Title:Radiant Shadows

Author:Melissa Marr

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 2010
Hardcover: 352 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 4 in the Wicked Lovely series

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Why did we read this book:We are, admittedly fan girls of Melissa Marr and of this series having loved every single instalment so far.

How did we get this book: Review Copies from the Publisher

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Ana: I love Melissa Marr’s writing and I adore this series and consider it one of the best YA out there at the moment. The previous two books Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity were on my top 10 books of 2008 and 2009 respectively. To say I was excited about this book is to put it very mildly. And in many ways it delivers: the incredibly imaginative imagery returns as does the strongly, nearly perfectly developed overarching plot, the one that has been going on since book 1 regarding the Courts politics. Many of my favourite characters – Niall, Irial and Seth – are here and their presence and storylines are further developed. BUT I need to be honest and say that I felt disappointed about the main storyline –Devlin and Ani’s -of this particular book: it felt out of place and out of synchrony with the rest of series. It is the oddest sensation this one, especially because I never expected it to be connected with a Melissa Marr book. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Melissa Marr is capable of writing anything short of a very good book and I really liked Radiant Shadows. I just didn’t love it.

Thea: I have to echo Ana’s sentiments completely. I love this series. Deeply. I love that Melissa Marr isn’t afraid to push boundaries and that she isn’t afraid to write protagonists that fall outside of the usual straight-edge crowd. I love that she dares to put her characters through the grinder and not end things with a “and they lived happily ever after” withacherryontop. Unlike so many young adult urban fantasy/paranormal titles on the market, the Wicked Lovely series dares to go *there*. And that’s what I love about it. Radiant Shadows is another strong entry from Melissa Marr – the storytelling and quality of writing is beautiful as usual, and I’m definitely seeing that the overall series arc is moving towards a dramatic, awesome conclusion. That said, I have to agree with Ana – I found myself a little disappointed with this book as novel on its own. Ani and Devlin’s storyline felt forced, and I couldn’t really warm to either character. Worse, the characters I do love and wanted to see more of were relegated to the margins. That’s not to say Radiant Shadows is bad – because it’s still an awesome book and leagues better than the majority of YA UF books out there right now. But, having seen what Melissa Marr has accomplished with her previous books and knowing what she’s capable of, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

On the plot:

Ana: Devlin is the brother-son of Sorcha, the Queen of the High Court and personification or Order and of her twin sister Bananach, the personification of War. He functions as the High Queen’s main advisor and assassin and a few years ago was asked to kill a half-mortal named Ani. Stopped by his friend Rae – for reasons not specified – Devlin let her live and that has been his greatest secret and shame. Ani is the daughter of Gabriel, the leader of the Wild Hunt which feeds the Dark Court. She is at a crossroads right now as her mortal side, inherited from her mother, is diminishing and her faerie side takes hold. When Devlin is sent by Sorcha (who is showing signs of neglect to her responsibilities ) to the mortal world to keep an eye on her son Seth he meets Ani and the two become entangled in court intrigue, and the war between Chaos and Order and both have major roles to play, possibly changing the very future of Faery itself.

The story is focused on the Devlin and Ani relationship but not exclusively so – their lives are deeply entangled in the overarching story, the one that has started in book 1. Basically, all the Courts have reached a point in time in which they need to change, move on or be extinguished. Things have been evolving: The Summer Court with the new Queen and King that are not together; The Dark Court which, after the peace was made between Summer and Winter find their very survival to be difficult; the Queen of the High Court once the personification of balance finds herself utterly un-balanced.

From that point of view, with regards to the overall arc, Radiant Shadows is absolutely great. I simply can find no fault in the execution of the plot, in the evolution of this story. I find it fascinating, beautiful and extremely well played. The mythology created, the richness of the images (like the Wild Hunt or Ani’s wolves), the consequences of every single act and the actions of every single major player matter and are what make this series so damn good. I love how everything is moving and how this book ended in a perfect note.

But if I can’t fault the execution, the writing or the plot, I find myself at odds with the very premise for this particular book and for Devlin and Ani’s relationship because it heavily relies on the idea of “fate”. You see, Ani, is for some reason, Important and has been foreseen as a key player. Hence why Sorcha wanted her killed. Even though “fate” as a word is never really used, there is the very strong, very clear underlying thought that Devlin and Ani are “meant to be” and that together they will shake things up in Faerie. I need to be clear and say that I am not averse to the idea of fate or couples meant to be together but the use of these concepts in this particular series is troublesome because up to this point every single thing, every single character’s motivation and action has been about free will and choice. To me, it just doesn’t make sense within the series’ parameters and I have to say the whole thing threw me out. There are even seers all of a sudden – when did that happen??? Although I can see that many things might have been inevitable, I want this inevitable to be because of the circumstances not because someone “foresaw” it.

