As you may have heard, this past weekend the LA Times Festival of Books took place at my alma mater, UCLA.

Over the weekend of April 24th – 25th, thousands of book lovers, authors, book sellers, publishers and other industry folks made their way to Westwood. And I’m happy to report that I was one of the throng, thoroughly enjoying the (basically) free panels, stages, author signings, book tents, and other assorted bibliophile paraphernalia. I’ve been going to the LA Times Festival of Books since I was a wee baby froshling, but this is the first time I’ve gone with the intent and capacity to blog about it – so it’s kinda cool. And new. And different.

Here are my adventures in the wild hills of Westwood (the 2010 edition):

Day 1: Saturday, April 24, 2010

After dragging the poor, reluctant boyfriend (who is soooooo not a reader) with me to the festival (hereafter LATFOB), finding a place to park, and hiking our sorry asses to campus (we’re both UCLA grads, so it was something of an eerie experience), we finally got situated and mapped out what areas we needed to hit immediately. First on the list was…

Mark Waid in conversation with Jonah Weiland – Saturday 1PM, Etc. stage

It’s no surprise that we Smugglers are a fan of Mark Waid’s – Ana’s recently given rave reviews for his Boom! Studios original “superhero” comic, Irredeemable (Vol 1 & 2), and of course we are both fans of his multiple Eisner Award-winning Kingdom Come, of his 52, and other remarkable works. The fact that Jonah Weiland, executive producer of the always excellent Comic Book Resources was the interviewer? Well, that just added icing to the cake. As a relatively newbie to the comic scene and someone that hasn’t been to many author events in the past, it was quite a treat to see these two in conversation!

Amongst the topics Mr. Weiland and Mr. Waid covered were the idea of comic books and their rise to fame, especially on the Hollywood front. Comics adapted to movies are increasingly popular, as major studios in film and television push out multiple adaptations a year, when there used to be only one every few years. Both men remarked that they do not think the bubble is going to burst any time soon, and that it will take more than a few box office duds (hello The Spirit, Ghostrider, Superman Returns) to staunch the flow. I found it kinda funny and really cool that Mark Waid admitted that when he heard that Iron Man was going to be adapted to the big screen, he (and other industry pros) kind of laughed and did a, “good luck with that.” If it weren’t for Robert Downey Jr.’s perfection as Tony Stark, Iron Man would not be the phenomenon that it now is – and I tend to side with Mr. Waid on that front. On the movie note as well, both men have high hopes for Green Lantern…

Also discussed were the digital application of comics in the form of Motion Comics, which neither Jonah nor Mark seemed to be very enthusiastic about (if you’ve seen the Watchmen motion comic with its weirdo voiceovers, you’d totally get why). But both were supportive of the move to digital media for actual comics themselves, via the iPad, and other webcomics.

Unfortunately, not a single mention, not even a passing throwout of female superheroes was made during the full hour.

Other observations and musings:

- Apparently, though Batman is the fan favorite (according to a good majority of the audience, myself included), Mark Waid says we are ALL wrong and Supe’ is where it’s at.

- Mark Waid thinks of himself as an incurable optimist – with the overarching theme of “hope” running through all his books. Which is pretty uplifting, given that a lot of books (comic and prose alike) tend to take the more jaded, cynical approach.

- Of all his work, Waid’s favorite, most notable accomplishment is his first issue of Fantastic Four.

- WIll Waid do 52 again in the future? Only if the dream team reunites.

In terms of future projects, Mark Waid talked about Boom! – he hopes that his Irredeemable universe will continue to grow over the next few years (also, Waid wearing a sweet Irredeemable hat). In the pipeline is a Stan Lee collaborative project which sounds really gorram cool – Stan is starting a line with Boom to create an ENTIRELY NEW universe of superheroes. How freakin’ awesome is that?

Overall, I was really, super impressed by both Jonah and Mark. They seemed like nice, sharp, funny guys – and I got my own copies of Irredeemable (volumes 1 & 2) signed by Mark Waid after the panel, after only a few name misspelling issues.

Then, it was on to…

Blood, Fangs, and Temptation: Everything Vampire with Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine, Heather Brewer, & Melissa de la Cruz
Moderated by Aaron Hartzier

I only stopped by this stage pretty quickly to listen to Rachel Caine (one of my favorite contemporary UF authors) and Richelle Mead – and both ladies were undeniably cool. Everyone read an excerpt from their latest book, talked a bit about vampires in fiction and their own particular series’. I tried to stick around to get books signed at the end of the event, but holy CRAP was the line long. The stage itself was super crowded, and considering this was the first year the LATFOB had a YA stage, it was pretty impressive – and indicative of the popularity of YA fiction overall. For while there were many eager, fangirl teens at the event, there were also some equally eager mothers and older readers (like myself), eating up what each of these talented authors had to say.

