Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 163

Book Review: Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Reawakened (Reawakened #1) by Colleen Houck Blurb: When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe. But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world. 
My Review:  17-year-old Lilliana "Lily" Young's well-controlled life is about to implode. Seeking a break from the decision her parents insist she must make during her spring break - pick a college and a major, starting college undecided is absolutely out of the question - she finds refuge in her favorite place, The Met. 
As she sits in the closed off Egyptian exhibit (a perk of her family being rich: not only does she have a lifetime pass, she also can hang out anywhere in the museum) she hears something in the curtained off area. Thinking it's a tourist lost in the exhibit Lily goes to investigate. 
What she doesn't expect to find is a gorgeous guy in a white pleated skirt looking for "his" canopic jars. When he can't find them he insists that Lily help him. Thinking he's a crazy person Lily attempts to leave but not before the guy has a chance to cast a spell on her binding them together. Lily manages to lose the guy, who calls himself Amon, for a little while but when he gets hit by a car Lily feels compelled to help him. 
At first, Lily thinks Amon is crazy or possibly sick, but soon what he's telling her and what he's able to do confirm what he is saying is true. Amon is a 1000+-year-old Egyptian demigod that is tasked with stopping the god of chaos, Seth from destroying the world. Amon needs Lily's energy because his canopic jars containing his organs have been stolen so she must travel with him to Egypt to reawaken his brothers so they can perform a ritual to stop Seth. 
As Lily reluctantly goes down the figurative rabbit hole with Amon, she finds herself changing. Prim, controlled Lilliana would have never accompanied Amon to Egypt but the person she's becoming is someone she likes a whole lot better. "Lily" is up for adventure and is embracing things as they happen. Not only that but her feelings for Amon are growing into something she never expected. Could a relationship between a mortal and a mummy/sun god ever really work out? Does Amon care for Lily the way she cares for him, and if so why does he keep pushing her away? 
Will Amon be able to reawaken his brothers and stop Seth? Will he drain too much of Lily's energy? Or will Seth finally succeed? 
Reawakened is an action-packed Egyptian adventure. At first, I wasn't sure I liked Lily because she reminded me a little of the uptight Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, too concerned by what other people thought of her. But by the time Amon finally convinced Lily he wasn't crazy, sick, or lying I was hooked on the story. I needed to see what happened next. Amon's discovery of every new modern thing was hilarious.
When they reach Egypt the reader is swept into a place that is both the past and the present, filled with rich history and exciting Egyptian mythology. The story kept me riveted but the only thing I didn't like was that as Lily and Amon encountered new complications, woke his brothers, and their feelings for one another began to alter and grow, Amon became less and less of his cheerful self and more like a man that had the world resting on his shoulders. At that time Asten became the goofball of the group. I know it probably had to be that way for the plot to work but I loved seeing Amon's cheerful side. The end left me tearful and sad, but also hopeful that things will change in the next book. 
Overall, the characters and the story were easy to fall in love with, I thought the book was very well researched, and I can't wait to see if Amon and Lily will meet again in Recreated. 
Quotes I Loved From Reawakened:
"I do not understand. Then who will wash me?" - Amon, pg. 59
Amon rose immediately. "Yes. We will take a flying chariot to Egypt." - pg. 78
"I will not bend my body to fit into a chariot so small. My sarcophagus was more spacious." - Amon, pg. 102
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #44

