ARCHER CROSS AND WHY HE IS AWESOME

HEY YOU GUYS! I have some absolutely, completely AWESOME news!!


I'm sure you all know about the super awesome fun that is the YA Crush Tournament, hosted by  the awesome YA Sisterhood. (If you don't check out some info on it HERE and by poking around their blog.)


Well, this year, I was lucky enough to be selected to be an advocate for one of the crushes! And not just any crush--ARCHER. CROSS.

Who's Archer? Oh, just a super awesome, super hot, kick-butt warlock with a talent for sarcasm and being completely, utterly irritating. And very, very crush-worthy.

He hails from the awesome Hex Hall series by the fabulous Rachel Hawkins, and is easily one of my favorite crushes of ALL TIME.


UPDATED: My awesome brother CJ fixed the crush button so Archer's eyes are properly brown. If you've already grabbed the button, PLEASE replace it with this one!!

(If you want one or both of these buttons in the biggest size possible, shoot me an email at mag.geekchic@yahoo.com and I'll send you them directly :D)

(Those of you who've read Spell Bound will get the quote, but anyone can see that he is indeed a Rakishly Charming love interest ;D)

I promise you, he is worth voting for, so PLEASE DO! And if you haven't read Hex Hall, Demonglass, and/or Spell Bound, I HIGHLY recommend them, they are FANTASTIC!


Archer's first match is July 20th, and it's against Dimitri from Vampire Academy, who will NOT be easy to beat. So we'll have to work hard to get the word out and get Archer to the next round--and to victory!


If you'd like to help lead Archer to victory, spread the word by telling people about the tournament, about Archer, and to VOTE!! Go ahead and grab the crush button(s) up there (I know it has no grab code, which I've had issues with in the past. I've got no idea how to do that. How do you do that? Can someone tell me?), post it on your blog, post it on Facebook, tweet it, post it on Tumblr, and VOTE! If you have any other ideas about spreading the word about Archer or the Tourney, tweet me @geekchic_mag or send me an email at mag.geekchic@yahoo.com. 


But remember the most important thing--this Tournament is supposed to be about fun and celebrating some awesome (fictional) guys. So please, no bashing ANY of the guys, and let's keep it good-natured and a fun time!


And finally...

GO ARCHER!!!

(:D)
~Mag

Internet Out (and the sadness this has caused)

Okay, so, here's what's up:


I have no Internet at home. 


On Saturday (at least, I think it was Saturday, without my beloved Internet all the days seem to be blurring together), a bunch of storms and rain and such blew through the area and knocked out the power of like half the state. (I do not know if this is still true. Presumably it is somewhat fixed.) The power at my house went out for tiny little bits, but came back on pretty quick. My Internet did not fare so well.


So basically, I spent Saturday afternoon and the entirety of Sunday in a state of emotional distress. I wouldn't have been so worried if all of the data on my phone hadn't been mysteriously used up, leaving me without even EMAIL. But it had, so I didn't.


Anyway, Internet is STILL down at my house, so I'm writing this (and frantically trying to catch up on comments, Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Formspring and email stuff) from the library in town, which has free Internet and employs my brother, who was willing to drive me since he was coming in anyway. This is just a little note to explain WHY I have not answered your comments/Tweets/Tumblr things/etc, and to tell you that until Internet comes back (which had BETTER be soon ;D), I'll be online sporadically and my postings here on the blog will be sparse. 


ALSO: You all know about the YA Sisterhood's Crush Tourney, right? Where super awesome guys from super-awesome YA books battle it out to be crowned the most crush-worthy?


Well, I have some super-exciting news: I AM AN ADVOCATE THIS YEAR.


This is super exciting to me for more than one reason. 

1. If it were not for this tournament last year, I would probably not be a book blogger. This was how I found out book blogging EXISTED. (Long story short, I saw something about the tourney on Ally Carter's blog, saw the crushes, read the books, saw the advocates, saw their blogs, thought that was awesome, made my own.)
2. This tournament absolutely, positively ROCKS. It's sooo much fun!!
3. I get to advocate none other than ARCHER CROSS. Yes, that Archer Cross. From the Hex Hall series by the fabulous Rachel Hawkins. He is so super awesome and crushable, and so it's up to you guys to help me launch him to victory!! (more on that in a separate post I'll be getting up in a bit)

So yeah, I'd like Internet back up for that, among other things.

Anyway, I'm here for now, so feel free to send me a tweet or a comment or whatever, and I'll get back to you whenever I can find myself some Internet ;) 


*ETA* Oh, and now that the Winterhaven swag giveaway is over, I'll be picking a winner in a bit! Stay tuned!!

(:D)

~Mag

In My Mailbox (3/25/12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren, and it's all about talking about what you got in your mailbox each week!

IN MY ACTUAL MAILBOX


-Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter. EEEEEK. So, so awesome! I've been DYING for this one forever!

FROM THE LIBRARY

-Awake at Dawn by C. C. Hunter. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?? Can't wait to read this one.

Nothing bought this week, on my Kindle or otherwise, BUT (as you guys know) I did get to go to a stop on Rachel Hawkins' Spell Bound tour, and THAT was awesome! She was great and it was SUPER FUN!


And I got signed books!

This one's signed to my sister, Lilly. When I heard about the signing, she secretly checked out Hex Hall from the library and hid it behind another book jacket so she could read it and surprise me. SHE IS THE BEST.

I don't know what's up with the lighting on this one, but you get the idea.

AREN'T THOSE AWESOME?? I'm so excited.


So what's in YOUR mailbox this week?


(:D)
~Mag

Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

EEEEEP. I have been waiting for this book for SO LONG. I absolutely ADORED Hex Hall and Demonglass (And Archer. Of course Archer.), so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Spell Bound!


