ARCS, Books, and Contests!

So yes, Mortal Heart ARCs are making there way out into the world and I’m blithely pretending that they’re not. :: la la la la la la::

But the fact that they are does prompt me to post my annual reminder that please, if you are lucky enough to get an ARC, pleasepleaseplease do your fellow readers the courtesy of not spoiling it for them! There are a couple of wild twists in the book and I would love for every reader to be able to come to it unspoiled. So if you review it early, please make heavy use of SPOILER ALERTS when necessary! Not for me (after all, *I* already know what happens!) but for other readers.

Also, if you haven’t gotten an ARC, my publisher is doing some contest/giveaways over on the His Fair Assassin Fan Page, so be sure to check out those opportunities.

Since turning in the book, I have been doing a lot of sleeping, staring blankly at the walls, and (joy!) reading! One of the hardest things about being on deadline for me is that I am not able to lose myself in other writers’ books. But now I have been inhaling all the books I’ve missed. For those of you impatient for Mortal Heart, I’ve read a few books I think might help hold you over.

STRANGE MAID by Tessa Gratton

I loved this dark book with its wild heroine and Nordic mythology. (In fact, I loved it so much I blurbed it!) If you love the death and fierceness and complex mythology in the His Fair Assassin books, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy STRANGE MAID as well!

THE WINNER’S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski

I adored this book So. Much. I had heard a lot about it, so I was a bit skeptical, but once I started it, I was totally sucked in and realized it deserved all the hype and accolades it had received. Hard, impossible choices, twisted, complex relationships, a fully realized and intriguing world. I ate it up with a spoon and am HUGELY IMPATIENT that I have to wait an entire year for the next one.

SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller

I don’t read a ton of contemporary fiction, but this one appeared on my radar for some reason, and I loved it. Realistic characters that had me caring about them from the get go, I was immediately caught up in their struggle. When I finished the book, my heart was very, very full and happy.

JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta

Wow. Just WOW. What a rich, complex, brilliant book this was! I’ve had it for a while, and actually tried to read it a couple of years ago, but for some reason (probably because my brain was busy with my own fictional world) I was not able to get into it. However, I am the world’s moodiest reader and I know that about myself, so I also knew I would try again. And boy, am I glad I did. This is definitely a masterpiece.

OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys

Another brilliant, gorgeously written book that just took my breath away with how real the fictional world was. The characters were deftly drawn, the time and place perfectly recreated and rendered, and just all around hugely satisfying.

KISS OF DECEPTION by Mary Pearson

This was another ARC that was passed my way for blurb consideration. For those of you who love the His Fair Assassin books, I think you are going to be very, very happy with Mary Pearson’s new book! Holy cow! Here is the blurb I gave it:

So yeah. Mark your calendars for that one. It comes out on July 8.

In fact, I’m so excited about this book that I’m going to give away an ARC of it on Twitter this week. And also a copy of OUT OF THE EASY (I accidentally bought two) and THE WINNER’S CURSE. Oh, and an ARC of Mortal Heart as well, so keep your eyes peeled–it’s going to be a busy week!