Fantastic Five: 2013 Sequels

Fantastic Five is a new-ish feature at The Hiding Spot! These posts will always feature five of something - whether it be forthcoming novels, favorite authors, books with a common theme, or newly released covers. 

________________________________

Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14 #2)
Feiwel & Friends/5.28.2013 

The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend. 

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
HarperTeen/7.23.13

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris (Unraveling #2)
Balzer + Bray/4.23.13

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Henry Holt & Company/6.4.13

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
Little, Brown BFYR/11.5.13

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?

Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this sequel to bestselling author Gail Carriger's YA debut Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season

_________________________________

There are so many great sequels releasing in the upcoming weeks and months! What sequels and series continuations are you waiting for??

Contest: Win a copy of Soulless by Gail Carriger! CLOSED

Gail Carriger has kindly offered a chance to win a signed ARC of her upcoming novel, Soulless to one lucky reader!

Entering this contest is easy:
Simply leave your email in a comment to this post! You must leave an email address or you will be disqualified!

Of course, there are some chances for extra entries for those of you who want every entry you can get to win this amazing new novel!




+2 Comment on my review of Soulless, here.

+2 Comment on my interview with Gail, here.

+1 Tell me something interesting you learned while browsing Gail's website, blog, or Livejoural!(I really mean anything...!)

+2 Every time you link this contest (Sidebars, Twitter, Blog post, etc) (You may not get multiple points for multiple tweets... only +2 once!)

This contest is open until September 30th, the day after Soulless officially hits the shelves!

THIS CONTEST IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

Good luck and have fun!

**CONTEST NOW CLOSED!**

Interview: Gail Carriger (Author of Soulless!)

Today we have the amazing Gail Carriger, author of the soon-to-be-released Soulless!

First off, I'd like to share the biography that Gail has on her website. This biography is one of the best I've ever read!

Ms. Carriger began writing in order to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of Armenian lovers, where she insists on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. She is fond of teeny tiny hats and tropical fruit. Soulless is her first book.

The Interview:

First off, tell us a little bit about your new novel, Soulless.
It's an "everything but the kitchen sink" mash up of genres (steampunk, comedy, and urban fantasy) in which a startlingly assertive spinster (who just happens to have no soul) takes on Victorian London's supernatural upper crust one parasol whack at a time.

Are you anything like your main character, personality-wise?
I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I might incriminate myself. Actually, bits of my personality come out more distinctly in three of my minor characters, one of whom doesn't appear until the second book. I'll leave my readers to guess which three.

Alexia’s romantic counterpart is Lord Maccon, a werewolf. Was there a particular reason why you wrote Lord Maccon as a werewolf, as opposed to the currently popular vampire?
In all honesty, I just don't find vampires that sexy. I like the idea of a hero who's kind of scruffy and bumbling and a little lost in his alpha-nature, rather one who is all sleek and urbane. Also the ability to change shape has always appealed to me. I find the rough and tumble of a pack mentality easier to write, probably because it's closer to my own relationships.

What makes your novel different than all the other supernatural novels hitting the shelves right now?
Aside from the steampunk element and the historical setting, it's comic. I love to read comic novels and I enjoy urban fantasy, so I wrote something the combined the two. Also there's no magic. None at all. Instead, Victorian scientists are struggling to understand vampires, werewolves, and ghosts using the scientific standards of the day. This results in steampunk gadgets and crazy theories centered about the existence of the soul.

What prompted your interest in steampunk?
I adore the steampunk movement's visual aesthetic and its maker mentality. In addition, I have always had a passionate interest in the Victorian era (too many BBC costume dramas as a kid).

What type of research did you have to do while writing Soulless?
As much as I love the Victorian era my areas of expertise were limited to things such as fashion, manners, food, and the antiquities market. I had to do a lot of research into the science and technology of the day. I also looked into vampire and werewolf lore. It's remarkable what obscure detail one suddenly needs to know as a writer. Most recently, I had to figure out what kind of small gun a gentleman might sport in 1841, and what the political climate was like in Italy in 1875. Even if it doesn't make it into the book, it will irritate me if unwritten background information is flawed.

What was the most difficult aspect of writing Soulless?
The nookie scenes. I'm not ashamed to admit it: I hate writing nookie, I always embarrass myself.

Did you always want to be a writer?
I always wanted to be an archaeologist or possibly a professional shoe buyer. But I also always wrote, it was like breathing. Who knew you could be paid for breathing?

What jobs did you have on your way to being a writer? Did they help you in any way as a writer?
I've been everything from a bartender to a tour guide, but I've spent most of my life as an academic with brief bouts behind the cubical to fund my archaeology habit. This has given me great research skills, familiarity with a variety of cultures both around the world now and in the past, good self-discipline, and a paranoia over making deadlines. Oh, and the ability to subsist entirely on a diet of Top Ramen and tea.

When and where do you usually write?
I usually write the first draft a home, at my desk, in the afternoons. If I'm really struggling, I find a change of location helps, so I frequent a local coffee shop. I must hide away and do my second draft in private, however, because I read the whole thing out loud. If I did that in public people would think I was bonkers. I usually red pen a hard copy of the third draft on an airplane, things just arrange it so I'm always traveling at that point in the writing process. I go over the copy edits with my best friend and beta on the couch in the living room with many cups of tea and much hilarity.

