The Golden Lily Teaser Trailer #4

Not long now until Richelle Mead‘s second Bloodlines book, The Golden Lily, is released.  But until the June 12th release, these little teaser trailers keep things interesting.

From the Author Pages

A few more updates to be made…

• Alexandra Ivy has posted her upcoming release schedule, and she is gonna be busy.   After Fear the Darkness (Kane and Cassie’s story) on August 28th, there will be two re-releases from her Immortal Rogues series.  My Lord Eternity will be out on December 1st, and My Lord Immortality will be out on December 31st.  February or March will see a novella featuring Levet, and that will be followed by another novella in May that will introduce the new Sentinels series.  As if that wasn’t enough, June will be book 10 of the Guardians series (featuring Santiago and Nefri), and the first full book of the Sentinels series will be released next fall.
• The very pretty cover for Gena Showalter‘s first Otherworld Assassin book, Last Kiss Goodnight, was added to her page.  Love that one.
• Ditto the cover for Shadow’s Claim, the first book of Kresley Cole‘s IAD spin-off series The Dacians, was also added to her page, along with the cover blurb.
• Amazon.com has put Lara Adrian‘s next Midnight Breeds book up for predorder.  Edge of Dawn (Mira’s story) will be released in hardcover on February 1st.
• Nalini Singh has upped a great excerpt from Archangel’s Storm over on her website.  Niiiice.
• and finally, Richelle Mead has started a really cool feature over on her blog.  For the first time in quite a few years, Richelle is starting up an entirely new series (Age of X), and she is blogging the entire process step by step.  From set up to character backgrounds to world building, she is describing the whole process, and it is quite an interesting read about what exactly goes into building a series.

The Golden Lily Teaser Trailer #3

Time for another sneak peek at the upcoming The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead.  I have to admit, these little trailers are getting me even more excited for the book, which I didn’t think was possible.  The Golden Lily will be released on June 12th.

The Golden Lily Teaser Trailer #2

Not long to wait now for Richelle Mead‘s second Bloodlines book, The Golden Lily, which is due out on June 12th.  The early reviews for this one have been great, and I can’t wait to see how Sydney and Adrian’s relationship unfolds.  I am not usually a fan of book trailers, since some of them can be downright cheesy, but I do like these little teasers.

The Golden Lily Teaser Trailer #1

I just saw these on Youtube.  There are three (so far) official teaser trailers for the upcoming Richelle Mead Bloodlines book The Golden Lily, which is due out on June 12th.  Although brief, I thought they were kind of fun, so I will up the first one here.

Random stuff…

Meh, not much going on.  No new series this week, so didn’t do that post.   Nothing that catches my eye being released, so no pick of the week, either.  I spent two weeks getting though Tes Hilaire‘s Deliver Me From Darkness, not sure if that was because I was in a slump, or because I had three books staring at me that I wanted to read more, but for some reason I just couldn’t get engaged in this one.  It had everything I like, but I just couldn’t get involved enough in the story to enjoy it, and had a hard time making myself finish it.  I did dive immediately into Patricia Brigg‘s Fair Game afterward, and read almost half the book in one sitting.  I feel so sad for Charles, but I do love seeing Anna come into her own.

There has been another change of plans for Kresley Cole‘s Dacian’s spin off, Shadow’s Claim.  It’s September release date was pushed back to mid-December, but has been moved once again to November 27th.  Also, looks like Kresley is firing up to start another IAD book, but she is being coy about who it will feature (can I hope Thronos and Lanthe?).  The cover for her upcoming Poison Princess will be released soon, so keep an eye out.

Cynthia Eden is writing another Bound book (her e-book novellas series, which are great reads).  Most of those particular stories have been inspired by fairytales, and looks like this time around it is Sleeping Beauty meets vampires and werewolves.  I do love these stories, and I have high hopes that they will head to print format one day.

Richelle Mead is hard at work on next year’s third Bloodlines novel, but no title has been announced yet.  From the sounds of things, though, Adrian is getting himself into all sorts of trouble.

Alyssa Day‘s much, much pushed back novella from the Warriors of Poseidon series, Alejandro’s Sorceress,  is supposed to be finally released this week – but I still can’t seem to track down any links.  For those of you who are interested, there is an excerpt available on her site HERE.

