What's In the Snow? Scavenger Hunt Event Wrap Up!

NOTE: I HAVE MOVED TO FLY TO FICTION

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I know, I know. We're long past that now. Sorry. But anyway! This wonderful event has sadly come to an end, at least for this year.

We had wonderful posts about holiday traditions, awesome winter-y books and food and crafts, and some fun stories. We had a bunch of really cool authors involved, and several bloggers got to feature authors, interview them, and ask them some seasonal questions (some of which were really creative!). I really hope you can find time to stop by each blogger's post at some point if you haven't. Everyone involved has been so great, and they all deserve a huge round of applause for all of their hard work and especially for their patience. (The schedule with updated links is below.)

We also had some really cool prizes up for grabs. Some winners have been notified (I promise I'll forward your information to the proper people ASAP), BUT there are still a bunch of giveaways going on! I'll embed the Rafflecopters below, so don't miss out!

And before we part, I just want to give a huge shout-out to four people/groups of people for making this the event that it is!

1) Bloggers--This event literally would not exist without your support, willingness to help, patience, dedication, and passion. This event has helped me meet so many wonderful bloggers, and it's been lovely to work with all of you. I look up to many of your blogs, and I wish you and your blogs continued success. If Cal and I put this together again next year, I sure hope you'll at least think about participating. Thank you!

2) Authors--Thank you for your kindness, patience, help and time. Before this event, I was always a little bit scared of emailing and talking to authors, but now I realize just how kind everyone is, whether they were participating or not. Thank you for making this event even better, and thank you for donating so many awesome prizes. It was so fun to read all the interviews and posts you were involved with. I hope that some of us can work together again next time/some other time!

3) Donors--You guys rock my socks. Thank you for donating a prize, no matter how large or small. Cal and I truly appreciate it.

4) Last but definitely not least, Cal--I am so glad that this event brought us together. I now have a new awesome friend. It's been so great to work with you on this little project of ours. Thank you for always being so patient with me, and thank you for handling things when I couldn't. This event would have been no where as big or awesome as it turned out to be if it weren't for you. Thanks for spreading the word and getting all of your blogging friends involved. Thank you for tolerating my email spam and forwarding messages. Thank you for just being such an amazing co-host and above all, friend. I really hope we can either do this next year or work on something similar sometime. Much love!

Now, without further ado, here's all the supplementary stuff!

Schedule:

December

15th--Read Books and Live Green; Reviews Abound (Intro Posts ONLY)

16th--The NerdHerd Reads; Musings of a Blogder

17th--The YA Book Butterfly

19th--Fiction Is the New Reality

20th--Book Loving Hippo; My Nook, Books, and More

21st--The Sarcastic Palm Tree

22nd--Icy Cold Reads

23rd--Reading Is My Treasure

27th--Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews

28th--Friction to Fiction

29th--In Italics

30th--My Nook, Books, and More

January

1st--Reviews Abound

2nd--The Lovely Grace

3rd--Lost In Ever After

4th--Just Another Teen Reading

5th--Forever Literary

6th--The Book Aviary

9th--The Bibliophilic Nerds

10th--Beauty and the Bookshelf

11th--The Bibliophilic Nerds

12th--Book Loving Hippo

13th--Read Books and Live Green

14th--Christiney Reads

15th--Reviews Abound; Read Books and Live Green (Wrap Up Posts ONLY)

Giveaways:

Rules:

Must be 13+ or have parent permission

Winners have 48 hours to respond to email or another winner will be chosen

Prizes are distributed on a first come, first serve basis

Mail items are US ONLY; eBooks are INT

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: There may also be some giveaways still running on certain blogs that Cal and I did not set up.

Again, thank you to everyone: participants, bloggers, authors, and Cal!

A Month/Year In Review: December 2013

I can't believe it's already the end of December! This is going to be quite a long post. First, I'm going to try to pick my top thirteen books of the year (not in order because no). Then I'll have my regular AMiR highlights. Then who knows?

Top Thirteen Books I Read in 2013

(In no particular order)

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Amazing characters, world building, suspense, plot, everything.

Made me remember how much I love epic fantasy and how little of the genre I've read recently.

2. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This book just understood.

Mostly character driven and would mostly be enjoyed by those who've felt similarly.

3. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Amazing prose, lovely characters, intriguing concept.

Also one of the most physically beautiful books ever.

4. Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Interesting, new concept. Well-written characters. Really enjoyed it.

It was a can't-stand-the-wait-for-book-2 type book.

