Bloodlines #3 Title Reveal!!

Hi all! I literally finished The Golden Lily about 10 minutes ago and went online to discover thaaaattt....

the name of Bloodines #3 has been released!

And it is......















Drumroll please......

The Indigo Spell

Which is to be released February 12, 2013! Highlight to read The Golden Lily spoiler, but does anyone else think that the title might have something do with a one Marcus Flute? And the mysterious indigo tattoo on his face? Bueller? Bueller?

Oh my Moroi, I can't wait!!!!

And now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to the gelatinous blubbery mess that the end of The Golden Lily just turned me into. No one please talk to me for at least a week as I'm going to spend that time doing some well deserved brooding.

Ta ta!

*EDIT* When posting this yesterday, I missed a crucial piece of information... The first paragraph of The Indigo Spell was also released!! So here it is:

This wasn’t the first time I’d been pulled out of bed for a crucial mission. It was, however, the first time I’d been subjected to such a personal line of questioning.

“Are you a virgin?”

Richelle Mead, you are such a tease!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction by
Richelle Mead, Simone Elkeles, Meg Cabot, Heather Brewer, Saundra Mitchell, Diana Peterfreund, Laini Taylor, Margaret Stohl, Matt de la Pena, Kami Garcia, Malinda Lo, Lisa McMann, Michael Grant, and editted by Carrie Ryan

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

Y'all, I am not a short stories girl. I don't know when it happened or why it happened, but the sight of a short story has filled me with dread ever since I was young. I think it has something to do with a babysitter reading me Edgar Allen Poe's The Cat at an age far younger than was appropriate, but if you said, "Hey Kels, what's up, wanna read an obscenely long novel or a short story for homework tonight?" I would say "OMG NOVEL, please."

However, despite my irrational wariness of short stories, I am pee my pants excited for this release. That's right folks; I am putting aside my strange phobia because of how AWESOME this collection is going to be. What an incredible line up of authors! Every single one of them is on my Read or TBR List.

Insider information: I was lucky enough to attend a conference with Laini Taylor last fall, and she read her story from this collection. Just like all of her works, it is beautiful and thoughtful and romantic and super cute. I am so excited for you all to read it!

Plus, for any of you fellow Vampire Academy die hards, we get a story with Rose and Dimitri where they allegedly go to Russia and meet his family together. I was really bummed that this didn't happen during the series, so I feel like I'm getting a second chance with this collection. And think, that's just one of the 14 stories that we're going to get to read! (Squeee!!!)

Whoops! Time to get my uuber fangirling under control... So, what are you all excited for this week?

Top Ten Quotes from Books

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's adventure is top ten favorite quotes from books.

This one was a lot harder for me than usual, as I do not have a particularly good memory for quotes (The only movies I ever quote are Mean Girls, Anchorman, and She's the Man because I just don't have a capacity to remember much more, and those ones are the best). Also, I am really in the moment when I read (unless a book is terrible), so I don't stop to write quotes down. THEREFORE, I bring ye lovely folks not my list of top ten quotes (as I have no idea what they are), but a list of five quotes that made me LOL and five quotes that made me think.

So, without further ado, Five Quotes That Made Me Laugh:

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?"
"Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
"At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
“Good luck explaining to God that you used to spank one of his heavenly beings."
Mom gave a startled laugh. "Sophie!"
"What? You did. I hope you like hot weather, Mom, that's all I'm saying.”

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In our world, I rank music somewhere between hair ribbons and rainbows in terms of usefulness. At least a rainbow gives you a tip about the weather.

4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Lissa and I had been friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us up together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we’d—or rather, I’d—responded appropriately. I’d chucked my book at out teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn’t known what those words meant, but I’d known how to hit a moving target. Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.

5. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
He has no right to threaten my boyfriends. I'm eighteen. An adult. I don't need his help. I can threaten my boyfriends myself.

and Five Quotes That Made Me Pause:

6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
That’s just the kind of thing that kids do to each other. It’s no big deal. There’s always going to be a person laughing and somebody getting laughed at. It happens every day, in every school, in every town in America—probably in the world, for all I know. The whole point of growing up is learning to stay on the laughing side.

7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
He’s wrong he’s so wrong he’s more wrong than an upside-down rainbow.

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
I always wonder about raindrops.
I wonder about how they're always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It's like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn't seem to care where the contents fall, doesn't seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.

