2nd Blogoversary + Giveaway!

Hello Teen Readers and Teens at heart! You’ve read it right… we are celebrating the TWO remarkable years of Teen Readers' Diary today! Granted, we’re a couple of weeks late in doing this post because we started on May 15th 2011, but we all agreed that we have to celebrate it with all of you. Better late than never, right? Now we're kind of on our 2.00000001... blogoversary. And that still calls for a party! 

Teen Readers' Diary is run by the three of us (Dea, Mary Ann, Clarissa), which all started out as a mere dream put into action after we graduated from High School as a way to share books and discuss them, to meet other readers, and to get in touch with each other when we're studying in different universities. We are so, so glad that the plan pushed though and worked. This blog has opened doors to so many opportunities; we met amazing new people who share our passion for books, talked to authors we idolize and adore, it brought a different, more exciting reading experience, and it made us even closer. 

And a big part of this great blogging experience is YOU. No matter how busy we are with school for most of the year, we still make it a point to go back to the book blogging community whenever we can – and you continue to accept us with open arms. 

So we ask ourselves, how do we express our gratitude to all these awesome, gorgeous, sexy readers? The answer was obvious and simple: hold the biggest, most amazing giveaway on the blog yet!

Image source: whatshouldwecallbiddies

What are up for grabs on our biggest, most amazing giveaway on the blog yet? 

$30 worth of books from Amazon or The Book Depository (INT)

A book from our list of Favorites below (INT)

A book from our Wishlist below (INT)

SIGNED copies of My Beginning and Storm by Melissa Kline + SIGNED swag (PHILS. ONLY)

There will be one winner for each prize, three of which can be won by any of you, so long as you live where Amazon/TBD ships. We will be mailing out the fourth prize so we have to limit it to Philippine residents only. 

Check out the rest of the giveaway deets, list of Favorites and Wishlist and Rafflecopter form below and enter away!

Giveaway

• Open to participants 13 years old and above. Otherwise, please have your parents' permission.
• Giveaway ends on June 30th at 12:00 am EST
• Winners will be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond or a new one will be drawn.

Favorites
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Opportunist/Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher
Slumber by Samantha Young
Angelfall by Susan Ee
Reason to Breathe/Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Shatter Me/Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Any book by Melina Marchetta
A book in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
Any book by Sarah Dessen 
Any book by Jennifer Armentrout
Any book by Patrick Ness
A book in the River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren
A book in the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima

Wishlist
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
Game. Set. Match by Jennifer Iacopelli
On the Island by Tracy Gravis-Gracy
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia Margaret Stohl
The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison
The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Outpost by Ann Aguire
Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Losing Lila by Sarah Alderson

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Again, thank you so much and Good luck!!

xoxo,

Waiting on Wednesday: Never Fade and Endless Knight

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Here are my WoW picks this week (click title for the Goodreads page):

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken

Release date: October 15th, 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. 

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. 

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

I became a little less sane after reading the ending of The Darkest Minds. I might have looked like a lunatic staring in space for so long after the events in the last chapter. I'm sure all of you who have read it can understand why!

Endless Knight (The Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole

Release date: October 1st, 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In the second book of the Arcana Chronicles Evie has now fully come into her powers as the tarot Empress. And Jackson was there to see it all. In the aftermath of killing Arthur, the tarot Alchemist, Evie realizes that a war is brewing between the other teens that, following the apocalypse, have been given powers and its kill or be killed. 

Things get even more complicated when Evie meets Death, the mysterious, sexy Endless Knight. Somehow the Empress and Death share a romantic history - one that Evie can't remember, but Death can't forget. She is drawn to the Endless Knight, but is in love with Jack. Determined to discover why she's been granted these powers, Evie struggles to accept her place in a prophecy that will either save the world, or completely destroy it.

I swear, Poison Princess was the only book where the male lead frustrated me to no end while I ended up loving it nonetheless. I heard something about a brewing love triangle that will happen in this book, but that doesn't really bother me that much. I just want it in my hands ASAP.

Book and Cover Reveal: Into the Deep by Samantha Young!