Having said all that: as I said the execution of this plot was brilliant as usual. I might not like the premise (Ani and Devlin and their meant to “beness”) but Melissa Marr can tell a story. And the outcome IS freaking brilliant and perfect.

Thea: I feel similarly conflicted in terms of plot with Radiant Shadows. First, the good. Melissa Marr is nothing if not a damn good storyteller, and Radiant Shadows is no exception. Poetic, effortlessly paced, and deeply immersive, the fourth novel in the Wicked Lovely series is no slouch when it comes to writing. I have to echo Ana’s sentiments regarding the overall arc of the series as well – Radiant Shadows brings some major upheaval to the world Ms. Marr has created; faerie has been remade, allegiances are fluid and shifting, and power has changed hands. This is all delectable stuff, and I love the developments in this novel, leading to what promises to be a thrilling concluding volume.

But…There’s the significant problem of character, and a feeling that Radiant Shadows doesn’t quite fit in the Wicked Lovely canon (yeah, that’s right, I said CANON). My biggest problem with the book was how forced it all felt. The relationship between Devlin and Ani didn’t make sense to me (I could neither relate to these characters, nor did I buy that they fell head over heels in love with each other so completely and so quickly), and there seem to be some inconsistencies with the rest of the series thus far (i.e. all of a sudden there are new mortals with pretty solid powers just barely introduced now?).

Ultimately, I enjoyed Radiant Shadows, but it feels very much like an in-between novel. The buildup of the existing story arc and setting the stage for the final act of the series is tantalizing and expertly done by the ever-talented Melissa Marr…but the relationship and central characters feel like so much filler in comparison.

On the characters:

Ana: Some of my favourite characters of the entire series, Irial, Niall, Sorcha, Seth and Bananach play major roles in this book. And they are all so well developed too. And it is great to see how Melissa Marr writes them and doesn’t pull any punches. There is a lot of darkness and pain in this book. Every time Bananach walks into a scene I know nothing good will come out of it and am terrified. She is the personification of war and the author doesn’t shy away from this truth: two characters see their demise and one of them a major player (I wailed. Literally wailed in sorrow).

I am not so sure about the real protagonists though: Devlin and Ani and to some degree Rae.

Devlin is a man of conflicts: on one side his conflict about being part order and part chaos which is interesting but was basically Niall’s conflict too in Ink exchange. On the other side, his conflict about going against his sister and the High Court and breaking his vow by saving Ani’s life. Again, interesting. HOWEVER, this vow of fealty has been broken for a long time, ever since he welcomed Rae and kept her hidden from Sorcha. That completely undermined the specialness of Ani. I liked Ani though, I thought she was another strong female protagonist, which knew what she wanted, even though I never truly understand what made her different from all other dark Court faeries.

Then, there is the romance. Again, I have to say, it is well done and I loved the romantic development but at the end of the day it was never clear to me WHY did they fall for each other? There was NO explanation, it just was – as in “meant to be” which takes me back to the point I made before.

Finally, we have this new character Rae. A mortal and a dreamwalker and… I am left intrigued as I didn’t get what is the point of this character. Plus a powerful MORTAL dreamwalker? Again when did that happen, when did that become part of the mythology of this series? Her appearance at the eleventh hour points to an important role to play but also sort of smells of Deus Ex Machina. I really didn’t want to think like this as I have the utmost respect for Melissa Marr as a storyteller but I am puzzled. I hope though, I hope that the last book will clarify everything to me.

Thea: What Ana said. I love the characters in this series to date and Radiant Shadows reacquaints readers with old favorites – such as Iri and Bananach, two of my personal faves. I was kinda bummed that Seth and Aislinn were so much on the periphery this time around (even though I knew this was not a book dedicated to them), but I was thrilled to see the conflict between Bananach and Sorcha blossom to its full potential.

