Book Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

book cover for poison by bridget zinnTitle: Poison
Author: Bridget Zinn (web | twitter)
Genre: Fantasy YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release date: March 12, 2013
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge
Source: NetGalley (Thanks Disney Hyperion!)

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

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Blog Tour: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Poison by Bridget Zinn

book cover for poison by bridget zinn

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powells | iTunes | IndieBound 

Add POISON on Goodreads!

Check out more about Bridget and her awesome book and life on the web

Friends, I am so happy to be participating in this blog tour for POISON by Bridget Zinn. It’s so special that so many people are joining up to spread the word about this really sweet, fun fantasy (I’m typing up my review as soon as I’m done posting this). It gives me the warm-fuzzies, even while it makes me a little bit sad: I’d love for the chance to read more of Bridget’s books, but if this is the one we get, I’m more than happy with that, too.

About Bridget Zinn

Bridget Zinn

Bridget grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the “summer of love” and the two celebrated with several more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died. Her last tweet was “Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect.”

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers’ copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.

Lots of other super people are participating–or have already participated–in this tour. You can check out out the whole list here.

Bloggiesta!

BloggiestaIt’s Bloggiesta time!!! HUZZAH!! I just love this whole event from top to bottom, friends. I know that we all have so many things we want or need to do with our blogs, sometimes having to do with our content and the things we present to the readers, and others times lots of back-end, behind the scenes stuff, like updating SEO on posts or changing the fonts on our h4. I’ve got a laundry list of things I want to do here at Tripping Over Books. I’ve got some family plans tomorrow and I was working all day today, but as soon as I finish reading DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST (OMG SO GOOD), I’m going to get cracking on my tasks! LET’S DO THIS THING, PEOPLE.

  1. Return all the comments on my blog from the last week.
  2. Visit the blogs of all my commenters and leave comments on their most recent posts
  3. Visit at least 10 new blogs and leave comments (I need to up my commenting game, friends)
  4. Write and schedule the 4 reviews that I took notes on today–Requiem, Poison (actually on a blog tour for this one tomorrow–stop by!!), Paper Valentine, and Daughter of the Forest
  5. Make notes for my reviews of: The Reece Malcolm List, Days of Blood and Starlight, Code Name Verity, and the audiobook of Clockwork Prince
  6. Update my reviews on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon
  7. Update the SEO on 30 posts
  8. Participate in April @ Good Books and Good Wine‘s StumbleUpon challenge, and check out the Organizing Reviews mini-challenge and the Reviewing in Many Places challenge, hosted by Lauren @ Lose Time Reading and Shanyn @ Chick Loves Lit, respectively.

WHEW! This is many things, friends. I seriously hope I have time for these, especially the commenting. That is really and truly going to be my priority. I’ve been so horrible at it, and everyone else is so great. Let’s be positive, though, shall we? WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Top Ten Tuesday (68)

Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Books on My Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday’s on their site!

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Book Review | Eleanor & Park | Rainbow Rowell

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

Book Review | Eleanor & Park | Rainbow RowellEleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on February 26, 2013
Genres: Contemporary YA, Young Adult
Pages: 328
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

TWO MISFITS. ONE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE. 
It’s 1986 and two star-crossed teens are smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love–and just how hard it pulled you under.

 A cross between the iconic ’80s movie Sixteen Candles and the classic coming-of-age novel Looking for Alaska, Eleanor & Park is a brilliantly written young adult novel.

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Audiobook Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Book cover for Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare Audiobook

Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare (web | twitter)
Narrator: Jennifer Ehle
Series: Infernal Devices #1
Amazon | Goodreads | Audible
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (print), Simon & Schuster Audio (audio)
Release date: August 31, 2010
Challenge: Audiobook Challenge, TBR Challenge
Source: Bought it

Summary: Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

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Top Ten Tuesday (67)

Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Books I HAD to Buy But Haven’t Read Yet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday’s on their site!

[Read more…]

The Lumatere Chronicles Readalong: Week 5

Froi of the Exiles The Lumatere Chronicles

My Thoughts

I’m really getting into this readalong, friends. I’m so glad that we’ve made it to FROI OF THE EXILES!! Because while I enjoyed FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK a lot, I am already liking this book better. I am loving Froi, I’m loving the glimpses we got this week of Lumatere three years after Isaboe and Finnikin broke the curse, and I’m convinced that I’m going to love Lucian and Phaedra. Questions after the jump if you’ve read this week’s portion! (Or if you just like spoilers.)

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Stacking the Shelves (18)

Stacking The ShelvesWeek of March 9, 2013

Friends, spring has sprung in my neck of the woods. AND I LOVE IT. Got some books that I’m INCREDIBLY excited to read in the mail this week, as well as a novella gem from NetGalley from one of my favorite series. WORD!

NETGALLEY

Book cover for Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer

Amazon | Goodreads

Breathless: Elemental #2.5 by Brigid Kemmerer (April 30, 2013 from Kensington). Friends, I know I have gushed about the Elemental series and the Merrick brothers before. So far, there have been books about Chris (STORM) and Gabriel (SPARK), and a novella about the oldest and my favorite, Michael (who is getting his own book soon!). This novella is about Nick, Gabriel’s twin brother, and is coming out in advance of book 3, SPIRIT (which is about Hunter, a friend of the Merrick’s). I will read all of these books, always. I love them. Thanks, Kensington!!!

BOUGHT

Stacking the Shelves

Legacy of the Clockwork Key: The Secret Order #1 by Kristin Bailey. Steampunkish secret order? A dangerous invention that can ruin the world? A young girl who maybe falls for a stable boy? I’ll take a flyer on all of those things, please. Oh, AND? DEBUT. Word. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Let the Sky Fall: Let the Sky Fall #1 by Shannon Messenger. Don’t tease me with a book that is in any way about anything weather related. I will read it. This one–about a guy named, perhaps ironically, Vane (like, WEATHERVANE?) and an air elemental named Aura sounds just basically perfect. Hearing good things, too. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Stacking the Shelves

Finnikin of the Rock and Quintana of Charyn: The Lumatere Chronicles #1 & #3 by Melina Marchetta. These two–the Australian versions–finally arrived from Fishpond yesterday! Huzzah! I’m well and truly in deep with this series–reading FROI OF THE EXILES right now–and I’m stoked that I have a copy of QUINTANA to read next, even though it doesn’t come out in the US until April. (Series on Amazon | Series on Goodreads)

Book cover for Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me: Shatter Me #1 by Tahereh Mafi. This one is on sale for my kindle, and I’ve been wanting to reread before I snag a copy of UNRAVEL ME, which I’m now going to have to buy for my kindle as well, for which I am notoriously cheap when it comes to purchasing books. Let’s hope that it goes on sale soon, too #delusional (Amazon | Goodreads)

This Week on Tripping Over Books…

The Lumatere Chronicles Readalong of FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK is complete! Here’s my thoughts on Week 4.

Top Ten Series I Want to Start. Here’s a list that could have been twice it’s size.

I had a BLAST reading Robin Benway’s ALSO KNOWN AS.

Book Review | Also Known As | Robin Benway

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

Book Review | Also Known As | Robin BenwayAlso Known As by Robin Benway
Series: Also Known As #1
Published by Bloomsbury on February 26, 2013
Genres: Contemporary YA, Spies, Young Adult
Pages: 308
Format: eARC
Also in this series: Going Rogue
Also by this author: Going Rogue, Emmy & Oliver
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
four-stars

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She’ll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school’s security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

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