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Perfect for all fangirls/boys, especially Potterheads.

Well-written, relate-able, one of my top reads ever. 

6. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Reminded me of how much I love historical fiction.

Amazing characters, great character-driven plot, well-written historical fiction.

One of my top reads ever.

7. Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Amazing prose, unique concept, well-written characters.

Left me needing book 3.

8. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Lots of action. Great characters. One of my favorite heroines.

Zombies! Daniel! <3 Couldn't wait for book 2.

9. You Knew Me When by Emily Liebert

Character driven. Not YA. Well written. Invested in characters.

Made me cry and laugh. Makes you want to hug your best friend.

10. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Love the concept. Love the setting.

Intriguing characters. Great plot. Lovely book, inside and out.

11. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

(This doesn't come out until next year, but I just finished reading it.)

Fast paced. Amazing main AND supporting characters. 

Everything The Hunger Games wasn't (and more).

Also, Pandoras!

12. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Cute. Quick read. Great for holidays.

13. Prodigy by Marie Lu

Much better than Legend.

Intense. Action packed. Plot twists. Well-written plot and characters.

Honorable Mention: 

Sekret by Lindsay Smith (ARC), Altered by Gennifer Albin, What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Top Five Movies/TV Shows I Watched in 2013

(In no particular order)

1. Orphan Black (BBC America)

Fast paced. Intriguing. Clones.

Fantastic and extremely talented cast.

2. Frozen

Cute. Inspirational. Amazing soundtrack.

Unexpected ending. Exceeded expectations.

3. Graceland (USA Network)

(I am admittedly a few episodes behind.)

Great cast. Interesting characters.

Great mix of talents, agencies, and plots.

4. Catching Fire

Better than the books (I'm not a fan of THG books as a whole).

Well done. For the most part, outstanding cast.

Cinna! Johanna! Finnick! Haymitch! 'Nuf said.

5. Fringe (Fox)

Amazing series finale. Sad that it's over.

Fantastic well-rounded, diverse cast and characters.

Honorable Mentions:

NCIS:LA, Psych: The Musical and Psych's 100th episode, Elementary

5 Blog Related Things

1) Cal and I kicked off the What's In the Snow? event!

2) I reviewed a picture book for the first time ever

3) I'm almost done with the new blog. Just a few things I need to fix/edit/add before the new year.

4) I got back into the blogging spirit

5) Preparing to wrap up my time at this URL

5 Personal Things

1) Caught up on some shows; started watching some other shows

2) Started practicing typography (send me quotes if you'd like!)

3) Started planning a huge fundraising project

4) Got more bruises from dance than I could ever care for

5) I kind of can't remember much, but my aunt visited!

I suppose that's it for now. I hope you all had a wonderful month and year! Happy Holidays! The next time I post, it'll be about my move to a new blog URL! Make sure you stop by and check it out. (Actually, I'll have to post my What's In the Snow? post, so after that post!)

Tour: Godsland Series by Brian Rathbone (Top Ten)

 

Welcome to my stop on the Godsland series blog tour!  This is a YA epic/high fantasy adventure series by Brian Rathbone.  The tour consists of reviews of all of the books and the audiobook, as well as guest posts, interviews and more. Be sure to check out the tour page with all the tour information and additional tour stops.

The books in the Godsland series:

Call of the Herald (Book One) - FREE

Inherited Danger (Book Two)- FREE

Dragon Ore (Book Three)

You can also find it in one bind up called The Dawning of Power Trilogy Omnibus.

Find the full list of titles and links at http://brianrathbone.com/ As this is only the first trilogy in the World of Godsland series.

TOP TEN:

Top Ten Favorite Literary Characters

1. Tasslehoff Burrfoot - This lovable kender is my vote for most memorable character or all time.
2. Will Ohmsford - Of all Terry Brooks characters, I related most with Wil Ohmsford.
3. Fizban - The alter ego of the god Paladine, this Dragonlance character is the reason my wizard carving has a white feather attached to the top.
4. Thomas Covenant - Donaldson made us hate Covenant for who he is and what he does, and then he makes us forgive. My wedding band is of white gold--just in case.
5. Sioned - It's been many years since I read The Dragon Prince, but the name Sioned always bring back find memories.
6. Fitzchivalry - Robin Hobb's assassin partly inspired my saying: a broken hero is still a hero.
7. Arthur Dent - 42
8. Belgarath - Awnry old devil.
9. Mat Cauthon - I can't roll dice without thinking of him.
10. Tyrion Lannister - For doing things I probably shouldn't talk about since the TV show isn't there yet...