Is there something that is a must-have for you to be able to write? Tea, wrist braces, my laptop, the companion world-building notebook of relevance, and, all too often, chocolate.

What author or book most influenced you as a writer or in general
Tamora Pierce. When I was 8 the first book in her Song of the Lioness series came out. Up until that point I'd never read a fantasy book where the central character was a chick who kicked ass. Then, when I was 14, it changed my life again by being the means by which I became friends with the ladies who still beta my stories to this day.

What are currently reading?
Tanya Huff's Valor series - I still cannot resist a chick kicking ass.

Can you tell us anything about your next novel in the Parasol Protectorate series, Changeless?
I can tell you it opens with quite the supernatural crisis in London, Scotland proves difficult (it's not just haggis anymore), and werewolf fur is getting ruffled.
Oh, and Ivy engages in a torrid love affaire, which naturally complicates Alexia's life.

Do you have plans to write any other novels at this time, other than the Parasol Protectorate series?
I've one in to my agent right now. It's YA sci-fi with a chick kicking ass in space. As a girl, it took me a long time to make the leap from fantasy to sci-fi because there was no Tamora Pierce writing sci-fi. There still isn't. So I'm giving it a shot.

The Hiding Spot is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Is there a place, activity, or person that is your hiding spot?
Yes, any place where I can have a great cup of tea and be surrounded by a civilized little garden.

Anything else you would like to share with us?
Someday, all will be revealed about the octopuses.

You may be asking yourself: "What octopuses? I don't remember any mention of an octopus during this interview..." Truth be told, I can't tell you what that means... you'll just have to find out yourself! And I know one easy way to do so: Enter here to win a signed ARC of Soulless, compliments of the author!

Many, many thanks to Gail Carriger for taking the time to not only answer these questions for The Hiding Spot, but also provide me and one other lucky reader with ARCs of Soulless! Not only is Gail an amazing writer, she is an amazing person!

Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless (Book 1 of the Parasol Protectorate Series)
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit
Pub. Date: 9/29/09
Genre: Steampunk/Fantasy/Supernatural/YA-ish
Main Themes: Steampunk, Alternate worlds, Werewolves, Vampires, Spinsters, Love, Murders, Disappearances
Pages: 373
Plot (from back of ARC):
"A COMEDY OF MANNERS SET IN VICTORIAN LONDON. FULL OF WEREWOLVES, VAMPIRES, DIRGIBLES, AND TEA-DRINKING.
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening in London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?"

I'll admit that I have no clue where to start when it comes to writing a review for Soulless! I can easily say that it was one of the most fun and imaginative books I've read this year, but there is just so much more to this book in addition to those details.

I loved the plot of Soulless. There was a perfect mix of romance, supernatural creatures, and mystery. Gail Carriger wove the different elements of Soulless together seamlessly. When I started reading Soulless, I was astounded - each element of the book is so unique and seemingly separate, yet this debut author found a way to them all together into a masterpiece!

The world that Gail Carriger has set her debut novel in is amazing. Alexia brushes shoulders with not characters typical of the Victorian era, but werewolves and vampires as well. I really enjoyed Gail's unique take on the origins of werewolves and vampires. The supernatural aspect that really interested me though was Alexia's own affiction: her lack of soul. When I first read the description, my mind immediately jumped to demon, but Soulless offers a whole new take on what it means to lack a soul...

This is also my first foray into reading steampunk, and I must admit, I'm now intrigued. Soulless explores the ideas of traditional steampunk, which is basically a world that people of the Victorian era envisioned the future to be. Gail's steampunk is unique in that many of the advancements that occur are due to the presence of vampires and werewolves. Some popular steampunk books include: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Alexia Tarabotti is one of the most exciting and dangerous spinsters I have ever encountered between the covers of a book. She was simply so much fun to read! I was always waiting to see what trouble and inappropriate circumstances she would find herself in next. I especially enjoyed her verbal sparring matches with Lord Maccon. Two of my favorite characteristics of Alexia is her acceptance of her flaws and shortcomings and her confidence in her own abilities. Alexia is a smart, witty, and unique character that makes me proud to be unique as well! Alexia may be living in a time (and world) much different than that of those who will read her story, but she can still teach girls and women of a today a valuable lesson about being yourself, despite being told that who you are isn't fashionable or correct.

The romance in Soulless was wonderfully written. Gail perfectly balanced the social norms of the time with steamy, fun romantic scenes. Despite the fact that they were occuring in Victorian times, the scenes seemed natural. The romance in the book all came together perfectly due to the supernatural aspect of Alexia's world, which made the romance scenes more believable and intense!

Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 10
Charaters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10

Total: 50/50 (A!)

I can't wait to see what trouble Alexia encounters in the next installment of The Parasol Protectorate, Changeless, which is due out next year from Orbit!

ENTER HERE TO WIN A COPY OF SOULLESS!