Hey, everyone! Since I already posted my March / half of April recap, I figured that I'd post a book haul covering what I received for the last half of April and discuss what I've been reading in this latter half. I've received a bunch of books, and I know that I won't be able to read them anytime soon, so I'm passing them onto anyone who's interested in this giveaway.

So my book haul for the latter half of April!

The Orphan Queen - Jodi Meadows | Goodreads
Release Date: March 10, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

• Really enjoyed reading this! I see now why all the reviews mentioned an evil cliffhanger, though I figure the cliffhanger will be less evil than otherwise currently deemed. It's got a nice blend of adventure + spirited heroine + mysterious magic + love/hate romance. I like that they're doing that whole novella prior to sequel marketing thing (was this first introduced with Sarah J. Maas, or is it that I only remember the trend as far as Maas?). I'm interested in knowing more about the character highlighted in the novella, and Jodi Meadows plotted the book so that there's never a moment spent waiting. The very first chapter enables the plotline described in the summary and from there, it's all action. So, it doesn't surprise me that this book is super popular, though I may still like Incarnate more thanThe Orphan Queen because of the philosophical components of Meadows's debut.

City Love - Susane Colasanti | Goodreads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own. If Rosanna doesn't resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl's life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be again.

*Pretty sure I kept mispronouncing her name during this video. Whoops, sorry!

Etherworld - Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam | Goodreads
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

In this sequel to Elusion, three teens fight a virtual reality program that threatens to destroy their minds. Dangerous secrets and lies add up to a thrilling futuristic fantasy with an Inception-inspired twist.

Elusion was hailed as an exciting leap in technology—until users began to disappear amid rumors of addiction. Regan’s search for the truth led her and her new love interest, Josh, to Etherworld. Etherworld is a dimension hidden deep beyond Elusion's firewall, where players can hide, and ultimately fight back. Regan's father and others are here working to destroy Etherworld, but the longer they stay the less likely they'll be able to return to the real world alive.

Escape means attacking Elusion from within the program. It's dangerous and it’s a puzzle. And even if they manage it, how will they be able to stop Orexis from distributing Elusion to the masses when the people who run it are corrupt?

Invincible - Amy Reed | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

The Fault in Our Stars meets Go Ask Alice in this dramatic romance about a teenage girl who survives a terminal cancer diagnosis, only to get trapped in the deadly spiral of addiction. Fans of Gayle Forman and Sara Zarr will be swept away by this gritty romance, the first in a duology.

Evie is living on borrowed time. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer several months ago and told that by now she'd be dead. Evie is grateful for every extra day she gets, but she knows that soon this disease will kill her. Until, miraculously, she may have a second chance to live.

All Evie had wanted was her life back, but now that she has it, she feels like there's no place for her in it--at least, not for the girl she is now. Her friends and her parents still see her as Cancer Girl, and her boyfriend's constant, doting attention is suddenly nothing short of suffocating.

Then Evie meets Marcus. She knows that he's trouble, but she can't help falling for him. Being near him makes her feel truly, fully alive. It's better than a drug. His kiss makes her feel invincible--but she may be at the beginning of the biggest free fall of her life.

Wrong about the Guy - Claire LaZebnik | Goodreads
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Published by: Harper Teen

Claire LaZebnik's latest twist on a beloved classic asks the age old question: Could the girl who knows everything be wrong about the guy?

As the stepdaughter of a TV star, Ellie Withers has it all: an amazing house in LA, a devoted friend who loved her before she even knew who Ellie’s stepfather was, and a burgeoning romance with handsome Aaron Marquand. But Ellie isn't the kind of person who’s content with simply having it all—the people in her life have to be equally happy. And, of course, she knows exactly what they need.

When Ellie’s plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don’t turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all. Most surprising, though, is that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.

With her signature witty narration and swoon-worthy romance, Claire LaZebnik (the author of fan favorites Epic Fail, The Trouble with Flirting, and The Last Best Kiss) once again breathes new life into a perennially popular love story: Jane Austen’s Emma.

Everything That Makes You - Moriah McStay | Goodreads
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck.

Encore to an Empty Room - Kevin Emerson | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Summer always wanted Dangerheart—the band of talented exiles she manages—to find success. Now that they've become an overnight sensation, her hard work is really starting to pay off.

So how come her life seems to be snapping like an old guitar string?

Maybe it's because part of her knows that college applications are due soon, but another part of her can't imagine leaving her life behind—especially when the band is on the verge of a record deal and her relationship is becoming something more than she ever dreamed of. And especially when there's a chance of finding another missing song written by the famous dead rocker who is also Caleb's father.

But are Caleb, the band's future, and the lost songs more important than college? Summer will have to decide. It's time to choose who she wants to be, even if that might mean kissing Caleb good-bye.

Filled with infectious music, mystery, and romance, this electrifying sequel to Kevin Emerson's Exile doesn't miss a beat.

Drive Me Crazy - Terra Elan McVoy | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Buckle up…

Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana’s Grandpa Howe and Cassie’s Grandma Tess two months ago. They didn’t exactly hit it off—in fact, depending on who you ask, that first meeting was either an embarrassment or a disaster—but they’re about to spend an entire week together, just the two of them and their honeymooning grandparents, road-tripping in Cassie’s grandmother’s Subaru.

Lana thinks a summer road trip sounds like fun, but the backseat is a crowded place for two tween girls with two huge secrets to hide, and this bumpy road to friendship is full of unexpected twists and turns. Like it or not, they’re in this together, full speed ahead on the adventure of a lifetime.

And I'm currently reading:

BLACK IRIS - Leah Raeder | Goodreads
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Published by: Atria

The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable.

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She's going to show them all.

If you're at all interested in BLACK IRIS, you should definitely watch the above video! In it, I read the first chapter -- and hey maybe I'm not the best reader, but you can definitely see what a beautiful writer Leah Raeder is even within those first six pages. If you're not hooked, I don't know what to tell you. I'm about 80 pages in and generally very much in awe of Leah Raeder's talent.

But anyway, as to the HarperCollins books, I won't have that much time to read this month :(. Aside from Black Iris, and the other two books I've pre-ordered, I don't think that I can read and review those titles. Even if I could, I still feel that they should be in the hands of someone who's anticipating them more than I am... so giveaway time!

All the above titles -- except for Black Iris and The Orphan Queen -- are up for grabs. INT, ends 05/31. I think that this time, I'm going to only choose one winner and try and shove all those books into one box rather than individually selecting a winner per book. If I can't fit all the books in one box, then I'll do two winners and randomly put books in each box. Sounds fair? Cool!

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Check the link for reviews of A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray, Clariel by Garth Nix, and Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch, fall science fiction and fantasy titles that seem quite popular with a lot of my fellow bloggers. My thoughts on them are a tad more complicated than usual. Also, you can read about the books I'm currently reading, books that I've read and won't review, and book reviews still to come.

My mini review round up: Panic by Lauren Oliver, a young adult action-filled contemporary published by Harper in 2014; Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott, a young adult "The Hunger Games" meets "The Amazing Race" novel published by Scholastic; The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain, a young adult urban fantasy take on the Hades/Persephone and Orpheus/Eurydice myths published by Egmont; and The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness, a literary adult retelling of a classic Japanese fairy tale published by Penguin.

I'd post the reviews here, but since it's four of them, I'm just going to link back to my blog.

1. (+) Aria, a protagonist - Aria's character arc over the entire series is probably my favorite element. I started off Under the Never Sky not really liking her but eventually grew to like her as she adapted to her circumstances. And now, in Into the Still Blue, she's become my favorite character. She's fierce and fights for the people she loves and the future she wants. She struggles under the weight of leadership and the unhappy consequence from Through the Ever Night, but with the support of her friends, she pushes past her difficulties to emerge stronger, more assertive, more open-minded, and more capable than before. She's the kind of main character who's not so extremely smart or strategic or x and x that it's hard to believe that she exists; no, she's the opposite. It's easy to relate to her and it's easy to find some bit of yourself in her or to identify with her and how she responds. In some senses, she's like a more active, less recklessly selfless version of Bella Swan - very personable, very ordinary and extraordinary.

2. (+) Perry, a protagonist - Oh, Peregrine. How I'll miss him. We're exposed to more of his past as certain events (from previous novels and in this novel) bring them to light and add extra shades to his character. He also gets his own arc as he learns to cope with what happened in Through the Ever Night to both his relationship with Aria and Roar, and with the pressures of leadership in a dying world. TtEN laid out the necessity for a plan besides the temporary he concocted, and he follows through with that challenge in this book and more. His friendship with Cinder is as adorable as before, his relationship with Aria as supportive despite the difficulties with Roar, and Perry... I wish there were more romantic interests / main characters like him.

3. (+) World-building - This book does what Mockingjay did: introduces us to another setting, one that we've been imagining for ourselves over the past two books... and familiarizes us with details in the settings of the first books. You get a bit of the cave life, life outside the Dome but inside hovers, life at the Still Blue. You get an explanation for the Aether and some back story on the Unity Wars and the Still Blue. It's a good mix of explanation/back story and smaller, more local details about the settings. (Plus this series was always more about the characters, I think, than the world). I commend Rossi for rounding out the world that she'd established in the previous two novels.

4. (+) Side Characters - The side cast helps make this series stand out from the rest in young adult. It's rare to find an author who will pay attention to the side characters and give them their own character arcs without sacrificing other plot/character/mood/etc. details. The most famous example has to do with Neville from Harry Potter, and I am reminded of that here - Rossi does a great job of giving her side cast character arcs equally in line with the plot. Roar's arc works well with Perry's as they cope with what happened. Brooke, Soren, Cinder, the Six, Hess -- especially Cinder and Soren -- they too get their time in the spotlight. There are some characters who I didn't remember, but Rossi takes the time to shade their personalities as well. Even the dynamic between the villains gets some development, though Sable, to me, still felt foreign (which worked for the story at any rate).

5. (+) The Romance - Ah, the romance. This review is all about me saying what I appreciate in this series, and I definitely appreciate the dynamic Rossi has created between Aria and Perry. For one, though both characters are slightly insecure and jealous at times, it doesn't push them away from each other; instead they're confident in the other person, and that makes all the difference, makes their relationship that much smoother and more enjoyable to read. The trials they face also feel organic since they arise as a result from actions they took in the previous novels - nothing is contrived to push them apart. This is a beautiful romance with both characters supporting the other, and I would be glad to read more like it in YA.

6. (+) The Plot - Rossi takes quite a few risks and kills off some characters without pause. As the summary implies, this is a dying world... and she amps up the stakes to match that fact. What I particularly liked about the plot was that I knew where the story was going to go but that Rossi's way of getting there would surprise me. By the end of a series, it's more about building the anticipation and following through with the various arcs that have been outlined. Rossi's good at that, at adding in unexpected details and inserting sly plot twists. Another thing I appreciated was that Rossi respects you as a reader. She laid out the foreshadowing and quickly got to some reveals rather than drawing them out.

7. (--) Anticlimactic - The book was anticlimactic in two parts: the ending and the actual Still Blue crossing. The book builds and builds to both of these major plot events, which in turn don't seem to take that many pages or maybe just didn't have as guttural of an impact as I had expected. Is that a bad thing? Not really. The ending bothered me more than the crossing because it seemed rushed and slightly unrealistic, but in all truthfulness by that point I no longer cared because the entire story was beautiful and satisfying. (For more discussion of this element, see this thread.)

8. (+) Writing - The thing I like most about Veronica Rossi's writing is that it's got a good balance of everything. She's good at building tension -- she uses a lot of questions and quick sentences for that effect but still uses enough narrative for Aria and Perry to have more unique perspectives, also different from one another. There are just enough sensory details to let you visualize the world she's created too.

9. (+) Pacing - My judgement of the pacing is probably skewed since I didn't reread TtEN and felt like everything was new... but at any rate, it seemed like there was always something happening or something about to happen that kept me hooked with the characters and advancing plot.

10. (+/-) The Cover - I don't really like the US covers for this series, but I do like the consistency, the colors, the title font, and how they've emphasized whose character arcs get the most attention in each book.

Into the Still Blue is both satisfying and enjoyable for Rossi fans. If you like genre benders within YA that develop characters and romance without expense to the main plot, try out the Under the Never Sky trilogy. Highly recommended. (In some ways this series reminds me of the Legend trilogy; both are executed well in their own right, and both make my recommendation lists for hesitant and avid YA readers alike. Though I haven't gotten the *feels* that others have from this series, I would still recommend it.)

(Side note: I did not reread the sequel before reading this. I was somewhat confused for the first 20%, since I could not remember what exactly had happened, but then I got hooked and absorbed in the story. If you need everything to be clear from the start, you might want to do a cursory skim of the last fourth in Through the Ever Night... OR look through these summaries from the wonderful Recaptains blog.)

Other Reviews:

[4.5 stars] Lauren at Love Is Not a Triangle - "Into the Still Blue, goes out on a quiet note, and though selfishly I wanted more and more, I closed this book with a satisfied smile."
[4 stars] Sam at Realm of Fiction - "A completely satisfying conclusion."
[DNF/2 stars] Emily May at The Book Geek: "...after trying at least ten times to read this book, I've had to put it aside indefinitely. I was finding it so dull that I started skim-reading."

My lovely friend Asti discusses why she is an Epic Reads TeaTime virgin. Have you participated in TeaTime? Come share your experiences with her!