Circle of Jinn by Lori Goldstein #BookReview #Playlist #Giveaway @The_FFBC

Circle of Jinn (Becoming Jinn #2)
by Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: May 17th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Being Jinn is Azra’s new reality. As she grants wishes under the watchful eye of the Afrit council, she remains torn between her two worlds—human and Jinn. Soon, secrets spill. Zars are broken. Humans become pawns. And rumors of an uprising become real as the Afrit’s reach extends beyond the underground world of Janna.

Straddling the line becomes impossible. Aware of her unique abilities, Azra must not just face but embrace her destiny. But when the role she must play and those she must protect expand to include a circle of Jinn greater than her own, Azra will be forced to risk everything. A risk that means there’s everything to lose, and at the same time, everything to gain—for herself and her entire Jinn race.

In this dramatic sequel to Becoming Jinn, Azra’s story comes to a heartfelt and thrilling conclusion.

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Circle of Jinn is a fantastic sequel to Becoming Jinn. I think I ended up liking this installment more than the first.

Azra has had so much growing up to do and I loved that she has consequences for her actions from the first book. It’s not a situation that everyone just forgets the way she acted before because oh look now she gets it. She has to make things up to the people who she has betrayed and pushed away. It feels like her character has really matured in that respect and it was great to see how she developed in the book.

So many secrets revealed!! I don’t want to give anything away but it’s hard because it was one thing after another. It was great to have all the blanks filled in and we really get to the root of the Jinn against the Afrit uprising. We also find out what part all of the different characters play and how they come together to make a change.

New characters. It’s part of the secrets revealed but I love when a new character is added and they easily become a favorite. Mine was of course Zak. I like how he fits into everything and the way he brings some things into the light.

The strong theme of family and friendship still prevails in the story. Once again Azra has made mistakes but have you ever had that friend that even if you don’t talk to them anymore you can call them if you're in a pickle. That is how the Zar sisters are with one another and it’s an important part of the story. I also loved that just one parent is involved but many. It’s always nice to see some adult guidance in YA.

Love triangles. I know that can be a breaking point for people. This story has one of those triangles that is not really a triangle. Both characters have a boyfriend/girlfriend that they both care about and love. They also understand the boundaries of that. They are just trying to figure out where they fall on the scale as well. It’s not that whole one girl leading two guys on scenario. It’s very natural and really that you are not going to only date one person in your life feeling. Loving someone doesn’t meant that is the person you are supposed to be with forever.

I felt the story is fast paced. There is a lot of new information and characters which prevented there from being a loll.

I really liked Circle of Jinn and thought it was great sequel. I’m really happy with the way Lori Goldstein took the story and wrapped things up.

My debut novel, the Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Becoming Jinn, is a modern spin on the traditional tale of wish-granting genies. The sequel, Circle of Jinn, releases May 17, 2016 (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan).

Too much of my day involves chatting books, obsessing over The Vampire Diaries, and perfecting the art of efficient writing through Twitter. Find me at @loriagoldstein and follow my blog at www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com, my Tumblr athttp://lorigoldsteinbooks.tumblr.com, or my Instagram athttp://www.instagram.com/lorigoldstei....

Like my author page on Facebook for fun book-related photos, tidbits, and happenings as well as news on Becoming Jinn.

I am represented by Lucy Carson of The Friedrich Agency.

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The Inquisition by Taran Matharu #BookReview #Playlist #Giveaway @The_FFBC

The Inquisition (Summoner #2)
by Taran Matharu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 10th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Demons

More demons, epic battles, and fights to the death: introducing the unmissable next installment in the Summoner Trilogy...

On trial for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must face the Inquisition who will decide his future - the process is gruelling, lead by those who will do anything to see him suffer and haunted by ghosts from the past with clues to Fletcher's tragic origins.

But Fletcher has little time to dwell on these new revelations when the king announces a deadly challenge to the graduating students at Vocans. One that involves entering Orc territory to complete a risky mission. With loyal demons by their sides, commoners and nobles, dwarves and elves must overcome barriers of class and race and work together to triumph. The reward: a fortune in gold, the safety of an empire and PEACE.

With the entire empire watching, Fletcher has much to prove, but there are those out to get him and it soon becomes clear that there's a traitor in their midst, trying to thwart the mission and create unrest within the Empire.

