Introducing #FirstInLine From Random House Children's {giveaway}

The wonderful folks at Random House Children's have just launched an awesome Young Adult program called First In Line! Below you can read all about this cool program, learn how to join, and even win a super sweet First In Line tote bag...

MADE BY SERIOUS YA READERS FOR SERIOUS YA READERS, FIRST IN LINE OFFERS YOU THE NOVELTY OF HAVING THE NEXT BIG BOOK ALL TO YOURSELF AND THE REWARD OF BEING A LITERARY TRENDSETTER.

Being the first at anything is no easy feat, but you already know that.

• You were reading The Hunger Games before VOLUNTEERING AS TRIBUTE.
• You were FEELING THE FEELS from The Fault in Our Stars before it was TFIOS. Okay? Okay.
• You KNEW YOUR FACTION while other people were being sorted into their houses.

FIRST IN LINE offers YA readers exclusive advance access to bestselling and debut authors and behind-the-book content! Members receive a monthly newsletter and access to locked sections of the site. This will include special behind-the-book material and author content, such as never-before-seen deleted scenes, extended excerpts, author videos and Q&As, shareable social images, and advance reader’s copy giveaways!

These are the first four books featured in the program and include: Another Day by David Levithan, Everything Everything by Nicole Yoon, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and Unforgiven by Lauren Kate, with many more books to come!

I've been exploring the First In Line website and I'm super excited for and impressed by all the program has to offer! I think it's going to be a super fun and invaluable program to both bloggers and readers. 

Signing up is easy-peasy! Just follow the link below and snag YOUR place in line:

www.firstinlinereaders.com

And once you've signed up, you can share your thoughts and First In Line moments with the hashtag #FirstInLine

Win a First In Line tote bag!

The awesome people at Random House Children's have offered up one tote bag for one winner.

DETAILS

-US only

-ends 8/28

please read the FULL set of rule below the form

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Unless otherwise stated, the policies and rules for each giveaway are as follows:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington D.C. who are 13 years old or older as of date of entry.

To enter, fill out the appropriate Rafflecopter form associated with each giveaway.

The start and end dates for each giveaway will be clearly stated and followed.

The specified amount of winners shall be selected in a random drawing.

Winners will be notified by email and must claim their prize within 48 hours. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours, then a new winner will be chosen.
Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes in the mail. Once a prize is dropped off at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility and I will not compensate in anyway for prizes not delivered because of the USPS.
If a third-party (author, publisher, etc) is shipping a prize, once I provide the winner(s)' mailing information to them, the prize is no longer my responsibility. I will forward your mailing info to the proper people within 48 hours after getting it from you. If you have not received your prize from an author or publisher within 8 weeks, it is your responsibility to contact them further.
By participating in any giveaway, you agree to adhere to these rules. Any breaking of these rules by entrants will disqualify them from the giveaway and their entries will be deleted.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle Blog Tour {Review}

I'm thrilled to have the Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle Blog Tour stopping by today with my review of this exciting new middle-grade fantasy...

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

by George Hagen

8/26/14

Random House

How can twelve-year-old Gabriel find his missing father, who seems to have vanished without a trace? With the help of Paladin—a young raven with whom he has a magical bond that enables them to become one creature—he flies to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face a series of difficult challenges and unanswerable riddles that could lead to his father... or to his death.

praise for Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

« SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“This is a great read for fantasy lovers who have worn out their copies of “Harry Potter.” The ending suggests that more is to come, and more will be welcome.”

« Publishers Weekly, August 15, 2014

“Adult author Hagen (The Laments) makes his children's debut with a fantasy adventure touched with whimsy, satire, and the quirky love of urban fauna that characterizes New Yorkers.”

«Booklist

“Adult novelist Hagen offers a first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers that pulls elements from other great stories […]. Yet this story, told from several points of view, is fresh: full of ravens, riddles, and the ongoing urge to make things right in a world where much has gone wrong.”

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

Talking birds, an impossible underground city, a magical necklace, and an epic quest? George Hagen’s middle-grade fantasy, Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle has all this and more!

Three years ago Gabriel’s father went missing. Riddle-loving Gabriel is sure his father is out there and that he must find him. With the help of a raven name Paladin, some unexpected friends, and unimaginable powers, Gabriel sets off on a wild adventure to an underground, bird filled city to rescue his father and stop the sinister half-man half-raven foe.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle is a wonderfully imaginative and refreshing addition to middle-grade fantasy! With sparkling storytelling and a pitch-perfect voice, Hagen weaves an unforgettable story full of mesmerizing magic, endearing characters, captivating settings, and an inventive premise. From talking, riddle-loving ravens to a mischievous writing desk, wish-granting necklace, mysterious mausoleum passages, and a spellbinding, dwarf-made underground city, Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle is brimming with all things wondrous and whimsical. Hagen’s talking ravens, and their bond with their amicus (the human they can communicate with telepathically and even join bodies with) are quite unlike anything I’ve ever come across in fantasy before! Young readers will be absolutely enthralled by the fantastical and magical elements in Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle and will want a raven BFF of their own.

