COVER REVEAL: Olivia Twisted

Hey ya'll! It's friday, and today is the day for the cover reveal of OLIVIA TWISTED by Vivi Barnes!

About the book:

Olivia

He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

   It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

About the author:

Vivi Barnes was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes. 

Find her on her blog: http://4chicks.wordpress.com/ 
Find her on twitter: https://twitter.com/ViviBarnes
Find her on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vivibarnes.author 

Without further ado, here it is!

Isn't it PRETTY? 

You can find OLIVIA TWISTED on Goodreads and Amazon.

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CV

Boundless

I don't review or preview every book I read. If I did that I would go mad. But sometimes I have to, if only because I have to keep up a tradition.

I recently finished the finale of Cynthia Hand's trilogy, Boundless. (Here you can find my posts on Unearthly and Hallowed) 

Those of you who have been with me for a while know I very much like this series. Especially the cover art, with our very own Natalie Portman look-alike model.

Look at her! Isn't she pretty?

But even though I love the series, I was nervous going into the book. The final book in a triliogy is always bittersweet and nerve wracking. Will you get that delicious, satisfied, feeling as you close the cover? Or will you feel let down, or possibly betrayed?

I've been on both sides of the spectrum with YA trilogies, and am happy to say I was still a happy customer at the end of this book. I thought it was a very good ending with a lot of great twists, and no more loose ends. 

I was happy even though I ended up on the WRONG side of the love triangle! (This is a testament to the characters, that I would be okay with my preferred ending not being the one chosen) And don't worry, I'm not going to tell you who that person is. You'll still have to read the book for that. And I was very happy for them. 

I'm glad I can put another 'relief' checkmark under a third book in a triliogy. Everyone go buy it and read it!

CV

Question for comments: Have you read any of the Unearthly books? What has been your favorite part? Are you Team Christian or Team Tucker?

Immortal City

Okay, it's been a while since I've done a legitimate review on here, and well, since this is the book blog...;)

I just finished Immortal City by Scott Speer, and I can honestly say I haven't been so thoroughly confused as to whether I liked a book...ever. 

This book had some real problems for me.

First things first, the direct correlation of angels and celebrities. In this alternate universe where angels are worshipped instead of movie stars. While I do admit that it makes sense, it didn't sit well with me. However, that may have something to do with what I was expecting from the book.

The real problems came where a lot of problems come from in YA books recently--the weakness of the heroine. I'm not talking physical weakness, or not having a backbone, because this heronine had that, and it was revealed more as the book went on; I'm talking about emotional weakness. I'm very tired of seeing shy, beautiful heroines who are so emotionally crippled with low self-esteem that they both--don't notice that they aren't ugly, and are not worth the seemingly perfect male who has an interest in them. 

I'll be perfectly honest, I'm really tired of an entire book being about a girl thinking about that. While those kind of girl do exist, and I totally relate to them (I do.), reading about that for 300 pages is exhausting. Okay, mini-rant over. 

However, despite the problems with the book, I did enjoy the story. I got swept in, and the ending was such that I'm actually considering reading the sequel. I am truly and honestly confused. 

I'd give this book a 3-3.5 out of 5 stars. 

CV

The Next Big Thing! (Week 31)

Last week Jean Oram asked me to be apart of The Next Big Thing blog hop. It's a little daunting sharing what you're currently working on. I was supposed to post it on Wednesday, but it slipped my mind. Sorry! But here we go now!

1- What is the working title of your book?

Bet Her Life.

2- Where did the idea come from for the book?

This is actually a great story. During my Spring Break from Grad School last year, I finally got my father to read The Hunger Games. After he finished book 1, he walked into the room where I was reading and said. 'Wow, that was just sick.' 

I said, 'Yeah, Dad, I think that's kind of the point.'

He replied, 'That would be like betting on soldiers live during the war.'

BING! That's what set my writer brain off. I began to think about what would happen if people actually did that, bet on people's lives, soldiers lives, and the plot just spiraled out in front of me. I've never had a plot come to me so quickly.

3- What genre does your book fall under?

YA Sci-fi/Thriller

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

You know, I actually haven't thought about this...

It's really hard to pick someone for my male lead. The closest person I could get was Drew Roy.

And for Sam, even though she's a bit too old, I pick Kristin Kreuk.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A boy has one week to travel down the frontlines of World War 3 to save his girlfriend, all while  the world watches his every move. 

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am not yet represented by an agent, though I would like to be. I have no plans to self-publish. 

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

From March till August, so 6 Months. 

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I don't know about precise comparisons, because I try to avoid reading those while writing. ;)

But I could probably describe this book as Red Dawn meet The Hunger Games.

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I come from a military family, and there are many people who don't understand the true nature of war, and what the experience of seeing that much death will do to you. It's something I really wanted to explore. 

10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

It's about gambling, losing, and a race against time to save the person you love--no matter the cost. 

Tagged for next week (Week 32) are some of my very talented writer friends. Check out their blogs next Wednesday, January 9, when it's their turn to post answers to these same questions about their own works-in-progress!

Saybe Scott

Kela Mclelland

Kendra Conine

Rules:
Answer these ten questions about your current WIP on your blog.
Tag (up to) five other writers/bloggers with their links so we can hop over and meet them.

A Year in Review

So I was thinking the other day about how long this year has seemed, and what I've done this year. I've done more than I thought!

This post is more for me than for anyone else, but I wanted to have a record of some of the cool things I did.

- Finished revising my YA Dystopian novel Marked

- Joined an awesome writing group

- Started my second semester of Graduate School

- Won a contest by Merideth Barnes

- Had the idea for my new novel Bet Her Life on March 7 (Thanks Dad!)

- Began working for Entangled publishing as an Editorial Intern

- Drafted Bet Her Life

- Attended my first BEA

- Queried Marked, and got a really good response. High hopes for my next query round

- Was one of the 5 finalists of the Authoress Anonymous' First Line Grabber Contest

- Wrote the first draft of my Graduate Thesis

- Started my 3rd Semester of Graduate School

- worked through at least five more drafts of Graduate Thesis

- Read 53 Published books (Even if I did have to read some novellas at the end to make the goal of 52 ;) )

That's a lot for a year! I hope 2013 is just as fruitful!

What were some of your accomplishments this year? What are some of your goals for next year?

Best Wishes,

CV