 This "WIR"-Wednesday the book I'm reading is top secret, so I can't tell you a lot about it...
Title: Can't Tell You by Author: Not Sure I Can Say That Either
What I Can Tell You:  I am currently reading an ARC of the sixth book in a series I read and reviewed in July and August. If you're a regular visitor to my blog I'm sure you can guess the author and series I'm talking about. This book picks up a year after book five ended and so far it is great! I'm glad that the author decided to continue this as book six in *that series* instead of doing a spin off series because sometimes I find that when authors do spin-offs the story tends to lose something. 
I know I'm being completely vague and that's so not fair but you'll be able to see what the book is I'm talking about when I post my review on November 10, 2016! 
***
On another note, this is also a Waiting On Wednesday post for me! 
As I mentioned in my last "Book Mail" Thursday post I'm waiting on signed copies of The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia, Nemesis by Anna Banks, and Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. 
Confession time: when it comes to books I've ordered I am the most impatient person in the world. Seriously. If I check the tracking number and know the mailman is delivering the book I'm waiting on that day I can't get to the mailbox fast enough. I become a little yappy dog tearing at the mailman's pant's leg anxious to get my hands on the mail. Okay, that's a big of an exaggeration - I've never actually done that. But believe me, I've felt like doing it. 
So, there was a little bit of a delay with The Lovely Reckless (which I keep accidentally typing as the name of one of my favorite bands, The Pretty Reckless). The virtual signing I got it from hasn't been able to set up a time to get the books signed by Kami, but I've been assured that there shouldn't be more than a week or so delay. Totally understandable, I can wait. But I'm still eager! 
I'm also still waiting on my book order from Books of Wonder for Nemesis and Three Dark crowns, but I'm crossing my fingers that they get my order in the mail by tonight. Fingers crossed people! 
Are you waiting for a book order? If so, what are you waiting on? Isn't waiting the absolute worst? 

COVER REVEAL: JUST AN ILLUSION - SIDE A by D. Kelly

 ***Title: Just an Illusion - Side A
Series: The Illusion Series, Book 1
Author: D. Kelly
Release Date: November 3rd
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Artist: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design and Photography
 ***
One night changed her life…   Bestselling author Amelia Greyson has grown up in the music industry and isn’t the slightest bit fazed by fame or celebrities.  However, when she attends a Bastards and Dangerous concert with her best friend Belle, her world shifts on its axis. 
Double trouble…
Sawyer and Noah Weston are the front men of BAD.  They’re fraternal twins and sexy as sin.  When they hear the author of The O Factor is in their green room, they’re intrigued.  She’s just the person they need to write their farewell story.  The brothers offer Amelia the opportunity of a lifetime, which she reluctantly accepts. 
Three hearts…
Noah is sweet and considerate, working hard to make Amelia feel at home on the road.  Unfortunately, the closer they get, the more obnoxious Sawyer becomes.  Sawyer is arrogant and distant and he wants Amelia, even though she’s not his for the taking.  Only during stolen moments does Sawyer show her who he really is. Can Amelia maintain a safe distance from Sawyer and keep her heart intact?  Or will she shatter Noah’s heart by giving hers to his brother instead? 
Just an Illusion – Side A is the first book in The Illusion Series
         

 ***
Head over to the Authors page today to see what amazing giveaway she has going on. 
Click the Giveaway IMAGE to go direct to her Facebook LIKE page!
 *** I'm a wife, a mom and a dog lover. I'm also a taxi, problem fixer, extreme multi-tasker and my kids’ biggest fan in anything that they do. I’m married to my high school sweetheart... how cool is that? Margaritas and sarcasm make me happy. Chocolate makes that happiness grow exponentially. People who make me laugh are my favorite kind of people. I believe Karma is real and mean people suck. I'm California born and raised, I love the beach but hate the sand. And of course I believe Starbucks makes any day better. I’m the author of The Acceptance Series and Chasing Cassidy with more books soon to come.