From the historic streets of Brooklyn to a shop of oddities, a mysterious mausoleum, and the glittering underground city of Aviopolis, Gabriel’s journey takes him to some unforgettable places! Crafted with vivid, compelling details, the settings in this book are pretty awesome. I most loved the grand, dwarf-made city of Aviopolis in all its dark beauty! Full of birds of all kinds (even dodos), breathtaking drops, and passages that will make your heart race, Aviopolis has magic in its walls and magic in its making!

Our unexpected hero, Gabriel, and his new friends Abbi, Pamela, and Somes, are all super-likable and endearing young characters. I love Gabriel’s quick riddle-solving wit, Abbi’s creativity, Pamela’s compassion, and Some’s courage.  They make a quirky, lovable foursome for sure! I really enjoyed the bond between Gabriel and the raven, Paladin, too.

Gabriel’s search for his father takes him and his friends on an epic journey filled with twists, turns, fun riddles, and thrilling magic. Hagen concludes this book in a really satisfying, heartwarming way, but cleverly sets up a new adventure...and I, for one, am so ready for more!

My Final Thoughts: Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle has everything you want and need in a middle-grade fantasy! This is an exciting, enthralling, entertaining read that will easily captivate younger readers.

MY RATING

website * goodreads * facebook

George Hagen was born in 1958 in Harare, Zimbabwe. His family was from South Africa. He lives in New York City and has worked as a magazine writer, screenwriter, cartoonist and novelist.

He likes riddles, but admits that making them up is easier than solving them!

His hobbies include learning the banjo, painting, pinhole photography, learning obscure languages (and promptly forgetting them). He likes history and fiction, poems, riddles, palindromes and puns and is fascinated by how things work and where odd words come from.

He has a dog named Finley.

Lark Rising Blog Tour {Guest Post and Giveaway}

I'm so excited to have the Lark Rising Blog Tour stopping by today with a super yummy guest post and totally awesome giveaway...

Lark Rising

(Guardians of Tarnec #1)

Sandra Waugh

9/23/14

Random House BFYR

384 pages

Full of romance and nature magic, this debut fantasy is perfect for fans of Shannon Hale, Juliet Marillier, and Kristin Cashore.

Lark has foreseen two things—she will fall for a young man with sage green eyes,and he will kill her.Sixteen-year-old Lark Carew is happiest close to home, tending her garden and gathering herbs for medicines. But when her Sight warns her that monsters called Troths will soon invade her village, Lark is summoned on a journey to seek help from the legendary Riders of Tarnec. Little does she suspect that one of the Riders, Gharain, is the very man who has haunted her visions. Or that the people of Tarnec have called her there for another reason: Lark is the Guardian of Life, the first of four Guardians who must awaken their powers to recover four stolen amulets. Together, the amulets—Life, Death, Dark, and Light—keep the world in Balance. To take back the Life amulet, Lark will have to discover her true inner strength and give in to a love that she swears will be her downfall.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

CUPCAKE WARS

by Sandra Waugh

Author’s notes:  I have been asked to contribute the favorite cupcake recipes of some of the characters in LARK RISING. After much argument, we’ve agreed to share three.  I apologize to Lark and Evie, who had yummy recipes to share—a hazelnut and toffee from Lark and a lemon-glazed angel food from Evie.  But the girls were MUCH nicer about stepping back and allowing the others to present theirs.

These characters’ tastes are a bit suspect, to say the least, so I did try out these cupcakes first to make certain that they were edible.  I modified the recipes below as noted, so you can make these too. They really are very nice.  You can see from the photos.

Except for the Bog Hag’s cupcake. Don’t bother.  And Erema’s—you must adhere to my substitutions!  Truly. Thankfully, it’s almost impossible to come by civenen and hukon.

Bark & Spark (Twig’s favorite)

2 petals baking soda

1 thimble boiling water

2 ½ thimbles flour

2 petals ground ginger

1 ½ petal cinnamon

½ petal cloves

½ petal nutmeg

¼ petal cayenne

½ petal salt

2 petals baking powder

8 leaves unsalted butter

2/3 thimble dark-brown sugar

1 thimble rowan sap

½ bluebird egg

Mix the boiling water & baking soda together, set aside.  Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.  Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, molasses, baking soda mixture.  Add dry ingredients.

Fill acorn caps. Bake 5minutes at 350°.

Frost with walnut frosting, Decorate with 1 ladybug and scavenged bark each .  Makes 300.

Icing

3 leaves butter

1½ thimbles sifted confectioners sugar, plus 1 leaf dark brown sugar

3 leaves sour cream

½ petal vanilla

½ thimble finely ground toasted walnuts

Additional note #1: I’ve recalculated the proportions for our (human) purposes:

Petal (meaning a scoop on the tip of a daisy petal) = teaspoon

Leaf  (meaning a scoop on the tip of an elm leaf) = tablespoon

Thimble (your grandmother’s thimble is perfectly sized) = cup

½ bluebird egg = 2 (hen) eggs  (and, really, it’s much better to leave bluebirds alone)

rowan sap = molasses (not quite the same taste, but close)

Use a large muffin tins, not acorn caps.  They will take @ 28 minutes and make 8.

Additional note #2: I recommend you leave out the cayenne pepper. And the ladybug. That’s just Twig.  I replaced the bark with pretzel sticks.

Death By Cupcake. No, Really: DEATH by Cupcake

(“the deepest, richest, most dazzlingly delicious chocolate cupcake in the world,” says Erema)

Melt 3 ounces of world’s best unsweetened chocolate and 8 ounces world’s best butter with 1 cup boiling water.  Stir til smooth.  Add to that 1 teaspoon world’s best vanilla and 2 eggs (must from a Dulcet hen and collected under full moon).  Blend well.  Stir in ½ cup world’s best sour cream (world’s best is from Babrel cows) and 1 teaspoon civenen*.  Then gently stir in 1 6/8 cups flour sifted with 1 teaspoon ground hukon**.  Pour into oiled cupcake tins.  Bake at 350° for 18 minutes.  Makes 18 cupcakes.

*do NOT use civenen, that is a Breeder poison!  Replace with baking soda.

** do NOT use hukon, that too is a Breeder poison!  Replace with baking powder.

Icing (yes Erema puts very normal, wonderful buttercream icing on these deadly things)

Blend together:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon milk or cream

pinch salt

Mud Puddle:  A cupcake from the Bog Hag*.  This is modified as a local, pond-down-the-road variety.  However I did NOT attempt to make this.  I just looked at the pond.

1 ½ cups black, boot-sucking mud

¼ cup pond sludge

½ cup pondwater

3 dried newts, ground to fine powder

2 Tbsp frog eggs (no more than two days old, include the gelatin!)

1 good handful rotting leaves

Icing

Green algae

Combine ingredients in order, mix thoroughly.  Spoon into cupcake molds.  Bake in sun, preferably in August at 2:00pm for 55 minutes.  Frost with Pond Algae.  Makes 2.

*The Bog Hag’s personal favorite is the slug variation, but Ginny slugs are just too impossible to find in this area…  And honestly, just leave this one out of your recipe collection (just don’t tell her).

ENJOY!

Thank you so much for sharing these rather unique cupcakes, Sandra!

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads/Pinterest/Tumblr

Sandra grew up in an old house full of crowded bookshelves, in walking distance of an old library that allowed her to drag home a sack of six books at a time. It goes without saying, then, that she fell in love with the old house in Litchfield County, CT, because of its many bookshelves, and she lives there now with her husband, two sons, and a dog who snores. Loudly.

LARK RISING is her first novel and the first in the GUARDIANS OF TARNEC series. SILVER EVE follows in 2015.

This blog tour wide giveaway has 3 prize packs!

-1 winner will receive a leaf necklace, $25 Amazon gift card, sachet, a signed hardcover of LARK RISING, and a bookmark and a postcard. US Only.

-1 winner will receive leaf earrings, cuff, soap, sachet and a signed hardcover of LARK RISING, and a bookmark and a postcard. US Only.

-3 winners will receive a signed hardcover of LARK RISING, and a bookmark and a postcard. US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CHECK OUT ALL THE BLOG TOUR STOPS

Week One:

9/15/2014- Mom With A Kindle- Interview

9/16/2014- The Book Landers- Review

9/17/2014- My ParaHangover- Review

9/18/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

9/19/2014- Carina's Books- Review

Week Two:

9/22/2014- A Backwards Story- Review

9/23/2014- Word Spelunking- Guest Post

9/24/2014- Literary Meanderings- Interview

9/25/2014- Fall Into Books- Interview

9/26/2014- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post