The Bloggers…

After a long, sun-drenched day of squirming my way through crowds (SERIOUSLY, the crowds were so thick and muggy that it was like how I imagine being born feels), I made my back to Westwood to meet with a delightful group of bloggers. Even though we don’t necessarily read the same books, these were some sweet ladies (and gentleman) – so a huge thank you to Lisa (Books on the Brain), Florinda (3R’s Blog), Ti (Book Chatter), Amy (My Friend Amy), Danielle Smith (There’s a Book), Trish (Hey, Lady!), Jen (Jen’s Book Thoughts), Jill (Fizzy Thoughts), Leah Hasenoehrl (Amused by Books), and Ashley (Ashley’s Library).

Day 2: Sunday, April 25, 2010

Day 2 of the LATFOB proved even more action packed than the first – this was the day I explored every tent on campus (multiple times for some), and ended up buying a few books (gaaaaaaaaaah).

Books Purchased include Feed by Mira Grant (YESSSS!!!! Love Seanan McGuire!) and Boy Proof by the remarkable Cecil Castelucci (every geek girl’s hero). Also walking around I stumbled upon VMK Fewings, author of A Stone Master’s Reckoning, which I reviewed last year. Vanessa had her very own (very coolly decorated!) booth, and even remembered who I was and gave me a free copy of her new book. SQUEE!

As for the day’s panels…

Comic Books: Indie and Beyond with Ed Brubaker, Simon Oliver & Mike Mignola
Moderator: Geoff Boucher

When I saw that Mike Mignola was on a panel, it was an autobuy for me. You may have noticed that we Smugglers love Hellboy. And with another big name in Ed Brubaker (Captain America writer, at the moment) and Simon Oliver, I was sold. This panel was interesting, especially in comparison to Mark Waid’s interview the day before – while Waid was funny and more softspoken, this crew was more boisterous. Less interested in superheroes, and moregenerally chatty. After seeing how hopeful/non-cynical Mark Waid was, it was funny to hear Ed Brubaker, who is a wryly cynical as they come (but not necessarily in a bad way). Ed Brubaker was late to the panel.

Mike Mignola is awesome, incredibly humble and wonderful, and he kinda looks like a friendly Tom Colicchio. He talked a bit about what he’s working on – he just came back from a 10 day stint in New Zealand helping with a segment of Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit, and hopefully his work will make the final cut. SImon Oliver (of The Exterminators fame) was kind of marginalized, but funny and interesting when he did speak.

On new projects – Brubaker talked about how he lost a pilot he wrote specifically and originally for TV; but has Secret Avengers out later this year (and a follow up to Incognito – which is awesome – later too). I’m super stoked for Mignola’s new chapter in Hellboy/BPRD (as Hellboy has quit, and apparently we can expect LOTS of changes). Simon Oliver has a new crime noir book out at somepoint soon, but can’t remember the artist’s name (a huge LOL moment).

Following the panel, I got to meet up with Kris, awesome book blogger behind Voracious YAppetite – who shares a LOT of the same YA interests as Ana and I. We met briefly at the YA Stage (after I mistakenly harassed a girl that fit Kris’s clothes description – whoops), and talked about our book plans before bullying an innocent bystander into taking a picture of us. All in all, a fun time!

After that, it was time for my last panel of the event – and the most entertaining one, at that.

Book: New Media Meets Publishing with Pablo Defendini, Dana Goodyear & Wil Wheaton
Moderated by Carolyn Kellogg

For pretty obvious reasons, I was most looking forward to this panel addressing New Media and publishing, especially since I (kind of) know one of the panelists. Pablo Defendini is someone Ana and I knew from Tor.com. Recently (as in, one month ago) he left the MacMillan imprint to join Open Road Integrated Media (the new, e-book company brainchild of Jane Friedman, former CEO of HarperCollins). And, in person, (well, from my audience seat) Pablo is freakin’ AWESOME. He even used headdesking in a sentence. Come on now. (And, I might mention, in a festival FULL of mystery/crime/thrillers and literary fiction, it was cool to hear from a fellow SF/F geek – name droppin’ Scalzi, Gaiman, Elliot and others!)

Wil Wheaton, actor, blogger, self-published author is adorable and really, *really* goddamn funny. Like, integrating LOLCAT speech funny. Poking fun at stuck-in-the-1900s-publishers funny. He had a lot to say about self publishing that doubtless helped many aspiring authors in the audience.

Dana Goodyear had a lot to say too about her work – she’s a regular contributor to the New Yorker and founder of Figment, a new mobile platform for readers and writers of young-adult fiction, based on the bestselling Japanese form of cell-phone novels. Figment sounds pretty cool – although I’m not sure how well it will work out in its early days here in the United States (especially considering Japan’s very…different culture of cellphones), but it’s an intriguing, forward thinking concept. And we’ll be keeping our eye on Figment, which launches this summer.

Of all the panelists, Pablo was the most enlightening. One of the most interesting things he talked about was how when they launched Tor.com (which I remember like it was yesterday!), the site offered free e-books – the first book in assorted SF/F series’ (i.e. Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, Kate Elliot’s Spirit Gate) – which panelist Carolyn Kellogg likened to the pusher mentality of “the first hit’s free” (hilarious). Pablo then talked about how after that first hit DID the job, at Tor he started getting desperate requests from readers that WANTED to pay money for the ebook version of the rest of the books in the series – but were for, whatever reason *cough*MacMillan*cough* unavailable in e-book format. Pablo described this as the most headdesking moment evah.