9. Where She Went by Gayle Foreman
That’s the thing you never expect about grieving, what a competition it is.

10. Where She Went by Gayle Foreman
I look at her there in the shadows of the shut-down city, her hair falling onto her face, and I can see her trying to figure out if I’ve lost it. And I have to fight the urge to take her by the shoulders and slam her against a shuttered building until we feel the vibrations ringing through both of us. Because I suddenly want to hear her bones rattle. I want to feel the softness of her flesh give, to hear her gasp as my hip bone jams into her. I want to yank her head back until her neck is exposed. I want to rip my hands through her hair until her breath is labored. I want to make her cry and then lick up the tears. And then I want to take my mouth to hers, to devour her alive, to transmit all the things she can’t understand.

I know I just gave you a lot to read, but hopefully you liked those as much as I do. Granted, quotes rarely hold their full impact when out of context, so perhaps they just seemed like words words words. Where there any that struck you? I look forward to reading y'alls top ten quotes this week!

Follow Friday

Happy Friday and thanks for dropping by Slush Sleuth! Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, where we all get together and say "Hi!" This week's question...

What is the one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

Bahhhhh... I hate being asked "Favorite ___" questions because I always have so many favorites and I can never be called upon to chose a single one. But if you insist.....

I'll go with Richelle Mead.

My dream meeting would go something like this:
Me: [Insert truly thought provoking and insightful comment]
Richelle: Oh my goodness! I totally agree!
At which point we would hug, link arms and skip off into the sunset (and in case you're wondering what happens in the sunset, we have lots of sleepovers and braid each others hair and gab about boys that are of the fictional and non-fictional and Ryan Gosling type, and I babysit her newborn so she and the hubby can go on cute dates.

How this interaction would probably-almost-definitely-actually go:
Me: aaahhbbbhhss;292u;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; <---(brain overheating)
Richelle: Hi, it's nice to meet you.
Me: OMG it's nice to MEET you TOO. I'm really obsessed with you! I mean! Your books! I love your books! It'ssoverynicetomeetyousorryI'malittleexcited!! (It should be noted that my voice always rises roughly 4.6 octaves when meeting new authors. In fact, when encountering Stephanie Perkins a few weeks ago I am quite certain that I hit a register only comprehendable by Snow White and her bird friends. I think she only nodded and smiled to placate me... She's very sweet, by the way...)
She nods, maybe signs a book, potentially pats me on the arm if she has decided that whatever twitchy high-pitched problem I seem to have is not contageous, and I move on, slightly deflated that I will not be babysitting little-Richelle anytime soon.

So how is that for the longest Follow Friday answer ever? How about y'all? What are your favorite authors? Do you get as flustered as I do around your favorites? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know, so I can stop by to check out your blog as well!

Spring Fever: Top Ten Books I'd Play Hooky With

Welcome, welcome, to this weeks edition of Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Today I bring you the Spring Fever Edition: which ten books I'd love to stay home and play hooky with.


1. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Childhood forever favorite. I never get tired of this story (there was one fateful road trip where I listened to it once through, finished it and started the book all over again. No joke). I think I've had a crush on Char since age 10. 12 years later, I still want to marry his freckly self. In fact, curling up with this book sounds like the perfect way to spend a day.

2. Love Story by Jennifer Echols
There are so many things I love about this book. The college aged protagonist, the raunchy short stories, the horse farm, the city life and the southern charm that all get wrapped up together in one wonderful story. I read this over Christmas and left it at my parents house in Colorado--big mistake. I have been dying, DYING I tell you, to escape back into Erin Blackwell's head ever since.

3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
A recent read of mine, but one that I wouldn't mind going back to. There was something so compelling about the chemistry between Hadley and Oliver that makes this read one of 100% girlish wish fulfillment. I want my own British hottie!

4. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
The best book I've read so far this year (look back later this week for my review!) I identified with Jordan so much that every little heartbreak and triumph felt deeply personal. Since there's no sequel coming out (though there is a companion novel!) I think this book is going to turn into one of my "read, rinse, repeat" staples.

5. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
This book is so dang good. So is the sequel. I actually get a little fluttery whenever I think about this book, that's how much I love it. It also makes me want to move to Wyoming, that's how much I love it (which is crazy on multiple levels partially because, DUH, it's Wyoming and it only has one electoral vote, and also because I am a major Colorado enthusiast... ski Colorado, folks).

6. All seven Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
I like the idea of spending an entire weekend in bed with nothing but snacks, the Harry Potter series, and a water bottle to pee in (just kidding... I'm not that intense... I would get out of bed to go to the restroom). Have any of you been on Pottermore? All this new, behind-the-scenes info on the characters and books has gotten me excited to go back and read them for the umptienth time.

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Like I said above with The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, I want a cute British boy all for myself!! Also, as someone with a serious travel bug, I love truly feeling transported to Paris in this one.

8. All six Vampire Academy books, followed by Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Richelle Mead is a goddess of the written word. Also, Rose is my idol. 'Nuff said.

9. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
This was one of my brother's and my favorites growing up. It's been a while since I read it, which means I've forgotten some of the plot details so reading it will almost be like reading it for the first time (bonus)! For those of you who aren't familiar, definitely check it out.

10. Where She Went by Gayle Foreman
This one is not even a hypothetical. I have been DYING to read the sequel to If I Stay and it's been staring at me for days, but I told myself I wasn't allowed to start it until I unpacked my apartment and wrote the review. Finishing those tonight, so I'm playing hooky with Gayle Foreman tomorrow!! Holla!

Sensing a theme here? For me, a happy, snuggly day in bed away from the worries of work usually means reading some kind of love story. Contemporary Chic-Lit isn't necessarily my favorite YA sub-genre, but reading it usually produces the same type of feeling as comfort food. Mac n' Cheese with a Stephanie Perkins novel (and maybe a bubble bath)? BOOM, perfect stress-free afternoon.

How 'bout y'all? Any genres that you most want to play hooky with? What's on your top ten list this week?

Top Ten Books Sequels I'm Dying to Read

So I'm trying something a little new today, and participating for the first time in Top Ten Tuesday, a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish every (I'm sure you can guess...) Tuesday! Once a week all of us type-A obsessives get the unbridled pleasure of doing what we love best--making lists. This week features ten sequels I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on (in the order they will be released):


1. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare December 6, 2011

Clockwork Angel was so much fun. Dare I say (gasp!) that I liked it even more than The Mortal Instruments series? I am definitely looking forward to more sexual tension (and hopefully steamy romance) in this one!

2. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand January 24, 2012
At the risk of sounding oh-so Elle Woods--ohmigosh you guys. Unearthly was... well... unearthly! Seriously, I can't rave enough; I absolutely loved it. I want to read it over and over and over and over and I very well might do so until the day that Hallowed comes out.

3. Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer January 24, 2012


You can check out my Wow post about this book here! I am very excited that the turn over for this third book is happening so quickly, and I can already tell that the end of January is going to be a total happy read-fest. 

4. Fever by Lauren DeStefano February 21, 2012
Must.know.what.happens! I want more Linden! Needless to say, very excited about Lauren DeStefano's unique world and ready to jump back in (through the safety of a book and not real life, fortunately!)

5. Insurgent by Veronica Roth April 28, 2012

Well, Ms. Roth certainly left us with some worries and questions at the end of that last book, and if Insurgent is as fast paced as Divergent, I'm sure to binge the whole thing in one sitting. 

6. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini May 2012
I listened to Starcrossed one afternoon, stuck in the AHHH-coming-back-to-NYC-on-Sunday traffic that seriously sucks. And I have road rage. But this book kept me calm and distracted throughout the entire experience. I love the family dynamic she created here, and hope we get to see loads more of  Helen, Lucas, Claire,  Hector, and the gang.

7. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead June 19, 2012
Another WoW that you can read up on here.

8. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore June 21, 2012
This book has been postponed so many times I started to fear it would fade into obscure myth and leave us fans forever waiting; however, this date seems to be the real deal! Graceling and Fire were the two major sources in my college English thesis, so I'm very curious to see what Cashore brings us next.

9. Diva by Jillian Larkin August 2012
Every time I finish a book in this series I tell myself I'm done, and every time I find myself going back. Multiple-perspective books can be hard on the reader pacing-wise, but the 20s are so much fun, and I really adore Clara. The cover has not been released yet, but I have seen it, and the colors on it are gorgeous.

10. Amen L.A. #2 by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld Fall 2012
There is a tentative title picked for this one, but I don't want to post it in the off chance it gets changed. You can see my review of Amen L.A. here. Hopefully this series picks up fans and steam and we can start getting installments more frequently!

That's all for now! I hope everyone had wonderful labor-less Labor Days. Let me know what's on your lists so I can keep on the look out for any undiscovered (by me) gems.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Release Date: June 19, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students—children of the wealthy and powerful—carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead’s breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Oh Richelle Mead, shall I count the ways? No, probably not, because I already went on a love-sick rant in my review below. Bloodlines is probably my least favorite of her YA novels, but that really only means that I love love loved the Vampire Academy books and I merely really liked Bloodlines... Rose is all action and high energy, so it felt a little drag-y to switch to Sydney, but Richelle laid a solid foundation for the rest of the series and things definitely started to heat up by the end (OMG surprise visitors). I am very excited to see what happens next and continue on this Palm Springs adventure

I really hate all of the covers that Razorbill has done for these two series. Enough that I think I might write an entire post to talk about it (am I alone in this opinion?), so the cover of The Golden Lily doesn't really spur me into a frenzy for the next book. Though I do find it interesting that the title is The Golden Lily and the cover very strategically hides Sydney's tattoo... Regardless, cover or no cover, the writing itself is enough to keep me going back again and again.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Release Date: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 421
Format: Audiobook*
Source: Purchased

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Man, oh man do I love the world that Richelle Mead has created. In fact, I basically just all around love Richelle Mead. I am so jealous of her unborn baby; if she makes half the mother she does a storyteller that kid is going to be ultra-lucky.

But enough of my mooning over the author… I don’t want to make her husband jealous, after all.

The Vampire Academy series is (one of) my all time favorites, so when Richelle announced the spin-off series I felt equal parts fear and anticipation. It’s so much easier to destroy a good thing than create one, and spin-offs have a lot of potential to sully their parent-project. As any Tammy-fan knows, sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn’t.

For those of you who have read the Vampire Academy books, understand that Sydney is an immensely different person than Rose, so if you read that series for her, you may not enjoy the cross over to Bloodlines. If you read the Vampire Academy series for it’s world building, intrigue, characterization, and of course, the requisite cliff-hanger, then you’re in luck, because all of these elements transfer into this new series.

For those of you who have not read the Vampire Academy books, you will get by just fine reading Bloodlines alone. Richelle Mead does a good job of quickly and neatly addressing any need-to-know elements for new readers, without bogging down old fans. I do, however, think that your reading experience is going to be immensely enriched if you read the series in the order that they were published (not to mention, if you ever want to go back and read Vampire Academy, Bloodlines will have spoiled some major plot points because it takes place after the end of the first series).

Sydney is a very thoughtful, intelligent narrator, which I appreciated. She feels very human (bad word choice, I know,) with her strengths, weaknesses, desires, and idiosyncrasies. Her cluelessness at social norms was endearing and never failed to make me laugh. Of all the books Richelle Mead has penned, this one had the most character development--both from Sydney and secondary characters--and that's exciting to be a part of. Though speaking of…

           “What,” demanded [censored] “are you guys talking about?”
           “Nothing of interest, I assure you,” said Abe, who was really enjoying this all too much. “Life lessons, character development, unpaid debts. That sort of thing”

I LOVE ABE. All in all, that was probably the best part of this book: getting to revisit those people that stole my heart the first time around. While I’m happy that Rose ended up with Dimitri, I am just as excited to continue spending time with Adrian on his path to finding himself and love. It’s reminiscent of The Bachelor, when they bring a boy from the previous season of The Bachelorette to star (speaking of, I hope ABC picks Ben F…). Also, I should probably mention that Richelle Mead is damned incredible at writing sexual tension… gives me shivers.

Bloodlines is an exciting continuation of where Vampire Academy left off. Because Sydney is brains and restraint where Rose is all brawn and impulse, the pacing of the novel is significantly slower than what you would find in the first series, but Richelle gives you other things to focus on. Between keeping track of Sydney, Eddie, Adrian, Jill, and all their new friends, we also have a couple of new characters that you can’t help but love to hate. It's no Vampire Academy, but I have faith that the series will get there; I give Bloodlines 4 out of 5 Stars.

*Audiobook Note*

For those of you who are ingesting these books via radio-waves, it should be noted that Penguin Audio picked Emily Shaffer to narrate again. Emily is wonderful, so I understand why they chose her, but she uses her Rose-voice for Sydney and her Lissa-voice for Jill, so I had a really hard time appreciating the unique voices Richelle gave her protagonists from series to series. For a fuller experience, I would absolutely suggest reading one of the series and listening to the other (or reading both).

Slush Sleuth's Rating: