Friday Book Recommendation: Shadowed Summer

I'm reading Elana Johnson's POSSESSION right now (because Kristi mailed me an ARC-crit partners rock!), and since Kristi recommended that a few weeks ago, I'm going with an older favorite. Saundra Mitchell's ghost story mystery, SHADOWED SUMMER. This book was released in hardcover February 2009.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735715

From Booklist

This heady mix of ghost story and mystery, drenched in the languid, humid atmosphere of a small Louisiana town, should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. Ennui can get people into all sorts of trouble, and the kind of blank summer days staring down 14-year-old Iris and her friends lead them to casting spells in the town cemetery. A masculine whisper in Iris’ ear shoots them into true ghost-hunting, with a Ouija board indicating that the whisperer belongs to the town’s only mystery, a 17-year-old boy who disappeared almost 20 years ago. 
Mitchell skillfully segues from gothic romance to prosaic mystery as the friends examine microfiche records and question the boy’s relatives and friends. As the ghost becomes increasingly insistent that his mystery be solved, Iris discovers unnerving connections to her own family. 
Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending. Grades 8-12. --Connie Fletcher

Reviews:

Saundra Mitchell respects her youthful readers, and comprehends the complexities of their time of life. This spectral story is insightful and eloquent; the ache of youth is remarkably rendered. --Hellnotes

Good ghost stories are, like ghosts, a little thin on the ground in these times, and readers will be pleased to find this atmospheric reaffirmation of a good haunting. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Shadowed Summer is beautiful and haunting- filled with love and lies, secrets and betrayal, that play out flawlessly in a novel you will never forget. It is the best Southern Gothic I've read in years." --Kami Garcia, New York Times Bestselling Author of Beautiful Creatures

"This heady mix of ghost story and mystery...should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. . . Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending." ---Booklist

009 Junior Library Guild Selection
2009 ALAN Pick
2010 Edgar Nominee (Best YA Mystery)
2010 Society of Midland Authors Book Award (Best Children’s)
2010 VOYA Summer Reading List

********************

These reviews say it all--atmospheric, haunting. Can I just say it's awesome? I'm a little bias when it comes to the southern gothic stories, but you should read this one.

You can check out Saundra at her website, or twitter. Saundra is also the author of THE VESPERTINE, out now, and THE SPRINGSWEET, coming spring 2012.

Make sure you come back here on Monday for the official announcement and details--including the reveal of our special guest judge--of our 500 followers celebratory contest!

3 Ways That Revisions Are Like Boyfriends

Like Kristi, I'm deep in revision mode and my signs are pretty much the same as hers. But have you ever thought about how revising a manuscript if a lot like finding a new boyfriend? Thankfully, I'm married (today is my anniversary) and don't have to worry about new boyfriends. Unfortunately, the revisions never seem to end.


1.) In the beginning, you feel great about it. You spend every free minute together. You even share your Good & Plenty candy with it. It's amazing.

2.) Then. Oh, then. Your revision does unexpected things, makes you cut thousands of words and just throw them away like they never meant anything to you. You completely change your story for your revision. He forces you awake at all hours to jot things down in your sleep stupor and spend hours the next day deciphering your scribbles. But it's for the best. You know this revision is making you better. It's making your book better. Right?

3.) Finally, the day comes when this revision has polished your manuscript and made it sparkle like unicorn feet. It's fresh. It's beautiful. It's worth every sleep deprived candy binge. You say "I do" and send it out into the query trenches!

Unless you read your manuscript again and realize this revision has blinded you, destroyed everything you've worked for and made it a sloppy mess! Better than it was before, but still a sloppy mess. He's not the one for you.

In that case, you toss him out and start a new one.

3 Signs That I'm Starting A New Book

Inspired by Kristi's post yesterday, here's some signs that I'm writing a new book:

1. I can't hear you. What's that? Were you saying something to me? So sorry, I was thinking about that plot twist, and what it's like for my character to experience this whole new world I'm building her, and how I'm going to manage to squeeze in a kissing scene.

2. Flip-flop. Chances are I'm somewhere in the middle of W I D E mood swings from OMG this is the crazy-coolest most awesome idea ever!!! to What was I thinking? HOW WILL I EVER MAKE THIS WORK???

3. Gone missing. You can't find me anywhere. Not on g-chat, or twitter. I'm slow to answer emails. Hopefully because I'm typing away on that story or more likely, because I'm avoiding my computer like the plague.

So there you have it. My dirty little secrets revealed! How about you? Are you better behaved than me when starting a new project?

