Tuesday, October 2, 2018

YA Scavenger Hunt Fall 2018!!!

It's that time of year again!! When we all go crazy for a few days, trying to win piles of awesome books! This year, I'm also doing my own personal giveaway, so make sure to read all the way to the VERY BOTTOM of the post for your chance to win a signed copy of either DARK BREAKS THE DAWN or the sequel BRIGHT BURNS THE NIGHT -- your choice!!!  

"With its intricate, dazzling system of magic and a vibrant cast of characters, this passionate, war-torn retelling of Swan Lake is not one to be missed! You'll be spellbound from the very first lines." - Sarah J. Maas #1 NYT bestselling author of THRONE OF GLASS series

"Larson (DEFY trilogy) deftly weaves fantasy with the best parts of the Swan Lake ballet in this gripping first book of a duology."  - PW *Starred* review









(You can win one of these!! Make sure to go all the way to the bottom!)





Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!





Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the Red Team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday October 7th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Here's a little trivia for you - my all time FAVORITE number has always been 21!!!

This year I'm hosting the J.M. Sullivan!


-->Teacher by day, award-winning author by night, J.M. Sullivan is a fairy tale fanatic who loves taking classic stories and turning them on their head. Although known to dabble in adulting, J.M. is a big kid at heart who still believes in true love, magic, and most of all, the power of coffee. If you would like to connect, find JM on social media at @jmsullivanbooks -- she’d love to hear from you!

She is the author of ALICE: 

Isn't that cover gorgeous??? 

-->Alice Carroll hardly remembers life before the plague. When the undead first crawled from their graves, it was like a nightmare. When they killed her mother, the nightmare became shockingly real. Now her sister Dinah has contracted the 'un-deadly' virus and without a cure, soon she'll be worse than dead. She'll be momerath.

To save her sister, Alice must leave the safety of the Sector and venture into Momerath territory in search of an antidote - if it exists. Chasing a rumor about a mysterious doctor with a cure, Alice falls down the rabbit hole into Wanderland, where ravenous momerath aren't the only danger lurking.

You can buy her book ALICE by CLICKING HERE!!

You're in for a treat today, because J.M. is giving you a sneak peek of the first chapter from BROKEN GLASS! Read on for that sneak peek -- and make sure you continue past it for my giveaway of a signed book!

LOOKING GLASS HOUSE
CHAPTER ONE
My sister is gone, and it’s all my fault.
Alice buried her face in her pillow, trying to chase away the thoughts that refused to
yield. The darkness didn’t help—she was still haunted by the vision of Dinah’s beautiful
almond eyes flashing from a rich, radiant brown to a mottled, murky grey.
A frustrated scream ripped from her chest and she flung the pillow across the room,
lashing out against the fresh wave of memories threatening to drown her. The projectile hit
her desk with a crash, toppling Alice’s family picture with Dinah and her mother. She winced
as the frame fell, smacking against the hard wood. Alice rushed to her desk, overcome with
a fresh surge of emotion as she looked at the picture and saw the fractured image of her
family—infinitely separated by shards of broken glass.
Alice gently removed the largest shard, clearing the splintered marks from Dinah’s
face, revealing the unmarred image of her sister. A harsh laugh ripped from Alice’s chest.
If only it was that easy.
In reality, things were much more complicated. In reality, her mother was dead, and
her sister was something worse. She was a momerath.

