Mundie Moms

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Spring Into The Future, Austin, TX


If you're in the Austin area don't miss tonight's Spring Into The Future signing at Book People with Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi! I'll be there blogging live from the event, as well as sitting down with both authors to discuss their books prior to their signing. You can follow all my live tweets from the event @MundieMoms and by following the #IntoTheFuture. I'll be posting about tonight's events, as well as posting my interview this weekend. 


Be sure to stay up with the latest Spring Into The Future stops by visiting The Spring Into The Future facebook page. You can see where Veronica and Tahereh are headed to next, read about fans experiences from the signings and check out the pictures that have been posted. The last leg of the 2nd tour will be on April 28th in Miami, FL! Don't miss the third leg of the tour with it's stops in San Francisco, Portland & Seattle! 

Book Review: INSURGENT by Veronica Roth *spoiler free*


By: Veronica Roth
Published by: Harper Teen
To Be Released on: May 1st, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher to review / Team Abnegation
5 stars: I LOVED It!
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Series: Divergent Book #2

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
-quoted from Goodreads

 Veronica lured me into her incredible world building and introduced me to some unforgettable characters with Divergent, but she completely blew me away with Insurgent. This book is AWESOME. I have no other words to describe it. I completely LOVED IT! If you thought Divergent was action packed, wait till you read Insurgent. The action isn't the only thing that intensifies in this sequel! The romance, danger, betrayals, and the secrets, are taken to a whole new level in this book. Veronica shocked me, threw me off guard, made me sigh (more than a few times thanks to Four), made me want to cry, yell at a few characters and made me mad. I felt every emotion possible while reading this story and I loved every moment of it!

One of the things I loved about Insurgent is it literally picks up right where Divergent ends. I thoroughly enjoyed getting thrown right back into the adrenaline rush with Four and Tris, and I didn't realize how much I missed that feeling at sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Believe me, this happens more than a few times in Insurgent. This is one of those book you need to buckle up with while reading, as one thing after the other happens right up to the very end. What I enjoy about Veronica's pacing with her plot line in Insurgent is that some things that happen are subtle and other things are big. She didn't over load her story with action scene after action scene, but instead she keeps her storyline constantly in motion. 

Another thing I liked was seeing how the characters changed and grew a bit more. I feel like we're still learning more about some of the characters, and with others we get to see their struggles with things that happened in Divergent. Tris for example,  I like that I got to see how she deals with the consequences of her actions from book 1. How it effects her, how she copes with it and how she handles everything that unfolds. Believe me not everything that unfolds in this book is pretty. There are times Tris does more harm than good. It's during those times that I got really frustrated with her. Having said that, she does make some choices that I could relate to had I been in her situation. Despite some of my irritation with her, I still feel she is one of those resilient characters who's strength shines when it needs to most. 

Then there's Four. Oh Four.... I loved the stolen moments between Tris and Four in this book. Amid all the danger and chaos going on around them, they get this moments of bliss, and happiness together even if those moments are short lived. I felt that tug of war they felt during this time, like they shouldn't be doing this, and yet they just wanted everything else to fade away from around them and enjoy the moment. I seriously didn't think I could love him any more than I already did. Here's what I came to admire about him in Insurgent, the fact that he doesn't hold back with Tris. He's not afraid to be the support she needs, nor does he hold back on calling her out for making stupid choices. Believe me, she makes some choices that jeopardizes things. There's a lot that happens in this book and a lot of secrets are unfolded that put a strain on Tris and Four's relationship. I won't giveaway spoilers, but these two have some moments that will you weak in the knees and other scenes that will leave you biting your nails in anticipation about what's going to happen next.....

I like that Veronica kept the story realistic with that. I don't want to read about characters who never have challenges, who are perfect, and never have to deal with consequences. I want to read about characters who struggle and learn how to fix the mess they get into. Nor do I want to see everything wrapped up nicely and see a plan that works out perfectly every time it's put into action. Having these flawed and imperfect characters is what keeps me invested with this series. It's what makes me root for them and keeps me turning the pages. Believe me, this story will keep you turning the pages. Everything in this book, including the shocking discoveries, the good and the bad, all ties together eventually, and I like that. I felt like Veronica allowed things to happen for a reason, and it served a purpose in telling Tris's story. 

If you enjoyed Divergent just wait till you read Insurgent! I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book. Just be prepared to buckle up and enjoy the ride Veronica's about to take you on. It's definitely one you won't soon forget and it will leave you coming back for more! I cna't wait to find what what Veronica has in store next. I have no idea how she's going to top this book, but I have a feeling she's going to surprise us with what she does next. 


Join DivergentNation! Don't miss this week's features. Each day will feature on of the faction from Veronica's series. TeamAbnegation will be featured on Monday, 4/30. We FREED FOUR! Read his story here


Team Abnegation: Visit our links http://bit.ly/GD4TnQ and http://bit.ly/GQFqbF




Guest Post: YAY 4 YA with Author Tiffany Truitt



YAY 4 YA: If You Like…You Might Like The Chosen Ones


I am so excited to spend day 4 of YAY 4 YA here at MudieMoms. What a seriously superb source for all things YA…and not just all things Mortal Instruments. This site is definitely one of my first stops in my search for all things YA.

Don’t forget to stop by my blog after reading today’s guest post to find out how you can win Chosen Ones book swag…and…wait for it…a signed TMI poster by Cassandra Clare!!

Today I am focusing on YA books that share similar plots, themes, and conflicts as The Chosen Ones. Because like the title says, if you like ...you might like The Chosen Ones.

While it would be easy for me to simply list a bunch of YA Dystopian books, other sites like The Hunger Games Examiner and Novel Novice have already done a way better job as this than I could ever do. Instead, I will focus on YA novels outside the Dystopian genres.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Why fans of this series would like The Chosen Ones: Hands-down one of the greatest and most inventive series to take the YA world by storm. The Chosen Ones shares similar themes with Clare’s works. Tess and James, the novel’s protagonists, must both struggle with what it means to be human and different. And much like Jace and Clary, the relationship between Tess and James is frowned upon by those around them…in fact, it’s downright against the law.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Why fans of this series would like The Chosen Ones: Much like the aliens from this novel, James and his fellow chosen ones possess abilities that make them stand apart from the humans around them. Gifted to help a struggling humanity survive, James and his friends must decide when to assert their power and when to abuse it.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Why fans of this series would like The Chosen Ones: In a world ravaged by war, the council longs for a gentler time where everything seems proper and right. The setting of The Chosen Ones is one in which the ideals, dress, and sensibilities of the 19th century are replicated. Much like this terribly addicting series. The Chosen Ones deals with ideals of sexuality and female identity.


About Chosen Ones


The Lost Souls, book 1 hitting bookshelves June 12, 2012 from Entangled Publishing!

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?
Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.


But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Get more information on Chosen Ones at Entangled Publishing!

About Tiffany Truitt


Tiffany Truitt is an 8th grade English teacher in Suffolk, Virginia. When she’s not traveling the world, she enjoys reading, writing, and obsessing over coffee. Lost Souls: Chosen Ones is her first novel.

Find out more about Tiffany Truitt at her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Thank you Tiffany for stopping by Mundie Moms today!

City of Fallen Angels Read A Long Day 9: From Fire Unto Fire



Welcome to Day 9 of the City of Fallen Angels Read-A-Long. You can follow the entire read-a-long and find each of the day's posts here. Remember there's no right or wrong way to participate. Your comments can be as long or a short as you'd like them to be. You can answer one or each of the questions asked, it's totally up to you, BUT, in order to be entered into the COLS giveaway (which you also had to sign up to win), you do need to be actively participating in the read-a-long. 

Today's discussion is about: Chapter 9: From Fire Unto Fire

Though this chapter is short, it's jam packed with all sorts of exciting events. There's the hot alley make out scene between Jace & Clary, Simon getting caught attacking Maureen by Kyle, Simon get confronted by both Izzy and Maia and the shockingly revelation of who Kyle is, is brought to light when Maia sees him with Simon. 
  • First off, holy hotness! I was not excepting that hot of a make out scene between Jace and Clary. In fact, I wasn't expecting a make out scene at all. I had some hope that they'd fix whatever is going on between them until Izzy (once again) interrupts them and then Jace returns back to his cold self. Seriously, what do you think is going on with Jace? He's really starting to irritate me at this point with this I love you Clary, but I'm not going to talk to you attitude. 
  • Oh Simon! Part of me feels bad for Simon over the issue with the girls, but at the same time he totally deserves that confrontation he gets from Izzy and Maia. Though I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Izzy and Maia's irritation. Out of curiosity, which girl would you want Simon to date?  
  • I knew it! I knew there was something else to Kyle, but I never would have guessed he was Maia's Jordan. I have to say, I wish the chapter didn't end with Maia lunging at Kyle. I totally want to know if she kicks his butt. How do you think this shocking revelation will play out in the book? Do you guys trust Kyle knowing what he did to Maia?

Please DO NOT POST SPOILERS. There's some fans who are joining the read-a-long who are reading COFA for the first time. 

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