Hiya friends! I'm sure a lot of you have read or at least have heard about the NYT bestselling book, On Dublin Street by Samantha Young, yes? Well, I am a HUGE fan of that book and her other works, especially her New Adult fantasy, Slumber.  

So today here on the blog, I am very very excited and honored to participate in revealing a new book by Samantha Young! This will be her first New Adult contemporary title and it went straight into my TBR upon reading the blurb. Curious now, are you?

Well here it is... the cover and blurb to Into the Deep by Samantha Young!

Title: Into the Deep
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Expected Publication: August 20th 2013
Age Group: New Adult

Blurb: Live young. Live hard. Love deep. 

 Charley Redford was just an ordinary girl until Jake Caplin moved to her small town in Indiana and convinced her she was extraordinary. Almost from day one Jake pulled Charley into the deep and promised he was right there with her. But when a tragic incident darkened Jake’s life he waded out into the shallows and left Charley behind. 

 Almost four years later Charley thinks she’s moved on. That is until she takes a study year abroad in Edinburgh and bumps into none other than Jake Caplin at a party with his new girlfriend. The bad-boy-turned-good attempts to convince Charley to forgive him, and as her best friend starts spending time with Jake’s, Charley calls a truce, only to find herself tumbling back into a friendship with him. 

As they grow closer, the spark between them flares and begins playing havoc with their lives and relationships. When jealousy and longing rear their destructive heads, Charley and Jake struggle to come to grips with what they mean to one another. 

And even if they work it out, there is no guarantee Charley will ever trust Jake to lead her back into the deep…

  

Author Bio

Samantha Young is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestselling novel ON DUBLIN STREET. For more info on Samantha's adult fiction visit http://www.ondublinstreet.com or http://www.samanthayoungbooks.com

Follow her on these sites: Website|| Facebook || Twitter

New YA Releases: May 26th - June 1st

Click on the title link to be redirected to the book's Goodreads page.

Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) 
by Anna Banks

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Goddess (Starcrossed #3) 
by Josephine Angelini

 Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

Wild Awake 
by Hilary T. Smith

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia 

by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) 

by Emmy Laybourne

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend. 

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3) 

by Kady Cross

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken 

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives. 

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin. 

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine. 

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

Spirit (Elemental #3) 

by Brigid Kemmerer

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: K Teen

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

Uprising (Children of the Gods #2) 

by Jessica Therrien

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: ZOVA Books

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository 

Elyse has done everything she can to protect her friends from The Council's reach. As long as they believe she's dead, she has time to rest and train for war. And war is inevitable. 

When Kara arrives with the news that Anna and Chloe have been captured, Elyse is faced with the realization that no one is safe until The Council is stopped and Christoph is destroyed. She doesn't need a prophecy to tell her to lead an army. Christoph has done the one thing that ensures she'll fight to the death. He's threatened the people she loves. 

It will take more than the words of an oracle to help them fight against the most powerful Descendant alive. To break The Council's oppression and rise up against a plot so many years in the making, Elyse will need to get dangerously close to her enemy. So close, in fact, she may not survive.

Openly Straight 

by Bill Konigsberg

Release date: May 28th 2013

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud . . . and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

Rebel Spirits 

by Lois Ruby

Release date: June 1st 2013

Publisher: Point

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository 

Infused with history and mystery, this tale of ghosts, love, and murder takes place in present-day Gettysburg, where the Civil War still looms large.

Lori Chase doesn't know what to think about ghosts. She may have seen a few in the past, but those were just childish imaginings...right? Only now that she is living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, spirits seem to be on everyone's mind. The town is obsessed with its bloody Civil War history, and the old inn that Lori's parents run is supposedly haunted by the souls of dead soldiers.

Then Lori meets one such soldier--the devastatingly handsome Nathaniel Pierce. Nathaniel's soul cannot rest, and he desperately needs Lori's help. Because Nathaniel was not killed in the famous battle. He was murdered. Lori begins to investigate the age-old mystery, stumbling upon shocking clues and secrets.

At the same time, she can't help falling for Nathaniel, just as he is falling for her....

Which of these new releases are you most excited to read? Feel free to share them in the comments!