Mockingjay Cover

The cover for Mockingjay, the final installment of Suzanne Collins' highly acclaimed trilogy that began with The Hunger Games and continued with Catching Fire, has been released today. And what a cover it is!

For one thing, it's a beautiful shade of blue. For another - doesn't the cover seem to be just teeming with symbolism? I mean, the first two covers demonstrated obvious correlations and parallel structure - and so does this one. But the centre circle - it's bursting apart! Do they represent the districts, and the freedom gained? In fact, the bird on this cover - posture-wise, orientation, etc. does seem to seem more self-confident, more free somehow. The others seem to be almost held captive by their respective circles - this one's got its wings spread out to full wingspan, ready to take flight.

What a beautiful title too; Mockingjay. Even the ring of it sounds beautiful. Also interesting to note that THG had three words, in the title, CF two, and now M one. Almost like we're counting down, y'know?

And for comparison's sake, here are the two earlier counterparts of the trilogy's covers:

Certainly Collins has lucked out with a series of great covers over the course of this series. Do you guys have a favourite? Any predictions on the final outcome and/or events of this third installment?

My review of The Hunger Games; alas, haven't gotten around to reviewing Catching Fire yet, despite delving into day of its release. Here's the Scholastic blog, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly's takes on the cover.

Waiting on Wednesday (7) (+ Excerpt)

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins
*March 2nd, 2010 Hyperion

When Sophie Mercer turned thirteen, she discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-Gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hecate Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward prodigium, a.k.a. witches, fae, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard. Three powerful enemies who look like supermodels; a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock; a creepy, tag-along ghost; and a new roommate, who happens to be the most-hated person and only vampire on campus. Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her friend Jenna is the number one suspect. Meanwhile, Sophie has a more personal shock to grapple with. Not only is her father the head of the prodigium council, he's the most powerful warlock in the world, and Sophie is his heir. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all prodigium, especially her.

Haven't done WoW in a looong while, but possibly starting again. Anyway - this week's pick is Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall. Early reviews of it have been pretty amazing, so it'll be great to see how this one turns out. Plus, the release date's not that far away!

Also, be sure to drop by here to catch an early glimpse of the first chapter of Hex Hall.

But now that you've seen my pick, what are you waiting on, this Wednesday?

*WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine

Gone Review

Gone - Lisa McMann
*February 9th, 2010 Simon Pulse

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

Lisa McMann has built up a brilliant track record thus far with the first two books in the Dream Catcher trilogy, Wake and Fade (Fade review). With the final installment, McMann pulls it off again, bringing the story to a brilliant conclusion with Gone.

Writing-wise, Gone basically meets expectations. It's great to get another dose of McMann's unique writing style. The fragmented sentences, the exhilarating rush that accompanies it... there's something almost poetic about the diction choice, and the way they're selectively arranged. It definitely creates a sense of rushed immediacy, which injects tension and suspense into the narrative superbly.

Character development is continued nicely - we get more of a sense of Cabel and Janie - and the minor characters - as people. Getting familiarized with their motivations and thought processes definitely increases intimacy and augments credibility. There seems to be a bit of an exchange of action for character progression in Gone.

One of the great things about the trilogy has been its ability to provoke thought. Gone is no exception - McMann introduces interesting dilemmas which will doubtlessly cause you to self-reflect and wonder what you would do in that situation. The situation continued and rearranged and then posed in a new way in Gone is definitely a difficult, but well laid out, one. Which brings me to another point. Regarding the dilemma, there seems to be one answer that could potentially work out - yet this is neither proved or disproved, and more or less ignored. Hopefully this wasn't an oversight; but alas, as Gone is the final installment, guess we won't find out.

McMann brings the story to a very fitting conclusion with Gone. It's a fulfilling ending, which makes sense (mostly) and brings about a degree of satisfaction. With poetic writing, raw characters and an intriguing plot, Lisa McMann's Gone is bound to be another great success.

Fade Review | Goodreads | IndieBound | Lisa McMann


If you've reviewed Gone as well, link your review below.

In My Mailbox [29]

Brought to you by Alea & Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #29...

Guess what arrived this week - volume 12 of Crimson Hero! Now I don't really read much manga, but this one just really clicks with me for some reason. The combination of beautiful artwork, extremely likable characters and literally-laugh-out-loud hilarious plot line is simply lethal. It's just one of those pick-me-ups that you go back to time after time, because it's that awesome. So yeah, in a nutshell - pretty excited about this one. Quality over quantity, guys!

And now that you know what I got, what was in your mailbox this week?

Impossible Review

Impossible - Nancy Werlin
*September 18th, 1994/2008 Speak

Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter.
Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair", this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

Inspired by the ballad 'Scarborough Fair', Nancy Werlin captures the achingly poignant concepts of the song beautifully in Impossible. There's something majestic and romantic about the way olde mythological magic is incorporated into a relatively contemporary setting.

I'll admit - at the beginning of the book, I'd been a little worried; it sounded like it might just be trying a tad too hard to mimic the contemporary teenage years. (Although now realizing that this was originally published in 1994 does change that somewhat.) However, as the book progressed, there was something very enchanting about the language, the diction choice, the phrasing. It almost seemed symbolic of Lucy's incredible characterization journey - a youngster treading water, testing it out, and then growing and flourishing into her own person. The voice just fit with Impossible - it was alluring, like the way the Elfin Knight's voice is described to be.

