role as the Ruling Prince and lead the revolution to defeat the Knights of the Abyss. Otherwise, thousands of innocent lives and his true family legacy could be lost forever.

The year is 2033 and the world hovers on the edge of explosion as unexplained crop deaths lead to severe global food shortages. In the United States, the Sickness is taking lives slowly, creeping its way into every family. Fi Kelly has already faced the Sickness in her own family, toughening her beyond her years. But a shocking confession from her dying father will push her toughness to its absolute limits. Saddled with an impossible secret and the mission of saving her little sister, Fi sets out to transform herself into the warrior that she must become to survive the coming collapse. Along the way, she will discover that evil can be accidental and that love can be intentional

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz

Published: June 12th, 2012

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 316

Copy: From publisher

Summary: Goodreads

The intriguing Beauchamp family, introduced in the New York Times bestselling Witches of East End, returns in Serpent’s Kiss, with dizzying plot twists and spellbinding magic.

Joanna and her daughters, bookish Ingrid and wild-child Freya, are just settling into the newfound peace that has been cast over their small, off-the map town of North Hampton. With the centuries-old restriction against practicing magic lifted, casting spells, mixing potions, and curing troubled souls has never felt so good for the three witches. That is, until everything gets turned upside down—from Joanna’s organized kitchen to Ingrid’s previously nonexistent love life to Freya’s once unshakeable faith in her sexy soul mate, Killian Gardiner.

When Freya’s twin brother, Freddie, suddenly returns, escaped from Limbo and professing innocence on a long-ago crime, Freya should be ecstatic. The golden boy can do no wrong. Or can he? Freddie blames no other than her fiancé Killian for his downfall, and enlists Freya’s help to prove it. Now Freya doesn’t know who to believe or trust.

And for the first time in—well, forever, really—Ingrid is also busy in love. Matt Noble, the handsome and charming police detective, has won her heart. But can romance work between a virgin witch and a mortal who doesn’t believe in magic? Things get even more complicated when it appears Ingrid is harboring the prime suspects in Matt’s police investigation.

To add to the chaos, a dead spirit is attempting to make contact with Joanna—but does it mean to bring harm or help? Joanna asks her sort-of ex-husband Norman to help figure it out, only to accidentally invite him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a dapper gentleman she’s recently begun dating.

As the witches pull together to discover the serpent within their midst and the culprit behind Freddie’s imprisonment, everything is thrown into peril. Will the discovery come too late to save those they love most?

Melissa de la Cruz has made the transission from YA to adult with great success and her Witches series just keeps getting better and better.  With Serpent's Kiss she has added some wonderful background to her characters and the reader gets to know a little more about the history of the Gods and the different Worlds of 'The Known Universe'. Norse mythology really is quite fascinating and Ms de la Cruz manages to educate us without appearing to.

Ingrid, Freya and Joanna are such wonderfully real characters with depth and emotion and it is very easy to fall into their world and cheer for their success.  Essentially the story is three different mysteries wrapped around three love stories, with a twist, or three, to sweeten the pot. Ingrid has to deal with a disbelieving Matt and a bunch of pixies; Joanna has a spirit trying to contact her, but for what reason, and who exactly is Harold?  Then Freya has her twin brother Freddie showing up out of the blue when he's supposed to be trapped in Limbo, and accusing her soul mate, Killian, of treachery.  Confusing?  Not at all.  Ms de la Cruz keeps everything clear, and while the mysteries twine around each other, each thread is nicely separated - until it's not!

Just when you think everything is wrapping up nicely there's a huge cliffhanger ending, that I for one did not see coming, and now we have to wait until next June for The Winds of Salem.  Serpent's Kiss is a fairly quick read, but it is fully engrossing and quite un-put-downable. A wonderful series for teens who are ready to branch out into adults reads, and I'll be happy to recommend it.

For those who would like to find out a little more about the family there is an original e-book coming out in the fall called Wolf Pact, which is about Arthur Beauchamp and the Wolves of memory.  Arthur is Ingrid, Freya and Freddie's uncle.  Sounds intriguing - I think I'm going to have to check that one out as well.

Oh and for Blue Blood fans, the final book in the series, The Gates of Paradise, is due out in January 2013.  Mark that one on your calendar.

Christinabean Friday Finds

Today I decided to do a Christinabean Friday Finds.  It has been awhile since I've done one and I thought I'd share some interesting things that I've come across lately.

So, did many of you catch the MTV 2012 Music Awards?  As usual, Twilight super couple Kristen and Rob won best kiss.  Too bad he wasn't there to re-enact sneak peek of the Twilight - Breaking Dawn part 2 movie slated to come out November 16th.  Miss it? I almost did, it was so short.  Here's the replay 

Another book to movie coming.  I love Emma Watson so its on my "to watch" list

(Be aggressive!  Passive aggressive!)

So another book to movie title coming out (not until 2013) that we are anxiously awaiting is Beautiful Creatures (by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl).  (Curlypow's favourite book EVER!!!)What's really cool is that you can enter a contest to meet the cast and filmmakers!  Just click here.  Awww snap!  Its just for those living in the USA.  Bummer...

That's all for now.  Have a great weekend!