3 Signs That I'm Revising

 I'm in major polishing/revision mode for my new ms, and some telltale signs have appeared:

1) My basket runneth over. Okay, if you've read my prior laundry related posts, you know I haven't seen the bottom of my laundry basket in years (seriously, I think it's possessed). But I aim to keep the clothes level lower than the rim of the basket. Hey, it's good to have goals. This week, a tower of abstract clothing art has overtaken my closet.

2) My inner addict emerges. I know I'm in trouble when I wonder if mainlining caffeine would be a more efficient delivery method than drinking it. While coffee is the biggie for me, chocolate also has a way of disappearing when I'm revising. I've tweeted about the evil called Cadbury Creme Eggs, but since Easter is over, my ass is safe for another year.

3) Sleep is for babies. There's not much I love more than my sleep. In fact, my husband would attest that I am a baby--like, a huge, super cranky one--when I don't get enough (and with two young kids, I never get enough). For me to willingly sacrifice sleep is not typical, but I've been up til midnight or later for the past week because I've been so excited about finishing revisions. As I do best with 8-9 hours of sleep, I realize this 4-5 hours a night thing will catch up with me soon, but I'm really close to the end. At least I better be, or my hubby is going to spike my coffee with benedryl.    
 
Can anyone relate to these? What are your signs that you're deep in writing/revision land?
  
Also, I wanted to pass along info about a great upcoming event: Want to ask an agent a publishing question? Super-agents Kathleen Ortiz and Liz Jote are going to do a LIVE podcast on Thursday, May 5th at 9pm ET.

Contest Monday

Today Adventures in Children's Publishing is hosting part 1 of their weekly YA giveaway alongside some fantastic author interviews. Check that out here.

If you know of any contests or giveaways going on this week--for writers or reader-let us know below!

And be sure to check back soon for our 500 followers celebration! We've gotten confirmation from our invited guest. Now we're hammering out the details!

Friday Book Recommendation--NEED by Carrie Jones

Happy Friday! My book recommendation this week is NEED by Carrie Jones. This is another one I picked up in the book store based solely on the cover and title. After reading the jacket flap, I was sold.

Summary from Goodreads:

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Why I liked it? Well, it's creepy and funny which scores big points in my book. I loved the voice of the MC, Zara, and the secondary characters were well-developed and endearing. WARNING: You'll never see pixies as cute again after reading this. If you want a fast-paced, tension-filled page turner, check this out. I'm almost finished with the second, CAPTIVATE, and can't wait for the next one. 

Anyone else read this? Anyone look at tall, pale men differently now (no offense intended to tall, pale non-pixie men)?

Get a Life.

Carrie Harris had a great review of Jeri Smith-Ready's book SHIFT over at her blog today and it got me thinking about paranormal books and the common trends we see there. Yanno, stuff to avoid.

"But one of my big pet peeves is when the characters in books like this seem to have no lives whatsoever. I'm left with the impression that they pretty much just floated through life without engaging in ANYTHING aside from maybe an occasional party. Their life doesn't start until they meet the sparkly mutant wombat/were-yeti/frankenthulhu/whatever."


We've all read books like this, right? So obviously there not bad books. Some of my favorite books include one or more of these common trends. But there are definitely some pitfalls in paranormal fiction to avoid.

• The boring protag who falls in love with hot paranormal guy
• The best friend who is completely oblivious (and usually ignored when hot boy comes in)-but I can see this one as being realistic with a lot of girls, so not such a HUGE no-no to me.
• Parents that are MIA or have no idea their daughter is dating a monster
• Protag chasing after hot paranormal guy even though he's a complete a-hole to her.
• The first half of the story the protag is trying to find out what's going on with strange hot guy--but you, the reader, already know because the back cover told you he was a vampire/fallen angel/werewolf/ghost/something-someone-just-made-up
• The awesome human boy who is totally into the protag never gets the girl

These are the biggest trends that I've seen and attempted to avoid, even though I can understand why the character(s) do these things. It's just been done enough. I'm sort of guilty of that last one, but he might get her later, you never know. What are some of the big trends you've noticed in fiction? Anything to add to my little list?

On an unrelated note, we've hit 500 followers! You guys are amazing. We want to do something extra special to say thank you, and we'll let you know as soon as we get the details hammered out. Seriously, you guys are awesome. 

When "I feel" Feels Distant

One of the great things about first person POV is its immediacy. First person takes the reader right into a character's brain, right into the middle of whatever they're experiencing. But sometimes, the very thing that's supposed to pull us into the scene, takes us out.