Alice shivered, remembering the way the virus had come for Dinah, changing her
from a healthy, vibrant woman into a shambling monster in a matter of days. Alice glanced
down at the image of her sister, and was hit with a sharp pang of guilt as she studied her
smiling face. She hadn’t even been there for the worst of it. She had left the Sector and went
to Phoenix, leaving Dinah all alone.
Alice bit her lip to still her trembling chin, then set the photo back in its place. She
stooped to retrieve her pillow, then scuffled across the floor to flop mournfully onto her
bed, overcome with shame.
She had gone to Wanderland to save Dinah, but all she’d succeeded in was making
things worse. The rumor of a cure had only brought more questions about the undeadly
virus, along with the undesired side effect of the death of too many good people. The guiltreel
whirred through Alice’s mind again, fresh with images of the people who had helped her
through Wanderland. Dr. Abbott, Indi, Johnny, Big Mike. So many lost in a failed attempt to
find a cure, and it was all her fault.
No. Alice strangled the pillow in her hands. It was the Red Queen. If she hadn’t
interfered, Chess and I would have made it back in time to properly administer the antidote.
If it wasn’t for her, Dinah wouldn’t have —
Alice’s nose pricked as she swallowed the lump in her throat. It was hard to believe
that only a week ago, she had been sitting in this same room, mentally preparing for a
simple scouting trip.
If that was all I had to worry about now, Alice thought with a bitter sigh. She couldn’t
believe how much she had whined at Dinah. Unbidden, a fresh wave of tears surged
forward, carried on the memory of the last conversation she had with her sister.
‘I only talk to myself because I don't have anyone else to talk to. It’s a coping
mechanism.’
‘You can talk to me. I'm always here for you, little sister.’
The tears Alice fought so hard to hold back spilled over her cheeks and onto her
pillow. She couldn’t believe how selfish she had been. How much she had taken for granted.
How little she had done. Maybe if she were braver or smarter or faster, Dinah would still be
there.
But she wasn’t. She was the same quiet, timid girl she’d been her whole life. And
Dinah was gone.
“Knock, knock.” Chess appeared as he rapped the inside of the already opened door.
He peeked at Alice from under the messy ash hair falling in front of his amber eyes. He
brushed it away and a nervous grin twitched his lips, showing a bright smile that stood out
against his dark olive skin. “I come bringing gifts,” he said, setting a peanut butter sandwich
and a warm soda on the table beside her bed. Alice gave it a blank stare.
“Thanks.” She tried to smile, but it collapsed halfway through the gesture.
“You have to eat,” Chess chided as he flopped onto the bed beside her. “I know you
miss your sister, but it’s been three days and you haven’t left the room once.” He screwed
his lips together as he leaned in to sniff her shoulder. “You’re starting to stink.”
“I am not!” Alice pushed him back as she shot away from him and her long, silverblonde
hair tumbled over her shoulder, revealing a collection of tangled strands. Her eyes
widened and she grasped it into a low ponytail and brushed her fingers through the ends to
quickly smooth the snarls. Chess snickered.
“Alright, the smelly thing wasn’t true.” He coughed out another laugh before he
looked at her disheveled state, then his expression softened. “But honestly, Princess? This
isn’t healthy.”
“I’m not hungry.” Her stomach let out a contending growl and Chess’ lips quirked in a
knowing smile. Alice huffed and flopped onto the bed, turning her back to him. Behind her,
his chest rumbled with a low laugh.
“Sure, you aren’t,” he sighed, but didn’t press the issue. “At least drink the soda.” He
waved it enticingly over her shoulder. “It’s practically a delicacy.”
Alice stared at the can. How could she care about food at a time like this? Her sister
was outside the Sector running God-knows-where, disguised as a monster. Except, it wasn’t
a disguise. It was her.
Kind of.
A frustrated growl escaped her throat. Her mind stuck in a cruel loop, forcing her to
endlessly relive Dinah’s transformation from Carrier to momerath to . . . Alice wasn’t quite
sure what. A million questions buzzed behind the gruesome memories accompanying the
reel with a disparaging soundtrack. She twisted her neck to face Chess.
“You don’t understand,” she argued. “You didn’t see what happened to her. The way
she looked at me. I—” Her voice broke her explanation, and she turned away to hide her
impending tears. “I lost her.”
“And you’ll find her,” Chess encouraged. “I mean, you found a plague antidote in the
middle of a momerath haystack.” He nudged the small of her back. “You can find your
sister.”
“We found half an antidote,” she reminded him. “It didn’t work—not all the way.”
Chess sighed. Alice could picture him scratching the back of his head as he decided what to
say next. She knew she was being difficult, but she wasn’t finished with her self-loathing.
“Listen, Princess,” Chess’ voice hardened, employing a different approach, “you can
mope over what happened and how you’re a failure for as long as you want, but that isn’t
the girl I know. And it won't help. If anything, it will only make finding Dinah harder later.” He
caught his breath before continuing, “Because you'll get over this and then you’ll be upset
that you sat around and waited so long to kick ass.” He nudged her in the back again.
“That’s my Alice.”
Alice chewed her lip, considering his words. Chess was right. Her sulking wasn’t
accomplishing anything. It wasn’t even making her feel better. Resigned, she slowly scooted
to join him at the edge of the bed. Her shoulders slumped as she studied her knuckles to
avoid Chess’ gaze, embarrassed by her tantrum.
“What are we going to do?” she moaned. “She could be anywhere.”
Chess’ features scrunched together as he deliberated. “Where do you think she
would go?”
Alice shrugged. Whenever Dinah had taken her scouting before, they always took
different paths. They never went the same way twice. It was too dangerous. Instead, they
followed an alternating pattern, tracing an invisible circle around the Sector. The last time
they went out, they went north, towards Glendale. If Dinah followed the same route, this
time she’d travel more east.
She’d be heading towards Phoenix.
“I think I know where she’s going,” she gasped. “But,” she paused and turned to
Chess, whose amber eyes narrowed as her face curled into a grimace. “I don’t think you'll
like it.”
Chess’ brows knotted deeper together. “Why?” he asked. “Where’s she going?”
Alice sucked in a breath, bracing for his reaction. She knew it was the last place either
of them wanted to go. Yet, something inside her screamed that she was right. Her breath
whooshed from her lips as she met his bronze gaze.
“She’s going back to Wanderland.”
“What?” Chess jumped from the bed, his eyes blazing as he gaped at her in shock.
Though her own insides were swirling, she calmly met his gaze, confident in her suggestion.
Finally, he dropped beside her with a heavy sigh.
“It’s never easy with you, is it?”
A small laugh escaped Alice’s throat. “I never said it would be.”
Chess scrubbed his eyes and flopped dramatically onto the bed. He peeked out at
her through one hand, then quirked the corner of his lips. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”
Alice’s breath stalled as she choked over Chess’ quip and its possible interpretation.
Her face warmed and she dropped her gaze, busying herself with freeing the stray fluffs
from her blanket to cover the flush burning her cheeks.
“Yeah, well,” she countered in a strangled reply, “you’re the one who followed me, so
this is on you.”
Chess laughed. “That’s because a gentleman always keeps his promises.” He sprang
from the bed and extended his hand with a wink. “Are we ready to go find ourselves a
sister?”
Alice accepted his hand with a quick nod. “Let’s go get Lewis,” she said. “I promised
him an ‘exclusive’ when I got home. Guess it’s time to pay the Piper.”
“He’s getting one hell of a payback,” Chess muttered.
“And then some,” Alice agreed. She moved toward the door, but was stopped when
Lewis turned the corner and barged inside, his chest heaving. He stuttered to a stop in front
of Alice and clutched his side, his brown eyes bulging under his mop of mousy brown hair.
He gasped in a ragged breath as he stared at Alice before finally rasping out his words.
“We have to go.”

***Did you enjoy this chapter? Want to learn more? Discover Alice’s secrets at: www.jmsullivanbooks.com***

To continue the hunt, make sure to go visit Mary Amato by CLICKING HERE! But first - make sure you enter my giveaway right here ---->
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Enter to win either of these books (you choose!) signed and mailed directly to you, with swag! It's your choice - either the first book, or the sequel and conclusion to the duology. (Open internationally.) Good luck!!  





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92 comments:

Liz said...

A book that had a plot twist for me was Everless by Sara Holland.

Unknown said...

Identical by ellen hopkins

Unknown said...

I have to say The Last Magician by lisa maxwell

KB said...

A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

Melanie said...

Both Rosemarked and the sequel had twists I didn't expect

Megan said...

Illuminae had such a huge plot twist, I was left realing. Thank you for the giveaway :)

Ashley Martinez said...

A second chance at happiness by kassandra lynn

Lauren 28 said...

The Cruel Prince surprised me.

Liliana said...

Final Girls by Riley Sager was amazing! The plot twist was insane!

Tashia Jennings said...

The Wild by K. Webster definitely had one. Never saw it coming and I still haven't got over that book. Thank you for this fabulous chance.

LEK said...

Sarah Waters books always have the best plot twists!

Unknown said...

Gillian Flynn books have crazy plot twists

Jessica W. said...

I think it was Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard.

Unknown said...

One of the Books with a plot twist that surprised me was Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Unknown said...

In Caitlin Sangsters first book I was very shocked by the plot twist

Unknown said...

I just read The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson and it surprised me several times throughout! I could not put it down!

Nicole B said...

Every single book in the Illuminae Files was filed with surprised endings!! So much that I finished the series in a week!

Unknown said...

That moment when you go to press copy to make sure you save your response if theres an error.....and hit paste instead. Now I gotta retype T.T And I told it so well the first time T.T And you'll never see it like I wrote it the first time. CRYING. So what I wrote is that I'm cheating because it's a movie not a book but SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT: In Peppermint, there's two cops and the older cop contionously warns the younger cop off getting too involved and stuff. And mom and I thought the older cop was the bad guy. There's a scene (well actually the whole beginning is 5 years earlier) but the scene is shes in the hospital and she gets put into an ambulence cause she went CRAZY when the bad guys got off for killing her family (spoiler alert: she gets revenge and hangs them on a the ferris wheel at the fair where her hsuband and daugher were murdered and mom and I weren't even mad) BUT ANYWAY, he goes into the ambulence with her and he has to make a call and we think "oh he wants to help her" so we feel bad when she slams him with the fire exshitnguisher. Because oh no he was just trying to help and got clobered! Fast forward five years, and the movie is almost over and it's revealed...THE BAD GUY IS YOUNG COP. And this isn't something we saw coming a mile away, it's not even something we saw coming a minute or a second before it was revealed. This is something we didn't see coming until the MOMENT IT WAS REVEALED. And then YOU REALIZE. He wasn't making a call to help her in the ambulence 5 years ago!!!! HE WAS MAKING A CALL TO FINISH HER OFF. And that is the most well done surprising plot twist I have EVER seen.

Unknown said...

Kiss of Deception! Definitely recommend it if you haven't read it yet. Blows your mind!

Anne said...

There’s a few books with plot twists I can think of like The Last Magician and Wildcard. I’m still processing Wildcard.

Unknown said...

I just recently read The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee and it was chock full of crazy twists and turns... gotta check it out if you haven't yet. Thanks for the extra giveaway and for participating in YASH.

Irma said...

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Unknown said...

Oh, plot twists. I recently read Wildcard by Marie Lu and boooooy I did not expect that twist! That was so intense.

Betul E. said...

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre and Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher.

Unknown said...

Most recent read with twists was Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Lisa Mandina said...

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard had a bit twist at the end for me!

bookbunny68 said...

November Girl by Kang

onemused said...

Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog!

S211n3 said...

Darkening Chaos by DelSheree Gladden

Vanessa said...

The most recent is probably Foe by Iain Reid

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson.

Melissa Paschal said...

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell!!! Thanks for participating in the hunt!

Ashley said...

Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout!

Unknown said...

the last one i read.. it had demons, witches, vampires, and a council that wanted them segregated. It was an ebook borrowed from my library and I have no idea what it was called since it was automatically returned lol!!!

juiciliciousss reviews said...

the 7 1/2 deaths of evelyn hardcastle!

Bookish Delights said...

It Should Have Been You by Lynn Slaughter. Great twist!

Rhi said...

I honestly can't remember. Maybe the Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell.

apoeticside said...

Just about everything Holly Hook has written has had a surprising plot twist

Courtney said...

Heartless by Melissa Meyer <3

Vanessa @ Fangirl Faction said...

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black had a plot twist that I didn't see coming. =)

Steph said...

Final Girls by Riley Sager had some major twists I didn't see coming! Thanks for the chance to win!

krlga00 said...

The Hazelwood was super shocking and I loved it! Thanks for YASH

808bookdr said...

I cant wait for Bright burns the night!

Anonymous said...

