The Clockwork Prince trailer!

The next book in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy, Clockwork Prince is set to release in just a few days.

The Clockwork Prince trailer was revealed this week. What do you think of it? Comment below and let us know!

A Book You May Have Missed

It’s true that YA is growing and sometimes the Teen Fiction section in bookstores can be overwhelming.  With so much to choose from, it’s easy to judge books by their covers and not bother reading the backs of the hundreds of choices in front of you.  One book I know many people have passed over is Kelly Creagh’s Nevermore.  Now, I am about to make your next trip to the Teen section easier for you.  You have to read this book!  Here are the top three reasons why:

1.        Nevermore is NOT -- as one would assume from the cover – just the story of an unlikely couple.  Yes, Varen is the goth boy and Isobel is the cheerleader, but there is one more VERY important character that you would not know of by looking at the cover: EDGAR ALLAN POE!  Varen’s dreams are made up of Poe’s stories and Isobel is sucked into this dream world.   For anyone who has ever read and loved The Raven or been wildly creeped out by The Tell-Tale Heart, you must read this book!

2.        Nevermore has a touch of fantasy, slipping between the all-to-real world of high school into a Poe inspired dream world.  The high school in Creagh’s novel is extremely realistic: full of mean girls, those they pick on and those who feel they just don’t belong.  For many people (like myself), high school was not the perfect experience, so books that understand this are always appreciated.  However, although we all lived through high school, we don’t all get to lose ourselves in the madness that is Varen’s mind, so we have to put our trust into Creagh that she can take us there with her imagination instead!  Plus, who doesn’t like a little dark magic stirred into their reality? 

3.      A whirlwind mystery!  Yes, most people who have read Nevermore will tell you that you will be kept guessing for as long as humanly possible.  Creagh does not carve a traditional path, enabling you to guess where the story is going.  You don’t know and you WONT know until she shines a little light.  And here’s the kicker – this is a series, so you may be left hanging a little.  Oh, delicious anticipation.  Enshadowed, the second in the series, comes out next year!

Convinced?  I could go on….

If you’ve passed by Nevermore before, I hope now you will give it a shot.  I promise you it deserves one!

Who would you be?

Quite a few of us in the office are big YA fans and earlier this week, we got into a discussion over which YA character we could be for a day if we had the chance.  With such an extensive list of fantastic titles and my slight obsession with YA, it took me forever to decide -- but I finally have!  Here is my "who I would be" post!  

Who would YOU be?!  Let us know in the comments section!
As readers, we lose ourselves in books.  We don’t always just observe a character; occasionally, we become them.  Other times, you can actually see yourself IN them.  This is how I felt about Belly in Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

  

During a presentation at the 2011 Book Summit in Toronto, Lev Grossman made a very true and beautiful observation: a bookshelf is a map of all the places you’ve been that don’t exist.  One place I have spent a LOT of time at, is Cousins Beach.  Cousins reminded me so much of the cottage my family and I have been going to every summer for basically my entire life (we only stay a week and not the entire summer, but you get the idea).  The setting  became another character in the book and I could literally close my eyes and be there.  I smelled the fresh air coming in off the water, felt the sand in my feet, heard the crash of the waves.  It didn’t help that Belly and my teenage self have way too much in common.  Each time Belly felt self conscious, I remembered that feeling.  Every time she swooned over Conrad’s dark demeanour, I remembered that feeling.  I felt like Belly grew from being an anxious teen, to a questioning young adult, just as I did.  Now, as a grown woman (well, sort of), I can just picture what Belly would be like at my age: still curious, passionate and at times hot-headed, but a bit more self-assured, confident and wiser. 

Finishing the series made me feel like one of my best friends had just moved away and I knew I wouldn’t hear from her for a while.  Or maybe it was that part of myself was retiring.  Either way, I still think of Belly lovingly, hoping she’s off living and loving just as powerfully as she did in the books!

Could you take The Pledge?

Slowly --so very slowly-- she opened her eyes to see what it was...
... and found herself standing at the side of the bed, staring at the empty eyes of the dead queen.  Eyes that once had belonged to her.

Occasionally, you read the first few pages of a book and know you will NOT be putting it down.  That's how I felt when I picked up Kimberly Derting's The Pledge.  Best known for her Body Finder series, Kimberly's new book is of a completely different nature.

Charlie lives in a world where language is determined by class and speaking out of class can result in death.  The fact that Charlie understands every single language is both a blessing and a curse.  Her ability may be the only way to save her country, but it could also mean the end of her.  When she falls for the dark and mysterious Max, she must decide where her loyalties lie and just how much she is willing to lose.

If the small excerpt from the top of the page isn't enough to make you want this book in your hands, the cover definitely is.  I am repeatedly blown away by the gorgeous YA covers these days!

The Pledge promises to be a fresh read with a topic that stands out among other YA novels with a cover that beams on the shelf and the engaging writing of Kimberly to tie it all together.  Danger, secrets and a mysterious man?  Yeah .. I think I could deal with that!

The Pledge hits shelves on Tuesday!

Clockwork Prince: The countdown begins

The second book in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy, Clockwork Prince is just a month away.

To celebrate, we're running an amazing giveaway. 

You could win signed copies of Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and a $100 Gift Certificate to John Fluevog Shoes!

Enter to win.

Book Blogger Spotlight: Melanie Fishbane

This month, our feature YA blogger is Melanie Fishbane, Kids and Teens online Marketing Editor/Merchandiser at Indigo Books, L.M. Montgomery super fan, and the mastermind behind Wild About Words. 

      What made you want to blog about books?

I had been blogging and reviewing books at work and really enjoyed it. I wanted to extend that into my personal/private life. I had started writing a blog on livejournal that focused on my writing life. Talking about books and how they inspire my own writing seemed to be the logical next step

What’s your favourite reading spot?

It totally depends. There is this big chair that I have in my office that is perfect for curling up and reading. If it is a beautiful spring day, however, I like being under a tree or a blanket and read. I do a lot of reading on the bus.

Your favourite book in the last year?

Wow…that is a tough one to pick. I had blogged about my Top books of 2010 on Wild About Words. I would say from that list that it was Jennifer Donnelley’s Revolution, Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel and Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall.

Favourite author?

It is a tie. All time fave: L.M. Montgomery. James Joyce. Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Contemporary Author: Libba Bray.

Who’s the most swoon-worthy; Patch (from Hush, Hush), Jace (from The Mortal Instruments), Cassel (from White Cat), Gabriel (from Wither)?

Well, from that list it would be Jace from The Mortal Instruments.

Favourite quote?

I have many favourites. Here is a most recent one:

“I am simply a 'book drunkard.' Books have the same irresistible temptation for me that liquor has for its devotee. I cannot withstand them.” 

― L.M. Montgomery

Some of your favourite book blogs:

http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/

http://www.yabookshelf.com/

http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/

http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com/bookshelves_of_doom/

http://theheroinesbookshelf.com/

How has your blog/feature developed or changed since you first started?

Definitely. I have updated the look and feel as I develop and change. At first the blog was just about my writing process, now, it focuses a lot on what I’m reading.