You guys. Your comments are amazing. Thank you so much. My to-read pile just grew to the size of Everest. A winner has been notified, but if I don’t hear back, I’ll pick another. Thank you thank you to everyone who commented. I’m so impressed with how much and how passionately everyone reads! Love, Rae

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I just received advance readers copies for The Crown of Embers, which is a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns that will be released in September. What’s a girl to do with such bounty? A giveaway, of course!

Embers is a much more romantic book than Girl. Slight spoiler: There is kissing. So, for a chance to win–and in honor of romance in young adult novels–please leave a comment telling me about your favorite literary romance so I can be sure it’s on my to-read list (doesn’t have to be YA!).

Sometime on Friday, (aka when I drag myself out of bed) I’ll do a random number generator thingy and pick a winner. I’ll accept comments here, on my Facebook post, and on my Goodreads feed.

This is what I’m giving away: A signed ARC of The Crown of Embers. A signed hardcover of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. AND, because I’m feeling very generous and because I want EVERYONE to read this book because it’s THAT GOOD, my precious, precious ARC of Veronica Roth’s amazing Insurgent, which comes out May 1.

Winner take all. INTERNATIONAL.

So, comment away! What literary romances are absolute must-reads for me?

This book is the sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns and will be released on September 18, 2012. Here is a description:

Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

HNI#1: The Girl of Fire and Thorns made the final ballot for the Andre Norton Award, which is voted on by SFWA along with the Nebulas. The community of science fiction and fantasy writers pretty much raised me from a pup. So, while it might be cheesy and cliché to say that this nomination means sooo much to me, it’s also true. It’s also an understatement.

Lots of great books on the ballot this year, and it’s amazing to see my book on a list alongside of them. In particular, I’m a big fan of Greg van Eekhout’s The Boy at the End of the World. (Seriously, read it.) And The Freedom Maze is on my nightstand right now! So many books, so little time… Click here to check out all the Norton and Nebula nominees.

HNI#2: The Girl of Fire and Thorns was also named to ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list for 2012. Click here to see all the books on the list.

HNI#3: I heard a rumor that ARCs for book 2, The Crown of Embers, are winging their way out into the world very, very soon.

HNI#4: I finished copyedits on The Crown of Embers. Hard to believe I’ll soon have TWO books published.

That’s it for now. Hope everyone is triumphing over the cold dark of February. (Space heater, FTW!)

I’m very excited to be able to share an Advance Readers Copy of the amazing Above World by Jenn Reese.

From the Goodreads description:

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is at risk. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna’s fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt – growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains – here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

I deeply love this book. I wish I could have read it as a 12- or 13-year-old. Kirkus calls it “Imaginative and riveting,” and says, “A warrior heroine with a caring heart, stalwart friends, an edgy futurist subtext and the suggestion of a possible sequel make this a thrilling sci-fi adventure.” I couldn’t agree more!

To win this ARC, just comment by telling me a favorite middle grade read that I shouldn’t miss. After midnight EST on Friday, I’ll do a random number thingy and pick a winner.

Good luck! Can’t wait to see your middle grade recommendations!

YAY!! The Turkish edition of my book, called Ateş ve Diken, is now out in the world. Look at this gorgeous cover! Soooo interesting to see how different cultures/languages interpret and market the book.

Happy New Year. May your New Year’s resolutions be happy, healthy, and attainable.

I’m really excited to see Blood Red Road and The Shattering on the list, too–I loved those books. Can’t wait to read the others.

Happy New Year, everyone!

If you get a chance, you should click on the above link and check out the other finalists. I’ve read a couple already, and they were astounding. I can hardly believe my book is a finalist alongside of them. I hope this means I’ll get to meet these amazing authors at the ALA conference this year. I’ll try to control my fangirling, but no guarantees.

To celebrate, my husband and I drank champagne on a school night. We’re edgy like that.

Alyssa is our winner! Congrats, Alyssa. Hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.

***Comments are now closed! Winner to be announced soon.***

It’s international giveaway time!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on ARCs for Rae’s Most Anticipated HarperCollins Winter 2012 Reads™. There are other great reads I’m excited about, but these have particularly won me over. In fact, I’m so excited that I’m going to buy them in hardcover the moment they are released. Which means I can pass along the ARCs to you!

To enter to win, just tell me in the comments below about an upcoming book you’re looking forward to reading (doesn’t have to be one of these four).  Comments will be open through midnight, E.T. on Wednesday, December 7. After that, I’ll use a random number generator thingy to pick a winner. WINNER TAKES ALL!

If I get more than 120 entries, I’ll throw in a signed copy of The Girl of Fire and Thorns (U.S. or U.K. version—you pick!)

Open internationally.

So, here are Rae’s Most Anticipated HarperCollins Winter 2012 Reads™, in no particular order:

Oh. my. bananas. isn’t that a gorgeous cover?! I read Sarah Prineas’ WINTERLING in draft, and again in ARC format, and I’ll read it again in hardcover. I love it that much. It’s magical and beautiful with a wonderful girl-power protagonist. It’s middle grade, but I think it reads up very well. Can’t recommend it enough.

INCARNATE is a unique and lovely book. Jodi Meadows pokes fearlessly at the premise of reincarnation, with a new and startling result. Gorgeous prose and a slow-build romance will keep you turning the pages. Also? Sylph! Dragons! Music!

KISS CRUSH COLLIDE is ostensibly a romance, but I found the family relationships just as interesting—maybe more so. And it’s that balanced storytelling that makes it a compelling read. Fans of contemporaries should not miss this one.

I’m reading this right now and loving it–can’t stop turning pages. UNDER THE NEVER SKY feels more post-apocalyptic than dystopian, which is a nice change. And I love the cover with fiery passion. I mean, HER OUTFIT IS SO BADASS I CAN’T EVEN. Love seeing a strong-looking protagonist on the cover of a “big buzz” book.

And here is a pic of all these lovely ARCs hanging out together on my couch:

So, what books are you looking forward to? Comment to win!

1) I wrote a book! I’m currently working with my editor to put the finishing touches on The Crown of Embers, a sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns which will be released in Fall of 2012.

2) I bought a house! Our rental lease was up, and my husband and I were faced with that age-old question: To buy or to rent? Turns out, our mortgage payment is LESS that what we would have paid in rent. Wooo!

3) I bought a car! Used, of course. Still, it’s nice to have something that is unlikely to strand me on the side of the road anytime soon.

4) I’ve done a LOT of reading. In fact, I have some ARCs of hot Winter 2012 releases to give away. So keep your eye out–I’ll be posting a giveaway in the next couple of days. Here’s a sneak peak at the giveaway list: Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Winterling by Sarah Prineas, and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.

That’s it for now…stay tuned for that giveaway. Hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season.