Dare You To Blog Tour: Guest Post from Katie McGarry on Beth and Isaiah's Relationship

I'm today's stop on the UK Dare You To blog tour! And it gives me great pleasure to welcome a lady who I've wanted to get on the blog for a while now - the lovely Katie McGarry author of two of my favourite books Pushing the Limits and its companion novel Dare You To. Today I have a wonderfully insightful guest post from Katie all about Beth and Isaiah's relationship to celebrate the release of the amazing Dare You To. If you've yet to read Pushing the Limits or Dare You To you might want to stop by my reviews which I'll link to underneath for more information and to hear my thoughts on these incredible books!

Pushing the Limits Review  

Dare You To Review 

Just Try and Make Them Fall in Love 

A Guest Post by Katie McGarry 

When I sold my Young Adult novel, Pushing the Limits, to Harlequin Teen, they initially asked me to continue to write in the world of PTL and I happily agreed. I loved all my characters and couldn’t wait to jump back in. Plus, I knew exactly whose book I wanted to write next: Beth and Isaiah, the best friends and surrogate family of Noah in Pushing the Limits.

I suggested this to my publisher, and they said it was up to me, but they’d also be okay if Beth and Isaiah each fell for someone else rather than ending up together. I heard what they said, also heard the words that it was up to me, and happily set out to plot Beth and Isaiah’s story.

I thought I knew everything—how they’d slowly figure each other out and how they’d fall in love and I excitedly began to plot it all out in my mind. But then something strange happened. The character arcs that are so desperately important for a story weren’t happening.

Isaiah continually enabled Beth’s bad behaviour and continually put his heart on the line and Beth…well, Beth really cared for Isaiah.

Cared? I was writing a love story—I needed more than caring. And Isaiah. What was I going to do with this boy? Couldn’t he see that if he truly loved Beth, he’d tell her when she was making a wrong choice? Like, hey, see that train coming down the track? You might want to step off the rails.

It wasn’t working. The freaking story wasn’t fleshing out the way I wanted. Isaiah and Beth were not falling in love.

Gah. The nerve of these two.

I mean, I created them, right? I saw them falling for each other when I wrote Pushing the Limits. Why weren’t they cooperating?

So I did what I normally do when I’m stuck: I free wrote. I was going to prove Beth and Isaiah wrong. I was going to write a few scenes and they’d get their sorry butts back in line and fall in love even if it killed all three of us in the process.

And I wrote some very amazing scenes. Some of the best I’ve ever written and I learned some very emotional, riveting, heart-twisting pieces of information about Beth and Isaiah. And those deeply personal tidbits—they told me things I had been trying to ignore. Something very foretelling about them and their relationship and I finally had to pull the cotton out of my ears and listen.

Beth and Isaiah are extremely complicated characters and their relationship is even more complex. Their hopes and dreams and emotions are intertwined like strands of hair in a braid and I craved for them to be happy.

Do they find happiness? Is it with each other? This is where I tell you that Dare You To is out now, and that I’m excited for you to find out.

About Katie McGarry

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts.

Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction. Katie’s next novel CRASH INTO YOU will published by Mira Ink in December 2013.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today Katie! I found this post hugely insightful - I fell in love with Beth and Isaiah in Pushing the Limits! This provides a great inside scoop for readers curious about their relationship. Trust Beth and Isaiah to have minds of their own! I actually think them not co-operating really suits their characters! 

Katie would love to hear from her readers - contact her via Twitter @KatieMcGarry
Get your copy of Dare You To here http://amzn.to/13zlsx6 
Watch the book trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODIFjHaLmt0 

Don’t miss the rest of the stops on the Dare You To blog tour, check out my banner in the sidebar for more information. Tomorrow the blog tour is stopping at Never Judge a Book by its Cover!

Letterbox Love (28)

Letterbox Love is a meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

 For Review

Wool and Shift by Hugh Howey
The reviews for this adult dystopian series have been extraordinary! And the publishers offered to send me this series after we were having a chat on Twitter about our favourite debuts of the year - this was one of the publicists favourites!
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Beautiful finished copy of this as a thank you from the publisher for taking part in the blog tour. I was also thrilled to discover my review has been quoted inside! I have an amazing giveaway for this book and more in a Grisha goody pack on the blog right now click here to enter!
The Sound by Sarah Alderson
I love Sarah's books and I love myself a thriller so this one sounds right up my street!

*** My quote in Siege and Storm! ***

The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott (Proof Copy)
This is my current read and my first Zoe Marriott! Really enjoying this so far, it's like nothing I've ever read before! Loving the Japanese mythology!
Ink by Amanda Sun
Another book based on Japanese myth! I sense this could be a new hot trend in YA. This has a stunning cover and seems as I'm enjoying The Night Itself so much I can't wait to get stuck into this one.
Insignia and Vortex by S. J. Kincaid
I've heard amazing things about this series! Veronica Roth - author of Divergent is blurbed inside! I'm excited to see what all the fuss is about and jump on the bandwagon.

