Hello everyone! Thanks to the lovely team at Walker Books Australia, Book Nerd Reviews were able to host a giveaway for a full set of the recently rebranded Shadowhunter series (The Mortal Instruments)! The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is announced below!

From Walker Books Australia:

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Demons. First in the New York Times No. 1 bestselling Shadowhunter series that has swept the globe.

Irresistibly drawn towards a group of demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City and the dangers of forbidden love. Read all the sensational books in The Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Bane Chronicles and The Shadowhunter s Codex.

This reissue with a brand-new cover will bring this book to a whole new audience as well as being a collectable for existing fans. All six spines combine to form a panoramic scene!

(more…)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Hello everyone! Thanks to the lovely team at Pan Macmillan and the Crystal Kingdom Blog tour. we held an Australian giveaway for a copy of Crystal Kingdom! The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is announced below!

Synopsis:

Cast out by her kingdom and far from home, she’s the Kanin people’s only hope.

Bryn Aven - unjustly charged with murder and treason - is on the run. The one person who can help is her greatest enemy, the enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light… and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holmes and the Trylle kingdom? One thing is certain: an epic battle is underway—and when it’s complete, nothing will ever be the same

.

(more…)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Hello everyone! Thanks to the lovely team at Allen & Unwin we hosted an Australian giveaway for five lucky winners for a copy of Pandora Jones: Deception by Barry Jonsberg. The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are announced below!

Synopsis: Pandora and her team are already two members down. The survival of humanity in the post-plague world depends on them. But who can she trust?

It was difficult to know when nightmares ended and the waking world began.

Pan is still struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality. When she wakes in the Infirmary her mind replays the sight of Nate running along the shoreline and the way his body froze and then flopped after he was shot. But her memories hold more questions than answers and she doesn’t know who to trust.

When she forms an unlikely alliance with Jen to try to make sense of everyone’s haunting similar memories and the conflicting information about The School, she finds herself with unexpected enemies.

Pan and Jen are determined to seek the truth - no matter what rules they must break or how terrible the danger they face. But can they even trust each other?

Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival

(more…)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Hello everyone! Thanks to the lovely team at Bookworld, we hosted an Australian giveaway for five lucky winners for a copy of Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang. The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are announced below!

Synopsis: On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

(more…)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
8 Comments »

Hello everyone! Thanks to the lovely team at Allen & Unwin, we hosted an Australian giveaway for three lucky winners for a copy of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are announced below!

For those of you who missed my review of We Were Liars, you can find it here. We also posted a Q&A with E. Lockhart, where you can find out more about this amazing book!

(more…)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Release Date: July 23rd 2014
Published By: Penguin Australia
Pages: 304
Goodreads: Add it to your reading list
Purchase: Click here to purchase

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Synopsis: It’s the Carnevale of 1750 and Venice’s ballrooms, theatres, palazzos and squares are filled with delicious gossip, devilish fun and dangerous games. In this glittering masked world, everyone has a secret…

Set in an age of decadence made famous by Casanova, Masquerade uncovers the secrets of seven teens, from the highest aristocrat to the lowest servant – their dreams, desires, loves, loyalties … and betrayals.

All the world’s a stage. Let the show begin.

Review: The world is a stage, filled with many acts - acts of love, loyalty, betrayal and deception. And Masquerade has it all, plus more.

Masquerade eloquently, and expertly, follows the lives of seven teenagers during the Carnevale of Venice in 1750-1751. Orelia is an orphan who has arrived in Venice to learn about her mother’s past. Veronica and Angelique are the daughters of an aristocrat, one sister likes to learn secrets, while the other is desperate to love. Anna is a servant with a dream far from her reach, but a secret much closer. Claudia has a wish of her own but is deterred by a tenacious mother. Bastian, is the son of the Doge, but has dreams far different to than those of his father. And Marco, the jovial brother and friend, who sometimes places the wrong bet.

The story starts when Orelia, newly orphaned, arrives in Venice to find a relative who does not know she exists, and to find out more about her mother’s history, and why she left Venice. But while Orelia finds the sanctuary she seeks in a city that seems to sing to her, she also finds that this city is a stage, and she is a player in an elaborate act. Orelia must keep her secret, but as the story develops, we find that she is not the only one hiding behind a mask.

1750’s Venice comes alive in Masquerade. Kylie Fornasier does not just describe this truly beautiful setting - she creates it for you. The descriptions of everything from Venice’s canals and piazzas, to the beautifully created masks, to the equally elaborate and uncomfortable clothing and costumes, every single detail in Masquerade was rich and filled with such clarity that you cannot help but be transported into this amazing world. I just adored the little details that were included, the weather, the pigeons, and the smell… all the things that are much a part of Venice as the Piazza San Marco.