Godsland Book One - Call of the Herald

243 pages 

Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. When a Catrin Volker, a teenage horse trainer, inadvertently fulfills the prophecy of the destroyer, she becomes the most feared and hunted person on all of Godsland. With the help of her friends, she must convince the world that she wants only peace.

Godsland Book Two - Inherited Danger 

276 pages

Leaving her homeland behind, Catrin Volker goes in search of knowledge and peace, unaware that she will face the greatest evil her world has ever known.

 

Godsland Book Three- Dragon Ore
268 pages

Dragon Ore is the exciting conclusion of The Dawning of Power trilogy. Clinging to life, Catrin Volker struggles to regain her strength as her foes go in search of even greater power. Ancient enemies threaten and forgotten alliances emerge.

Brian Rathbone started out as a professional racehorse trainer, but he later transformed himself into a network engineer, programmer, and, more recently, rural broadband specialist. One thing that never changed was Brian's love of reading fantasy fiction. For years he would think of story lines for his own stories as a way to keep from dreaming about writing code. When the time came that Brian could concentrate on writing, The World of Godsland became real.

Author Sites:
Website |  Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Trailer | Free Web Game Feral Dragons | Free Web Game Grumpy Dragons
 
Books can be found at: GoodReads | Amazon 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the What's In The Snow? Scavenger Hunt!

Hi everyone! I'm really happy to announce the start of the What's in the Snow? event that I'm co-hosting with Read Books and Live Green (Cal)! We've been working on this for a few months now, as you may or may not have seen on Twitter. It's both of our first time hosting an event, and while it was a lot of work (and weren't exactly the best hosts at times), we're really excited to kick off this event!

So I suppose I should start by telling you guys what this is all about. Basically, from today (December 15th) til January 15th, different bloggers will be posting winter-related posts. Many of these include some kind of author interaction. We have some great interviews coming up, as well as some awesome giveaways. Other bloggers are posting about various topics relating to winter and the holiday season. The schedule will be posted below, so please check out all the posts the wonderful bloggers involved are planning!

On to the fun part: giveaways! As I stated above, many of the blog posts will have some form of giveaway, whether they be bookish swag, books, ARCs, or gift cards. Most of these have been donated by the wonderful authors involved, so I want to thank them for not only participating and answering interview questions but also for donating some really awesome prizes. Every 2 weeks, there will be a big giveaway (so there will be 2). You can find the Rafflecopter for those right here. There will be multiple winners, and the prizes are first come, first serve. (The Rafflecopter can be found at the end of this post.)

Now, I also need to explain the situation with our clues. Each blogger has a different clue for their post(s). This clue will be included in their post somewhere. Where it is located in the post is up to the blogger's discretion. The answers to these clues are extra entries into the grand giveaways (so it's split half and half). You don't have to enter in all the answers, but it'll give you more entries. It's up to you! (This may be confusing, so if there are any questions, just ask in the comments!)

Without further ado, here's the schedule! Be sure to check back every day (I will change the links as the posts are put up, so this brings you to the exact post) and see which clue and post is up! (NOTE: No posts will be posted on Christmas Eve, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.) (Also note that I am changing my blog name and URL in the new year! The event will still be hosted here though!)

December

15th--Read Books and Live Green; Reviews Abound (Intro Posts ONLY)
16th--The NerdHerd Reads; Musings of a Blogder
17th--The YA Book Butterfly
19th--BooksForBirds; Fiction Is the New Reality
20th--Book Loving Hippo; My Nook, Books, and More
21st--The Sarcastic Palm Tree
22nd--Icy Cold Reads
23rd--Reading Is My Treasure
27th--Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews
28th--Friction to Fiction
29th--In Italics
30th--My Nook, Books, and More

January
1st--Reviews Abound
2nd--The Lovely Grace
3rd--Lost In Ever After
4th--Just Another Teen Reading
5th--Forever Literary
6th--The Book Aviary
7th--The Bibliophilic Nerds
8th--The Bibliophilic Nerds
9th--The Bibliophilic Nerds
10th--The Bibliophilic Nerds; Beauty and the Bookshelf
11th--The Bibliophilic Nerds
12th--Book Loving Hippo
13th--Read Books and Live Green
14th--Christiney Reads
15th--Reviews Abound; Read Books and Live Green (Wrap Up Posts ONLY)

GIVEAWAY

Rules:

Must be 13+ or have parent permission

Winners have 48 hours to respond to email or another winner will be chosen

Prizes are distributed on a first come, first serve basis

Mail items are US ONLY; eBooks are INT

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are the buttons if you'd like to use them!