Other tidbits of note:

- PDFs suck for e-books (duh). Mobi should be taken out back and shot, placed in a shallow grave. EPUB is sooooo where it’s at.

- Thieves will always be thieves; but people WILL buy e-books and print copies too. Whether it is a print “souvenir” (as Dana Goodman says of Japanese readers that purchased the prose versions of the cellphone novels they participated in) or to just have a concrete copy of a book, or if it’s a Scott Sigler type of deal (who changes his story with each iteration of a book – and his books are awesome by the way. Start out with Earthcore).

- A lot of people are driven to illegal downloads because they have no other alternative! This especially applies to international readers…which is something, as an international blog, we can relate to.

- They touched on pricing of ebooks – how people do not want to pay these expensive dollar amounts for books. Inherently, people know that spending the same amount of money on a print book as an e-book just doesn’t make any sense. (And on that note, the moderator kind of misses the point by suggesting that people who have already spent hundreds on a reader should be able to afford to give authors a few more bucks…yeaaaaah, that’s not quite the issue at hand. If I’ve paid hundreds of dollars for an e-reader, you damn well better bet that I want MORE bang for my buck, and I am not going to be complacent paying ridiculously inflated costs for an electronic version of a book that should by virtue of common sense be cheaper than its printed counterpart.)

The coolest thing about this panel? I saw Trish of Hey Lady! walking in, and we grabbed a seat together. Which made for a fun panel, especially with some of the…colorful characters in attendance.

Gripes about the Festival:

This was a great, fun weekend, no doubt about it. I was SO stoked to see a YA stage and YA section this year 0 and holy crap it was crowded all weekend long!

My only gripe, however, was that there was shockingly ZERO representation for Speculative Fiction (that is SF/F/H). I love that comics are becoming a bigger part of the festival, even earning their own graphic novel award this year, but….come on dudes. SF/F/H is a HUGE market too, with tons of die hard fans. Don’t we deserve a little reppin’ too?

On that note, there was ZERO Romance either! As Ana is a romance reader, and as I have many blogging buds that are dedicated romance readers and reviewers, and considering that romance is the best selling genre of fiction, period, this strikes me as a bit bizarre. There’s something wrong with this picture.

Hopefully next year, we’ll see some better representation. And who knows? Maybe even a panel about blogging or something of the like!

Overall, a successful, lovely weekend. Next stop – BEA!

Title: Blood Promise

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Publication Date: August 2009
Hardcover: 512 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 4 in the ongoing Vampire Academy series

How did I get this book: Review Copy from Publicist

Why did I read this book: I’m kind of a huge fan of Richelle Mead’s, and the Vampire Academy books are amazing – Twilight fans, you really should be reading about Rose and Dimitri, because this is a series that kicks the scrawny, melodramatic Twilight’s butt. On Thursday of last week, we hosted a stop on a Richelle Mead blog tour, and what better way to follow that up than with a review of Blood Promise?

Summary: (from RichelleMead.com)
Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Review:

***IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NECESSARY SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN THE SERIES. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS YET, LOOK NO FURTHER! Major spoilers for the first three books ensue, after the break… (And also, if you haven’t read these books yet, for the love of Pete, what are you waiting for!!!!???? Go forth and pick up Vampire Academy. IMMEDIATELY.)***

(more…)

Happy Sunday, folks! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are enjoying the fall weather.

Now let’s get down to business, shall we?

Giveaway Winners:

We’ve got three separate giveaway winners to announce! First up is Elegy Beach by Steven R. Boyett.

The TWO lucky winners of an autographed copy of Elegy Beach, as well as bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon are:

Next up, our Nalini Singh giveaway of Blaze of Memory:

The lucky winner of a copy of Blaze of Memory is:

And finally, our Alert Nerd giveaway of One Con Glory!

The lucky winner of a copy of One Con Glory and the awesome Phoenix tee is:

Congratulations to all the winners! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your goodies out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry – we have plenty more where these giveaways came from!

Assorted News:

You may or may not have heard that we had the lucky opportunity to check out an early screening of New Moon last week! What’s the verdict? What do we think? Well….you’ll have to wait to find out. But we promise you, dear Twilight fans, we’ll have a review up in the coming weeks for the release. In the meantime, why don’t you check out WHAT EDWARD DRIVES?

Does anyone else find this hilarious? Who are they trying to selling volvos to? Are little girls really gonna throw their weight around to get their parents to buy a family volvo SUV because that’s what Edward wants? Are there any moms and dads out there looking at this commercial and thinking, ‘Eureka, that’s what I need to be cool! I mean, EDWARD drives one! I must have one too!’

In other news, you may have seen that Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon have released their best books of 2009 lists. Though I’m stoked that a graphic novel cracked PW’s top ten list, it’s slightly disturbing that not a single female author made the list. Also disturbing is the fact that we have not read (nor have even really heard of) any of the titles on the top 10 list! But in the Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, Mass Market Best of Lists, there are some familiar faces including:

Drood by Dan Simmons – in the running for a spot on Thea’s Top 10 list. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, The Devil’s Alphabet by Daryl Gregory (all books that Thea has on the TBR, and ones she will be reviewing soon). Also appearing on the best SF list is China Mieville’s The City and the City, which we apparently need to read ASAP. Also, Soulless by Gail Carriger makes it on the Mass Market list (though clearly we didn’t think so highly of it).