Still working on an update for the look of the site, but let’s just say that there is a nasty steep learning curve for CSS.  And since I am barely computer literate, it is…interesting.  On the plus side, I do love a challenge.

New Release Info

I am still on an updating quest, and there are a few new ones to add to the new release section, and a couple of little tidbits.

• There will be a fourth book in Elle Jasper‘s Dark Ink series, called Black Fallen.  It is due out in December.
• The preorder links are up for two upcoming Darynda Jones‘ books.  Death and the Girl Next Door will be out on October 2nd, and Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet will be out on October 30th.
• The fourth Nola O’Grady book from Katharine Kerr will be called Love on the Run, and should be out on August 7th.
• Seanan McGuire‘s second InCryptid book will be called Midnight Blue-Light Special, and it will be out in March 2013.
• Richelle Mead will be starting a new adult series next year called Age of X.  The first book will be called Gameboard of the Gods.
• A Trace of Moonlight will be the next Abby Sinclair book from Allison Pang, and it is due out on October 30th.
• The next Linda Robertson Persephone Alcmedi book will be called Shattered Circle.  Look for in on November 27th.
• There will be a new Horngate Witches book from Diana Pharaoh Francis this December called Blood Winter.
• November 27th will be the release date of the first Alien Huntress spin-off book, Last Kiss Goodnight.  The new Gena Showalter series is called Otherworld Assassin.
• Poison Princess, the first book from Kresley Cole‘s upcoming Young Adult series, will be released on October 2nd.

From Page to Screen…

From Harry Potter to Twilight to Hunger Games, pretty much every time I turn around now I hear about a new one of “my” books being somehow adapted for the screen, be it motion picture or television.  I was looking at my Young Adult books, and pretty much every second book is in some stage of movie development.  I am a faithful fan of The Vampire Diaries, just bought the Blu-rays for True Blood, and just might have to get into Game of Thrones.  I can’t wait for the last two Twilight movies, and I plan a marathon of all the Harry Potters when the last one comes out next month.  So, I started digging a bit to see what else is on the horizon for paranormal/urban fantasy adaptations.  Man, I can’t believe just how many there are, and I am sure that I haven’t even scratched the surface…

I am pretty sure there is no one left alive who doesn’t know that Suzanne Collins‘ Hunger Games Trilogy will be heading to the big screen.  It is in the post-production stage right now, and is scheduled for a March 2013 release, and it will star Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Donald Sutherland, among others.  The first one hasn’t even opened yet, but the second movie, Catching Fire, has already been given a release date of November 22nd, 2013.  And, like Twilight and Harry Potter before it, there is even a rumor that book three, Mockingjay, may actually be split into two movies.

There have been rumors for quite a while about Cassandra Clare‘s Mortal Instruments series being made into a movie, but things are definitely a go now.  It is in the pre-production stage, but principle casting is taking place. So far Lily Collins is confirmed for Clary, and for a while it looked like Alex Pettyfer was going to be Jace.  However, it appears that Jamie Campbell Bower has won the role.  Filming will begin in January, and it is thought to be a late 2012 release.

Now, there was some big news recently on the adult book front, as well.  Prolific author Sherrilyn Kenyon has not one, but TWO deals in the works.  She will partner with Amber Entertainment to produce a movie based on her Chronicles of Nick series, starting with the first book, Infinity.  And if that isn’t enough, there is also plans for a tv series based on her signature Dark-Hunter series.  Very little info is known as yet about either project.

Around the same time the Kenyon news came out, it was also announced that Dreamworks is looking to develop its own fantasy franchise starting with all five books of Karen Marie Moning‘s Fever series.  This is not the first time these MacKayla Lane books have been optioned, as it was originally a 20th Century Fox property.  This sounds promising, however.

For the last year or so, I have seen references to a Diana Gabaldon Outlander movie.  As of late last year, it was still in the “in development” stage, with both Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler rumored to be attached to the starring roles.  Right now, it is the script stage, but it is being listed as a late 2012 release.  I could totally work with Gerry, but Heigl?  Meh.