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THANK YOUS:
A huge thank you goes out to the authors involved, most of who have both donated their time to answer interview questions despite busy schedules, as well as some awesome prizes. As an extra thank you, I've put their Twitters as a giveaway entry for whichever Rafflecopter they're on. We couldn't have such a great event without the awesome authors we have involved.
Secondly, a MASSIVE thank you goes out to all the bloggers that have joined the event. This would be nothing, literally, without you guys. Thank you for taking a chance on not one, but TWO, newbie bloggers that figured out this event. Thanks for all your patience and support and excitement. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for all of you.
Thirdly, a special shout-out to Klaudia (@ObservantGirl_) for being the one to basically get this idea rolling. Cal and I could never have come up with something this awesome without you, so thank you, thank you, thank you!
Next, a huge shoutout to Arial and Emz for making the awesome banners and buttons we have for this event. They're all lovely, and they're much more creative than anything I could have made in Photoshop. Thanks a ton, you guys!
Last but not least, I must thank Cal a hundred thousand times. This event would be nothing if it weren't for Cal. Thank you, Cal, for being the best co-host I could ask for. Thanks for taking a chance on another newbie that just wanted to put on a big event such as this one. I'm so glad we've gotten to become friends, and I'm so glad that sheer coincidence made this happen! Thanks for always giving me such great suggestions and ideas on how to make this thing happen. Thanks for always being so willing to email people or work on something last minute. And I really need to thank you for getting so many bloggers involved! Most of the bloggers here said they only heard about this through your Twitter! So thank you! I hope we can do this again, or at least something similar, and if not, at least I know I have one more blogger friend!

That being said, I hope you all enjoy this event, and we hope to make this an annual event (if we're successful!). Happy Holidays!

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release Date: March 30th, 2012/August 7th, 2012

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 

Where do I even begin? Before I started the book, I had kept hearing about how great this book was. Everyone seemed to just absolutely LOVE it. And rightly so! I'm just one more blogger that agrees.

I guess I'll start with the characters. They're all phenomenally written, and what I think Maas did best was that she made sure that all of the characters had flaws. Celaena, who is one of my favorite heroines of all time, was so well-written and so real, partially due to the fact that she wasn't perfect. She had her own moments of weakness, and getting to see both sides of her was great. (I also found it interesting to see how girly Celaena could be despite her, ah, profession.) And of course it wasn't just Celaena. There was also Chaol, Dorian, Nehemia, the King, and everyone! Maas builds up her characters extremely well, and they're all very well-rounded characters.

Next is the plot itself. I've always been a fan of epic/high fantasy, and Throne of Glass made me fall in love with the sub-genre all over again. The world building was beyond phenomenal. Of course, there's also a map at the front of the book. Awesome, right? Anyway, back to the plot. It felt perfectly paced, and it was suspenseful and intriguing enough to keep me interested and invested in the story through the entire book. I never wanted to put it down! If it were up to me, I would have spent the entire day reading it. Seriously, why didn't I read this book before??? I'm also really glad that although there was some light romance, it didn't overshadow the main plot. If anything, it enhanced it. And I personally thought there was enough in it for you to at one moment want her to be with Dorian and the other to be with Chaol (I was originally a Dorian fan, but I think I'm siding more towards Chaol now; thinking back on it now, especially having started Crown of Midnight, it's obvious she was never meant to be with Dorian, and they didn't seem to really come together naturally). It's interesting to see how the different relationships, all of which are very different (as in not just romantic relationships), affect the plot. I don't really know how else to describe everything I loved about this book. It was just everything!

What else do I talk about? (It's been too long since I've written a review, clearly.) Basically...intriguing, complex characters with compelling relationships, great character and world building, perfect pacing, extremely invested in the story, enjoyable style (at least personally), and a really well executed plot and story in general.

I kind of just love everything about the book, so I highly recommend it.

