Giveaway + Cover Reveal: His Black Wings

His Black Wings is...

Beauty and the Beast set in the future during a Victorian era revival. 

The Grand Council has brought the world peace, but will it last?

Malice, revenge and lust are not easily defeated...

Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home, following the death of her parents and a vicious attack from a man who intends to marry her. 

She assumes a new identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome, Fredrick Lowood. However, Fredrick's generosity isn't without a price and Claren soon finds herself forced into a strange friendship with his disfigured son. 

Unaware of how Claren's past entwines with his own, 

Etrigan Lowood begins to yearn for her love. 

Unfortunately, the past is not far behind.

Is his love for Claren enough? 

Or will Etrigan remain alone with his black wings... 

My Thoughts:
I am loving the manga vibe of this cover! And the colors too! As for the story, pshhhh you had me at "Beauty and the Beast," AKA one of my all-time fairy tales. I can't wait to read this book!! X)

About the author:

Astrid Yrigollen is a self published author of young adult and children's books. Astrid started her writing career when she begun work for the international video game giant, Sega of America. Working her way up the ranks, she began writing companion guides for games. With a love for writing fiction since childhood, she took her short stories out of storage and had her first story ever written published. It was only after that she found out that first stories are never published! She has resumed writing full time and has succeeded in putting out the titles, The Doughnut Tree, Mysterious Pootkins, and The Mosswoods--to name a few. Her short stories have appeared in the literary journal of Threshold Press and Shock and Awe Magazine. 

Connect with the author! 

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Website

Giveaway Time!!!

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*Giveaway is hosted by the author, I'm simply providing the rafflecoptor to enter

Review: Kill Me Softly

Title: Kill Me Softly
Author: Sarah Cross
Publication Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher EgmontUSA

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

Holy WOW.
This book is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the BEST fairy tale retellings I've ever read.

Sarah Cross's concept of these modern fairy tale curses is so original and so unbelievably creative that I fell head over heels for the world of Beau Rivage.

I loved how Cross weaves together all these classic fairy tale stories and elements so that each of the characters could all coexist together. But if you think that these are your Disney happily-ever-after stories, then think again! These are dark Grimm brothers fairy tales--they're gruesome and slightly creepy and I freakin' loved every minute of it!

NOw let's talk abou the fabulous assortment of characters in this story. OH. My. Gosh. These characters. Well to start off, there's just about a character from every classic fairy tale present in this one book! The modern representations of Snow White, the Huntsman, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, and the Beast were all spot-on in their portrayal while still giving them originality.These characters are all pretty cynical because of their respective curses/destinies, but I think that gives them all a lot of complexity. One the one hand, they want to fight their destiny, but they also know it's ultimately inevitable.

Mira, the protagonist, was a great character, though admittedly, it took me some time to warm up to her. The character that really stole the show for me was Blue Valentine. I totally thought he was your average cocky bad-boy, but never have I been so happy to be wrong! Blue is one of the most selfless, kind, swoon-worthy characters I've ever encountered!. After learning everything he'd been through, realizing the reasons for his actions, I just wanted to give him a big fat hug.

The only thing keeping this book from a 5 star rating is the 3rd person narration. It kept me from really connecting with the main character, but I will admit that this gives the story a more fairy-tale-esque vibe. With regards to POV, I think it's just a personal preference kind of thing. The diction was just absolutely beautiful and there were so many passages I marked to quote!

Rating: 4.5 stars!!

All in all: LOVED this book. The concept of the interconnected fairy tales in the modern world is just fabulously written, and I can't wait for a companion novel!!

Review: Sweetly

Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2)
by Jackson Pearce

Published August 23rd 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.
-goodreads

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review:
I freaking love fairytale retellings, and I must say, Jackson Pearce has done great job with this retelling! I loved it! I enjoyed Sisters Red, but it's got nothing on this book.

I love how Pearce takes these nice little fairy tales that we all know and love from our childhood and then adds her own little dark spin on it. It makes for quite an addicting read, that's for sure. If you're expecting some light, fluffy innocent read, then think again because this book is intense. It's got  characters who have experienced some seriously messed up problems, action, and mystery--boy does it have mystery! I was up reading into the wee hours of the night trying to figure out just what the "truth" was.

I can definitely see how this is a companion book to Sisters Red. You don't have to read one right before the other, but they both happen in the same world and deal with fenris. Pearce's spin on the witch in the story was really creative and totally unexpected.

As for the characters in this book, I really enjoyed the motley gang, especially Gretchen. She starts out as a scared girl, but seeing her evolution through the book into someone so strong and fearless was awesome. I really enjoyed how despite all the fairytale elements in the book and in Gretchen's life, she was still very real and relateable! 

This book combines so many elements that I want in a good read; a little bit of fantasy, some fairytale elements, great characters, suspense (trust me, it's got a lot of that!), and romance. Okay, maybe I wouldn't mind if there was a little more romance... but that's just me. Regardless it was still a great read.

And, OH! That cover! Is anyone else experiencing some serious cover love? I am in love with the whimsical/semi-creepy look! I think I might like it even more than I do the cover of Sisters Red! 


Bottom Line: You should read this book. And believe me, this book will leave you wanting more retellings from Jackson Pearce. I really hope she decides to write another one!