But again, (like a broken record, am I!) I have to agree with Ana – the two main characters of Ani and Devlin just didn’t do much for me. Ani is strong and “unique” because she can feed off mortals and faeries alike, and she’s (sort of) cruel and a daughter of the Hunt. That’s cool. I like that she is a strong character and clearly dedicated to those she loves, but she’s also supposed to be a morally ambiguous character – and her ambiguity never really felt genuine to me. She talks about her cruelty and her badassness, but it’s so restrained as to be irrelevant. (On that note, what the heck happened to the Dark Court in this book? Of all courts, wouldn’t they actually encourage Ani to use her powers to feed off of mortals and faerie alike, as opposed to restraining her? It doesn’t seem very Dark Courtly to me…)

Devlin, as Ana says, feels very familiar. I like the struggle he faces with his mother-sisters, Bananach and Sorcha, and with his own locked-down emotions. But I didn’t ever buy the romance between he and Ani. For one thing, Ani is anywhere between 16-19 years old, and half-faerie or no, that’s a pretty creepy age difference considering Devlin has been around for a millennium (not to mention, he was supposed to kill her when she was a baby – only FOURTEEN YEARS PRIOR to the main plot of the story). Age difference aside, I didn’t understand really what was so enchanting about Ani to Devlin, or vice versa. Radiant Shadows was like a very traditional, ‘and then they laid eyes on each other, fell in love, and lived happily ever after’ kind of thing – and it fell flat, for me.

Another new character makes an appearance in this book with Rae, the powerful, ethereal mortal in faerie…but her character ultimately seems kind of pointless. Unless she has some bigger purpose in the next book, that is. Time will tell, I suppose.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Ana: It might not sound like it, given the criticisms aforementioned but I actually really enjoyed the book and I can’t say it is bad book at all. Everything connected to the Courts, to Niall and Irial was absolutely great. But everything else despite being well written, felt out of place within the confines of the series. As much as I enjoyed it, the fact is that Radiant Shadows is my least favourite book of the series but I am fully aware that it might be down to personal preference. I can’t wait for the final installment though, especially given how things were left off at the end of the book.

Thea: I loved the direction of the story arc in with this penultimate volume in the series, and there’s no denying that Melissa Marr is one heckuva storyteller. Even though I didn’t care for the protagonists or the romance, I still found myself devouring this book whole, and I cannot wait for the final installment. Especially since it means we’re headed back to the characters that really make the series tick.

Notable quotes/Parts: Thanks to Harper Teen’s awesome Browse Inside feature, you can check out the first 80 pages of Radiant Shadows for free online. Check it out:

And once your done with that, check out the book trailer, online HERE.

Rating:

Ana: 7 Very Good

Thea: 7 Very Good, although its waffling between a 6 and 7

Reading next: White Cat by Holly Black

Good morning to all! It is time to say goodbye to our Steampunk Appreciation Weeks and resume regular schedule with a pretty cool week ahead of us, if we may say so ourselves. But first:

Giveaway winners:

The winners of the Amazon Queen giveaway are:

Spav (comment #69)

heatwave16 (comment #55)

Audra Holtwick (comment #49)

John J. (comment #26)

Tiger Holland (comment #61)

Jade (comment #68)

ThisViewOfMine (comment #35)

Mariska (comment #46)

Zita Hildebrandt (comment #18)

CrystalGB (comment #10)

You all know the drill. Email us (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and congratulations to all of the winners!

And don’t forget, our Steampunk giveaway of Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti – is still going strong (as is the fascinating discussion about writing Steampunk in the comments) so make sure to enter before next Saturday!

Cover Matters Survey:

This is the final week to fill our Cover Matters survey: we want to know what YOU think about genre fiction covers in general. It’s completely anonymous (unless you WANT to leave your name and contact info, which is totally cool too) – but we really want to know how you fellow internet readers feel.

We already got a pretty good response (nearly 600!) and if you’re interested and have some time to kill, we’d love to hear from you too!

The Cover Matters Survey is here.

Meg Cabot Twitter Party

In celebration of Meg Cabot’s new release Runaway, the conclusion to the bestselling Airhead novels (which hits stores on the 20th), we will be hosting a Twitter Party Giveaway Bonanza with Meg Cabot! We’ve got a ton of prizes up for grabs – including gift cards, a limited edition T-shirt, and a freakin’ iPad! Here’s the official invite and the details:

Join Runaway author Meg Cabot and Thea and Ana of The Book Smugglers for a Twitter party Thursday, April 22, between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. EST!

* Be sure to follow Meg @MegCabot, Point at @ThisIsPoint, and Thea and Ana @BookSmugglers before the party!
* Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party!
* Anyone who tweets during this hour using #MegCabot is entered to win a limited edition Runaway t-shirt – featuring the winning design voted for by fans!
* Watch for questions from @BookSmugglers and win awesome prizes including an iPad, $50 Sephora gift cards or $25 VISA gift cards!
* To join the party, you can use our official party tweetgrid or just search #MegCabot on Twitter.
* Ask Meg questions or chat with other partygoers—just use the tag #MegCabot in all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.)
* Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST.