You can find Sarah J Maas on: Facebook | Twitter | Official Website | Blog | Goodreads

You can find Throne of Glass on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

Tour: The Child of Denys by Nicole Gillette

***I am still on hiatus.***

Title: The Child of Denys by Nicole Gillete
Publication Date: 10/31/2012
When Katie finds a cat hiding in her mother's garden, she has no idea the kinds of adventure that await her.A new kid appears in school at the same time Katie's friends and family begin having nightmares, and she begins to have amazingly vivid dreams. In her dreams this new cat speaks to her, telling of darkness that has invaded the Dream Realm and encouraging her to begin a journey to help save not only the Dream Realm but the real world as well.
Max, the new kid in school, has a dog that seemed to adopt him. Just as the cat had claimed Katie. Max's mom recently died in a car accident and his father had a very difficult time dealing with her death. That left Max alone and without any friends other than his new dog.
Katie, her family and her friends learn that a simple, caring gesture is sometimes all it takes to change the course of the world. Join Katie and Max as they learn the true power of our dreams and the importance of our friendships.

Amazon (Paperback) | Kindle | Nook | Google Books | iBook

About the Author:

Nicole Gillette (or Nikki to her friends and family) describes herself as a wife, mother, crafter, gardener, chef and whatever else is needed. She stays busy following her two children around to sporting events, creating amazing art pieces, writing, and running her online business "Creating Amidst Chaos."
Growing up in Northern Michigan Nikki learned to appreciate spending time outdoors. She enjoys camping, hiking and fishing and collects memories and mementos on her trips to use in scrapbooks, crafts, art projects and writing. Nothing is off limits to use!
As she began to explore different art techniques her friends and family encouraged her to teach lessons on scrapbooking and mixed media art. As a result she developed a series of written tutorials that are now available in e-book format.
In addition to the crafting tutorials she has written children's books that are engaging and entertaining for children and adults as well. Most of the inspiration for her writing come from the wonder she sees in the eyes of her children as they explore our world.
Nikki ensures us that as a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' you can be sure of only one thing. As time goes by she will develop and change so you can expect her projects and writings to do the same.

Author Links:

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz: Dark Musicals Trilogy by Laura DeLuca

Phantom (Dark Musicals #1)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

EXCERPT

The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.

                                               “Let the music touch your soul.

                                                 Let the darkness make you whole.

                                                 Do not fear what is unknown.

                                                 Your true path has now been shown.

                                                 Listen to the words I sing.

                                                 Embrace the peace that night will bring.”

     As he continued to sing in his deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat faster.  She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for more.

     She was gawking so obviously, it was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many directions.

      When the song was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.

      “That was amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.

      “Lord Justyn,” he corrected as he stepped down from the stage.

      A few others complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and words of encouragement.

     But not everyone in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being limited for many years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared at him as he passed them by.  Jay sneered and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and caught it in his hand without missing a beat.

    “I think you dropped something,” he said.

    His speaking voice was no less melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch it.

     “Hey vampire,” Tom called when Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the competition?”

     Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”

     Miss King didn’t notice the short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble. The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt.  The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do whatever it took to avoid.

Demon (Dark Musicals #2)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:
When Justyn and Rebecca set off to attend the New York School of Performing Arts, they think their dreams are about to come true. To their dismay, they aren’t in high school anymore, and the competition is steep. Rebecca must compete against accomplished singers for a role in the production of Demon Barber, including a stunning Gothic diva with her sights set on Justyn.

It doesn't help that things keep disappearing from their apartment or that Rebecca's father refuses to accept that Justyn is an essential part of her life. Yet, all this seems minimal in comparison to the serial rapist terrorizing the campus.
Consumed by fear and obsessed with revenge, Rebecca and Justyn start living the story of Sweeney Todd—both on and off the stage.

Hyde (Dark Musicals #3)by Laura DeLuca
Summary from Goodreads:Rebecca Hope has looked death in the face twice and lived to tell her tale.

She and the love of her life, Justyn Patko, land a summer internship at a local dinner theater, performing the musical Hyde. While they are excited about their first paid acting gig, they soon find themselves surrounded by more experienced cast mates, jealous of their success. As if the tension isn’t bad enough, they soon discover that the business might be a front for something much more sinister.
When Justyn is accused of a crime that she knows he would never commit, Rebecca must decide if she wants to follow her head or her heart. While trying to prove his innocence, she makes a shocking discovery of her own.
Everyone has something to conceal in the grand finale of the Dark Musicals Trilogy. Rebecca has to look beyond the façade to discover the true Hyde or face her final curtain call.

About the Author

Laura "Luna" DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and three children. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Old high school friends would tell you she was always scratching in her notebook instead of paying attention in class and the children she used to babysit for always loved to hear her scary stories at bedtime. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.

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