Getting bored yet?  There is a ton more to go.  For the last couple of years, there have been whispers of a Richelle Mead Vampire Academy movie (or movies).  It seemed like momentum would be building, and then just sort of…vanish.  Looks like things are back on track (as of now), since this is being shopped as a 2013 release.  No clue on whether it is to be considered a one-off movie, or the beginning of a series (what with there being six books in total).  Here’s hoping things work out this time around.

Following on the huge success of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer is going back to the movies with her other, more adult sci-fi series.  The Host, which will be hitting the theaters on March 29th, 2013, is the first book of the series of the same name.  At least, Meyer has outlined two subsequent books, titled The Soul and The Seeker.  Dianna Agron, Luke Wilson, Shiloh Fernandez, and Ian Sommerhalder (yes!  Please?) all auditioned for various roles, but the only confirmed actor is Saoirse Ronan (Hanna), who will be starring as Melanie Stryder.

It looks like Kiersten White‘s trilogy, starting with Paranormalcy (followed by Supernaturally and finally Endlessly), is also a go.  It was actually optioned before it was even published, and the first time director is Ray Kay (yep, really), known for directing music videos from the likes of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

It was only a matter of time before the next two were given the movie treatment.  First up is Fallen, from author Lauren Kate.  Disney Pictures picked up the rights for Fallen, plus the expected three books to follow, in the middle of last year.  Casting is going on now, and as of even last month rumor was pointing to actress Lucy Hale playing Lucinda Price.  Meanwhile, Maggie Stiefvater‘s Wolves of Mercy Falls series (starting with Shiver), has been optioned by Warner Brothers.  Not much info is available on this one as yet, but Entertainment Weekly did point to it as one of the upcoming adaptations to keep an eye out for.

We will have a bit of a wait for this one, but Veronica Roth‘s dystopian trilogy, starting with Divergent, will be coming to the screen sometime in 2015.  There is little info available as yet, since things are in the very early stages, but on the book front the second title will be Insurgent, and should be available next May.

2013 will also see the release of Incarceron.  Based on the Catherine Fisher series, it is supposedly set to star Twilight’s Taylor Lautner in the role of Finn, a prisoner of Incarceron who knows nothing of the outside world.

And buzz is building about Matched.  Based on the first of three books from Ally Condie, Matched is also still in the early stages.  Movie rights were picked up by Disney, and things are now listed as being “in development”.

There is also talk about the Trylle Trilogy from self-publishing star Amanda Hocking, Beautiful Creatures from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and the House of Night series from P.C. Cast all being in various stages of development, along with Firelight from Sophie Jordan and Delirium from Lauren Oliver.  But things can change quickly, as shown by Melissa Marr‘s Wicked Lovely.  Two months after Kimberly Peirce was tapped to direct, things just sort of…went away.  It is now in the process of being shopped around, so things are back to square one.

So, even though Harry Potter has ended, and Twilight is nearing the finish line, it looks like we will have no shortage of adaptations to keep us running to the theaters for a long, long time.

Bloodlines…A New Beginning

I just finished one of my most anticipated books for this fall, Bloodlines.  I don’t know if you can count this as a formal review, or rather just some of my impressions of this book.  I wrote this because I have been reading through some of the other reviews at Goodreads, and I have noticed that opinion is sharply divided on this Richelle Mead book, with from what I saw the main complaint being that it “wasn’t like Vampire Academy and Sydney is no Rose”.  Huh.

I agree that it isn’t Vampire Academy – it is connected, but Bloodlines sets out to establish its own unique world.  We know the main players in the form of Sydney, Adrian, Eddie and Jill, but things have changed dramatically – for all of them.  Bloodlines, as the first of six books, cannot just jump into the action and carry on where Last Sacrifice ended off, because it is very much the first book of a whole new series.  Settings, feelings and relationships must be established from scratch, and that is what I feel this book does. For me, the book was overwhelmingly positive, with only a couple of little nitpicks that  really didn’t detract from the story at all.