The Amazon editors’ top 10 list, we are very pleased to announce, not only contains a speculative fiction title, but a young adult one as well! Yeaaaaah, boyyyyyy! Both China Mieville’s The City and the City and the upcoming Beautiful Creatures from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are on the list.

Also, both PW and Amazon have graphic novel Stitches by David Small in their Top 10s – another title to check out.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

It’s another jam-packed week! You may have seen last Thursday our blog tour post with Richelle Mead, in which she answered a few of our burning questions. On Monday, we celebrate Richelle Mead’s writing with a review of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series. And, we’re offering a giveaway too!

On Tuesday, Ana reviews Meljean Brook’s novella “Blind Spot” in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. Later in the day, we’ll have a special Smugglers’ Ponderings post about the issue of homogeneity in the book market – particularly concerning romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy books.

Wednesday, debut historical romance author Lori Brighton stops by with a post on her Inspirations and Influences…

And on Thursday, Ana reviews young adult novel The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. Later in the day, Thea reviews young adult speculative fiction/horror/dystopian title The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

We close out the week with a joint review of the final book in the Mistborn trilogy, The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

Phew. We told you it would be busy! That’s it for now folks, until tomorrow!

We’ve got a special, unexpected treat for you today – we’re kicking off a long-awaited Richelle Mead Book Blog Tour, in honor of her most recent release, the fourth book in her ongoing Vampire Academy series, Blood Promise!

Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

For the duration of the tour, six blogs will be participating in an interview with author Richelle Mead, asking her our burning questions about her Vampire Academy books.

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, we give you our questions with Richelle!

The Book Smugglers: You have a thing about putting your heroines through hell and back – both Georgina in your Succubus series and Rose in Vampire Academy have to deal with some major heartache. What’s with the Angst? Will Rose have some relief in the future?

Richelle: I’m not a cruel person, but I do believe characters have to work for their happy endings. It’s also unrealistic to write a book in which everything that happens to the character is happy and wonderful. No one would want to read it! We like to go through the ups and downs. And as for Rose, well…that’s not something I can give away. You’ll have to keep reading to see what happens next.

The Book Smugglers: Your take on vampires is really detailed, with careful and thoughtful delineation between Dhampir, Moroi and Strigoi. What were your inspirations for your particular take on vampire lore and hierarchy? Did you do any specific mythological research for your world building in the Vampire Academy books?

Richelle: When I sat down to write a vampire book for teens, I had no idea that that genre would be so big. I knew the adult market was going strong, though, so it was important for me to do something very different from those books. So, I tried to stay away from the ‘standard’ vampire stories in our culture and see what else was out there in the world. Interestingly, almost every culture has myths about some type of vampire. I’d taken Eastern European folklore classes in college, so I jumped into research about those myths first and found the Moroi and Strigoi stories. There wasn’t a lot there, so I’ve had to improvise a lot in the series with how I best think a world with two vampire races would live. Dualism is a big part of Russian and Romanian myths, which is why the balance of light and dark is always so key in the Vampire Academy universe.

The Book Smugglers: What are your future writing plans for the Vampire Academy books? When can we expect (and what can we expect from) the next installment to this fabulous series?

Richelle: There are going to be eight more VA books coming out over the next few years. Two of them will be about Rose and will finish off her story. The next six will be a “spin-off” starting a whole new story that takes place in the same world but follows different characters (whom we’ve already met).

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths. She received a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan, an MA in Comparative Religion from Western Michigan University, and a Master in Teaching (Middle & High School English) degree from the University of Washington. In the end, she decided writing was the way for her but believes all of her education prepared her for it.

Visit Richelle Mead online at her website http://www.richellemead.com/ or her blog, Even Redheads Get the Blues.

So there you have it! Make sure to check out Frenetic Reader for the continuation of this interview…

Also make sure to check back in on Monday, when we’ll have a review of Blood Promise and a giveaway to boot!

Title: Succubus Heat

Author: Richelle Mead

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Kensington Publications (US) / Bantam Books (UK)
Publication Date: May 2009 (US) / June 2009 (UK)
Trade Paperback: 304 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 4 in the Georgina Kincaid/Succubus series.

Why did I read this book: It’s no surprise that I am a huge fan of Richelle Mead’s writing – for both adults and young adults alike. I loved the third book in Georgina’s ongoing series, Succubus Dreams, which ended on a huge gut-punch. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Succubus Heat (though it has taken me a while to actually get to reviewing it!).

Summary: (from amazon.com)
Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus. . .
. . .which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she’s been so wicked that Seattle’s uber-demon Jerome, decides to “outsource” Georgina to a rival–and have her spy for him in the process.

Being exiled to the frozen north–okay, Vancouver–and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there’s nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth–nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who’s been playing them–or all hell will break loose. . .