The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne
I'm in love with the cover for this book! It's so pretty and vintage looking. I hadn't heard of this when it arrived but after looking into it I'm very excited to give it a try!
Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond
I read my first Lucy Diamond last summer and really enjoyed it so I'm looking forward to another summery read from her!
Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French
I love Dawn French and have wanted to try one of her books for a while now so when the publishers offered me a copy for review I snatched it up!
Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess
I've heard good things for this New Adult book. I have to say I'm not crazy about our UK paperback cover change though and the text inside is tiny which is always off putting for me. I guess I'll give it a go and if I'm not getting on with the font and am enjoying it I'll buy it on Kindle. It'd be a shame not to read it because it sounds pretty good!

 On My Kindle 

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone 

Faking It by Cora Carmack 

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas 

This weeks e-book haul is full of sequels I am desperate to read! The only one I haven't read yet is Losing It so I'll have to get to that soon so then I can read Faking It!

These are all of the lovely new books that found themselves a new home on my shelves over the past few weeks. If any of these books have caught your eye and you’d like to find out more about them simply click on the title and the link will take you to Goodreads for a full synopsis, reviews, and to add them to your wishlists. As always thank you to the lovely publishing folk for the review copies. If you’re looking forward to a certain book in particular and want to request a review feel free to in the comments and I’ll do my best to get around to the book sooner rather than later. And if you decided to do a Letterbox Love, Book Haul, IMM, Showcase Sunday, Mailbox Monday or whatever else featuring the books you got this week leave me a link as I’d love to check out your books too! ^_^

 Happy reading till next time!

Grisha Honour Guard: Corporalki and a Very Special Grisha Giveaway!

I'm very excited to be taking part in the Grisha Honour Guard to celebrate the publication of Siege and Storm and the re-release of Shadow and Bone with the US title and gorgeous cover! Today I'll be sharing with you a bit about the highest ranking soldiers in the Grisha Honour Guard the Corporalki and I have a very exciting giveaway for my UK/ Ireland readers! (Sorry international Grisha fans! This was at the publishers request as they are very kindly providing this giveaway for my readers.) Day by day we will be celebrating the unique and incredible skills of The Grisha, the magical elite of Ravka so make sure you check out the blog tour banner on my sidebar so you don't miss any of the stops!

If you've yet to read the amazing Shadow and Bone, the first book in this series, you might be wondering what exactly are The Grisha and Corporalki? So here is a little introduction...

The Grisha Orders 
The Grisha are the magical elite of Ravka, also known as the soldiers of the Second Army. They practice the Small Science: they manipulate matter at its most fundamental levels. I like to think of it as a magical version of molecular chemistry. Status is everything to the Grisha, and the three main orders are: Corporalki (The Order of the Living and the Dead: Heartrenders and Healers), Etherealki (The Order of Summoners: Squallers, Inferni and Tidemakers) and Materialki (The Order of Fabrikators: Durasts and Alkemi).

Corporalki The Order of the Living and the Dead 
 * Heartrenders (Red and Black)
 * Healers (Red and Gray)
Ravka is surrounded by enemies and basically operates as a garrison state. The Corporalki are considered the most valuable soldiers, and consequently, they are the highest ranking Grisha. A Corporalki Heartrender can snatch the air from your lungs, slow your pulse until you drop into a coma, or literally crush your heart in your chest—all without ever laying a finger on you. Healers put you right again.

From the author Leigh Bardugo 

I've always imagined that the Corporalki motto would be "The Cause and the Cure." They tend to be the most arrogant Order, not just because they're the most valued soldiers in the Second Army, but because they go through the most rigorous and secretive training.

My Thoughts on the Corporalki 

I can still remember quite clearly my first time reading Shadow and Bone and how mesmerised I was by the second army and their unique powers but none more so than the Corporalki. The Corporalki are the highest ranking soldiers and I find them equally fascinating and terrifying. The Corporalki is split into two groups the Heartrenders and Healers – two sides of the same coin. They are life and death.

Heartrenders control the heart and with a flick of the wrist can stop it in your chest. I’d be terrified to discover I had this power knowing I would be used to kill in the army. There is something very scary about a Grisha that can kill so quickly, so cleanly, and with so little effort.

When I first thought about what it would be like to be a Healer I figured it would be a pretty amazing gift! Think of all the good you could do and lives you could save! But then I got to thinking about the times when for whatever reason you couldn’t save someone. It hurts to watch someone you love in pain knowing there’s nothing you can do about it but imagine if there was something you could do but failed and the guilt you would feel because of that. I think Healers have a tougher time than we’d first imagine!

Both of the Corporalki have the power to save and destroy and I for one wouldn’t like that responsibility hanging over my head. Separately they are strong but together they are lethal as they can bring a pain worse than death. They can torture and heal you over and over and over again. With the Corporalki your life is literally in their hands.

Giveaway 

I'm insanely jealous of the prize I'm giving away to one of you guys today! As a Grisha fan I think it's pretty awesome! So here's what you could win...

* An exclusive signed copy of The Gathering Dark (now known as Shadow and Bone) with the covers being changed these copies are not being made any more so a signed edition is a rare and special thing indeed!
* A copy of Shadow and Bone AND Siege and Storm with the gorgeous new covers!
* A Grisha keyring from Hebel Design in either a Healer (left image) or Heartrender (right image) design, your choice!

One UK/ Ireland winner will win this entire Grisha goodie pack!

Rules 

To enter please fill in the Rafflecopter

Open to UK/ Ireland residents only

End date: Wednesday 19th June

Winner will be contacted by email and will have 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone entering! Stop by Serendipity Reviews tomorrow for more Grisha goodness this time all about the Materialki!

Follow The Grisha Honour Guard on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/fiercefiction/grisha-honour-guard/
Follow Leigh Bardugo on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lbardugo/

Thank you to the lovely Nina at Indigo for putting this tour together!

I'll Be Readathoning This Summer!

You guys know how much I love a good readathon and I'm committing myself to two of my favourites this summer. I'm hoping to participate in maybe another one or two later on but I'm not sure about dates yet so I may sign up nearer the time. The two that I'm signing up for today really caught my attention so I've made them a priority!
The first readathon I'm taking part in this summer will be the Debut-a-Thon which is being hosted by one of my favourite bloggers Books of Amber. This readathon will be running from June 27th to June 30th and in case you hadn't guessed already will be focusing on 2013 debuts of any genre. I believe this is the readathon's debut as well which is kind of cool. There are so many 2013 debut's calling to me from my bookshelves so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to tackle some of them. Goals I'll decide on closer to the time and I've made a list of the 2013 debuts I own on Goodreads here, I'd love your help choosing which books I should read so feel free to leave your recommendations from this list in the comments! I'm pretty sure these are all debuts but I'm not 100% certain on a few of them so if you know any that aren't please let me know so I can take them off the list - I'd hate to be half way through a book during the readathon to find out it doesn't count!

The second readathon I'll be taking part in is an old favourite Once Upon a Read-a-Thon. This is its fourth run, I took part last year for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's hosted by Angela and Loretta at Reading Angels, Candace at Candace’s Book Blog and Lori at Pure Imagination (Fun Fact: Lori designed my blog!) this will run from July 8th to July 10th. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be reading for this yet but I think I'd like to take a break from the review books and catch up on some of the ones I've bought. Again goals and the books I'll be reading will go up closer to the date.

I'd love for some of you guys to join in if you can! And I'll be updating here on the blog, on Goodreads, and on Twitter if you want to follow my progress! Once again I'd love for you to check out my 2013 Debut List on Goodreads and suggest what I should read for the Debut-a-Thon! I can't wait to get started!

Review for Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 18th July 2013
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thriller
Source: Received from the publishers in exchange for an honest review




Amazon Summary:

"It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love. As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine..."

Review 
As is with any good murder mystery the enigma surrounding Dangerous Girls is one of the best things about the book, the less you know – the better! So straight off the bat I’m going to say that if you love edgy YA contemporary or gripping thrillers you will NOT want to miss Dangerous Girls which promises to be *the* YA thriller of the summer. Although I’m going to keep this review spoiler free, if you like the sound of this book and are just after my personal opinion I loved it and I encourage you to stop reading right here and go buy it because the less you know about it the better this book will be for you. However if you’re not completely sold yet and need a little more info feel free to read on without fear of getting spoiled.

Dangerous Girls is told in various different forms from television transcripts to crime reports but the majority of the book is told in a first person narrative from Anna throughout different stages of her friendship with best friend and murder victim Elise. I absolutely loved the way this book was written; every chapter gives you a piece of the puzzle that you put together as the book goes on. Each character has a dark side and their own secrets that get revealed slowly throughout the book and because of this you’re never sure who to trust, who is lying, or if these secrets connect to the murder.

One of my favourite things about Dangerous Girls was how it shows that in a certain light anyone of us could look like we’re capable of murder. From an argument with the victim, to an “I could just kill them!” text message after a hard day, we’ve all done it, we’re all guilty. It was scary how the investigators would take such mundane things and twist them into something sinister. Anna is your typical teenage girl yet so many little things she’d done in the past got twisted around. I loved Anna as our protagonist and felt horrified and scared along with her at the terrifying situation she’s put in.

Dangerous Girls was a book that I couldn’t put down, I’d read it long into the night and at every chance I could get and it kept me guessing until the very end. The way the story was unveiled was perfection, the pacing was fuelled by an intense need to know what happened on that fateful night, and the characters were wickedly complex as was their tangled relationships with one another. I could not get enough of this book and the ending blew me away. Basically Dangerous Girls is one of the best YA thrillers I’ve ever read and is a must read for this summer!