I very much enjoyed this new chapter, and it was like visiting old friends.  We knew very little of Sydney and the Alchemist world from the Vampire Academy books, but here we get an introduction to the harsh, cold, and judgmental ancient society.  I have to say, I can’t point to one alchemist that I liked.  Or tolerated.  Or didn’t want to see beaten with a baseball bat.  They are a superior acting, condescending lot – and that sort of includes Sydney for most of the book.  The thing is, I understood her.  She has been rigidly raised with very, very strong beliefs, and for most of her life there was no indication that those teachings were anything but right.  Her only contact with the Vampire world came when she saw their brutality, dealt with their killings, and cleaned up their messes.   And her dealings with Abe?  No wonder she was scared.  He scared me a bit, too.  But a lifetime of teachings and fear do not go away overnight – and add to that that not only her professional life, but her physical well-being is on the line, and she has more than enough reason to be hesitant in befriending  either the Moroi or the Dhampirs.

Sydney doesn’t always do things, or think things, that I like.  Intolerance is not pleasant to read about in anyone, but it made sense.  Her reactions come from years of training and indoctrination in the Alchemist way.  But she does try to move beyond all of that.  She comes to see that as in the human world, the Vampire world is not all black and white, but composed of shades of gray.  There are good and bad in everything, including her own people.

Adrian is…Adrian.  Hurt, sometimes unstable, painfully blunt and completely charming.  That hasn’t changed, and he was a definite highlight here.  For most of Bloodlines, he is still painfully adrift, but as Sydney is changing, so too is Adrian.  By the end of the book, he is by no means settled, but he seems to be on his way to finding a purpose in life.  Of course, I don’t think the sailing will be smooth for my dear Adrian – and the very last line of the book pretty much guarantees that.  The main character may be Syd, but Adrian is the star.

Then there is Eddie and Jill.  Their relationship is…complicated.  Very much so.  And bound to become even more dramatic as the series progresses.  Before I read Bloodlines, I had the passing thought that when this series was finished after book six, perhaps it would be Jill and Eddie’s turn, since she would be old enough then.  That was a totally random guess, but when I was finished reading this one I could totally see that happening.  I can’t say much about their dynamic without giving too much away, but they are in for some twists and turns of their own.  Jill is not one of my favorite characters, but then she is still a child in an impossible situation.  And Eddie…like Sydney, he has been raised to know where “his place” is, and that will not be easy to overcome.

There were only two things that I can point to that were minor detractors for me.  The first is that there is no romance.  Even though it makes complete sense, and probably would have felt odd if there was this sudden flare of attraction between the damaged Moroi and the Alchemist, I still missed it.  Of course, this is the set up for Sydney and Adrian, and both of them have to come to a place where they are open to each other.  I am so looking forward to seeing their story progress.  The other nitpick was Jill – or rather, the fact that every single male seems unable to resist her.  Huh.  That is some powerful mojo she is packing.  I did roll my eyes a couple of times at her “suitors”, but again, it was a minor bump in a book I really enjoyed.

The most surprising thing for me was that I ended Bloodlines really not liking Rose.  At all.  I did enjoy her character for the most part during the Vampire Academy series, but by the time I had finished this book my opinion of her had nosedived.  Every single main character here had their lives blown apart in her quest to get what SHE wanted.  Adrian’s already fragile heart was broken because Rose tossed him aside for Dmitri.  Sydney is disgraced, humiliated and in real danger of her greatest nightmare coming true all because she aided Rose in her quest to clear her name.  Eddie, the dedicated, talented Guardian is basically in disgrace because he, too, aided Rose in her quests for what SHE wanted.  And Jill’s very life is on the line, again because of Rose.  The only one whose life wasn’t destroyed by Rose was…Rose.  She got exactly what she wanted, and everyone else paid the price.  The four main characters here are all trying to just put their lives back together, and now all they have to depend on are each other.

Wow.  For a non review, that was loooong winded.  I guess, in summary I can say that I really enjoyed Bloodlines for what it was…the first book of a new series, not the continuation of Vampire Academy.  It sets up a world I am looking forward to getting more involved in, and characters that I enjoyed before but feel more for now.  They aren’t always right, but they are learning this new world as they go, and I can’t wait for more.

August Giveaway Winner

Today was the day to choose the winner of the August giveaway, a choice of either Bloodlines from Richelle Mead, or the Supernatural anthology featuring G.A. Aiken, Jacquelyn Frank, Larissa Ione and Alexandra Ivy.  Well, the original winner, chosen through Random.org, was LethalLovely…who hadn’t entered.  Sooo, the second randomly generated winner is…

Nightowlinil

Congratulations, Lea Ellen.  I will be sending you an e-mail for your contact info.