Review:

Georgina Kincaid has just had her heart pulled out of her chest and stomped on by the one mortal she trusted and loved, and she’s decided to let herself go down a dark path of self-loathing. After learning that her writer-boyfriend, Seth Mortensen, has slept with one of Georgina’s friends and coworkers, Maddie, she throws herself into her work – that is, she starts taking her job as a succubus in earnest, stealing life force from good men by sleeping with them. Unfortunately, while Georgina is doing a great job at work, she’s also irritating her friends and her boss with her bitchy attitude. In fact, she pisses off her boss Jerome so much that he sends her on an out of town job up north in Vancouver for a rival Archdemon, Cedric. Jerome and Cedric have been bumping heads over their neighboring territories, and Georgina’s job up north is a spy/sabotage job as much as it is a punishment for her. When she arrives in Vancouver, she learns that her mission is fairly simple: infiltrate a group of ridiculous “satanists” and get them to stop causing a ruckus that makes the people downstairs look bad. Everything seems to be going according to plan until Jerome disappears, summoned by some human magician – and Seattle suddenly becomes fair game for power-hungry demons. Jerome’s disappearance not only shakes up the underworld, however, as while he’s gone the immortals under his jurisdiction suddenly find that their supernatural abilities are in a strange stasis. For Georgina, this means she can no longer shapeshift…or draw on the lifeforce of her lovers. Her love life in tatters, Georgina knows she must save her boss Jerome from certain destruction, but finally the only obstacle that kept her and Seth from physically being together has been removed…

Succubus Heat is trademark Richelle Mead – a fast-paced plot balanced by characters in nasty, emotional situations, all written with a deft, quippy style. Ms. Mead certainly isn’t hesitant to trample all over her heroines’ hearts, dragging them through all kinds of emotional torture, and Succubus Heat is no exception. This is one cringe-inducing book for poor Georgina – and I mean that in a good way. Understandably, Georgina is a mess after Seth has taken up with Maddie and it’s even worse since Maddie is so innocent and likable (she never knew that Seth and Georgina were together, otherwise she never would have started dating him). It was painful to read this book, with Georgina’s heart flayed open over and over again. Intellectually, I understand that Seth did what he did out of love for our intrepid heroine, because he didn’t want her to get hurt by him…but emotionally I cannot explain how effing pissed I was at Mr. Mortensen while reading this book. Initially I couldn’t help but feel a little angry at Georgina as well as she wallows in self-pity and loathing, blaming herself but never Seth. But then, the switch to anger happens – and I was ecstatic. FINALLY!

The thought depressed me, and I found myself growing sadder and sadder as I walked back to my hotel. In that moment, I would have given anything to be with Seth again, to right the wrongs we’d done to each other back around Christmastime. Losing him was losing a part of me that –

Searing, white-hot anger suddenly shot through me. What the fuck was I whining about? Why should I miss him? Why should I pine for someone who’d betrayed me and hurt me with my friend, of all people?

YES! THANK YOU! It’s impossible to hate Maddie because of her earnestness and how good a friend she is to Georgina, but Seth knew full well what he was doing, and he made a huge, craptastic mess of things. Way to go, genius. The angst and the anger, however, is all part of the charm of these books (and of Ms. Mead’s writing in general). I love that she isn’t afraid to take chances with her characters, keeping things complicated, hurtful and, well, messy. Life’s like that. Another thing I kept thinking to myself while reading Succubus Heat was how Georgina keeps seeming to make the same mistakes over and over again. She’s supposed to be over a millennium old, and yet she continues to blunder with her emotions and decisions. With Seth, with the past loves in her long life, with her friends…Georgina’s heart is in the right place, but her head certainly isn’t. At first I questioned this – would a creature this old be so silly and petty and continue to make these errors? But, upon reflection, it seems plausible, especially in Georgina’s case. She’s been doomed to an eternity of servitude for Hell, borne of a bad decision she made during her lifetime. What’s that saying, that Hell is of your own making? Well, that certainly seems to be the case with Georgina. As her friends tell her, there’s something about Georgina that subconsciously craves this heartache, or this feeling that she isn’t good enough. It’s a very interesting psyche that Ms. Mead creates with her succubus, and I find myself enjoying Georgina’s journey immensely.

Besides Georgina, other characters are in top form as well. We learn more about Dante, black magic practitioner and Georgina’s new boyfriend, with a soul so smutty it doesn’t matter that Georgina sleeps with him. Jerome, Carter and the usual crew of Georgina’s vampire and imp friends are in the picture as well. And, of course, there’s Seth and Maddie. But there are a few unexpected faces from the past that show up here, as well as introductions to new characters – all of which are engaging and believable. Ms. Mead’s characters, as usual, shine.

In terms of plotting, however, I felt something was lacking in this book compared to its predecessors. The “mystery” element of Ms. Mead’s books is never very strong – in Succubus Heat I think I had most of the mystery solved by the first third of the novel. It’s a bit irritating that the solutions are so obvious to the books, and Succubus Heat is a little more predictable than the others in the series so far. A little subtlety will go a long way, and I can only hope that the next installment will be less transparent in terms of its villains. The writing is solid and I read through this book in a single sitting…but I want something more from Georgina now. I can only hope that there will be a little more in terms of substance ahead.