I think it's easy when writing in first person, to slip into a rhythm where, particularly when we're describing action we're constantly making "I" statements like, I feel, I see, I hear.

These "I" statements can be distancing to your reader. (Not to mention they get pretty tedious when almost every sentence in a paragraph starts out with I.)

Think about it. When I read:

Cold water trickles down my back.

I shiver because I feel cold water trickling down my own back. It's subliminal. We think to ourselves this way, so when reading a sentence that is something we would say in our own mind, we react as if it's happening to us.

Now, when I read:

I feel cold water trickle down my back.

I am forced to take a step back. I picture the narrator shivering as she feels the cold water. Because it's her experience. She's telling me what's happening and I have to picture it. So suddenly, I am sympathetic, and I'm still interested to know what happens next, but I'm not right there in the moment with her.

See the difference?

Of course there are times when you want to create that bit of distance, or an I statement is really the only way to drive your point home, but don't forget to pull your reader as close to the action as possible whenever you can.

Flirting with the Enemy

Not so long ago, I shared my tragic news with you about my husband crossing over to the dark side. At the time, I reported I was sleeping with the enemy. Well, the iPad2 arrived at our house last week...

...and um, I kinda like it. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally not cheating on my books because I don't use it for reading, but I'll admit to browsing the app store when no one's looking. My hubby downloaded some games onto it for my 4 and 7-yo, and the graphics are amazing. Seriously, my son hasn't touched the Wii once since we got it.

It also has two cameras and you can do weird special effects with them (well, I can't--I barely understand my point and click camera), but my hubby snapped this pic of me when I wasn't paying attention. I'm not actually blue, green, and red in real life. Also, notice how hard I'm working on revisions:

But my favorite thing happened when my hubby opened up a bookcase app and showed me my books sitting on his "shelf." He even had them bookmarked. He also got the Kindle app, and bought The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, one of my all-time favorite books. For him, the device is convenient and more conducive to reading on the go. Though I still prefer old-school books and don't know if I'll ever read one on the iPad, I get that this works better for him. Basically, I've warmed up to the idea of having this device in my home...and even enjoy playing around on it. You won't tell him, right?

Anyone else out there who's an unwilling convert to new technology? Anyone else's kids forgo the Wii for some Fruit Ninja iPad action?

Contest Monday featuring Natalie Fischer and Dear Editor

YAtopia is hosting a pitch contest with awesome agent Natalie Fischer from Bradford Literary Agency. Get your pitches perfected and enter here. Hurry because entries will be capped at 150 or on April 21st. Winners and prizes will be announced on 4/28.

The fabulous (and generous) Dear Editor is giving away a free, substantive edit on an adult or young adult ms (any genre) up to 80,000 words. Deadline to enter is 4/21 and random winner selected 4/22.

Any contests we missed? Just enter your info in Mr. Linky below:

Friday Book Recommendation

April is National Poetry Month so I thought I'd rec a verse novel this week.


IDENTICAL by ELLEN HOPKINS
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for Congress. Everything on the surface of their lives seems Norman Rockwell perfect, but underneath run deep and damaging secrets.

Kaeleigh is the good girl-her father's perfect flower, something she has tried so hard to be since she was nine and he started sexually abusing her. She cuts herself and vomits after every binge, desperate to feel something normal. Raeanne uses painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite. Both girls must figure out how to become whole, but how can they when their world has been torn to shreds?

This book is stunning not just in it's story, which is gut-wrenching, but also in it's construction. Ellen Hopkins has a way with words. She writes verse in a way that you never feel like you're reading poems and yet the prose is so poetic.

In this book she does something that blows my mind. The sisters alternate pages so that their poems appear side by side. And in each of those sets of pages, there is a poem within a poem (called gutter poems) that each sister shares. And that gutter poem is the core of what both sisters are really trying to say. I was probably a quarter of the way into the book when I realized this and then I had to go back and check every set of poems just to make sure. I was amazed. This is poetry as a new kind of art.

If you've never read a verse novel I strongly suggest you give IDENTICAL a try. Word of warning, the book deals with some pretty dark and mature themes. It's not for everyone's taste.

#YALitChat Mega Chat

Last year was the first (I think?) mega chat on #yalitchat, with an after party hosted at the Mundie Moms blog. Last night was the start of the second #yalitchat mega chat! Eight YA authors attended as official guests but a few more stopped by to join the conversation.

If you missed the chat last night, stop by tonight at 8:30pm EST using hashtag #yalitchat on twitter. I recommend using tweetchat.com or tweet deck for these chats. It's the only possible way to keep up. If you stop by and you see me tweeting (@ljboldyrev), say hi! Anyone can join, anyone can chat, and regular #yalitchat happens every Wednesday evening at 9pm EST. Always chock-full of great info and awesome people.

I'm not a moderator or anything, I just <3 #yalitchat.

http://yalitchat.com/
http://yalitchat.ning.com/

Finish Your Book First

I have no ideas for a post today so I'm directing you over to Mary Kole's post about why you need to finish your book before you query.

I know most of you already know this, but like Mary says, there's always newbies who are just starting out on their hunt for information on the publishing world and we all know how hard it is to wait until you're done to get feedback on your first ms!

She also has some great info on exceptions to the rule and info on dummies for those of you who write picture books.

Sharing Great News

 As you know, the publishing business is super slow, so it's not too often I get to share fun stuff. But today I do. My awesome critique partner, Jeanne Ryan, (who has an equally awesome agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette) got a book deal!!! I told her when I read this book it would be "the one," and I'm so happy to share her Publisher's Marketplace news with you:

Jeanne Ryan's debut NERVE, about a teen girl lured into a voyeuristic online game where her decisions could have deadly consequences, to Andrew Harwell at Dial, by Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World).

If you like uber-creepy YA's (and this one is WAY creepy), you'll love it! The release date is Summer of 2013. You can follow Jeanne on Twitter @Jeanne_Ryan (tell her I sent you!)

In other great critique partner news, Niki Masse Schoenfeldt has a second picture book coming out in Spring 2012. It's titled DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE and is being published by Shenanigan Books. She also has a PB published by Orchard House Press titled Nature's Lullaby. Niki recently obtained representation with the fabulous Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Agency. Follow Niki on Twitter @nikiofware and check out her blog The Fractured Keyboard. 

All of my critique partners are so wonderful, supportive, and encouraging, and it makes me really happy to help them celebrate their good news! You girls rock! 

Contest Monday - Updated!

Just added a new contest for writers!

Ebyss Leann is hosting a Pitch & 250 Word Contest on her blog. The judge is agent Gina Panettieri, President of Talcott Notch Literary Service. Check out her site for all the details. Contest ends 4/17.

Author Myra McEntire is having a Past, Present, Future Contest on her blog! You can win signed copies of THE VESPERTINE by Saundra Mitchell, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, and Myra's own soon to be released book HOURGLASS. Contest ends 4/15.

Squeaky Books is giving away an ARC of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. Enter here. Contest ends 4/15.

Adventures in Children's Publishing is giving away copies of ENCLAVE, THE GATHERING, WHAT COMES AFTER, IN THE SHADOW OF THE LAMP, and MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER in their In Stores This Week Giveaway! Contest ends 4/13.

As always, if you have a contest you want to share, post the link in our Mr. Linky below!

Friday Book Recommendation: POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

I tore through the ARC of POSSESSION this week (it releases in June) and I loved this book...so much so that my poor laundry basket overflowed to the point that my 6-yo suggested I buy a second basket. I loved the relationship between Vi and Jag, and Elana did a fantastic job of world-building. I told Elana my only issue was where the book ended...and I meant that in a good way. I turned the last page, like "What? It can't end here." I won't give anything away, but I told her I need the second book, like now. If you like dystopian, this is a must read book. Elana is also hosting a super awesome contest on her FB page and the details are here. I don't know if I'm allowed to say what everyone who enters will get, but it's really cool. Contest ends: 4/28. Here's the cover and blurb for POSSESSION:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the...moreVi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Happy Reading! Anyone else read this yet? 

Author Event With Gayle Forman

Tuesday night was the release of the much anticipated sequel to Gayle Forman's IF I STAY. The WHERE SHE WENT launch party was right here in NY, so of course I had to go. :P

There were cupcakes and quarters and curse words. I took a seat next to Elizabeth Eulberg (author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom and Prejudice) to eat my cupcake and catch up. Mitali from Alley of Books was also there, as was YA writer Frankie Diane Mallis! Frankie is giving away a signed copy of WHERE SHE WENT on her blog!

Gayle has a rule at home--for every curse word, her kids get a quarter. The signing was no exception. For every kid under 14, Gayle promised a quarter every time they heard the F-bomb in her reading. She owed each of them only one! Go Gayle!

Gayle's first words, before she read the subway scene and the following chapter where Adam becomes "a guy", were "If you fell in love with Adam in IF I STAY, well, I'm sorry."

I won't go into any detail in case you haven't read IF I STAY, because I know you're going to read it because it's great.

Gayle is one of my favorite people. Her books--emotional and raw--are definitely not to be missed.

It's Not Cheating If It Helps

So I was perusing my copy of The Art of War For Writers by James Scott Bell, looking for tips as I prepare to start my brand new book from scratch and I came across this suggestion from Chapter 20:

"It's the little things that mount up to victory. So make yourself a reminder list..."

Bell suggests that you list the things you know you need to improve in your writing on notecards, or post-its --a sort of cheat sheet-- and keep them where you can see them when you're writing.

Some of the notes that he uses personally include:

Emotion! Emotion! Emotion! - Which reminds him that his primary objective is to give readers an emotional ride.

Be Dialogue Happy - Reminding him to let the dialogue flow, he can always edit it later.

And my favorite:
The Second Right Answer - This one could be a post all on its own. Bell suggests that we should learn to stop at every major creative decision in our story (for example: plot turning points) and think of several options before moving forward. This is because usually, the first idea we have (the right answer) for "what happens next" is the obvious, or cliche, or standard way of going.

This is something I actually do when plotting. I ask myself, what is the obvious expectation here, and what are my other options. Then I pick the one that's most interesting, or surprising, or emotional, that makes sense for my characters and my story.

I think this is a great idea and am definitely going to make up a few reminder notes for myself. Other than what Bell has listed, I know I'll have one that says "Description! Description! Description!" because I tend to leave that out of my draft.

What about you? Do you make reminders for yourself? What would be on your post its?

A Change in Perspective

While waiting for feedback on my new ms (YA apocalyptic) from my awesome critique partners, I pulled up my first ms (YA urban fantasy) that I wrote last year. I hadn't touched it in months, and honestly wasn't sure whether to junk it entirely or see if I could fix it. I had a sudden urge to re-write the entire thing in 1st person POV (it was in 3rd), and doing that one thing caused a huge shift in my manuscript.

I felt less distance from the MC, which in turn, changed events (including the climax) and even characters throughout the story. I've loved reading books written in both 1st and 3rd POV, but 1st person worked much better for mine. Has anyone else changed the POV of their story from 3rd to 1st, or vice versa? Did you notice a difference?   

Also, there was ANOTHER amazing live event from WRITE ON CON yesterday featuring fabulous literary agent Roseanne Wells from the Marianne Strong Literary Agency. Roseanne gave her thoughts on real query letters posted in the forum and her responses were super informative. Click here to replay it.

Contest Monday

It is definitely Monday.

I couldn't find much in the way of contests to bring you today, mostly because I've been away from the Internet for a while, but here's a couple to check out while you sip your morning coffee/tea/coca cola/pick-your-poison.

Casey from Literary Rambles is giving away a copy of Kim Harrington's book CLARITY that was just released March 1st, along with a great author interview. Ends April 9th, midnight.

At Adventures in Children's Publishing, Martina and Marissa are hosting their weekly giveaway. This week with 13 awesome books!

The iClue contest starts today! 6 authors, 6 mysteries, 6 chances to win an ipod touch! Details here.



Also! Not a contest but a reminder, tonight, 8pm EST April 4th, WriteOnCon is hosting a live event with Roseanne Wells from the Marianne Strong Literary Agency! Don't miss it! Details about the event and Roseanne and what she's looking for here.

If you have any contests or giveaways to share please do!

Friday Book Recommendation--hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and POSSESSION preview

Before I get to my weekly recommendation, I need to tell you about a book that will be featured here as soon as I finish it. I got the ARC in the mail yesterday and though I only just started it, I can already tell you that POSSESSION by Elana Johnson rocks. More to come on that soon, but here is the very cool cover:

My recommendation this week is one I read awhile ago. The author is a fellow Coloradoan, and I'll admit I picked this one up in the store based on the cover. Why hello, hot fallen angel, I'd love to read all about you. Luckily, Becca Fitzpatrick's hush, hush also delivered great writing and a fast-paced plot. The relationship between Patch and Nora had great tension and kept me turning the pages. Also, did I mention there's a hot, fallen angel? If you're a fan of paranormal or urban fantasy, you'll love this!

Goodreads description:
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
 
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Has anyone else read this? Anyone else like hot, fallen angels?