*Waiting on Wednesday* Features A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird # 1) by Claudia Gray

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating....

This weeks choice is A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird # 1) by Claudia Gray

Can I just say what a BEAUTIFUL cover this is? I mean, seriously! 

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

Hardcover, 368 pages 

Expected publication: November 4th 2014 by Harper Teen (first published October 7th 2014)

*Gizmos Book Reviews* Release Day - We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt

**I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

"Two sisters. One Secret."

We Are the Golden's is the story about the relationship between two sisters, 17-year old Layla and 15-year old Nell. Nell tells the story as though she is speaking plainly, and directly to the sister she loves, and protects because she truly feels that their lives are forever intertwined. What happens to one, affects the other. After learning that Layla has gotten herself into an inappropriate situation that can only lead to problems, Nell finds that protecting Layla may not be the easiest answer.

"I am your sister, I'm here to help, we're close, our lives are intertwined, you can trust me."

I have to say I really appreciated Reinhardt's determination not to make the main male character who is best friends with Nell, gay in order to appease the politically correct who continue to cry out for more diversity in books. Felix de la Cruz is an awesome secondary character without the need to make him anything more than he already is. He has parents who adore each other, and Nell, and I wish that I had a friend like him when I was growing up and struggling with friendships and school. Felix and Nell have a fundamental relationship that really doesn't cross into kinkiness or being disturbing. It is sweet, it is adorable, and if this weren't a standalone story, I would expect that Felix and Nell would definitely become a whole lot closer over time.

An an older reader/reviewer/blogger, there are times that I just want to scream out in frustration at today's generation of authors, and the characters they write about, and the fact that sometimes, they use uncomfortable situations to tell a story. I get frustrated when the story hits close to reality, and it makes me cringe to know that young girls, teenagers really, continue to allow themselves to be put into situations where the outcome can only lead to pain & suffering, and years of psychological care because they TRUSTED the wrong people. I get frustrated by a society who should know more about what is happening in their own schools but don't. I also understand that some authors are using hard subjects so that it can be discussed, and not buried between the classified sections of the newspapers. 

As an older sister myself, I really didn't get into any trouble in H.S. until a girl slapped me across the face for no reason whatsoever, and I retaliated without caring about being suspended or not. I can't say that I've experienced anything that Layla goes through, nor would I get on Nell's case for trying hard to protect her older sister from her own actions. I tried to protect my younger sister (3 years difference) from disgusting boys, drugs, and alcohol abuse, but she has always been a free spirit who didn't really care what I thought about her actions. I was even ostracized and blamed for all of her problems after I left home at Eighteen to enter the Navy. To this day, our relationship is somewhat tenuous, but I know that she loves me and would help me if I ever needed her.

As I stated above, We Are the Golden's is a standalone novel that I finished over the course of 4 hours. You probably guessed that there is plenty of foreboding to this story since Nell is working up her courage to help Layla, but still has to deal with her own H.S. problems with boys, and playing sports, and having a best friend who never seems to let you down, and parents who while being protective, are also from an age where things were done differently.

The ending is one that I don't much care for. I don't like interpretative endings that you have to sit there and imagine what happens next. It is like watching a TV show that ends on a cliffhanger with your favorite character hanging in the balance between life and death, and then finding out the next day that your show has been CANCELLED due to low ratings, or something silly. No. If you write 200 pages, you can write another 50 pages and let the readers know what happens next to Layla, and Felix's father, and whether or not Nell is forgiven for trying to help.

Author - Dana Reinhardt
Title - We Are The Goldens
Publisher - Wendy Lamb Books via Random House
Released: May 27, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Coming of Age
Format: E-Book 208 pages

*Gizmos Reviews* Armchair BEA - Author Interaction

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014: AUTHOR INTERACTION & MORE THAN JUST WORDS

Author Interaction

 

Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended. Or, you can feature your favorite author fan moment (i.e., an author sent you a tweet or commented on your blog). Maybe you even want to share how your interactions have changed since becoming a blogger or share your own tips that you have learned along the way when interacting with authors as a blogger. 

I have to say that I've been a slacker when it comes to author readings, and/or conventions. I've only really attended one convention in the 3 years I've been blogging and that's was Coastal Magic Convention http://coastalmagicconvention.com in Daytona Beach, Florida. Lots of authors, lots of fun, lots of really cool bloggers, the authors are approachable, and there is even a book signing event open to the general public!

The last signing I went to was Jennifer L Armentrout who appeared at our Barnes & Nobles and did a signing for I believe it was Opal. She hasn't been back since, and it's really hard to find any information on authors coming to the black hole of book conventions and author signings, Jacksonville, Fl.

I do plan on attending Book Bash 2014 http://bookbash.net June 28, 2014. Lots of authors for only the price of a happy meal! I tried to go last year, but alas, I have a severe case of agoraphobia, and got sick. Might need someone to push me out the door this year since there will be over 50 authors attending!

If I am still blogging next year, and my family is still in one piece, I am going to try to go to the real BEA in New York since my family lives Upstate. I don't care if I have eggs tossed at me, or I trip over myself, or make a fool of myself with authors. I need to go!

*Gizmos Reviews* Top Ten Tuesday Presents Books I Had to Have, but Still Remain Un-read!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and we all share our thoughts on that topic! I decided it was finally time to jump on board with this wicked fun meme!

 

This week is FREEBIE WEEK! YAY!

That means we can choose ANY topic WHATSOEVER!

 

This week's subject is, books I had to have, but still remain un-read!

 

1. Sins of the Son & Sins of the Lost by Linda Poitevin

 

2. Chimes at Midnight & Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

  

3. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

 

4. Endgame & Peridition by Ann Aguirre

 

 

5. All Spell Breaks Loose by Lisa Shearin

 

6. Sentinel & Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

 

7. Two Week's Notice & Terminated by Rachel Caine

 

 

8. Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance

 

9. Fury of the Demon & Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland

 

 

10. Shadows Before the Sun by Kelly Gay

*Gizmos Book Reviews* Early Review - The Dark World (Dark World #1) by Cara Lynn Shultz

**I received this book for free from NetGalley/Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

The appropriately named The Dark World (Dark World #1), sets the stage for an interesting new series featuring 17 year old Paige Kelly as the protagonist who is forced to face an entirely new reality. The world created by Cara Lynn Shultz, author of Spellbound, intertwines the human world, with a Dark World where Demons and Warlocks have been fighting for supremacy for hundreds of years.

Paige, bless her little heart, is not your typical teenaged heroine nor would I expect her to be after everything she's been through. Three years ago, she rushed out into traffic to save a little boy from being crushed to death at the expense of her own safety. Upon waking up, she began seeing things that nobody else could (ghosts), and was forced into not only moving to a new school and starting over, but relying on her own strengths to get by without any real friends, and the watchful eyes of overbearing parents. Credit though to the parents for sticking it out and not running away and hiding from Paige with work, or outside activities.

Her best friend, Dottie Flanagan, just happens to be a forever 15 year old ghost from 1955, and Paige is known around her new HS as "Bellevue Kelly" because she has a tendency of getting caught talking to herself. Except for Dottie, Paige really has no expectations of having any other female or male friends, until the new kid on the block, Logan Bradley, charges in and changes her prospective on her abilities, and opens her heart to new possibilities, and an entirely new world.

I will say that I was a bit disappointed in this book overall due to a LARGE portion of it being tied to Paige's high school experiences, and the ever present bad girls and bullies who infest the young adult genre. But, I will give it a positive rating for not having a twisted love triangle, or an insta-lust romance between Paige and Logan, and an alternative reality NYC that I can't wait to read more about.

Luckily for my sanity, Paige isn't a character that cowers to anyone, and gives back what she receives in a snarky, laughable manner that you can't help but to be impressed with. Her relationship with Dottie and Logan is actually entertaining, and then you add in secondary characters like Ajax and Rego that truly have only scratched the surface of what they can offer to readers, and you have the keys to a very successful series.

I had some interesting decisions to make about whether or not to like Logan. You see, Logan is a different kind of character and also has his own secrets to tell. He doesn't get in your face, or make you cringe because he is drool worthy. I mentioned at one point that he was adorkable, and I'm sticking to that description even now. He doesn't grab hold of Paige like Fred Flintstone, and force her into being with him or rushing her into situations where she's all alone where she's vulnerable.

In the end, I will definitely be interested to see what an alternative reality New York City looks like through the eyes of an actual person who lives there. I've heard that there will be plenty of suspense, secrets, betrayals, and shocks to come and I can't wait. One can only hope that some of the mysteries that have been written to this point, are explained and revealed and not just shoved away into a corner.

Author - Cara Lynn Shultz
Title - The Dark World (Dark World # 1)
Published by Harlequin Teen
Released: May 27, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Format: E-Book 384 pages

*Gizmos Reviews* Armchair BEA 2014 Introductions 05/26/2014

Welcome to Armchair BEA 2014!

This is my THIRD year participating!

I can't wait to see how much fun we will have this year!

Today, is introduction day. I've chosen (5) questions that best introduce me and my blog Gizmos Reviews!

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself:

Who are you? ::waves:: Hello! My name is Shelley! 

 How long have you been blogging? June 21, will be 3 years of full time blogging. 

Why did you get into blogging?  I've been a member of Goodreads since 2009 where I posted a few thousand reviews before I decided to create Gizmos Reviews.

Where in the world are you blogging from? I am from Jacksonville, Florida, the land that no author dares to trend for fear of being left behind.

2. Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online. 

Gizmos Reviews is a fairly small, one person blog, that hangs in the background of the big boys and girls, taking it all in, while trying NOT to put my foot in my mouth too many times.

Twitter - @GizmosReviews

Facebook - I don't currently have a facebook page for my blog

Instagram - I don't current have a page for my blog 

3. What genre do you read the most?

I love to read ALL sorts of genre's. Urban Fantasy, PNR, Steampunk, Historical Fantasy, Dystopian, Young Adult, Mystery, & Thrillers. I can't really say I have a favorite, or that I read more or one genre than another. I've gone from reading Steampunk one day, to Noir Fantasy another.

4. What book would you love to see as a movie? 

::rubs hands together:: where do I start? Hmm, let's start with Scan by Sarah Fine and Walter Jury. The Taking by Kimberly Derting. Ashfall by Mike Mullin. Blood of Eden trilogy by Julie Kagawa. Partials Sequence by Dan Wells. Sekret by Lindsay Smith just to name a few.

 5. What was your favorite book read last year? (2013)

What’s your favorite book so far this year? (2014)

For 2013, I would start with Written in Red by Anne Bishop, The Spider by Jennifer Estep, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman/Meagan Spooner, Descendant by Lesley Livingston, Deception by C.J. Redwine, Cold Blooded by Amanda Carlson, The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater just to name a few.

For this year, I would start with Torn Away by Jennifer Brown, Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett, Against the Dawn by Amanda Bonilla, House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter, Scan by Sarah Fine/Walter Jury, Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman.

*Gizmos Book Reviews* 4 Star Review - The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles #4) by Kady Cross

**I received this book for free from Netgalley/Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

In the beginning, there was The Strange Case of 16 year old Finley Jayne Sheppard and her unnatural abilities of stomping out anyone who attempted to harm her. Having lost her father Thomas at an early age, Finley fought the two sides of her personality which made her an outcast among 1897 London society.

Shortly thereafter, Finley was literally run over by Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne, who saw something in Finley that appealed to him, and he decided that he would teach her how to live in peace with the monster inside. Finley soon realized that she was no longer alone, and truly had friends now that she could count on & rely on to watch her back in times of need. Her relationship with Griffin has jumped forward to the point where they are so connected that they would die for the other. 

Griffin, who is able to harness the Aether energy better than anyone else, is joined in stomping out evil from the world by his childhood friend Samuel Morgan who is half human and half machine and strong as an ox; the ever dynamic, and feisty mechanical genius Emily O'Brien who can communicate with machines; American cowboy Jasper Renn who has blazing fast speed with guns, and American Wildcat (Cat) who has cat like reflexes and teeth just as sharp. 

As an honorary member of Griffin's crew, Jack Dandy is Finley's friend and ally, and the bloke with the ability to use persuasion to make his business even better. In The Girl with the Iron Touch, we were introduced to Mila, the engineered mech who was created to house the villainous madman known as the The Machinist, but has the ability to become human and quickly assimilate the ways of her environment. Mila became friends with Emily and Finley and they've done their best to train her on what it means to be human and even experience love.

As The Girl with the Windup Heart is apparently the last book in the Steampunk Chronicles series, Cross once again puts Griffin's crew in the cross-hairs of their arch-nemesis the Machinist, who takes Griffin into the Aether, and it's up to Finley and crew to save him. It is a battle of wits, strategy, and one final battle royal where only the strongest will survive. But, Cross also offers a second parallel story that features Jack and Mila. If you remember, Jack volunteered to allow Mila to stay with him while she was learning how to become human. 

I must stop and applaud Cross for creating Mila. I adore her. I really do. She's such a wonderfully spirited & naive character that makes you giggle out loud, and her relationship with the secretive Jack Dandy is brilliantly written. I love that she tries to find an independent life for herself away from Jack and even finds a place with the Piccadilly Circus for a bit. I love the fact that Dandy is exposed for being someone who actually has a kind heart, and a desire to do what's best for Mila and her future, while trying to protect her from predators in London's society. I love that Dandy and Mila became apart of Griffin's inner circle to the point where they would drop everything to help the other out. I, personally, wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off or novella about Jack and Mila's newest adventures. 

Author - Kady Cross
Title - The Girl with the Windup Heart
Series - Steampunk Chronicles
Published by Harlequin Teen
Releases - May 27, 2014
Genre - Steampunk
Format - E-Book 400 pages