Make sure to join us on Twitter on Thursday, April 22 at 8:30pm EST!

And make sure to check the other stops on the tour as well!

Stop 1 March 31 – The Story Siren
Stop 2 April 2 – My Friend Amy
Stop 3 April 6 – Teen Fashionista
Stop 4 April 8 – Luxury Reading
Stop 5 April 12 – Pop Culture Junkie
Stop 6 April 14 – Bermuda Onion
Stop 7 April 16 – Trashionista
Stop 8 April 19 – Novelicious
Stop 9 April 21 – The Compulsive Reader

This Week on The Book Smugglers

On Monday Ana reviews the second volume of the (awesome) ongoing comic series Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.

On Tuesday, Thea reviews Master of None by Sonya Bateman, followed by a giveaway and an interactive Q&A with the author.

On Wednesday we get to review the new entry on Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series: Radiant Shadows, one of our most anticipated reads of 2010.

On Thursday, Ana reviews Fantasy novel The King of Crags by Stephen Deas sequel to The Adamantine Palace. Thea then reviews dystopian novel Epitaph Road by David Patneaude.

Then, on Friday we welcome Laura Bickle on another super special interactive Q&A/Giveaway with the author in celebration of her release of Embers.

Aaaaaaaaaaand that is it from us today! Just one final word before we go enjoy the sunshine: Kick-Ass (reviewed here) came out this weekend in the US – it is an awesome movie and highly recommended!

~ Your friendly neighborhood Book Smugglers

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 24!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: The lovely Sarah Kuhn, one of the good, hardworking folks behind the geektastic blog Alert Nerd. Sarah also happens to be an author – her debut novel One Con Glory was released this year (and both of us Smugglers LOVED it).

Please give a warm welcome to Sarah!

So I’m looking back on my year of reading (reflecting, if you will – just imagine me gazing pensively out the window at some generic body of water while CW-approved power ballads tinkle away in the background). It’s been a pretty fantastic twelve months: I’ve greeted many newly-published works with open arms, but I’ve also discovered a lot of swoon-worthy stuff from previous years.

In other words…I have tons of unhealthy new obsessions to take me into 2010! Yay! Ring the gong and prepare the fannish-bordering-on-inappropriate message board postings!

I’ve decided that the only proper way to really look back on this year is to give out awards. Or maybe I should say “awards” since the recipients don’t actually get anything except a mention here and my undying devotion.

Ready?

Best New-to-Me Book: Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr

I devoured Melissa Marr’s first tome of urban fairy courts on a road trip – reclined back in the passenger seat, fingertips gripping the book so hard, I thought I was going to bend it in half. My addiction was instant and undeniable; as soon as we docked at our first destination, I tore out of the car and to the nearest book store so I could buy the next one. I love that this series is so lushly, unabashedly romantic, but also gives us teen girl characters who demonstrate their considerable strength in complex, perfectly believable ways. No idealized damsels here, folks.

Best Actually New Book: Going Bovine, Libba Bray

Look, I basically love everything Libba Bray does, whether she’s penning her kick-ass Gemma Doyle trilogy or donning a cow suit for promotional purposes. So it was kind of a given that I’d love this, but goddamn…“love” might not be strong enough a word? Bray’s heady mix of mad cow-afflicted teen, sugar-addict angel, and hypochondriac dwarf is hilarious and acerbic and deeply, deeply witty…but it will also totally break your heart. Like, it will sneak up on you in the middle of the page and rip your poor heart out of your chest and stomp all over it until you’re bawling your head off. I mean all this as the highest of compliments

Best New-to-Me Heroine: Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson from Moon Called, Patricia Briggs

I have Thea to thank for this one. When you read as much urban fantasy/paranormal romance as I do, the heroines occasionally start to blend together. Like, “Oh, this chick, she’s really strong or whatever and she can do some way frakkin’ cool supernatural thing and she rocks a leather jacket and every guy she meets is totally into her, but…hey, she’s just a regular girl. You know.” Mercy – mechanic, shapechanger, actual regular girl – is a thoroughly distinctive breath of fresh air. She’s believably flawed, but she knows who she is and doesn’t angst all over the place about her supernatural lot in life. From page one, her voice is fully-realized and totally easy to relate to.

Best Actually New Heroine: Calliope Reaper-Jones from Death’s Daughter, Amber Benson

Here’s another voice that grabbed me from the very first paragraph. Cally – who actually is Death’s Daughter, thank you very much – instantly engages you with her motormouthed inner monologue. It’s kind of like getting on a speeding train – a hilarious, quippy, delightfully boy-crazy speeding train – without knowing exactly where you’re going. And yet, to misquote Liz Lemon, you really want to go to there. Or I sure did, anyway.

Returning Series That Continues to Kick My Ass: WVMP Radio, Jeri Smith-Ready

The first WVMP Radio book, Wicked Game, was probably my favorite read of 2008: undead DJs, awesome ex-con-artist protagonist, startlingly unique take on the vamp mythos (no voluminous black leather dusters involved!). Also, sex that’s actually…um, sexy. I was a little worried that Smith-Ready’s follow-up, Bad to the Bone, couldn’t possibly get under my skin in the same way. Foolish worries! Bad to the Bone is stuffed with twisty underworld intrigue, amazingly realistic relationship issues, and perfectly-placed touches of humor. Oh, and more sexy sex. Third book cannot get here quickly enough.

Coupling I Would Most Like To Write Fanfic About (If I Actually Wrote Fanfic): Mercy Smith/Riley Kincaid, Branded by Fire, Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is another Awesome Thing I found out about thanks to Thea and Ana. And while I enjoy that each book focuses on a new pairing (and we get little updates on previous pairings, since it’s all set in the same world)…I really would not object at all if every book from now on was about Mercy and Riley. Over the course of Branded by Fire, these two strong, excessively stubborn personalities are pushed together, hate each other, have great sex, and eventually fall in love. The sex happens first, but the way Singh develops their relationship from a deeply emotional standpoint is what really got me.

Love Interest I Most Want To [REDACTED]: David the Djinn, Weather Warden series, Rachel Caine

Ah, David. What can you say about David, really? My brain transforms itself into a mush-like substance just thinking about it…him. Whatever. Daaaaaaviiiiiiiid.

Most Heart-Attack-Inducing Cliffhanger: Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

OH MY GOD. SERIOUSLY.

Most Anticipated Reads:

(2009) Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

This gorgeously-designed doorstopper of a book is tempting me so hard from its perch on my overloaded bookshelf. The only reason I haven’t cracked it yet is I’m in the middle of like five other books I should finish first. Right? Right?! Anyway, this Southern Gothic tale of magic sounds beautiful and atmospheric and supernaturally romantic and lots of people I respect have said it’s the best thing ever. In other words: crack for Sarah.

(2010) Guardian of the Dead, Karen Healey

I have long admired Karen Healey’s writing – she’s one of the smartest, funniest, most insightful (I almost typed “insightfulest,” which shows you why, perhaps, I am always blown away by people with such obviously big brains) comic book bloggers around. She often makes me think of elements within four-color fandom that never would’ve occurred to me, or looks at said elements in a way that has me shrieking “right onnnnnnnnnnnnn” at my computer screen. Healey’s debut novel is full of (to quote her website) “M?ori mythology, magic, theatre, earthquakes, monsters, boarding school, tae kwon do, and the other horrors of a Christchurch winter.” Don’t you wish you could read this right now? Where is my freakin’ time machine?

Thanks Sarah!

Next on Smugglivus: Jeff of Alert Nerd

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 29!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Amy, the blogging force of nature behind My Friend Amy. Not only does Amy run her own blog, but she also undertakes the massive coordination effort of creating, organizing and executing Book Blogger Appreciation Week! We know how busy Amy can be, so we were thrilled when she agreed to write us a piece for Smugglivus.

Ladies and gents, the lovely Amy!

I was so excited that Thea and Ana invited me to post for Smugglivus! I think the world of them both and their ability to add to my wishlist!

I have no one special genre that I specialize in at my blog…I will pretty much read anything that catches my attention. Therefore my list of favorite reads might seem a bit eclectic.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown certainly wins points for making me cry every other page.

This fantastic book, told from the perspective of a school shooter’s girlfriend, was layered and rich in characterization. There were no clear criminals and plenty of emotions to go around. I am definitely looking forward to more from Jennifer Brown.

I also loved the latest installment in Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely Series. Fragile Eternity raised the stakes for all our key players and was filled to the brim with delicious teen angst. I loved every second.

I personally think no 2009 list is complete without a mention of Catching Fire the second book in the addictive YA dystopian series.

I sacrificed a night of sleep to get tickets to stand in line for this book at BEA and when I read it, I wasn’t at all disappointed. I also find myself dragged into a Team Peeta/Team Gale debate every so often on Twitter, and all I have to say to that is Gale rhymes with fail.

On the more quiet literary front, I fell in love with the writing of Beth Kephart. I even tried to start a little campaign to encourage people to buy her newest YA offering, Nothing But Ghosts, which was a beautiful book about loss and healing. Beth writes so beautifully her words must be savored as you read and enjoy.

I also loved Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen which had some of the finest characterization I’ve read all year. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman wrecked my heart with its exploration of class and priviledge.

And finally, since I’m known for my reviews of Christian fiction, my favorite books in this genre of the year include The Passion of Mary Margaret by Lisa Samson and Love’s Pursuit by Siri Mitchell, both novels about love and taking risks to both love and be loved.

I’m incredibly excited for 2010! I am very much looking forward to Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr, Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart and The Passage by Justin Cronin. I’ve received an advanced review copy of that last one and I’m dying to dig into it over break.

On my own blog, if you stop by, I’m also endeavoring to read more graphic novels in the coming year, read more about various issues of social injustice around the world in coordination with the Social Justice Reading Challenge, and of course keep up with all the latest and greatest in the genres I love. Here’s to another fabulous year of reading!

Thanks Amy!

Next on Smugglivus: Harry of Temple Library Reviews

Welcome to Smugglivus 2009 – Day 3!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s guest: Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the modern day tales of faerie Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity and a Manga based on the series. Wicked Lovely won a RITA for best Young Adult novel in 2008 and is set to become a movie produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions and adapted by Caroline Thompson. You can check out our interview with Melissa HERE.

Recent Work: Fragile Eternity, the third book in the series (tentatively shortlisted for both Smugglers’ top 10 of 2009). You can read our review here, as well as the author’s Inspiration and Influences article on writing the book.

Please welcome Melissa Marr with her favourite reads of 2009:

Melissa:

What I loved in 2009 (or at least the stuff that my memory says I read in 2009):

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (YA):

This one is one of the best YA novels I’ve read. Instead of fitting into an easy category, Beautiful Creatures opts to forge a new path. It’s a big tome of a book, too—not because it lags or has editing fail, but because there’s serious story here.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (YA):

A girl who can find dead things, the boy who is her friend and beloved, and a serial killer. This is another read-in-one-sitting book for me.

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore (YA):

I have read & enjoyed all three of the author’s prior books, but this is a different tone and style. I worried, but it’s as good (better?) than her HELL series.

Immortal by Gillian Shields (YA):

Mmmm. Move over Heathcliff. I taught Wuthering Heights in university, so I have pretty picky standards when it comes to Gothic Romance. Shields’ books are wonderful.

This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James (adult romance):

SIGH. I love James’ books. If you want great historical romance, James is hands down the best choice. And, if you need a book for a reader who thinks she doesn’t read romance, try this series.

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs and Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men by Molly Harper (adult romance/general fiction):

If you like Sookie, you’ll like these. Southern, quirky, & snarky. The protag is a librarian who gets vamped. I’m pre-ordering the 3rd in the series.

Dying Bites by DD Barant:

This is one of the urban fantasies that rocked me this year. Again, it was utterly unlike the pack. The worldbuilding was fab, and I had that “damn, where are the rest of this author’s books??!” reaction. It’s a first book, though, so I’m hoping there are more coming.

Three Days To Dead by Kelly Medding:

This is my other top UF pick. I begged, err, asked calmly to read it after my crit partner scored an early look (and blurbed it). Actiony and interesting and all those words that mean “more, please.”

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (adult/YA crossover; romance/fantasy crossover):

This is a re-reader for me. I’m on my 4th read, but it still tilts me every time I read it. It is one of the best vampire novels I’ve ever read (& as a folklore geek, I’ve been consuming vamp stories for most of my life). LOVE it.

Thanks very much Melissa! And here are her upcoming 2010 releases (both coming out in April) that we are really looking forward to:

You can read more about Melissa on her website and blog. Thanks again, Melissa!

Next on Smugglivus: a chat with Alma Alexander

Smugglivus has arrived!

As you know, Smugglivus is our end of the year celebration leading up to our blog-o-versary on January 7th. And in true celebratory spirit we have invited authors, publishers and bloggers to look back at 2009 and talk about their favourite reads, to rant if needed, to say what they are looking forward to reading in 2010 and more: it IS all about the love for books and reading!

And we kick-off the event tomorrow, with a great line up:

We start with horror writer Joel Sutherland as he officially opens the event.  Joel Sutherland was the first author we interviewed for the blog and the person who opened last year’s Smugglivus celebration, so it is now part of the Smugglivus tradition to have Joel kick-start the event. This year we’ll hear more from Joel, including a very cool contest too!

