Teaser Tuesday (68)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should Be Reading

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from:

Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

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Teaser:

"Hello little girl," he said, his voice too human-like, too re-strained. "I believe my queen has been looking for you."

My Thoughts: I am loving this sequel just as much as I loved Cinder! Freaking awesome, look for my review later this week :).

Waiting on Wednesday (34)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

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Scarlet

by Marissa Meyer

Expected Publication: February 5, 2013

Summary: Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner

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Marissa Meyer is one of my favourite authors and the Lunar Chronicles are must reads (if you haven't read Cinder yet, go get it)!  So, I can't wait to have a copy of Scarlet in my hands.

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What are you waiting on?

Author Interview: Marissa Meyer

I have been following Marissa Meyer since her fan fiction days as Alicia Blade and was ecstatic when Jenn told me that she had agreed to do an interview with us!  Marissa is the author of the Lunar Chronicles, a four book series of which the first, Cinder, is published.  See my review of Cinder here and Meghan's here.  I would like to take this time to thank Marissa for taking the time to talk to us!

1. Tell us about your car. 

Other than HOW MUCH I LOVE IT? I drive an orange 2010 VW Beetle. It's adorable. I developed an obsession with orange Beetles after writing Cinder (hint: that's the car she finds in the junkyard, although hers would have been an old model from the 1960s), but the particular burnt-orange color I wanted is really hard to find. When I was shopping for one, we discovered that there were only three for sale in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. So my husband and I flew down to L.A. to buy it and drove it back home. It's my one big eccentric-writer story.

Kristal: I have seen the pictures of this car, and I must say that it is awesome! Well worth the flight and drive :)

2. What books are you currently reading?
I'm just finishing THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas (I'm a sucker for teen spy and assassin stories!). After that, I have an ARC of ABOVE WORLD by Jenn Reese sitting on my nightstand, and I recently downloaded an e-book about being a more productive writer. I'm hoping that might lead to some revelations in the near future.

3. You haven't kept it a secret that you wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction under the pen name of Alicia Blade. As Alicia Blade, you posted 38 stories and drabbles on FanFiction.net. Do you think you will ever return to Sailor Moon fan fiction?
I had such an amazing experience writing Sailor Moon fanfic and met so many awesome people in the community, many of whom are still so supportive and encouraging to this day. But no, I don't see myself ever returning to the world of fanfiction. Writing is my job now, and I want to continue to write books that reach a much wider audience than my fanfics ever could, not to mention books that I actually get paid for, haha.
Kristal: Although sad you won't be returning, it is even better to have your books in print in my bookshelf!

4. Have you considered revamping some of your fan fiction to turn it into a publishable novel (The House on Thornrose Lane: A Grimm Tale, for example)?
You are not the first person to ask! It's certainly crossed my mind, but I don't see it happening any time soon. While I'm still very proud of many of my fanfics (Thornrose Lane included), I feel like every story I write continues to be better than the last, and that I've moved on from the time in my life when those were the stories I needed to tell. Plus, I have so many ideas for novels in my head, that to return to a finished story would feel like moving backward.
Kristal: We look forward to all of the new novels you will write.  Although, I will admit I go back and read your fan fictions from time to time. I can't wait to read the rest of the Lunar Chronicles!

5. Cinder has some obvious Sailor Moon influences if you know the series well. Did you do this knowingly or did they slip in there out of habit?
I feel like I SHOULD have done it knowingly with how many people have pointed it out, but it was all habit and having been so inspired by Sailor Moon over the years. I'm so glad that Sailor Moon fans are getting enjoyment out of Cinder, though!
Kristal: I loved spotting the Sailor Moon references!  It seemed like a nice little tribute to the Sailor Moon community and made Cinder even more special to me.

6. How hard was the decision to forgo your pen name and publish Cinder under your own name?
Not really that hard. I was attached to the penname and worried that my fanbase wouldn't follow me into publication (which turned out to be an unnecessary concern), but it just seemed easier to use my real name. Plus, knowing that I'd be next to another Meyer on the shelf seemed like a good marketing decision.
Kristal: Yes, I can see how being listed by your last name would be a definite plus!  I am sure the cover didn't hurt either.

7. Cinder was a novel that you wrote during NaNoWriMo. Can you tell us what it was like writing the novel in under a month?
It was INSANE. As part of a ridiculous contest, I decided to try and write the first 3 books of The Lunar Chronicles in a month, and ended up writing 150,011 words in those 30 days. I look back now and cannot for the life of me figure out how I did it. Of course, there are lessons to be learned. While it was great to get the books "written" fast in order to keep up my momentum for the series, in the end, every one of them has been scrapped and re-written from page one. NaNoWriMo is great for learning how to prioritize your writing and to get involved in a community and to get your basic ideas down on paper, but it does not a finished novel make.
Kristal: I have participated in NaNoWriMo as well and have to agree, although it is fun to dedicate the whole month to writing (and having an excuse to act more crazy lol).