Along with amazing visualisations, Masquerade is filled with wonderful details about life in Venice in this time period. Although a few liberties were taken, the politics, social standings, prejudices and superstitions in this period are perfectly reflected within this story, and the characters are all the richer for it.

Masquerade is a five-act play, and I adored the fact that that each act was introduced with a William Shakespeare quote. I enjoyed the pace of the plot, how secrets were unearthed, and how the lives of these very different, but yet equally trapped, teenagers intertwine. I actually enjoyed this book so much, that when I came across something that would normally drive me to distraction, I (uncharacteristically) could move straight past it and continue to be lost in this world. I also loved the fact that there is just the right amount of Italian spoken throughout the storyline. Most of the Italian throughout the book are words that you may already know, but if you get stuck, there is a helpful glossary in the back of the book to help you with the terms, titles, names and things you are not familiar with.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about Masquerade. I was sucked into the world from the very foggy beginning, right until the dramatic final act. Masquerade is a brilliant YA historical fiction book, by an amazingly talented Aussie author. I truly hope there is a sequel, as there is so much left to explore in this amazing world and I would love to find myself back in 1750’s Venice.

Games and gossip, power and players, dreams and deception, secrets and sacrifice. Masquerade is a story about people hiding behind masks. And how to “find yourself in the city of masks”.

Extra:

Kylie Fornasier has created a Pinterest board to bring the book alive for readers. This is an amazing collection of everything from key settings, buildings and bridges, to gondolas, to costumes, to food, to artwork. Visit the ‘Masquerade, a young adult novel’ Pinterest board here.

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
4 Comments »

Hi readers!

I hope you’re all having a great day! Kristy and I have some exciting news to share. :)

Bare with me though because I want to talk about the state of the blog and what’s been going on in the background first.
You may have noticed some changes with our posts in the last couple of months. Very clearly I have taken more of a direction into comics and graphic novels (which I’ve loved for a few years now, but has become almost all I read these days), whereas Kristy is still reviewing the YA books you’ve come to expect to seeing around here. I guess for me, it’s been a difficult shift. I went into a huge reading slump that has lasted months and the only thing that has pulled me through is comics. I have battled with a lot of guilt over this because I haven’t been posting YA reviews, which left me with the feeling that I was very much leaving Kristy to this responsibility on her own - and I didn’t want her to have to have this pressure on her either.

Since Book Nerd Reviews has traditionally always focused on YA books, I wasn’t posting comic reviews for a long time because I didn’t want to “tarnish the waters”. But Kristy and I discussed it, as the alternative was that I’d have to consider stepping down - which I am also not ready for. Book Nerd Reviews is my baby that I’ve nurtured for the last few years. Kristy has been so amazing and very supportive of me, and we decided that there’s no reason why Book Nerd Reviews had to just be a YA book blog. This is why you’re now seeing YA and comic related posts and reviews. Personally, this has been great for me and has reignited my passion for this blog - however I still was conscious that Kristy was representing YA books on her own. She is completely capable of doing this - but having done it myself for a number of years, the last thing I want is for Kristy to burn out also.

Which finally brings me to the good news.
Our little team of two is expanding to three. Kristy and I as co-bloggers sat down and talked made a decision that we would be on the lookout for a contributer to help us with posts and YA reviews. We hadn’t even gone out with this publicly yet, when we received an email from Jocie, who lives in Queensland. Her personality is bubbly and infectious and she’s fun and articulate and loves YA. So why wouldn’t we jump at the chance to have her join the team? :)

Jocie will start posting reviews shortly, and so this post is more to let you know what’s happening around these parts. When Jocie starts posting, you should welcome her and say hi! You can also view her personal blog here and add her on twitter here.

Welcome to Book Nerd Reviews Jocie!
We’re really happy to have you onboard. :)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
12 Comments »

Hello everyone! Thanks to the wonderful team at Bookworld, we hosted a giveaway for one lucky reader of Book Nerd Reviews to win a boxset of Game of Thrones by George. R. R. Martin!

Synopsis: For the first time, all five novels in the epic fantasy series that inspired HBO’s “Game of Thrones “are together in one boxed set. An immersive entertainment experience unlike any other, A Song of Ice and Fire has earned George R. R. Martin-dubbed “the American Tolkien” by “Time” magazine-international acclaim and millions of loyal readers. Now here is the entire monumental cycle:
A GAME OF THRONES
A CLASH OF KINGS
A STORM OF SWORDS
A FEAST OF CROWS
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
“One of the best series in the history of fantasy.”-“Los Angeles Times”
” ”
Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse-unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.
Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jaime and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister-the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms.
Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki-whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys..