On Wednesday, it is UF/YA author Jackie Kessler’s turn to talk about her fave reads of 2009 and what we can expect from her in 2010. Her post is followed by Thea’s review of Gateway by Sharon Shin

On Thursday, Melissa Marr , writer of the YA Wicked Lovely series lists her favourite reads of 2009, followed by Thea’s review of Spellspam (with an autographed giveaway) by Alma Alexander.

On Friday, we have a chat with YA/Fantasy author Alma Alexander and Thea posts her final review of the WorldWeavers’ trilogy with Cybermage (again, with a giveaway).

Finally on Saturday, Kathryn McKenna, Simon and Schuster UK’s Children’s Marketing & Publicity Assistant talks about what we can expect from the publisher next year. We follow her piece with our first Smugglivus Flash Giveaway.

So, folks, buckle up and let get this party started!!

“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a new feature for books that have caught our eye: books we heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. This is how the Smugglers’ Radar was born, and because there are far too many books that we want than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?) we thought we could make it into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!

On Ana’s Radar:

I got this ARC from Gollancz this week and it looks AWESOME. I read Sam Sykes’ story in the Dragon Book and I loved his characters so I am really looking forward to this one now. It is a debut novel that is creating quite the buzz online.

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the shict despises most humans and the humans in the band are little better). When they’re not insulting each other’s religions they’re arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don’t go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates – a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don’t want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

Melissa Marr’s next in her Wicked Lovely series has its cover!

I have on good authority *ninja* that this new series is VERY GOOD especially for fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series!

After being laid off from her job as Half Moon Hollow’s children’s librarian, Jane drowns her sorrows in Electric Lemonade and Mudslides using her severance package (a $25 Shenanigans gift certificate). Atthe bar she’s kept company by a magnetically attractive (if a bit pale) stranger, Gabriel Nightingale – who follows her out and takes matters into his own hands when Jane’s car breaks down and she’s mistaken for a deer by a drunk with a rifle as she’s headed home in the dark, on foot. If Gabriel doesn’t turn Jane, she’ll be, as the saying goes, dying young and leaving a pretty corpse. Being undead, though, is just the beginning of Jane’s problems. She’s still unemployed, has “family issues,” a best friend who finds love with a werewolf (werewolves and vampires don’t mix well); she’s also being framed for murder, stalked by a former crush, and romanced by her moody sire. What’s an undead girl to do?This hilarious, delightful debut novel combines MaryJanice Davidson’s sass and Charlaine Harris’ small town Southern charm to form the perfect read for lovers of paranormal romantic comedy.

I follow Jill Myles’ livejournal and her first book is going to be out soon. It sounds fun But I am so not a huge fan of the cover!

Jackie Brighton woke up in a Dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her familiar B-cups have somehow become double Ds, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever…with a fallen angel. All she remembers is gorgeous Noah’s oddly hypnotic blue eyes…and then a dark stranger whose bite transformed her into an immortal siren with a sexy Itch. With help from Noah, Jackie begins to adapt to her new lifestyle — until she accidentally sends Noah into the deadly clutches of the vampire queen and lands herself in a fierce battle for an ancient halo with the queen’s wickedly hot righthand man. Who just happens to be the vampire who originally bit her. How’s a girl supposed to save the world when the enemy’s so hard to resist?

And since I am always on the lookout for new PNR: has anyone read this?

A twist of fate made Zoe Pappas heir to the Byzant throne. Bound by duty and devotion to keep the Empire safe, Zoe is captured while on a secret diplomatic mission and sent to an underground prisoner-of-war camp. In this strange, shadowy place, residents are governed by fellow inmate General Matthias “Doc” Raven, whose powerful magnetism rouses an urgent desire in Zoe. But the intensity of her attraction is matched by her surprise at discovering that Doc has a secret of his own: he is a vampire.

Zoe’s presence puts everyone in the camp in danger. Doc knows it, and knows too that Zoe’s royal status makes it impossible for her to bond with a vampire. The only way to save her is to help her escape, and lose her forever. But some fires are impossible to quench, even when following your heart is the ultimate taboo….

Finally, this is the first Steampunk title from Angry Robot, to be released in January. It looks great!

A brilliant criminal stalks the streets of London. Scotland Yard is on his trail. But how can the city remain safe when every book is a potential weapon?

On Thea’s Radar:

There are so many books I’m looking forward to in this edition of the stash, it’s not even funny. First up, one of my absolute favorite authors of all time…

Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch’in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother’s people. After a long ordeal, she not only succeeds, but surrenders to a passion the likes of which she’s never known. But the lovers’ happiness is short lived, for Bao is entangled in a complication that soon leads to their betrayal.

