Friday, May 2, 2014

Release Day! Surrender the Sky by Meradeth Houston

 


"I wish I didn't know. I wish my heart hadn't been seared black in my chest. I wish everything were different." - Surrender the Sky

 
  Surrender the Sky by Meradeth Houston Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.

When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.
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Surrender the Sky is Available Now for only .99 Cents!
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Excerpt
"
" I knew the day was not going to end well as soon as I saw the gun. It bulged in the outside pocket of his backpack, hidden unless someone looked for it. Of course, I had to be the one looking for it.
Chad kept his head down in class, his pen scratching dark lines of some doodle across his paper. I couldn’t drag my gaze away from him.
He’d brought a gun. Damn it. He was going to follow through with his plan.
I was focusing so hard on the knot of guilt in my stomach and the tangle of plans to stop Chad that Bea had to kick my chair to alert me class had started. Of course, Bea had to be in this class with the homicidal kid who was my responsibility.
I did a quick head count. It was Friday, half-day schedule, last period, with spring break starting next week. Most everyone had ditched already, and only thirteen people remained, including our teacher.
Unfortunately, just enough of the students on Chad’s list stayed for the last class. "
 
Companion Novel on Limited Time Sale!

.99 cent sale - Limited Time!
About the Author, Meradeth Houston
meradeth
I've never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:
>I'm a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use "like" a lot.
>I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people's DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.
>I've been writing since I was 11 years old. It's my hobby, my passion, and I'm so happy to get to share my work!
>My other passion is teaching. There's nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology!
>If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I'm terrified of heights.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Amazon Product Description:
In this thrilling conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, Karou is still not ready to forgive Akiva for killing the only family she's ever known.

When a brutal angel army trespasses into the human world, Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat--and against larger dangers that loom on the horizon. They begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves--maybe even toward love.

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera, and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

My thoughts:
This is a fantastic edition to a wonderful series.  I fell in love with Karou and the rest of the characters in the first book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and now find my breath held as I hope and fear, laugh and cry with them all on their journey.  The depths of the characters and the story is amazing.  The writing is something you don't see often - I get lost instantly in the story as it transports me to their world.  The story is filled with so much emotion that it becomes real.  I am awed by the ideas and ideals portrayed - the deception and risk that they take, the dedication to save not only their people, but the angels too; the "real" world could learn a thing or two about compassion.  The writing is vivid and very imaginative.  I was saddened when the book ended, and torn about the fact that the story left me wanting and hoping for more...

Remarkable and larger than life - don't miss this incredible series by a talented weaver of tales.