The ending of Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas is fresh in my mind since I just finished the audiobook last week. I have had sufficient time to piece my emotions back together. :)

Annie-JoElizabeth said...

Illuminae's plot twist completely blew me away. Thanks so much for participating and YASH and hosting a bonus giveaway..

PamM said...

Wildcard was the last one I read with twist.

Cathy said...

Yes! Made me want to throw it!

Cathy said...

The Darkest Mind

Joy of Vegan Beauty said...

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray had a big twist at the end that I did not see coming.

Stephanie Aimeé said...

We Were Liars had the biggest plot twist I ever read in that time when I read the book. It caught me totally off guard. I rec the book to anyone.

Stephanie Grant said...

The books with the plot twists that got me were the Mortal Instruments books.

Unknown said...

Red Queen BY Victoria Aveyard

Stephanie H. said...

It's a book called,'After Anna' by Lisa Scottoline.

Tóth Viktória said...

Ignite the stars by Maura Milan

Unknown said...

The Hunt (Paper Doll Project) by Stacey Kade

Kester said...

I just read and finished The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan a few days ago, and I'm still reeling in from the plot twist. I did not ever see that one coming.

Tiffany said...

The one that I can think of is Six of Crows! I didn't see that plot twist coming! Thanks for the chance.

Julia (fablehunter) said...

A book that had a twist that surprised me was Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. Thanks for being a part of YASH and for the amazing giveaway!

Unknown said...

Till Death by Jennifer l armentrout

Mrsjessc78 said...

Fate of the Fallen by Rachel Jonas

Unknown said...

Ok, so I read this book called the The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks. I fell in love with the novel, but absolute HATED the ending!!!!!! I mean, if fits and all, but that is besides the point! I highly recommend the book and if that is not enought, it also won the 2014 Carnegie Medal for hcildren's literature.

Elin H said...

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Elisa Panjang said...

I have not found this kind of book.

Debra Branigan said...

Definitely Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman

Penny said...

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. Whoa.

Ruby Jo @ Bookishly Ruby said...

The Shakespeare Secret by Jennifer Lee Carrell.

Jenn said...

I've been reading the Forgotten Royal Series by Anna Hill and I'm into the second book, and both so far have managed to surprise me with little twists. I mean some of the stuff is expected but there's always something small where I'm like I didn't see that coming.

Neko said...

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly

Angie Bailey said...

The Last Magician - like whoa...

Brittany said...

Probably The Cruel Prince by Holly Black!

Katy said...

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo!

Carie said...

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull - WOW!!

Trisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trisa @ Absolute Bookishness said...

Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird. Not so much the who but the why. *shivers*

Ashley said...

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

ArtemisG said...

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Raffle name: Artemis Giote

Brianna Clay said...

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart had a pretty shocking plot twist. The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas has a couple of big plot twists in the later books that I wasn't quite expecting.

1993wel said...

A book that had a plot twist that surprised me was Allegient by Veronica Roth.

John Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Smith said...

"Tell me a book that had a plot twist that surprised you!" Oh, gosh, I was thrown for a loop when I found out how dire the situation was in "The Last Mrs. Parrish."

Jess said...

The last book in the Throne of Glass series, I was not prepared for what happened. IT TOTALLY THREW ME FOR A LOOP

Megan said...

I don't know if it would be considered a plot twist but the complete 180 that one of the characters in ACOTAR does completely threw me.

Jennifer T said...

The lives of Christopher Chant. Probably any Agatha Christie.

Debi said...

Last one that surprised me was Allegiant by Veronica Roth. What the crap!!!

Sayomay said...

Honestly it’s been so long.... I usually figure it out early on the in the book. I’d say Gone Girl. I got she was in on it, but I didn’t guess what her motive was. It was a surprise.

sarah said...

The Red Queen surprised me the most I think

Theresa Snyder said...

Contagion by Erin Bowman

Unknown said...

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh has an ending I was not expecting...I had forgotten the gothic theme while reading because I was immersed in Isobel and Varen's relationship and the ending took me by surprise!

Christina Carolin said...

One book that caught me so off-guard plottwist-wise was Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Read it over a year ago and am still super impressed by it.

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