The #YALCReadathon Twitter Chat!

Eeekkk!!! The YALC Readathon is starting on Monday and I could NOT be more excited! I hope those of you who want to take part have signed up (gentle reminder: you do not have to be going to YALC to take part in the readathon) and if not signs ups are still open and will be throughout the readathon for any latecomers who want to join in.

We're a fairly low maintenance readathon, for us it's all about reading the books. There won't be any daily updates to link to, challenges or anything like that. But there will be some guest posts from YALC authors going up on myself, Carly, Vicky and Michelle's blogs throughout the week so make sure you check back for those.

We have also decided to run a Twitter chat which will be happening on Thursday 26th June at 7pm UK time and will run anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour long. This gives readathoners the opportunity to talk about the books they've been reading and their progress. There are also going to be YALC authors joining us to answer some questions so even if you don't fancy the readathon but are going to YALC you're more than welcome to join in the chat as we discuss the event.

The questions will be coming from me @Jessheartsbooks and the tag we're using is #YALCReadathon please use this when answering any questions and chatting to one another so that we can all follow the conversation.

I hope that you'll join us to talk books, YALC and to hear from some of your favourite authors!

If you'd like to find out more about the YALC Readathon please click here.

Guest Post: Sarah Alderson on Writing Romance Across the Genres

Hi guys! To celebrate the e-book publication date of Sarah Alderson's (writing as Mila Gray) steamy New Adult novel Come Back To Me I have Sarah joining me on the blog today to talk about writing romance. Sarah has wrote books in the Thriller, Paranormal and now New Adult genre but no matter what subject she tackles you can always expect a swoonworthy romance within the pages. If you've read a book by Sarah you'll know that she writes the best book boys and so today she's sharing where she gets her inspiration from and what a great romance means to her.

Writing Romance by Sarah Alderson 

Finding Inspiration 

There’s inspiration in everything. My biggest inspiration comes from characters in books and movies. I’m a total romantic. 

I fell in love with Han Solo when I was a kid - his cheekiness & rebel rouser ways made my seven year old heart beat faster. Then it was Nathaniel from Last of the Mohicans (I still sigh every time I hear the line ‘I will find you. Just stay alive no matter what occurs.’). In my teens it was Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then Noah from The Notebook. When I ran out, I started writing my own. 

I’ve also been lucky enough to date some amazing guys (and a few not so amazing) who have all ended up in my books in one way or another. My husband was the basis for Alex in Hunting Lila. 

What Makes a Great Romance? 

In my opinion a great romance is: 

- One with believable obstacles in the way, not ones that are clearly contrived for the purpose of a story. 

- One with fully rounded out characters with quirks and history. 

- Characters who complete each other - not in a Jerry Mcguire way - but in the sense that they both bring something to the relationship that helps the other one transform into a better person. 

- Not necessarily a happy ending (though I prefer that!) Some of the greatest romances have tragic endings: TFIOS, Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights. 

 - A guy who isn’t an asshole! I’m so tired of reading about guys who are arrogant, controlling / violent / stalkery - it’s SO not attractive. And yet readers seem to lap it up. It confuses me. I’d like to see more authors writing about male characters who have integrity, respect women and use words instead of fists - isn’t that way sexier? 

- A slow build. It’s OK to make the chemistry sizzle from the off but no insta-love. Real love builds over time and grows from friendship. OUT OF CONTROL is set over just 36 hours in New York and the two leads only meet at the very beginning so there was no falling in love but there was intense emotion and they have fantastic chemistry. On the other hand in Hunting Lila, Lila’s been in love with Alex since she was five years old. There’s something gorgeous about a friendship that morphs into something more… :)

Come Back To Me is available to buy on Kindle as of today 

and in paperback on October 23rd 2014

Exclusive Reveal! The Manifesto on How to be Interesting by Holly Bourne‏

So if you've followed the blog for a while you'll know that I've been a huge supporter of Holly Bourne's since before the publication of her debut novel Soulmates and so it's such an honor today to be exclusively revealing the title, cover and synopsis for her upcoming book *drum roll...*

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting

I absolutely love this bright coral neon cover and sprayed edges! It's definetely going to catch eyes in bookshops! And here's the synopsis for the book which sounds just as fab as the cover!

The Manifesto on How to be Interesting is a fearlessly frank take on school cliques, crushes and fitting in.

Bree is a loser, a wannabe author who hides behind words. But when she’s told she needs to start living a life worth writing about, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting is born. Six steps on how to be interesting. Six steps that will see her infiltrate the popular set, fall in love with someone forbidden and make the biggest mistake of her life.

Sounds great, right? So I bet you're wondering when you can get your grabby hands, that I just know you're all making at the screen, on a copy. Good news! The publication date has been brought forward to 1st August 2014.

AND THAT'S NOT ALL! 

If you're a fan of Holly's then you probably already know that she'll be at YALC on Saturday 12th July and I'm excited to reveal that copies of The Manifesto on How to be Interesting will be joining her! The book will be on sale early so fans attending YALC will be the first people to be able to buy and read the book.