Overall I really enjoyed Succubus Heat, though it wasn’t as good as the prior books in the series. A word to the wise – if you don’t like a lot of angst, or can’t take some good ol’ emotional torture with your Urban Fantasy, you won’t like this book (heck, you probably haven’t been reading this series in the first place!). But fans of the series, steel yourselves for an emotional rollercoaster.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Sleeping with my therapist was a bad idea.

I knew it too, but I couldn’t really help it. There were only so many times I could hear “Why don’t you explain that” and “Tell me how you feel.” So, I finally snapped and decided to show the guy how I felt. I’ve gotta say, for a decent guy who had never cheated on his wife, he wasn’t that hard to take advantage of. And by “not hard,” I mean “ridiculously easy.” His pseudo morals gave me a strong succubus energy fix, and when you consider that what we did was probably the most productive thing that ever took place on his couch, it was almost like I did a good deed.

Still, I knew my boss was going to be pissed, seeing as he was the one who’d ordered me to seek counseling in the first place.

“Do not tell Jerome,” I warned my friends, tapping my cigarette against the ashtray. “I don’t want to deal with that kind of fallout.”

My friends and I were sitting at a booth in Cold July, an industrial club down in Seattle’s Belltown district. The place was dark and loud, with crisscrossing pipes on the walls and ceiling forming the bulk of the décor. Because it was a private club, they didn’t have to adhere to the city’s public smoking ban, which was a perk for me. In the last few months, I’d found nicotine was one of the essential things helping me cope. Other things on the essential list: vodka, Nine Inch Nails, a steady supply of moral men, and an all-purpose bitchy attitude.

“Look, Georgina,” said my friend Hugh. He was an imp, a type of hellish legal assistant who bought souls for our masters and did assorted middle management tasks. He had dark cropped hair and was big without being fat. “I’m no expert in mental health, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that probably wasn’t a helpful step on the road to healing.”

I shrugged and let my eyes scan the crowded room for potential victims. There were some pretty good pickings here. “Well, he wasn’t that good. At therapy, I mean. Besides, I don’t think I need it anymore.”

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: On the covers, yet again. Why do other countries get all the gorgeous covers? Not that the US cover of Succubus Heat is bad, but her head looks out of proportion. I think it’s the hair that really bothers me the most. Weird. In contrast, look at how gorgeous these other countries’ versions of the covers look!

Verdict: Very good installment in the Georgina Kincaid/Succubus series – but only for those strong of heart (and ever so slightly masochistic). Recommended.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Reading Next: Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Ahoy mateys! I’m back from Vegas, didn’t lose too much money or sanity, and I’m taking over the blog…

Well, not really. Just to give you the skinny on another Sunday, and another stash. First, we have a giveaway winner to announce…

Giveaway Winner:

The lucky winner of our giveaway of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is:

Congratulations! You know the drill. Send your snail mail address to us (contact AT the book smugglers DOT com) and we’ll get your winnings off to you as soon as possible.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

We’ve got a SUPER packed week coming up for you. On Monday, while Ana’s out enjoying her bank holiday Thea (finally) reviews The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan…

…and also takes a look at the upcoming fall TV schedule.

The sequel to the highly praised The Hunger Games, Catching Fire is already making its way to the top of many “Best of 2009″ lists…so on Tuesday, we’ll be having a SuperMegaFantastic Catching Fire bonanza! To celebrate the release day of one of the most highly anticipated books of 2009, Thea will review Catching Fire, and then later in the day we will be offering a giveaway of THREE copies of the book, along with prize packs of T-shirts and mockingjay pins. Make sure to stop by for a chance to win this great swag.

On Wednesday, we bring you a brand spakin’ new feature: “What She Said…” In which Ana and I read books that the other has read and loved this year. The idea arose after Ana *cough*STOLE*cough* Name of the Wind from the “Joint Review” pile and decided to go rogue and read it on her own (even though I’ve had the book on my shelf for ages and was the one who told Ana about it!). She loved it, wrote an awesome review about it, won’t stop gushing about it…and I’ve had enough. I want to read and review this book, but the dilemma was that if I did read it, I wouldn’t really be able to post again about it. Right? WRONG. Hence, “What She Said…” was born. On Wednesday, Ana reads one of my suggestions, Jasmyn by Alex Bell (which I loved and immediately thought Ana would adore too)…

and then I get to read The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brenan (which Ana loved and immediately told me to buy).

On Thursday, Ana reviews A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James and Thea reviews Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead.

Friday, we give you a joint review of a book we’ve both been waiting to read for a long time, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: The Final Empire (book 1 of the Mistborn trilogy).

Woohoo! (Love the new cover, by the way)

On Our Smuggler Radar: (Or, Books Thea Really Really Wants)

Part two of the literary sci-fi thriller follows a boy and a girl who are caught in a warring town where thoughts can be heard — and secrets are never safe.

Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

It happened quickly. Overnight, the greater Los Angeles area found itself in the horrifying grasp of a werewolf epidemic. Twenty eight days of the month they are no different than you or me–the High Bloods, who managed to go unaffected. But every full moon, they are the most ravenous creatures man has ever seen.

A new law-enforcement agency has been created to keep tabs on the those whose blood runs Lycan. Rawson is an agent for Lycan Control, and his job is to make sure all the afflicted are found, monitored, and kept at bay the night they change. But the Lycans in Hollywood have risen to cultlike proportions, and Rawson’s job is getting tougher.

One night, a woman changes right in front of Rawson. And it’s not a full moon. Someone deep in the annals of Hollywood has managed to trip the logic of the werewolves’ being. Battling a rising tide of Lycan rights activists and a growing population of those who are choosing to be Lycan over High Blood, Rawson must carve a path to the top of the Lycan chain before all hell breaks loose.

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger’s subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn’t only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.
Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid’s father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid “vitagua” to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a “’chanted” watch becomes a charm that means you’re always in the right place at the right time; a “’chanted” pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . . .

But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined . . .

Elfland is an intimate, sensual novel of people—both human and Aetherial—caught between duty and desire. It’s a story of families, and of Rose Fox, a woman born to magic but tormented by her place in her adopted world.

Led by Auberon Fox, a group of Aetherials—call them the Fair Folk, if you will—live among us, indistinguishable from humans. Every seven years, on the Night of the Summer Stars, Lawrence Wilder, the Gatekeeper, throws open all gates to the Other World. But this time, something has gone wrong. Wilder has sealed the gates, warning of a great danger lurking in the realm beyond them. The Aetherial community is outraged. What will become of them, deprived of the home realm from which their essential life force flows?

Rose Fox and Sam Wilder are drawn to the lands beyond the gates, even as their families feud over Lawrence’s refusal to do his duty. Struggling with their own too-human urges, they discover hidden truths that draw them together in a forbidden alliance. Only by breaching the dreaded gates and daring the danger beyond can they confront that which they fear most— their otherness—and claim their birthright.

That’s about it for now folks! Hope you enjoy the week ahead.

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Greetings earthlings! Before you get the wrong idea and start throwing us into “prawn” slums, we have some breaking news before we give you the skinny on our final week of Young Adult Appreciation Month:

District 9 totally, completely rocked. Go watch it. Immediately.

Now for the stash.

Giveaway winners:

We had a number of giveaways this week and the winners are:

The Devouring by Simon Holt: stezton (comment #36)
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent: Jacqueline L (comment #71)
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund: Andrea (comment #56)

You know the drill: send you snail mail address to: contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com and we shall send the books ASAP.

Speaking of contests: There is a new YA blog around called Book Nerds, ran by two sisters, Anna and Jenny. Stop by to say hello and to enter their fabulous contest – they have FIVE COPIES OF BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead to giveaway. What are you waiting for?

Young Adult Celebration Post:

Yesterday, we had an open post where anyone with a blog could link to their YA posts. We had over 30 entries with reviews and articles, all of them very interesting. You should check it out and if you want to take part, the post is still open! Go here.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

(oh, the last week of our YA Month: we haz the sad. We do)

Monday: Historical day! We both review A Countess Below Stairs/ The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson…

…followed by Thea’s review of Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper

Tuesday - Post-Apocalypse/Dystopia Day (part deux)! Thea reviews Libyrinth by Pearl North, Feed by M.T. Anderson and rereads Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

…and later on we review Lois Lowry’s companion novels The Giver (Ana) and Gathering Blue (Thea)

We also will have a list of some young adult dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels for further reading.

Wednesday – It is our Ghost Day when Thea reviews Ruined by Paula Morris and A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Wilcomb

Followed by Ana’s review of Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Thursday – We do a joint review of Wake by Lisa McMann

And Alexander Gordon Smith guest blogs with us on Inspiration and Influences for writing his kick-ass  Furnace series.

Friday - What would be a YA month celebration without a Graphic Novel title? We decided to read and review Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale. It is Rapunzel. In the Old West. Really, how could we NOT read this?

And then on Saturday, we will have a Flash Giveaway with some pretty cool YA titles!

On our YA Radar:

First, check out the cover for the next Darkest Power book by Kelley Armstrong:

And also:

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah’s only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders.

When Jonah’s self-destructive spiral accelerates and he hits rock bottom, will he find true strength or surrender to his breaking point?

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

SOMEONE ELSE WILL DIE SOON, she tells herself.

SOMEONE ELSE WILL DIE, AND I’LL BE RESPONSIBLE.

A few days after the first time you walk in your sleep, you kill someone.

That’s how the end begins Emma Montgomery has been having gruesome nightmares. Even worse, when she wakes up, she isn’t where she was when she fell asleep. And she’s not only the only one. One by one the students of Saint Opportuna High start having the nightmares, and sleepwalking. And the next morning one of their classmates turns up dead.

Something is making them kill in their sleep. Emma and her friends need to band together, to keep themselves awake until they can figure our what’s behind the murders—before anyone else dies.

And that’s it from us today – enjoy your Sunday and see you around!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Richelle Mead, author of the fantastic Vampire Academy series, has just posted the first chapter of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the six book series! We absolutely LOVE the Vampire Academy series (just see our reviews for Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss), and have been salivating over the release book 4! Blood Promise hits shelves on August 25, 2009.

Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Chapter One is online HERE.

For more about Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books, check the author’s website HERE. Richelle also runs a great blog, which you can read HERE.

Another day, another stash, another really damn important Laker game we MUST WIN OR DIE.

*Thea’s in a very vulnerable place today (especially when 30 mins before the game, ESPN.com takes it on themselves to post stuff like THIS) so don’t mind her*

Covers, Excerpts and Release Dates:

Richelle Mead’s next installment in her Georgina Kincaid series Succubus Heat officially comes out in stores on May 26th…but word on the street is, some bookstores are putting out copies early. I’ll be scourging my local chains and hunting for a copy today. You can read the first chapter of Succubus Heat HERE.

On another note, I am so very envious of folks in Germany who get these covers:

How gorgeous is that? Speaking of covers, check out the cover and blurb for Blood Promise, the next book in Richelle’s Vampire Academy series. **NOTE: HUGE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST THREE BOOKS, IF YOU HAVEN’T YET READ THEM!**

From the Back Cover:

DIMITRI’S HEART HAS GONE DARK

Now Rose must journey to the ends of the earth to find–and kill–her one true love…

Or has the time come to join him?

My heart shattered. My world shattered. You will lose what you value most… It wasn’t my life…it wasn’t even Dimitri’s life.

What you value most.

It was his soul.

Official Blurb:

BOUND BY LOVE, BUT SWORN TO KILL…

The rest of the world had considered Dimitri dead. And to a certain extent, he was. But I hadn’t been able to forget a conversation he and I had once had. We’d both agreed that we’d rather be dead—truly dead—than walk the world as Strigoi. It was time to honor our words.

Guardian Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

I’m literally drooling with anticipation. Blood Promise is out this August.

In other book news, Kim Harrison’s Young Adult debut novel, Once Dead, Twice Shy also is being released on May 26th!

My name is Madison Avery, and I’m here to tell you that there’s more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I’m there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

AND the lovely folks at Harper Teen have posted the first TWO chapters of the book online! Check it out:

I cannot wait.

This Week On The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Ana will review the much discussed A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore.

Tuesday, Thea totally switches gears and reviews Don’t Look Twice by Andrew Gross! Gross is James Patterson’s co-author and bestselling writer of thriller/suspense novels. As a genre that neither Thea nor Ana are versed in, Don’t Look Twice is definitely outside of the comfort zone. We’ll also be giving away a copy of the book, so stay tuned!

On Wednesday, we’ll have a joint review of The Black Act by editor and writer Louise Bohmer. The Black Act is a dark fantasy/horror novel from Lachesis Publishing.

Thursday, Ana reviews Compromised by Kate Noble, and on Friday we’ll have an interview with the lovely Ms. Noble!

And also this week, we will give our thoughts on the season finale of LOST (OMGWTFJACOB!!!!!!), and make predictions for the show’s sixth and final season. Plus, you can probably expect some gushing over The Office finale, and a creative post in honor of Terminator: Salvation.

Also, if you haven’t heard the news, Ana and I are famous! We’re being interviewed by Harry over at Temple Library Reviews, and because you know how much Ana and I like to talk, our full interview will be released in installments. Part I is up now, but check back in this week for the rest of our chat with Harry!

Until next week, we leave you with this.

Ana here! Thea is still away (sniff!sniff!) but she found a way to formally reprimand me (by way of smoke signals no less, seriously is there anything that woman can not do?) for my huge boo-boo in last week’s stash when I announced I would be writing my review of Smooth Talking Stranger last week when it should be posted this coming week. Oops. I stand here before you duly chastised: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

So, now that we got the embarrassing boo-boo out of the way, it’s time to announce the winner of our Forest of Hands and Teeth contest.

Drums roll please:

kathybaug

Congratulations! Please send your snail mail address to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com and we will get the book to you ASAP.

This Week on the Book Smugglers:

On Monday I will be reviewing Revealed by Kate Noble – a book that took me completely by surprise and knocked me off my feet.

On Tuesday it is Thea’s turn with a review of Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George;

On Wednesday, I will be back with the review of A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison and then again on Friday with the my review of Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – for reals, this time.

News:

When you thought it was all over. When you thought we had forgotten all about it…..we pull you right back in: IT IS THE WINDFLOWER WORLD TOUR!!!

The tour is still going strong: the infamous old school romance The Windflower by Laura London who is going around the world, from blogger to blogger, each then telling us what they thought about the book. It all started with Ciara and I . This week we had two updates on the tour: from The Happily Ever After’s Christine and What Women Read’s Shannon . Go and check out what they thought – the most amazing thing is: it doesn’t matter if we liked or disliked the book but that all of us so far had completely different and very interesting things to say about it. Next stop: What Kate’s Reading

The Pretty New Cover of…

Blood Promise, the 4th book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (and the rest of the series also get a new design. We like it!):

And finally:

What about you???