Zodiac Books: Black Moon

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Melissa L.

Only TWO more weeks until Thirteen Rising is released!! Has everyone been following along with the #ZodiacBooks ReReadathon? Today I’ll be doing a fun post for the third book in the series Black Moon!

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One final secret stands between Rho and the enemy. But will the devastating truth destroy her first?

Rho, the courageous visionary from House Cancer, lost nearly everything when she exposed and fought against the Marad, a mysterious terrorist group bent on destroying balance in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now the Marad has disappeared without a trace, and an uneasy peace has been declared.

But Rho is suspicious. She believes the Master is still out there in some other form. And looming over all are the eerie visions of her mother, who died many years ago but is now appearing to Rho in the stars.

When news of a stylish new political party supported by her best friend, Nishi, sends Rho on another journey across the Galaxy, she uses it as an opportunity to hunt the hidden master and seek out information about her mother. And what she uncovers sheds light on the truth—but casts darkness upon the entire Zodiac world.

I was planning to do a cover outfit, but I could not decide on a dress. There are so many fantastic choices I thought I’d let readers decide for me. We’ll be have a “dress off”!

Zuhair Murad – Fall 2015 Couture Collection

First up we have this stunning galaxy dress by Zuhair Murad. I love how the sequins make waves along the skirt reminiscent of House Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

Marchesa 2011

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Next up is this gorgeous black ball gown with gold sequence worn by Olivia Wilde at the Golden Globes. It kinda looks like a has star exploded.

Elie Saab Fall 2015

Here we have a more subtle navy gown by Elie Saab that has POCKETS! All hail Elie Saab!

So now do you guys see how this is so freaking hard to choose? I’d like you to cast your votes on the dress you think works for the cover. Feel free to link to some other choices in the comments below!

BONUS

Dresses for the Zodiac signs shown on the cover of Black Moon!

This Zuhair Murad Fall 2015 was made for House Pisces! The bodice reminds me of fish scales or fish nets and there’s a lot of silver sequence which is the house color.

This gown designed by Fausto Sarli for his Spring/Summer 2011 collection is definitely House Aquarius who’s color is aqua. Though an air element, I chose this oceanic dress because Aquarius is the water carrier.

GIVEAWAY LEGAL COPY:

Enter for a chance to win either one (1) grand prize set of Romina Russell’s Zodiac Series in paperback, including Zodiac, Wandering Star, and Black Moon (32.97) or to be one (1) of five (5) second place winners to receive a copy of Zodiac by Romina Russell (ARV: $10.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on August 7, 2017 and 12:00 AM on August 28, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about September 1, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

ENTER GIVEAWAY

ARC Review: Miles Morales

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Melissa L.

32793053 Title: Miles Morales
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Marvel Press
Pages: 272
Release Date: 8/1/2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Summary: “Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you’re on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins.”

Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He’s even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he’s Spider Man.

But lately, Miles’s spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren’t meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad’s advice and focus on saving himself.

As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can’t shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher’s lectures on the historical “benefits” of slavery and the importance of the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.

It’s time for Miles to suit up.

I will be honest, when they announced a novelization about Black Widow, I didn’t jump on the bandwagon and read it. Not that I don’t love Black Widow, but I just didn’t see the appeal. We already had great films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, why do we need books? Apparently this is a thing that’s been happening for years. Anyway it wasn’t until publishers announced Wonder Woman did I become interested because it was going to be written by favorite author. I hadn’t even heard about Spider-Man becoming a book until Mashable revealed the cover and holy cow! What a cover! My immediate thought was, “Who the hell is Miles Morales?”

I am not into comics whatsoever, so my only exposure is through the films, and then I go look it up like most non-comic people. So of course I looked up how Miles took over as Spider-Man. Let’s just say I was very very happy.

I was lucky enough to snag an early copy at BookExpo from Disney. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I never read a book by Jason Reynolds, but I know of his books, especially Ghost, since I gifted it one year to a family friend who loves sports novels. All I let myself know about Miles was that he is a half black, half Puerto Rican high school kid living in New York, and why he took over for Peter Parker. I didn’t read too much about Miles because I didn’t want to ruin the first time experience.

It’s so refreshing to learn about another Spider-Man!!! I really got fed up with Hollywood “rebooting” Spider-Man three times. I haven’t seen Spider-Man Homecoming, I wasn’t a fan of the character in Captain American Civil War.

What I liked about this book was how Miles portrayed as a “regular” kid. He’s trying to discover who he is, balance school and come to grips with his newly found powers. I also loved seeing the relationship between Miles and his best friend Ganke, who is Asian. HI. YES! POCs front and center! I also appreciated reading about the relationship between Miles and his parents. [Yay YA parents who are Alive!] One thing that surprised me was Miles’ web shooters. Since I don’t know a ton about him, I’ll probably have to look it up. Not gonna lie, I feel like it’s a better origin story than Peter Parker. Sorry guys!

The one thing that didn’t click with me was the villain of the story. Not so much what it represented and the significance of it, but more the white cat part of it. I can’t explain why the white cat bothers me without spoilers. Maybe I am just weird or I need to re-read it again. Or I could find Jason at the Boston Teen Author Festival and ask…. Anyway the other thing I disliked was IT NEEDED TO BE LONGER!!!!! I feel like Jason barely scratched the surface and I hope there will be a sequel or two.

Anyway if you haven’t read Miles Morales, you need to add it to your ever growing TBR pile NOW!

5-stars

MelissaSig

#PlayWarcross + GIVEAWAY

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Melissa L.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

Want a chance to play?

You can by building your own WARCROSS team.

WARCROSS teams are made up of five members:

Team Captain
The Architect
The Thief
The Shield
The Fighter

Build your own teams from your favorite YA characters or other fictional characters and then Tag 5 friends to play along too! Be sure to use #PlayWarcross when you share your post!!

Team Captain

I think Nikolai Lanstov from the Grisha trilogy would make for a good team captain. He does play well with others.

The Architect

Without a doubt this job is for Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson series. Though I think Nikolai will bug Annabeth, since he can be so much like Percy. Maybe worse.

The Thief

I feel like everyone is going to pick this character but for thief I am going with my girl Inej Ghafa from Six of Crows.

The Shield

I am picking Vida from The Darkest Minds who uses telekinesis. She would be able to deflect things coming toward her.

(Art by Taratjah)

The Fighter

There are so many good fighters to choose from, but I am going to have to go with Aeduan from Truthwitch series! Nikolai would probably also piss Aeduan off from time to time.

(Artwork by Victoria Quezada)

TAGGING: MC @ Blame it on the Books | Karina @ A Reader Under the Sea | Jen @ Library of a Book Witch| Dana @ DanaSquare | Kelly @ See Kelly Tse

The Game Begins:

September 12, 2017

Don’t miss your chance to receive this exclusive short story!!

How to Enter

1. Pre-order your copy of WARCROSS from any store
2. Snap a photo or screenshot of your receipt
3. Fill out the form and upload your receipt

About Marie Lu

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY LEGAL:

Enter for a chance to be one (1) of five (5) grand prize winners of a WARCROSS Galley set (including galley, shirt, keychain, and postcard) or to be one (1) of ten (10) second place prize winners of a WARCROSS Galley (ARV: $0.00 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on July 31th, 2017 and 12:00 AM on August 28, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about August 5, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.