 Do let both myself and Holly know what you think either in the comments or on Twitter @Jessheartsbooks and @holly_bourneYA 

Find out more about Holly and her books on her website www.hollybourne.co.uk

Ruin and Rising Blog Tour: Special Grisha Artwork and Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the International Ruin and Rising blog tour! Today I'm sharing with you a beautiful piece of Grisha art and a special giveaway to celebrate the upcoming publication of Ruin and Rising.

 The Summoner by Irene Koh

Okay, can we just stop for a moment and observe the gorgeousness of the kefta and clothing Irene Koh created for Alina in this panel of the triptych? The braiding, the fur cuffs, the allusion to Morozova's collar at her throat—it's ceremonial but also very much a uniform for a girl going to war. When I described what I wanted to see in Alina as the Sun Summoner, I used the words "battle ready" and that's exactly what Irene delivered. You also see suggestions of the sea whip's scales at her cuffs and the repetition of the sea motif in the background and even in the waves of her hair. – Leigh Bardugo 

 Giveaway 

I'm giving one UK based Grisha fan the chance to win this exclusive poster of The Summoner along with a copy of Ruin and Rising. Read the rules and fill in the Rafflecopter to enter. Good luck!

Giveaway Rules 

 To enter please fill in the Rafflecopter 

 Open to UK residents only 

 End date: 20th June 2014 

 One winner will be drawn and will be contacted by email with 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ruin and Rising goes on sale Tuesday 17th June officially and internationally! Make sure you stop by Mundie Moms tomorrow for the next stop on the blog tour.

Spoiler Review/ Discussion for City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker
Release: 27th May 2014
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Bought





Summary:

"Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian - but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance. Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?"

WARNING 
This is the sixth and final book in The Mortal Instruments series and WILL contain spoilers not only from the rest of the series but for City of Heavenly Fire itself. It’s starting to become a bit of a thing where I review the last book in a favourite series with spoilers so that I can freely share all of my thoughts and feelings and find out what you guys thought too.

Review/Discussion
The Main Story/ Characters:-
I have to start off on a not so positive note here and say that plot wise I don’t think this is the strongest of Cassie Clare’s books. I honestly felt that the main story was dragged out to fit in Emma and Jem’s stories. The Middle was quite slow for me and I could have done with a couple of hundred pages being edited out.

It felt like it took a long time to get to the crux of the story with The Clave messing around making dumb decisions and twiddling their thumbs at the beginning (seriously, why are they even in charge?) And then towards the middle it felt like we spent a lot of time traipsing through hell looking for Sebastian. I personally would have liked a tighter, snappier plot. It felt like in the end when it came to these characters and their story there wasn’t really much more to tell and we were covering old ground.

Emma and the Blackthorns:-
I really enjoyed getting to know Emma and the Blackthorn family. City of Heavenly Fire basically acts as a prequel to Cassie’s new series ‘The Dark Artifices’ and I really like where this series is heading. I really liked Emma and this book certainly set up a lot of drama for her with her parent’s murder, hints at a future war against faeries, and Emma planning on becoming parabatai with Julian.

Is it just me or is anybody else under the impression that Ty is Autistic? I have two family members who have Autism and he seemed to have a few of the traits. If this is the case I think it will be fantastic to have a Shadowhunter with Autism. We need more books featuring characters with disabilities without them being “issue books”.

Jem and Tessa:-
And so we come to my favourite part of this whole book. I am a HUGE The Infernal Devices fan so basically any mention of the Carstairs and Herondale relationship and I was a blubbing mess. I loved that Jace was the one who turned Brother Zachariah back into Jem and again found that very fitting for the Carstairs/ Herondale relationship.

Tessa and Clary’s chat at the end of the book made me so happy and I thought the whole Fairchild + Gray = Fray thing was pretty cool. I wonder how long Cassie has been planning that one!?

In our UK edition we get a The Infernal Devices comic strip of Tessa and Jem’s wedding and I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and basically re-lived my intense The Infernal Device feels over a few pages. Even though it wasn’t an actual part of the book I couldn’t *not* mention it because it was so beautiful.

I really loved how many nods Cassie Clare gave to The Infernal Devices and the characters and how she showed that no one is every really gone through them. I can’t begin to explain my joy when I read that Jem and Tessa are off to LA so there’s a very big possibility that they’ll feature in ‘The Dark Artifices’. Hurray!

My Favourite Moments:-
• Jocelyn holding Jonathan as he died.
• Simon saving Izzy and drinking Alec’s blood.
• Jem stealing Church.
• Simon naming his band ‘The Mortal Instruments’ and remembering Clary.
• Seeing the characters ‘hearts desires’ in the demon world.
• That gorgeous Epilogue. Seriously Cassandra Clare is the queen of beautiful endings.

Overall although City of Heavenly Fire was not my favourite Cassandra Clare book I was still really happy with the ending and am really looking forward to ‘The Dark Artifices’.

What did you think of City of Heavenly Fire?