Thankful for Books #Giveaway #Hop ~ Autographed Goodness

Okay, guys, I am SO excited about this hop! Want to know why? Because I'm giving away one of my very favorite books by one of my very favorite authors and ::drum roll:: ... it's SIGNED!!! Read on to find out more!


 

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it.    

So there you have it. If you want to see my review of Nevermore, you can find it here. It's spoiler free ;)

Want to win? Follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. Because this is an actual book, this contest is open to US residents ONLY.

Many thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston for hosting this awesome hop! Be sure and check out the Linky below for more bloggers participating in this hop!


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Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

From Goodreads

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. 

Wow. That's the best the way to sum up Nevermore by Kentucky author Kelly Creagh. I met Kelly at a multi-author signing in Louisville. At the time, I'd seen Nevermore, but never really paid attention to it. It wasn't until I saw the Raven on the shelf and the Edgar Allan Poe trinkets scattered around the table that I realized the title was actually associated with Poe himself. It was at this point, my heart did a little dance.

Okay, the story starts out with an interesting (and very well written) prologue. I know, I know. God forbid there's a prologue! It's necessary, I assure you. In the case of this book, it encouraged me to read it! Creagh introduces us to Poe here in such a cool way. She brings in some little known facts about his (very real) untimely death and uses them as the basis of the story.

The first chapter soon starts off with the cheerleader Isobel Lanley being paired up for a writing project with goth-boy Varen Nethers ... much to jock-guy, quarterback boyfriend's dismay. I'll admit it. I had more than a moment's pause about the cheerleader/goth/jock thing. I don't like cheerleader/goth/jock stories, because more often than not, they end up being so cliche. However, cliche can also be defined by the quiet nerdy girl who likes to read or the misunderstood nobody boy who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. It's all a matter of plot and perspective, how unique the STORY is, and how WELL is it WRITTEN.

There's a lot of awesomeness to cover in this one, so I'm going to categorize here.

Characters:

Varen. Varen is dark and brooding at first. I wondered if Miss Author-pants could pull it off without succumbing to the Count Gothica experience we've all had in YA books. Let's face it, tortured and brooding is tough to pull off these days. Creagh nailed it! While Varen has a very dark side to him, he has good reason, and Creagh defines it beautifully without going over the top. Her ability to paint the perfect picture of him and his emotion is enviable. I think he comes across exactly how she intended, and not as a woe-is-me emo kid.

Isobel. Isobel has her ups and downs in the story. On occasion, the moment kind of fell flat for me with her or an opportunity was missed for Isobel to shine. There were times when I really didn't like her in fact. Isobel let other people manipulate her because she wouldn't just put her foot down and stand up for the right thing. She overreacted in some situations and underacted in others. All in all, she was relatively wishy-washy in the beginning, but Varen's strong character and Creagh's beautiful writing kept me in the story. As the story progressed though, Isobel gained quite a bit of momentum, growing into the type of heroine I like to see: scared yet strong; flawed yet willing. I'm eager to see how her character develops in the sequel.

Secondary characters. Isobel's friends are a group of douche-canoes. I realize that's somewhat reminiscent of high school, but it took a while for Isobel to stand up to them, and they weren't even worth her time. When she did though, it felt real. Honestly, I could've done without the others. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.


* I LOVED Gwen. I have to say she's one of the best YA characters I've ever read. Her personality is fabulous, and Creagh captured it in the most realistic way.
* Pinfeathers is quite interesting. I haven't quite figured him out yet. I really liked the way Creagh incorporated "those guys" into the story. I don't want to give anything away, but they're cool in a twisted kind of way.
* Reynolds, though not in the story as much as I would've liked, is superb. He's blurred somewhere between the good guy and bad guy. He has a job to do. While he doesn't want to hurt anyone, he looks out for the overall best interest.

Plot/Pacing/Writing:

I won't get into everything because I hate spoilers, and this one is hard not to spoil. I will say this, the plot was unique and riveting. The pace was perfect in an unusual way. There were times I was ready for it to move on, almost to skimming, but then it picked back up. Different readers have different points of "too fast/too slow". This one's on the fence, but paced just right for me!

The writing. Oh my gosh, the writing. I fell in love with the prologue and it continued throughout the entire book! Excellent writing is something insanely hard to come by. Most readers don't mind, but as a writer too, it's epically important to me. The descriptive writing is incredible, but not overdone. The sensory aspect is perfectly done, making me feel like I was there, which is tough considering the third person POV. I didn't feel like I was missing any emotion, any experience like I sometimes do with third person. Overall, the writing was impeccable.

Final Thoughts:

I've never read anything like Nevermore. It's based loosely on Poe's life and works. I'm a HUGE Poe fan, so I found this just freaking amazing! The story is definitely dark and very creepy, but it's eerily charming. I don't see it being an across-the-board success from a plot/genre point of view, but the gorgeous writing, a handful of fabulous characters, and the epic uniqueness guarantee a great read! I absolutely recommend to ages 15 and up.

More than a Stereotype: Kentucky Greatness

Kentucky: World renowned for bourbon, bluegrass music, fried chicken, and college basketball. In fact, we have TWO teams battling the Final Four for a spot in the NCAA tournament, in case you've been under a rock ... or in another country. Not to mention a little thing called The Kentucky Derby.

Being a lifelong Kentuckian myself, I've heard it all. For whatever reason, people seem to think we're all backwoods hicks with outhouses and no education. While KY has had its struggles over the years, everyone always overlooks the good things from our great state.

Aside from basketball, we're known for a few other great things. With the release of The Hunger Games, actors Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence have found themselves in the limelight. And with the movie breaking records opening weekend, we're likely to see an explosion in their careers.

So why am I talking about that right now? Because both Hutcherson and Lawrence are Kentucky natives!

Many amazing, innovative, and world-changing individuals have at one time or another called Kentucky home. Among them are the following:

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809-1865) –16th U.S. President, 1861-65. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War preserving the Union and ending slavery. Born in Hardin County, died in Washington, D.C.

George Clooney (May 6, 1961-) – Actor, director, producer and screenwriter. Clooney has balanced his performances in big-budget blockbusters with work as a producer and director, as well as social, liberal and political activism. The United Nations named Clooney a “Messenger of Peace” in 2008. Born in Lexington, grew up in Augusta.

Johnny Depp (June 9, 1963-) – Actor and musician known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series. Born in Owensboro. (He's actually my cousin!)

Wynonna Judd (May 301964-) – Born Christian Claire Ciminella. Country music singer. Daughter Wynonna and mother Naomi rose to fame in the 1980s group “The Judds.” Wynonna began a solo career in 1991. Born in Ashland.

Brian Littrell (February 20, 1975-) Singer-songwriter; a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian recording artist. Born in Lexington.

Muhammad Ali (January 17, 1942) – Boxing gold medalist in 1960. Retired three-time World Heavyweight Champion. First person to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times. Born in Louisville.

Diane Sawyer (December 22, 1945-) - TV journalist/commentator for ABC and co-anchor of its morning news show. Named one of the 30 most powerful women in America. Born in Glasgow.

John T. Thompson (December 31, 1860-1940) - United States Army officer, inventor of the Thompson Machine Gun (tommy gun). Born in Newport, died in Great Neck, New York.
***Previous information found at: www.kentuckytourism.com

These are only a handful. We can't forget people like Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, John Michael Montgomery (all country music artists), Daniel Boone (explorer), Zachary Taylor (president), Clive Cussler (author), Jim Bowie (Hero at the Alamo, inventor of the Bowie knife), Jennifer Carpenter (actress), John Carpenter (film director), Tom Cruise (actor), Ashley Judd (actress), Annie Potts (actress), Nick Lachey (pop artist), and countless others who were born here or somehow left their mark. Think what you will about each person, but there's no denying they've lent a hand in making America what it is today.

For more on famous Kentuckians click here and here.


A handful of others are making their way up the ladder some of them you may know, others maybe not. I think you should all meet the next few people and keep an eye on their careers! One day soon, you'll see them making a splash.

Elizabeth Isaacs: Up and coming writer and author of my all-time favorite YA series, The Kailmeyra Chronicles. She was born in Louisville and now lives in Lexington. For more about Beth and her incredible work, visit her site at www.elizabethisaacs.com

Todd Keisling: Another incredible author and mastermind behind the novel A Life Transparent. Todd is a two-time recipient of the Oswald Research and Creativity Prize for fiction. Born in Kentucky, he now lives in Pennsylvania. Learn more about Todd at www.toddkeisling.com
 

Cage the Elephant: When Cage the Elephant released their self-titled debut in 2009, they were heralded as saviors of slacker funk-punk thanks to their hit “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” Hailing from Bowling Green, these guys have toured the globe and even made a song-stop on the CW series, The Vampire Diaries. Find them here www.cagetheelephant.com

Luke Asher: Indie, folk singer and Louisville native, Luke Asher provides a smooth combination of evocative lyrics and soul-moving melody. He's one of the biggest influences in my own writing. Had it not been for his haunting music, my story would've turned out completely different. Follow Luke on Facebook here and listen to the awesomeness that is his genius here.

Julie Kagawa: Brilliant author of the phenomenal Iron Fey series and the up and coming Immortal Rules, Julie now lives in Lousiville. Julie's books have repeatedly reached the top of the best-sellers lists! Find Julie at her website www.juliekagawa.com

Kelly Creagh: A new author, again hailing from Louisville, who restored my faith in excellent writing. Kelly's young-adult novel Nevermore is a brilliantly well-written novel based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe. A must read for dark paranormal lovers. Kelly hang here at http://kellycreagh.com


Here's to Kentucky being full of awesome! Who are some of your favorites from the Bluegrass state?