And the winner of the Game of Thrones boxset giveaway is…….

Janelle Herondale

Congratulations, I will send you an email shortly to get your personal details so this boxset can be on its way to you soon!

Once again, we would like to thank Bookworld for this amazing giveaway! If you didn’t win this awesome prize, you can purchase the Game of Thrones boxset from Bookworld (you can save even more if you join their VIP Citizenship program).

For those of you who entered and didn’t win, we will be hosting another giveaway soon, so keep y our eyes peeled for that!

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Hello readers! Wow so June is here, and that means we have some May winners to announce for our international giveaway! To remind you all, last month we hosted a giveaway with the below books. There are three winners and each winner can pick any of the following titles below:

The One (The Selection #3) - Kiera Cass Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour We Were Liars - E. Lockhart After The End (After The End #1) - Amy Plum Free to Fall - Lauren Miller Since You’ve Been Gone - Morgan Matson Losing Logan (Losing Logan #1) - Sherry D. Ficklin Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend (Broken Hearts & Revenge #1) - Katie Finn Biggest Flirts (Superlatives #1) - Jennifer Echols The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles #4) - Kady Cross Guy in Real Life - Steve Brezenoff Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga #1) - Jennifer Donnelly

This month, a huge congratulations goes to our three winners:

Alyssa Edradan

Bruna Tonella

Adriana Cabrera

I’ll be emailing each of you shortly in regards to your prize! Bare with me as I am flying to Sydney tomorrow for a week, so there will be a delay in shipping, but you each can have one of the above books. :D

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
6 Comments »

Hello everyone! Melissa and I were hosting an Australian Giveaway for one lucky winner for a copy of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is announced below!

For those of you who missed my review of Maybe Someday, you can find it here. We also posted a Q&A with Colleen Hoover and Griffin Peterson, where you can find out more about both this book, and the music behind (and interweaved into) this novel.

Synopsis: At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.

From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.

Includes a free original soundtrack by musician Griffin Peterson.

And the winner of the Maybe Someday giveaway is…….

Stacey Nash

Congratulations Stacey, I’ll send you an email shortly to get your address details so this book can be soon on its way to you!

For those of you who entered and didn’t win, don’t forget, you can still enter our huge International May Giveaway :)

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
No Comments »

Good evening! We have lots of winners to announce tonight - sorry for the delay! We have three winners for our international April giveaway as well as our Australian giveaway of Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - Tahereh Mafi

International April Giveaway

To recap, this giveaway ran for all of April! There are three winners and and each winner can pick any of the following titles:

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) - Danielle Paige
Disruption (Disruption #1) - Jessica Shirvington
Far From You - Tess Sharpe
The Museum of Intangible Things – Wendy Wunder
Open Road Summer – Emery Lord
There Will Come A Time – Carrie Arcos
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) – Jenny Han
Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) – Laini Taylor
The Chance You Won’t Return – Annie Cardi
Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog #1) – Anne Blankman
In The Shadows – Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo
The Taking (The Taking #1) – Kimberley Derting

And the winners are:

Ayanami Faerudo

Ann Vuong

Mahala Fergusen

Congratulations!!

Australian Giveaway: Disruption (Disruption #1) - Jessica Shirvington

To celebrate the release of Disruption by Jessica Shirvington, the team at HarperCollins Australia have been very generous in allowing Book Nerd Reviews to be apart of the Disruption Blog Tour and allowing us to host this amazing giveaway.

This was an extra special giveaway for Disruption by Jessica Shirvington because not only will you want to win a copy of this book because it is written by Jessica Shirvington, and the book itself is amazingly pretty in all it’s shining glory (the cover is so shiny), but, this is giveaway is for a SIGNED copy!

And the winner of this giveaway is:

Kara T

Congratulations to you!

I’ll be in touch with all 4 winners shortly via email to get extra details from you!

If you didn’t win this month, that’s okay, we have a new international giveaway coming!

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
4 Comments »

Hello! And welcome to Book Nerd Reviews’ stop on the Disruption Blog Tour!

Today we are holding an extra special giveaway for Disruption by Jessica Shirvington! Not only will you want to win a copy of this book because it is written by Jessica Shirvington, and the book itself is amazingly pretty in all it’s shining glory (the cover is so shiny), but, this is giveaway is for a SIGNED copy!

Synopsis: What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?

What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?

Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loves most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it.

Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer – heir to the M-Corp empire – has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for?

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking

I am very excited about Disruption, as I love Jessica Shirvington’s writing. I am currently reading this book, and I am loving it! This book has also been receiving some amazing reviews on Goodreads also, and we’re really excited to be given the opportunity to give away a copy.

To celebrate the release of Disruption by Jessica Shirvington, the team at HarperCollins Australia have been very generous in allowing Book Nerd Reviews to be apart of the Disruption Blog Tour and allowing us to host this amazing giveaway.

Also, don’t forget to check the other stops on the Disruption Blog Tour. Details can be found by clicking the link below!

Giveaway Details

Australian and New Zealand readers, this giveaway is for you!

The terms and conditions are that you need to be residing in Australia or New Zealand as Harper Collins will be sending the winner a copy of this book directly. This giveaway will be running from today right through to April 30th.

You will all receive a free entry via the Rafflecopter widget below, and entering is super easy. You’re able to receive extra entries for tweeting and following BNR also.

A huge thank you to our friends at HarperCollins Australia for allowing this to happen - and good luck to everyone who enters! x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed under: Uncategorized by Kristy
6 Comments »

Good morning!! I hope you’ve all been doing well! Kristy and I are back in April with another international giveaway! We’re really excited about this giveaway because there are SO many great books out this April!

This giveaway will run for all of April! You can enter as long as The Book Depository ships to you (They ship most places, but just double check!). As we normally do each month, we will continue to have have three winners and each winner can pick any of the following titles below:

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) - Danielle Paige
Disruption (Disruption #1) - Jessica Shirvington
Far From You - Tess Sharpe
The Museum of Intangible Things – Wendy Wunder
Open Road Summer – Emery Lord
There Will Come A Time – Carrie Arcos
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) – Jenny Han
Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) – Laini Taylor
The Chance You Won’t Return – Annie Cardi
Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog #1) – Anne Blankman
In The Shadows – Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo
The Taking (The Taking #1) – Kimberley Derting

This giveaway is running all month right through to April 30th at 6pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) when the winners will be drawn using Rafflecopter, which plucks out random winners. You all get a free entry below, and if you want to follow us or tweet about the giveaway we’ll give you some more entries. The more entries, the more chances you have to win!

Good luck! x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
8 Comments »

Good evening! We have lots of winners to announce tonight. We have three winners for our international March giveaway as well as our Australian giveaway of Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - Tahereh Mafi

International March Giveaway

To recap, this giveaway ran for all of March! There are three winners and and each winner can pick any of the following titles:

Panic - Lauren Oliver
Maybe Someday - Colleen Hoover
Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy #1) - Sally Green
The Nightmare Dilemma (The Arkwell Academy #2) - Mindee Arnett
Broken Skies (Broken Skies #1) - Theresa Kay
Elusion - Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - Leslye Walton
Strange Sweet Song - Adi Rule
The Winner’s Curse (The Winner’s Trilogy #1) - Marie Rutkoski
Dangerous - Shannon Hale
Legacy Code (Legacy Code Saga #1) - Autumn Kalquist
Nil - Lynne Matson

And the winners are:

Sandra Beekhuis

Ayanami Faerudo

Desnica Kumar

Congratulations!!

Australian Giveaway: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - Tahereh Mafi

The good people at Allen & Unwin Australia have been really kind to us and allowed us to host a giveaway!

One very lucky Australian will win a copy of Ignite Me, which is the third and final book in the Shatter Me series (also known as the Juliette Chronicles) by Tahereh Mafi.

I read this book last month and absolutely adored every single word in this book. It was a brilliant ending to what has been one of my all time favourite series, so we’re really excited about being able to giveaway a copy!

And the winner of this giveaway is:

Annalise Fragomeli

Congratulations to you!

I’ll be in touch with all 4 winners shortly via email to get extra details from you!

If you didn’t win this month, that’s okay, we have a new international giveaway coming tomorrow!

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
No Comments »

Hello readers!

I’m really happy to announce that the good people at Allen & Unwin Australia have been really kind to us and has allowed us to host a giveaway at Book Nerd Reviews!

One very lucky Australian (sorry international folks, as this book is being sent by the publisher, it is strictly open to Australians only - if you’re looking for an international giveaway, click here) will win a copy of Ignite Me, which is the third and final book in the Shatter Me series (also known as the Juliette Chronicles) by Tahereh Mafi.

I read this book last month and absolutely adored every single word in this book. It was a brilliant ending to what has been one of my all time favourite series, so we’re really excited about being able to giveaway a copy!

To enter, all you need to do is complete the Rafflecopy giveaway below - you’re all getting one free entry and then to get extra entries, you have the option of doing a few other things, and you will have more entries in the giveaway!

You can enter all the way up until March 31st, and we will draw a winner at 6pm AEST. The winner will be announced on the blog and we’ll email you to get your details for A&U!

Good luck! x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed under: Uncategorized by Melissa
No Comments »