Beware! My review WILL contain spoilers for the first two books in the series, Hex Hall and Demonglass.

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

------ 

Okay, so, to talk about Spell Bound, first I have to talk about Demonglass. Because, um, CLIFFHANGER. (And before I continue, more disclaimer: STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HEX HALL AND DEMONGLASS! SERIOUSLY, DUDE, SPOILERS AHEAD! Not for Spell Bound, but definitely for the others. Okay. Carry on.)


I spent several months in a state of freaking out, occasionally breaking into mental chants of, "Everything's okay, Archer's alive. Archer's alive. He has to be alive. Right? Right? Right?" And things of that nature. (Oh, and I was also very concerned about the well-being of Sophie's dad and Cal and Jenna. Yeah. Definitely.) Anyway, once I had Spell Bound in my hands, there was also a slight moment of "I don't want to read this because then it will be over and I don't want it to be over." (Luckily, this went away quickly as I was informed by my friend (known on Twitter as Cross=Boss or @crossequalsboss in honor of Archer himself) that there would indeed be a SPIN OFF of Hex Hall, which made my day.)


But none of that is really a review (or even about Spell Bound) so let's get to that.


Thanks to Demonglass's cliffhanger of epic proportions (Okay, maybe not the most brain-killing, soul-crushing cliffhanger ever, but still) we're thrown right into the action with Spell Bound. Sophie's taken Cal's advice and taken the Itineris to Aislinn Brannick, and that quickly seems like a bad idea as Sophie promptly lands herself in huge heaps of trouble.


It isn't long, though, before she meets the Brannicks and starts getting answers--answers that pretty much shatter everything she ever thought she knew about her family. As if being a demon weren't bad enough, there's MORE.


Soon Sophie is preparing for battle alongside the Brannicks, while gradually learning the whereabouts of her friends after what went down at Thorne Abbey. Some people got out, both friends...and enemies.


The characters in this installment were just as awesome as they were in the other books. Sophie, of course, was as witty, sarcastic, and awesome as ever. (Everyone knows I love me some sarcasm!) Cal, Archer, and Jenna were awesome as well, as usual. ESPECIALLY ARCHER. Obviously. (Have you noticed I'm in love with him? Yeah.) Even Elodie pretty much rocked. Plus there were some fabulous new characters who were FANTASTIC!


Seriously, though, this book was super full of action, snark, romance, and pure AWESOME. If you loved the other two books (and how could you have NOT??) then you'll love this one too.


But possibly the best part is that there will indeed be a spin off! Which is great, because there while the ending was satisfying, there were definitely things left open that could be developed into more awesome stuff!


(I've just noticed I used the word "awesome" a lot. Note to self: invest in thesaurus.)


Anyway, WITHOUT A DOUBT Spell Bound recieves <*><*><*><*><*>


(:D)
~Mag

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!! (Hawkins+Hex Hall!)

I'm so excited, you guys. In a couple weeks I'm going to see Rachel Hawkins on her Spell Bound tour. Yeah, RACHEL HAWKINS. I can't even tell you how awesome this is for me. I absolutely adore the Hex Hall series, so this is a very big deal.


And I'm spreading the awesome!


Because Rachel is going to be signing books at this event and I want EVERYONE to know about this series, I'm going to get a copy of Hex Hall (the first book in the series) signed for one of you guys! I can even get it personalized for you if you'd like! Interested? Enter the Rafflecopter below and please spread the word!!

This book here! SIGNED!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



*EDITED TO ADD*


Okay, guys, the giveaway is now closed! I'm off to pick a winner and whoever it is will be announced soon. 


Thank you so much to everyone who entered! I really do wish you could all win! (:D)


The giveaway ends on Friday, March 16th. One (1) winner will be randomly selected and will be announced the next day, Saturday the 17th. Winner will be contacted by email and must respond with their details within twenty-four (24) hours or another winner will be chosen :) Thanks for entering!

(Oh, and check out all Rachel's tour details at readingwritingrachel.blogspot.com)
(:D)
~Mag

Novels 'n' Notes #3: Enchanted by Taylor Swift

Novels ‘n’ Notes is a weekly event I created here at *Geek Chic* to talk about songs that remind me of books. Feel free to make your own NN post! Just grab the logo (below) and link your post here so I can see it!

Enchanted by Taylor Swift: Archer and Sophie from Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
What I love about this song in relation to Hex Hall is that different parts of it sound like both Archer and Sophie talking to each other.

*Some spoilers for Hex Hall and Demonglass. Mostly about Archer's…secret. Beware.*

-”There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles, same old tired lonely place. Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face.”

Archer to Sophie. He’s pretty much been living a lie since he was a kid, (in his own words: “…Faking some emotions, hiding others…”) In addition to that, he knows Elodie and her friends are pretty much empty and vacant. But here comes Sophie, fresh and snarky and interesting.

-”The playful conversation starts. Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy.”

Sophie to Archer. She’s quite possibly the only person in the world who can match his wit and sarcastic comebacks.

-”My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon. I was enchanted to meet you.”

The beginning part could be either of them to the other, but the second bit is definitely Archer to Sophie. The conversation they have in the shed-thing in Demonglass? The words he held back before, um, that thing at the end of Hex Hall.

And, of course, each of them was enchanted to meet the other.

Below you can listen to Enchanted and see if you can make any other connections from the song to the books.

Please note that I do not own this song, the lyrics, or anything related to Taylor Swift or Enchanted. I also did not post this video, nor am I affiliated with the person who did. *Insert other legal stuff here.*

So, what do you think? Does Enchanted make you think of Hex Hall? What other songs make you think of books?

You can tell me in the comments or your own NN post!