The research and forethought that must've gone into this is pretty impressive. It's great to observe the puzzle unraveling, to watch the characters hurtle towards the unknown. Despite being a little hard to relate to at times, the characters, most notably Lucy, Zach, Miranda, Soledad, Leo... they were all very intriguing and quite likable.

The way the ballad was incorporated in various incarnations throughout was definitely highly enjoyable and interesting. The journey depicted through the course of this tale, the mythic elements that came into play... all in all, it made for a romantically magical story.

Nancy Werlin's Impossible thrillingly weaves romance, magic and intrigue into one achingly beautiful tale.

Goodreads | Nancy Werlin

In My Mailbox [28]

Brought to you by Alea & Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #28...
This week I got Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey, which was a wonderful surprise, and The Dark Divine Nail Polish.

How about you - what was in your mailbox this week?

Interview: Melissa de la Cruz

Today, we have a pretty exciting guest author dropping by for a quick Q & A. She's a New York Times and USA-Today Best-selling author of popular YA series like the au pairs, Blue Bloods, The Ashleys and more. Check out her awesome website and shopping diary here. Please give a warm welcome for the fantabulous Melissa de la Cruz!

The concept of vampires is pretty ow-ow-hawt right now, but every author puts a unique spin on them. What differentiates yours in particular?
My vampires are fallen angels cast out of Heaven with Lucifer. They've been trying to regain the Lord's Grace for centuries to find their way back to Paradise, and there are two archangels who left Heaven on their own will and not from sin, called the Uncorrupted: Michael, Pure of Heart, and Gabrielle, the Virtuous. I wanted my vampires to have a very complex and interesting mythology whose history was part of world history and universal myth.

Backstory is always great! So word through the grapevine says there'll be about 10 books in the BLUE BLOODS series... is there one you particularly enjoyed/will enjoy writing?
I always enjoy writing the book that I am working on now. They are all my favorite while I am writing them. I am looking forward to writing the last book, because I've known the ending for years now, and am working my way toward it. But I think I'll feel so sad at the end. It will be weird to end the series.

Are there any juicy details you're at liberty to share with us about upcoming books?
Misguided Angel tells a lot of Allegra's back story, and we'll see Schuyler's dad for the first time, and Charles as a young man too. Meanwhile in the modern world, Schuyler and Jack try to unravel Lawrence's legacy, and it's fun to see how they work together—how do you keep the romance alive when you have a quest to fulfill? And Mimi and Oliver left alone in New York have a new threat to deal with, and a new character comes in to help them with it.

Ooh, a new character! Especially with series, characters and their names become quite attached. Schuyler, Bliss... all very original. Were there any particular reasons behind the names you chose?
I wanted to use names that had very old WASPy resonance, and luckily enough I have a friend named Schuyler from a very old American family (he's a guy though) and I always liked that name. It seemed to suggest the American aristocracy, and when I found out about Elizabeth Schuyler, who was married to Alexander Hamilton, I thought of course! Schuyler is descended from her! And I always liked the name Blythe from Blythe Danner, and Bliss just came naturally from that.

Such beautiful names! What inspired you to use Europe in your plot line? (from @Lilixtreme on Twitter)
The vampires came over on the Mayflower, so of course they have their roots in the Old Country. It just seemed natural.

Now, from your blog it would appear you're quite the fashionista. What three items are you most looking forward to for this autumn/winter?
For fall, I loved the knee-high boot, I loved the oversized sweaters from Chloe, but since I used to be a fashion editor, we were always three months ahead and even though it's winter mentally I've already moved on to my spring wardrobe. I cannot wait to wear the new Phoebe Philo for Celine line—lots of great simple lines in clean beige colors. I am in a monochromatic stage, I wore a lot of prints in the last few years but now my wardrobe is minimizing to gray, black, white and beige.

Sounds very clean-cut and crisp. :) If the apocalypse were coming tomorrow and you could only choose three books to keep safe and bring into the "New World", which ones would you pick?
War and Peace, The Lord of the Rings, and the Zombie Survival Guide, because I've seen a lot of post-apocalyptic movies and I know we'll need to be prepared!

All very worthy choices. Any literary crushes?
I still love Stephen King and hearing him speak about his writing is always an awesome experience. JK Rowling, definitely would love to meet her. I love smart lady writers, so I'd love to meet Zadie Smith, Jhumpa Lahiri and Kate Christensen.

For sure! And just for fun - compose a haiku for one of your characters.
There once was a Blue Blood named Schuyler,
Whom the Conclave decided was a liar,
They sent venators to chase her and tried to take her,
But she was the one who got away.

Oops – it's a limerick. Oh well. I think limericks are more fun.

Haha, that was great! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
KEYS TO THE REPOSITORY comes out in Spring 2010!

Thanks for dropping by, Melissa!
Thanks for having me!

Chat with Richelle Mead & Incarceron Widget

So, unless you're a YA hermit and/or have been living under a metaphorical rock for the past couple of years, I presume you've all heard of the awesome Richelle Mead and her New York Times Bestselling series Vampire Academy.

Wouldn't it be great to get an opportunity to chat with the fantastic mastermind behind this super-successful series? Well, with all the brilliantly fun stuff that 2010 brings, you can.

A live online chat will be taking place at Penguin's Publisher's Office Watercooler on Thursday, January 7th at 8:00 pm Eastern. (You can sign up here for a reminder in case there's worry about forgetting and possibly missing this awesome event.)

Let's make sure nobody misses out on this great opportunity, so spread the word! :)

In other news, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (which will be released January 26th, 2010) has a snazzy new widget complete with an excerpt, a trailer, and reviews. Isn't the cover art striking?