#YAIndieCarnival: Beat the heat

Today at the YA Indie Carnival we're dishing out hot summer reads! And I've got a few awesome reads for you to get your teeth into. Here are some of my favourite books that are just perfect for the beach, the pool, the terrace, outside under the shade of a tree or just snuggled up indoors out of the heat!

Hidden & Thicker Than Blood by Shalini Boland

I've read Hidden three times over the past couple of years and each time I've loved it even more. If you love vampire stories, then Hidden is a must-read! Thicker Than Blood, the sequel, came out earlier this year and it certainly didn't disappoint. I can't wait for the third book in The Marchwood Vampire series!! Oh, and once you've read those, check out Shalini's other books, A Shirtful of Frogs (I'm reading it soon!) and Outside which is, like, one of the BEST dystopian novels I've read! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The Fairy Circle & Fairy Thief by Johanna Frappier

Johanna's imagination is just totally awesome! I love the way she writes and her main character, who goes through some crazy stuff, is just like a regular teenager, you know? She's just so cool. If you love fairy books, then you've got to try this series... it's SO different from anything else you've read, I'm sure of it! AMAZING!

The Bringer by Samantha Towle

So far this is the only book I've read by Samantha (although I have others on my Kindle, ready and waiting... !) and it was AM.A.Z.I.N.G! I loved everything about it, especially the Australia connection! Again, this book is totally unique and there is no doubt that you're gonna LOVE IT!

Rippler by Cidney Swanson

I was totally taken aback by Rippler (probably because I had absolutely no idea what it was going to be about!) because it was just so brilliant. Cidney writes beautifully and her main character's 'problem' for want of a better word, is probably one of the coolest 'problems' around (although a tad awkward at times). This book is an awesome summer read... go and get it, like now (it's FREE at the moment)! AWESOME!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Yes, I know, I know... I'm kind of behind the times. I was a late comer to The Hunger Games and my goodness, I wasn't disappointed. It was AMAZING. I'm sure you've all read it by now so how about re-reading it? You're bound to notice little bits of awesomeness than you missed the first time round! SUPER!

Paradox by Patti Roberts

Again, this is one of those books that was unputdownable. It is so unique, unlike any other books I've ever read. I love that it incorporates different worlds (I ain't giving anything away here!). Patti is a super writer and I can't wait to finally get round to reading the sequels! WONDERFUL!

Anathema by Megg Jensen

I LOVED this book, everything about it just draws you in and you end up sitting up late at night desperate to know what happens next! It's a real page-turner. You must read Anathema... it's FREE at the moment (!), you'll be totally engrossed after the first page! BEAUTIFUL!

There are so many other wonderful YA books that I could go on and on and on...! How about trying out books by all the YA Indie Carnis? There are some real gems to be found among them, for example, have you tried The Raven Saga... it's really very good ;)

To beat the heat and find out some more awesome summer reads, check out my awesome buddies, the YA Indie carnis below.... See ya next week ;) xx

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series

3. Heather Self

4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 

6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 

8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 

10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey

12. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter  

13. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
14. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga

15. Courtney Cole Writes
16. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.

17. Ella James
18. Maureen Murrish

19. Valerie Sloan
20. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings

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Rippler by Cidney Swanson: YA at its best!

Let's start with the blurb:

Invisible. In love. In peril.
Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can't control it, and it's getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love. Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone's been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments. The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

I fell in love with this book pretty much as soon as I began reading. It was immediately evident that Cidney is headed for success... her writing is just beautiful and the way she tells a story from a 15 year old's point of view is simply spot on. There were times when I laughed out loud and other times when I sneakily wiped a tear from my cheek. Seriously... that's how Rippler made me feel. When a book enables you to experience intense emotion like that, you know it's good.

The build-up of tension was exactly right... slowly building and building, just revealing enough truths before it came to an end, in a perfect kind of climax, I guess, making the reader desperate to read the next one! 

I plan to pick up a copy of book two soon... unfortunately, I'm about to start working on something really exciting and so won't have time to read a thing for a couple of months! So I guess I'll just have to wait to see what happens next!

Unfurl Blog Tour with Cidney Swanson

Five Q&A’s with The Ripple's Samantha Ruiz

Sam, what one place in the world would you most like to visit and why?
One? Seriously? Just one? Umm, okay. If I could only pick one I think it would be London. For one thing, I could read all the signs and talk to everyone. Also, I think it would be really cool to get British copies of the Harry Potter books. And I want to eat a scone with some tea and figure out what the heck a crumpet is. I don’t know if I want to eat one, though, until I find out what it is. I would like to visit whatever kind of memorial there is to Diana, Princess of Wales. Her sons lost her close to when I lost my mom.

What’s your favorite place you’ve been so far in your life? Is it in France?
Well, the castle of Chenonceau was pretty magical, but there’s actually something higher on my list of beautiful places. Yosemite National Park. If you ever get the chance to go there, run-don’t-walk!!! I visited Yosemite about a bazillion times when I was little, but it never ceased to amaze me how majestic that place is. If you can only see one part of Yosemite, it should be the valley. But if you get a chance, be sure to drive up both sides of it. (Crane Flat to Tenaya Lake to the top of Yosemite Falls on one side/Chinquapin to Glacier Point with a stop at Washburn Point on the other side.) And hike a trail or two.

Why is Will Baker perfect for you?
I’m blushing. Seriously. Umm, well, he just is. He’s gorgeous, at least to me. His eyes are this dark brown that I could seriously drown in. Also, he kind of gets the whole thing about my mom and how losing her changed everything and how time passes but you don’t ever really, truly get past that loss. In some ways. Also, he’s a great running partner!

What’s one thing you Know For Sure?
Oh, good one. Okay, here goes. If you are a loner or even a lonely person, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you and it needs to be fixed. I mean, maybe you do need to find someone to talk to like a teacher or librarian or your coach (someone you trust), but you shouldn’t feel like being alone makes you wrong or says anything about you. Also, middle school sucks. But you will get past it into better stuff. Actually, high school can kind of suck too. But if I got through middle school, hey, I can get through this too!

What’s one more thing you Know For Sure?
Love is more powerful than hatred. Kindness is stronger than cruelty. I know it doesn’t always look like those things are true, but I know this. For Sure.

Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Series, of which Samantha Ruiz is the main character. If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a Kindle set of the trilogy, please enter below...
For more information about Cidney and her books, visit:
http://cidneyswanson.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cidneyswanson
http://twitter.com/#!/cidneyswanson
http://www.amazon.com/Cidney-Swanson/e/B005344OTQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/cidney-swanson?keyword=cidney+swanson&store=allproducts
http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=cidney+swanson
http://www.goodreads.com/search?query=cidney+swanson
http://www.librarything.com/author/swansoncidney