8. What was your favourite chapter (or part) of Cinder to write and why?
I loved writing the ball scene. Partly because it's such an iconic moment in the Cinderella story, but also because it's the culminating finale in CINDER - where secrets are revealed and emotions are running high and choices have to be made. It was exciting to throw Cinder and Kai into this very terrifying and public situation and see how they dealt with it.
Kristal: This has to be one of my favourite parts as well.  I love how the shoe from Cinderella was tied in, only in a uniquely cyborg way.  The emotions in that scene were amazing.

9. Can you tell us a little about your upcoming book?
SCARLET: Book Two of The Lunar Chronicles will be out on February 5, 2013, and it gives a new spin to Little Red Riding Hood. It continues to follow Cinder on her adventures, while also introducing readers to Scarlet, a girl who lives in southern France with her grandmother. Except her grandmother has mysteriously disappeared, and the only person willing to help Scarlet is a street fighter named Wolf, who has a few mysterious of his own.
Kristal: Who else can't wait?  February 5th can't get here fast enough!

10. Anything that you would like to say to your fans?
Only to thank them for being fans, and I sincerely hope you continue to read and enjoy The Lunar Chronicles!
Thanks so much for the interview!

Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us.  Cinder is a great read and I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!  It has been awesome speaking with you.

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder
(The Lunar Chronicles #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: Fairy Tales/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts: Cinder is a re-telling of the classic fairy-tale Cinderella, only with a futuristic twist. Set in the future complete with hover cars, port screens and cyborgs Cinder takes Cinderella to a whole new level. A plaque is threatening the human race and cyborgs seem to be the only "people" who are immune. So, the government is looking for cyborg (*ahem) volunteers to help aid the research for a cure.

Cinder is who the cyborg who the story follows. Adopted by her step-mother's father at a young age (only to have him die soon after), Cinder is treated as a servant and second-class citizen by her step-mother despite her late husband's wishes. Instead of cleaning floors and feeding pigs, Cinder works as a mechanic at the local market. She seems to be able to fix anything. She is handy and tom-boyish and just refreshing. It is there where Prince Kai brings his old, beaten up android to be repaired.

With the threat of a global epidemic akin to the black plague, threats from the Lunarians (a race of evolved human beings who occupy the Moon) and Cinder trying to make her way in the world while the Prince of New Beijing attempts to woo her, Cinder is a Cinderella story like no other. Cinder proves that she is strong and kind throughout the story and does not wait for Prince Charming to sweep her off of her feet and save her; Cinder can save herself. Cinder is well worth the read!

Are Audiobooks more your thing? Well Cinder is available in audio format! Here is a preview of Chapter One for you to listen to now!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: YA/Dystopia/Steampunk/Re-Tellings

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Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts: When I was down to the last 20 or so pages of this book, I was thinking to myself, no no no no no, it can't be over yet! I didn't want it to end, I seriously flipped through all the extra pages at the end looking for more.

This book is such an amazing, incredibly unique, wonderfully creative, twist of the classic story of Cinderella. I would go so far as to say, that I like this version much much more.  Re-creating classic stories is not something new, but this book stands alone and above them all in that category. I absolutely loved the little details she pulled from the original story and placed them in her own, but adding her own twist to them, it was spectacular.

Cinder is a cyborg who is stuck in the custody of her step-mother when her adopted father passes away, and of course her two step-sisters. But, not both of them are evil! One of her step-sisters, Peony, is her friend, her only real friend besides her android companion. When Peony contracts the plague, Cinder blames herself, and so does her step-mother. Her step-mother volunteers her to be a test subject for the plague antidote and Cinder accepts her impending death, only to discover shocking news upon arrival at the testing facility. The events following this discovery throw her life into a giant swirl of confusion. But Cinder is strong, I felt my heart break for her over and over, and somehow she continued to carry on and attempt discover the life she had before becoming cyborg, which she has absolutely no memory of.

Of course, there is the prince, after a chance meeting at the market where Cinder sells her mechanical skills, Cinder finds herself falling for the Prince, and just maybe, he might have feelings for her to. But she is a cyborg, and she tries desperately to keep this a secret from the Prince, for fear he would never speak to her again, or be disgusted by her. I really enjoyed the love dynamic in this story, because it felt real, and strong, without it being splattered all over page how crazy they were over each other. Their interactions were simple, subtle, and yet - you knew and could sense the longing and attraction between them. It was a refreshing break from the almost obsessive, overwhelming love stories that are in a lot of books lately.

I was very much looking forward to reading this book, I would see it in the store and pick it up and hold it every time I went before I finally bought it and took it home with me. Aside from the amazing story within, the book itself is also beautiful. I love the cover, the font, the chapter headings, the little excerpts from the Cinderella story at the beginning of each book. The entire design of the book is just awesome, it adds to the greatness of the story, making the book just 100% awesome! Now, I am so glad that it is sitting on my shelf,  this is definitely one of those books that you are so glad you own. I want to share it with others, I look forward to placing this version of Cinderella in my daughter's hands in the future.

This book left me begging for more, it was riveting and captivating and such a refreshingly unique story, it was overall incredible. I loved this story, and I absolutely recommend that you read it! I can't wait to read the future works coming in the Lunar Chronicles!

Are Audiobooks more your thing? Well Cinder is available in audio format! Here is a preview of Chapter One for you to listen to now!