Cinder Trailer

Today, I want to share the awesome book trailer for Cinder by Marissa Meyer, which was just released a few days ago on January 3rd by Feiwel & Friends.

Cinder: Book One in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…. Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Doesn't the book description sound awesome?! Modified humans, fractured fairy tale, science fiction... sounds like great fun!

The dates for Marissa Meyer's extensive author tour can be found on her blog and if you're unable to attend, there will be an author event/party on January 9th on Facebook/Twitter at 7:00 EST.

Enclave Review

Enclave (Razorland #1) - Ann Aguirre

*April 12th, 2011 Feiwel & Friends

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre is a fast-paced, action-packed futuristic/science fiction read. With a plot that really moves and a haunting dystopian world, Enclave is an entertaining quick read that can be finished in a sitting or two.

For the most part, Enclave is fairy enjoyable, as far as entertainment derived from reading goes. The futuristic world that Aguirre lays out here is relatively similar to our own - enough so that it is relatable and credible. Heavy on the action and neutral on the cover, Enclave is the type of book that would have more appeal with the reluctant and/or male reader segments, especially considering its short length.

Enclave appears to be the first in a series (Razorland) - and it shows. The world-building progresses fairly nicely, the setting is put into place, and the backstory is explored - but as a standalone, there are a number of weaknesses. There seems to be a fair amount of expectation for [readers] to accept things as face value, lacking adequate explanation. Some of the plot points read like deus ex machina, a little too convenient. At times the writing seems almost as if there's a misconceived notion that the narrative needs to be watered down in order to cater to "younger adults".

In spite of all that, Enclave is still a fairly fun read. The world-building is well done and action is well placed (which is more than can be said for a lot of mammoth novels these days with lots of exposition and lack of action). It's also very refreshing to see a female leading lady who's well able to hold her own and kick some serious butt. Brave and bold, Huntress Deuce is far from being a damsel in distress.

All in all, with Enclave Aguirre has crafted an engaging read that will be quickly devoured by readers like Freaks devour raw flesh.

Ann Aguirre / Enclave / IndieBound / Goodreads

In My Mailbox [51]

In the past two weeks, I received:
For Review:
` Graveminder by Melissa Marr
` Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
` Die For Me by Amy Plum
(Thanks, Harper, for the above!)

` Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Thanks Zeitghost & Macmillan!)

and from a Twitter contest:
` When You Were Mine by Elizabeth Noble (Thanks Penguin!)

And that's my mailbox for the past two weeks. What've you gotten recently?

*In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

**While you're here - don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and a set of buttons, as well as the giveaway for a copy of First Daughter and a copy of Blood Trust, both by Eric Van Lustbader!

Enclave Release Day & Trailer

So I think by now, we've all noticed that I'm a bit of a sucker for dystopian YA at the moment - more, more, more, I say! And today marks the release of another that adds to that number:

Enclave by Ann Aguirre released today, from Feiwel & Friends (of Macmillan)! Woohoo, happy release day! The synopsis sounds pretty awesome, check it out:

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

And while you're here & have Enclave on the brain, watch the super cool trailer for it as well:

Isn't the trailer deliciously intriguing? And as far as book trailers go, this is definitely one of the better done ones. You can find more information here or here.

Cheers :)

In My Mailbox [15]

Give Up the Ghost - Megan Crewe

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….