Naamah’s Curse comes out in June 2010, and I am already salivating. Then, there’s the third book in Michael Grant’s awesome ongoing Gone series:

No synopsis yet, but the cover looks awesome. I love this series, and cannot wait for this next book! Then there’s this upcoming book from Mette Ivie Harrison – I’ve read and really enjoyed The Princess and the Hound (which I will get around to reviewing one of these days), and her covers are just awesome:

Again, no synopsis yet! But pretty cover. Heard about this next one from book pimp Karen Mahoney:

Beings of unimaginable power, classified as myths and legends, have been imprisoned in the secluded town of St. Ives for centuries watched over by guardians with supernatural skills. Te Evangeline’s father was one such guardian, a “binder” who died in the line of duty and who passed along his ability to his daughter. Now, Te must awaken the magic within her before her father’s killer releases his fellow prisoners on an unsuspecting world.

Then, there’s the new Aprilynne Pike:

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger–and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

I’m not crazy about the new cover (it kind of looks like bad calendar photo), but I really loved Wings and am eager for more from Ms. Pike. And finally, caught wind of this one thanks again to KMont over at Lurv a la Mode:

Sisters Serena and Meteora were once proud members of the high court of the Fairy Queen- until they played a prank that angered her highness. Separated and banished to the mortal realm of Earth, they must find a way to survive in a strange world in which they have no power. But there is more to their new home than they first suspect…

A sympathetic Meteora bonds with a troubled young girl with an ornate tattoo on her neck. Meteora recognizes it as a magic symbol that will surely bring danger down on them all. Serena, meanwhile, takes in a tortured homeless boy whose mind is plagued by dark visions. The signs point to a rising power that threatens to tear asunder both fairy and human worlds.

And the sisters realize that perhaps the queen cast them from their homes not out of anger or spite- but because they were the only ones who could do what must be done…

Jane Yolen was one of my favorite authors as a young adult (Sister Light, Sister Dark and the Pit Dragon books were my favorites), so I’m eager to try this new release.

Phew. That’s it from us – what books are you looking forward to?

Happy Sunday, everyone! I kindly want to kick off this week’s edition of our Sunday Stash to say…

MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! As of this instant, UCLA has a better football record than USC. Suck it Trojans. SUCK IT!

Ahem. Now back to business.

Giveaway Winners:

Our Neil Gaiman giveaway of two copies of The Graveyard Book is officially closed! The sorting hat has spoken. The two lucky winners are:

Congratulations! Please send us your snail mail address (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com), and we’ll get your winnings out to you as soon as possible! Thanks again to all who participated. You all gave some wonderful book and author suggestions that we will be sure to check out!

Some Freaking Sweet News:

Universal has bought the rights to adapt Melissa Marr’s fantastic debut novel Wicked Lovely into a movie! SQUEE! The movie will be produced by Wild West Picture Show Prods. with Caroline Thompson to adapt the book to screenplay (she did Edward Scissorhands – so Wicked Lovely is in good hands!!!). As you may know, we Book Smugglers are Melissa Marr fangirls – we’ve interviewed her, we’ve had guest posts from her, we’ve loved all of her books. In fact, both of us have Fragile Eternity on our lists for best reads of 2009! So we are THRILLED for Melissa, and cannot wait for the film.

Any ideas for your dream casting of characters for the movie?? Some folks over at the Wicked Lovely Forums have some great ideas…I really like the suggestion of Amanda Seyfried as Donia.

In other fantastic-omg-headexplode news, our good friend and honorary book pimp Karen Mahoney has announced….HER VERY FIRST BOOK DEAL!!!! Kaz’s debut novel, a young adult urban fantasy type called The Iron Witch has been sold to Flux (the imprint behind Maggie Stiefvater’s Ballad!), along with its as of yet unwritten sequel (The Wood Queen)! We are so freaking happy for Karen…and now are patiently waiting for our ARCs. *NINJA*

And rounding out the dose of awesomeness is news from blogger buddy Carolyn Crane (aka CJ of The Thrillionth Page). Her urban fantasy debut, due out in March 2010, has a cover! And it’s gorgeous, isn’t it? CJ says:

But I’m sure it’s fine to say that, in a nutshell, Mind Games is the first in an urban fantasy trilogy about a hypochondriac who joins a psychological hit squad. It takes place in a fantastical Milwaukee/Chicago. (Specifically, the Milwaukee/Chicago of my childhood imagination. I lived in suburbs of both cities as a young child.)

Anyway, I’m just so so excited.

As are we!!!!

Other Cool Announcements & Goings On: