Cover Costume Candy 2015

Happy Halloween! Are you having fun? I've got three pretty YA cover costumes for you on this very scary day. I haven't read SIX OF CROWS yet but thought it'd be fun to put together a dark and sexy costume for Leigh Bardugos latest book release. A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU is one of my favourite books and I really loved creating a costume for Marguerite's artsy character. I would definitely wear this outfit myself! RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard was a stunning YA debut! I couldn't resist to create a costume based on its beautiful cover. Which of these costumes would you like to wear this year? 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

necklace, boots, perfume, lipstick, nail polish, body, necklace, pants

A Thousand Pieces of You by 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.

Cape, brushes, necklace, nail polish, beret, dress, purse, shoe

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teen

Brooch, lipstick, nail polish, dress, crown, shoe, necklace

Read More

ARC Giveaway: Soundless by Richelle Mead

I got two ARCs of SOUNDLESS by Richelle Mead at Frankfurt Book Fair 2015 and want to give away one of these copies to one of my readers. This is your chance to read Richelle's newest book before its official publication date on November 10th 2015. The giveaway is open to international entrants and ends November 3rd 2015. Please enter the giveaway widget below. Good luck!

Soundless by Richelle Mead

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More

Frankfurt Book Fair 2015 - New Books On My Shelf

Frankfurt Book Fair 2015 was a blast! I met many wonderful people, lovely authors Kiera Cass and Victoria Aveyard and of course I got some great books, too. Here they are:

Sourcebooks
Some Kind of Normal by Juliana Stone
Boys Like You by Juliana StoneThe Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Penguin Random House 
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Summerlost by Ally Condie
Soundless by Richelle Mead
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Scholastic
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
The Eternal City by Paula Morris

Macmillan 
Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Harper Collins
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

It doesn't happen every year that YA US authors visit Frankfurt Book Fair, but this year I was lucky enough to meet two authors. Kiera Cass signed her THE SELECTION books on Saturday and Victoria Aveyard signed THE RED QUEEN on Sunday.  

Aaand luckily I've managed to grab a few copies for you, too! The copy of RED QUEEN is signed! So you can expect new giveaways over the next months. Which one of these books would you like to win most? 

GIVEAWAY COMING SOON!

Read More

My Ireland Road Trip

In September two of my best friends and I spent two weeks in heaven: IRELAND! I'd been dreaming about travelling to Ireland for about ten years and the country as its people were everything I'd imagined them to be. Wild, beautiful, warm-hearted, stunning, adventurous, peaceful, cosy, windy, miraculous, funny ♥

After almost missing our plane to Dublin (almost...whew!) we set out to explore Ireland's capital. We stayed at a very central hostel and could easily walk the city centre. Dublin Castle, Trinity College and St. Patrick's Cathedral were our favourite sights. The sun was shining and we even got a glimpse at the filming of Penny Dreadful Season 3. At Costa Coffee we fell in love with their triple layered lemon cake and hot chocolate. They definitely need to open up stores in Germany, too!

Then it was time to pick up our rental car and drive cross-country to Lahinch. We stayed at the lovely bed and breakfast Craglea Lodge and had a cosy room with an amazing breakfast. Our host Edel recommended to drive about five miles to Liscannor and walk to the Cliffs of Moher from there instead of parking at the official visitor centre. It turned out to be an invaluable tip! We spent the entire day exploring the coastal walking route, about 10 km to the visitor centre and back to Liscannor. The Cliffs of Moher were one of the very special highlights of our Ireland trip!

After our stay in Lahinch we drove on to Galway, the radio playing "The Galway Girl" by Steve Earle. In Galway we shopped a lot, dined in atmospheric pubs and enjoyed some relaxing sightseeing.

While staying in Galway we decided to drive to Connemara Nationalpark (about 1 1/2 hours). And even the drive through winding roads, mountain landscapes and lakes was simply beautiful. Sheeps were scattered over the hills and merrily walked over the streets when they felt like it. Be ready to brake! In Connemara Nationalpark we hiked up Diamond Hill (1,450 ft). I'd never hiked before and it was a small challenge for us to climb the steep rocks. In the end we were rewarded with a breath-taking view! If you ever get the chance to go to Connemara, don't hestitate. This part of Ireland is stunning!
We also drove by Kylemore Abbey, saw many rainbows and visited Martin and his Atlantic Sheepdogs in Streedagh. Martin was very kind when we called him spontaneously on the day of our departure in Galway. He welcomed us to his sheep farm and showed us how his dogs worked and told us a lot about different sheep breeds, competitions and about life on a sheep farm in general. Martin with his pet sheep Molly was one of the most warm-hearted and friendliest people I've met so far on my travels. Thank you!

After about one week it was time to explore Northern Ireland as well. It was different from Ireland but just as beautiful. One day we just drove along the Northern Coast, visited Dunluce Castle, Whiterock Beach and the Giant's Causeway which is said to be the windiest place in Northern Ireland. I LOVED the Giant's Causeway and it's wild and rough beauty!
We also did a little Game of Thrones locations tour by ourselves. Part of it was Mussenden Temple, Castle Ward and The Dark Hedges. We even drove by The Wall (yes, THE wall!). Not as impressive as one might think though as there were fences and security all around it.

We also spent a few days in Belfast. It wasn't our favourite city but we still had a good time there. The Titanic Museum was on top of our sightseeing list. I can highly recommend this interactive and very informative experience! Sunday aftertoon we went to the Lyric Theatre and saw Dancing at Lughnasa. Great performance!

From Belfast it's only a short drive to the Gobbins Path, a coastal walking route that first opened to  tourists back in the Victorian era. Futhermore we went to see a stone circle we originally hadn't imagined to be that impressive. It was located on a field and you had to walk a narrow and overgrown path to get there. And when we saw the stone circle for the first time the sun was setting and we were the only people there. It was kind of magical and really special.

Brú na Bóinne was a stop on our way back to Dublin. It's a mysterious site of a very old culture and there are guided tours only. You can choose between three different sites or combine them. We started at Knowth and our guide was very smart and so funny. Newgrange was really nice, too! 

If you are staying in Dublin for a few days I can highly recommend driving into the Wicklow Mountains. I loved the Wicklow scenery just as much as Connemara. There's the small town of Glendalough with a monastery that's definitely worth seeing. Back in Dublin we did some more shopping and enjoyed a last very nice sunset over Dublin.

So that was the route we travelled through Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was a unique and very rewarding experience. I can't wait to come back and travel the South of Ireland, too, and definitely come back to many beloved places from our trip this year ♥ ♥ ♥

Q! These are the books I got in Belfast. Which should I read first? 

Read More