With everything stacked against him, Fletcher must use everything in his power to fight his way to victory.

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The Inquisition took all the things I love about fantasy and gaming and put it into one book. I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the magic system.

The first part of the story takes part in court. Fletcher is on trial for crimes he did not commit and the whole thing is run like the Salem Witch Trials. It was really interesting and also a fantastic way to recap the first book. In the beginning there is a little lag but once the trial really gets rolling things start happening fast and I was sucked in.

We go from court on an adventure into Orc territory. I also like this kind of plot for fantasy novel. The characters are broken up into teams and although at first the mission seems dangerous but not so bad. Once they get further in and crap hits the fan with creatures they don’t expect and of course that lovely friend named betrayal. Everything gets a little crazy.

There is one point where they visit a lab and it reminded me of the potions you get in the Legend of Zelda. Which I have to say I’m down with anything that reminds me of a video game. So it is definitely not a bad thing. I wanted to tell them the yellow potion makes them invincible for 15 seconds.

We also get a lot more about Fletcher’s family and what really happened to him when he was a baby. Lots of blanks have been filled in as far as that respect. Fletcher has also changed quite a bit. This is a year after the first book and he has suffered consequences for his actions. That would change anyone.

I wouldn’t consider the book to be extensive on world building as far as places they go but instead it’s more extensive on the magic building. I would love to see pictures of all the different demons. Kind of the like the D&D big book of monsters. That way I could look them up and say ahh that’s what it looks like. The descriptions are good I’ve just never been good at picturing animals that are combinations of other animals. I loved the demons and the way that they summon them. How they work with their summoner like comrades.

I thought the plot was fast paced.I also think that if you weren’t a huge fan of the first book you should definitely give this one a try.

I like how The Inquisition has taken the battle between the races and used it to show prejudice. That people can go to any lengths at times for what they think is right. Even when it is wrong. It really dives into the political side.

I really enjoyed The Inquisition and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next. It’s definitely a cliffhanger but one I can handle. That’s all I’m going to say.

Taran was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own during early adolescence, beginning his first book at 9 years old.

Straight after graduating with a First Class degree in Business Administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in Digital Sales at Penguin Random House, from June to September 2013.

Thereafter, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write ‘Summoner’ in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’.

Thanks to Wattpad.com and updating daily, its popularity dramatically increased, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months.

After being featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career and has never looked back.

His SUMMONER trilogy is published by Hodder Children’s (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan and Record in Brazil. Book 1 will be published by EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria and Alpress in the Czech Republic.

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The Problem with Forever Release Week

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER - a young adult title about friendship, survival, and finding your voice. This incredible book is available today! Read more about this stunning new novel below and be sure to order your copy today to receive an amazing FREE fan pack while supplies last!

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About THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a riveting new story about friendship, survival, and finding your voice.

For some people, silence is a weapon.

For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield.

Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

Register your preorder of THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by May 20^th to receive a FREE fan pack! Includes inspirational wall art, a colorful poster, and flag-as-you-read stickers. You will also get immediate access to an extended excerpt from the book.

JUST FILL OUT THE FORM HERE

Praise for THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER:

“The intensity between Mouse and Rider is palpably sizzling… romance aficionados [will] lose themselves in Mouse and Rider’s smoldering glances and steamy kisses.” –Kirkus

“Armentrout’s effort to gradually coax her protagonist from her shell via a supportive, loving community succeeds, and readers looking for an inspirational comeback story will find Mallory’s to be satisfying and hopeful” –Publishers Weekly

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads | THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER Goodreads

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The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine #BookReview #Playlist #Giveaway @The_FFBC

The Season of You & Me
by Robin Constantine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May 10th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Disability

Cassidy Emmerich is determined to make this summer—the last before her boyfriend heads off to college—unforgettable. What she doesn’t count on is her boyfriend breaking up with her. Now, instead of being poolside with him, Cass is over a hundred miles away, spending the summer with her estranged father and his family at their bed-and-breakfast at the Jersey Shore and working as the newest counselor at Camp Manatee.

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with your date at prom. One miscalculated step and Bryan’s life changed forever—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. This is the first summer he’s back at his former position at Camp Manatee and ready to reclaim some of his independence, in spite of those who question if he’s up for the job.

Cass is expecting two months dealing with heartbreak.
Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.
Neither of them is expecting to fall in love.

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The Season of You and Me is the perfect read for entering summer. I love stories that take place where people work at a summer camp. I’m not sure why. The story doesn’t revolve the camp that much but it is about getting to know new friends and letting go of past transgressions.

Cassidy has fled for the summer to her dad’s B&B (I also love bed and breakfast settings) in order to get over a cheating ex. One of my favorite parts of the story is right at the beginning it starts off with a sweet story of Cassidy and Gavin. When you read a story about someone getting over someone else, it’s easy to vilify a person you don’t know. Starting the story that way made it so I felt like I could understand why it is for Cassidy to get over him. It’s not easy and it is very easy to get sucked back in by a person who you’ve had strong feelings for. Especially when they play the guilt card, even when you have nothing to feel guilty for.

Bryan is also a great character. He is in a wheelchair and is dealing with accepting that. At the point in his life we join him he pretty much has. The only thing is that he is separating himself from the things he used to do. He is afraid to try because it’s like starting over. I loved how sweet and caring he is. I don’t want anyone to get injured but I liked how he got injured, only because it shows how doing something that seems harmless and stupid can lead to big consequences.

Cassidy and Bryan’s romance is slow to brew. He crushes on her the new girl for the summer. She is more standoffish because she is getting over Gavin. I liked that they become friends first and things progress naturally from there.

I love that there are so many great side characters that become a bigger group of friends. From Cassidy’s best friend Em, to her new friend Tori. There are so many stories that can be spun off from just this group of people. I always like when there is that option.

This is a really sweet and cute summer read. It’s something to definitely add to your beach bag.

Robin Constantine is the author of The Promise of Amazing and The Secrets of Attraction. A born-and-raised Jersey girl, Robin likes to spend her days dreaming up stories where love conquers all, eventually, but not without a lot of peril, angst, and the occasional kissing scene. She loves swoony books, flip-flops, dark chocolate and the full moon.

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The Darkest Lie by Pintip Dunn

ABOUT THE DARKEST LIE

“The mother I knew would never do those things.
But maybe I never knew her after all.”

Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline—the same place her mother worked.

As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives—including CeCe’s own…

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I really wanted to read The Darkest Lie because I loved Pintip Dunn’s Forget Tomorrow. This is a completely different type of book but the same storytelling that captivated in Forget Tomorrow did not fail to do so here. I was completely absorbed.

I couldn’t put the book the down. The plot is addicting and fast paced. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Of course I had my suspicions about certain people but I wasn’t sure how everything fit together. I really liked the how much information was revealed at each point in the book. I didn’t feel like there was any slow points.

Not only is the book a thriller and dealing with murder. There is also other underlying issues like verbal abuse, physical abuse and sexual exploitation. The way those things were weaved into the story and showed how someone could fall into a situation like that is well done.

I enjoyed Cece’s character. She has lost her mother and with that has lost herself. She’s trying to deal with her rage as best she can. As more things come to light she also has to deal with the guilt of doubting things like her mother’s love for her.

I enjoyed Sam and the slow burn that their relationship has. They become friends first and soon partner up as he is working hard to gain a scholarship from his internship at the Newspaper. I don’t want to give anything about him besides that.

There are also some great side characters that are important to keep the plot moving.

I read The Darkest Lie in a day, Mother’s day actually which is oddly fitting. I loved the book!

ABOUT PINTIP DUNN:

Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. She is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2014 double-finalist. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.
She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com.

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Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach #BookReview #Giveaway @The_FFBC

Anything You Want
by Geoff Herbach
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: May 3rd 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Expect a bundle of joy—er, trouble—in this hilarious, heartwarming story from the award-winning author of Stupid Fast Geoff Herbach

Taco's mom always said, "Today is the best day of your life, and tomorrow will be even better." That was hard to believe the day she died of cancer and when Taco's dad had to move up north for work, but he sure did believe it when Maggie Corrigan agreed to go with him to junior prom. Taco loves Maggie- even more than the tacos that earned him his nickname. And she loves him right back.

Except all that love? It gets Maggie pregnant. Everyone else may be freaking out, but Taco can't wait to have a real family again. He just has to figure out what it means to be a dad and how to pass calculus. And then there's getting Maggie's parents to like him. Because it would be so much easier for them to be together if he didn't have to climb the side of the Corrigans' house to see her...

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First off I have to say the the cover for Anything You Want is very misleading. The story goes way beyond two teenagers in love laying on grassy field. The story is intriguing in the fact that it does start off as two crazy teenagers but gets very serious very fast.

When I first started reading, I was intrigued. We meet Taco and Maggie and they have this fierce teenage love story. They just can’t get enough of one another. However the mentality of Taco is very strange. He’s extremely immature and I don’t mean in a normal highschool boy way. He acts like he is in middle school. I never seen a high schooler that doesn’t know the difference between doing it and having sex.  I kept reading because I became completely fascinated by him and you start to see that Taco is just trying to make it through life by being positive.

Then everything goes haywire and it turns into an episode of teen mom or I should say teen dad since it’s from Taco’s perspective. Now this not only where things get really crazy, it’s where I start developing a fondness for Taco. Ya he’s immature but underneath everything he is a really good kid who has been dealt some crappy cards in life. I feel like I knew a Taco in high school. I did not feel the same way about Maggie and her family. That was definitely some craziness going on there.

One thing that you really see in the plot is the development of the characters. Especially Taco and Darius. These are two kids who lost their mom and then were completely abandoned by their dad. Darius does the best he can but he has a major drinking problem. He really loves Taco and you can definitely see that. Things just get beyond them and it makes them have to act like grown ups and not just pretend to be.

Anything You Want is definitely not the typical contemporary. It deals with teen pregnancy in a very unique way. It’s definitely an intriguing story and I really liked how much character development we see with Taco.

I am the author of the YA title, Stupid Fast (June 2011 from Sourcebooks Fire). I also wrote The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg, a Novel from Three Rivers Press. When I'm not writing books, I'm writing for Radio Happy Hour or developing ridiculous musical bits.

When I'm not writing, I'm teaching writing at Minnesota State, Mankato, which means I write a lot of comments about writing on student writing.

Writing a lot of writing and reading about writing and writing on reading.

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Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake #BookReview #Giveaway @The_FFBC

Suffer Love
by Ashley Herring Blake
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 3rd 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Hadley St. Clair's life changed the day she came home to a front door covered in slips of paper, each of them revealing the ugly truth about her father. Now as her family falls apart in the wake of his year-long affair, Hadley wants everyone-her dad most of all-to leave her alone.

Then she meets Sam Bennett, a cute new boy who inexplicably "feels like home" to Hadley. Hadley and Sam's connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret about his family that could ruin everything.

Funny and passionate, Suffer Love is a story about first love, family dysfunction, and the fickle hand of fate.

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Suffer Love is an emotional tense roller coaster. It has this great way of showing how the choices of two people can have a domino effect. Once I started reading it, I admit the books story and characters consumed me.

Suffer Love is great with the way it deals with an affair. It takes a lot of different perspectives on the issue which I loved. It’s a very difficult topic and not as black and white as people sometimes think. There are so many facets to an affair and I like that we have one couple that split because of it and one couple that stayed together to work it out. No one can understand that feeling of having a spouse cheat unless you been through it. It changes everything in a marriage because you don’t stop loving someone you love them differently though. There is an innocence that is gone. It’s also a process that doesn’t take 6 months to get over it can take years to get over and when you make that choice to stay, it’s hard work. You want to hurt the person the way they hurt you but that’s impossible so you do little things like put pepper on their salad when they are allergic or leave the vacuum on to be annoying. Suffer Love gives of some of the parents perspective even though it’s from the point of the view of the kids.

I also really like the different way Hadley and Sam view things. Sam starts to see how a good person can do a really dumb thing. It doesn’t excuse them from their actions but you can earn that second chance with hard work. Hadley sees things very black and white. You did this horrible thing, you are horrible, end of story.

As the plot develops we find out the small pieces of the puzzle that make the big picture. There are so many different things about each family that comes to light.

There is so much emotion with these characters because they all have things to work through. From the parents, to the kids, to the kids friends. You really see so much development from them.

I liked Suffer Love because it’s such a great depiction of how an entire family deals with a crisis like this.

Ashley Herring Blake is a poet, teacher, and YA novelist. Her debut novel, SUFFER LOVE, follows two teens as they attempt to wade through an intense relationship complicated by their parents' infidelities. Ashley lives in Nashville, TN.

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