***

Book Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high-security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.
Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything . . . including Snow's return to the world she once knew.
My Review: "Mirrors reflect what we want to see, or sometimes they reveal what you really are or what you really want. You have to be very careful with a mirror."
Seventeen-year-old Snow Yardley has spent most of her life locked up in an insane asylum. Life within the locked halls is all she knows after she tried to walk through a mirror and tried to take another girl with her. Surrounded by fellow patients that range from the pyromaniac Bale that she loves, Magpie the thief, Wing the girl who believes she can fly, and Chord the boy who thinks he can step through time, Snow knows that she's not completely insane despite the myriad of pills the Dr. Harris and his staff shove down her throat. 
One year ago Snow's first magical kiss with Bale, the boy she's loved since they were kids, broke something within Bale, ruined their friendship, and resulted in her wrist being broken in two places. Bale hasn't been the same since, all he does sit and stare at the wall. Now Snow's only confidante is her orderly Vern who likes to watch soap operas with her. 
Snow's life at Whittaker has substantially dimmed since Bale disappeared into himself, but when Bale goes missing - taken away from her by hands dragging him through a mirror - Snow knows she must go after him. 
Aided by an unlikely ally in Magpie and a mysterious boy Snow only sees in her dreams Snow manages to escape Whittaker and enter a strange new land, Algid. There the boy, Jagger, and everyone else she encounters insists Snow is the one that they've all been waiting for... the Snow Princess that a prophecy foretold would kill the King and end the permanent winter they've been cursed with for the  past fifteen years. 
All Snow wants is to get Bale back, but every time someone tells her they will help her get him back they want something from her in return. In a world full of people all working on their own hidden agendas who can Snow trust? Will she ever see Bale again? Can she really gain control of her power over the snow and fulfill the prophecy? Does she even want to? Will she and Bale be able to escape from Algid and her father, the Snow King alive? What do you do when every lie you ever knew as truth is uncovered and your life stands on end? 
I liked Stealing Snow. I did not, by any means love it. It was just okay. As far as retellings go, Stealing Snow is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Snow Queen. I did see the similarities between the two, but as far as retellings go, Stealing Snow is not one of my favorites. 
Snow is locked in an insane asylum at the beginning of the book, but I can't quite figure out why. Because a six-year-old Snow tried to walk through a mirror? I'm not sure that really warrants institutionalization. Magpie's stay at Whittaker doesn't make much sense to me either, as I'm not sure kleptomania is a reason to be institutionalized either. But I understand that her placement at Whittaker adds into the plot later on in the story. 
As far as the story goes itself, yes the fantasy is good. I won't say that it isn't. But the flow felt strange and disjointed to me. First Snow is with Jagger then she's separated from him. She meets the River Witch and begins to settle into her life there. Then she's separated from Kai and Gerde after a fiasco at the market and ends up with Jagger (again) and the Robber girls. Then after a time there, circumstances change again and she meets the "Duchess" and so on. I guess I just expected the story to go differently than it did. I know each piece is a stepping stone to the end of the story but I felt like Kai and Gerde disappeared and Snow didn't even bother herself to search for them, and then toward the end they make another brief appearance. 
Overall, once I got into the story I want to keep reading, but as to whether I'd pick up the next book in the series, the answer is probably not. The story was all there, I just wanted it to be different. My Rating: 3.50 of 5 Stars

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #43

            This "WIR" Wednesday I'm nearly finished with Stealing Snow (I know, I know... I started that one LAST week, but in my defense, I've been truly exhausted lately) and hoping to start a new book tonight...

Reawakened (Reawakened #1) by Colleen Houck Blurb: When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. 
And she really can’t imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe.
 
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world. 
 
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.  
Why I'm Choosing This Book: I subscribed to Colleen Houck's newsletter last spring during the last YASH and her books look really interesting to me. I've been wanting to read Reawakened since I picked it up at Barnes and Noble back in August because it sounds like it's right up my alley. Why now? I need a palate cleanser after finishing Stealing Snow (look for my review probably tomorrow if I can get the book finished this afternoon) and before I start an ARC of a book I'm really excited to read (but can't discuss until its' release date). I'm hoping I really love this book, so we'll see...

Calling All Artists and Writers!

      As some of you might know, I run a group on the art website, DeviantArt. The group centers around all mediums of art that portray paranormal, gothic or horror subjects. Every Halloween I hold a Halloween Contest. If you are an artist on DeviantArt (or just want to sign up to participate) and you're interested in entering the Halloween contest the details are as follows:

      It's time for Paranormal-Artists' FOURTH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN CONTEST and for the first time we have a theme! By popular vote, this year's theme will be...

DARK FAIRY TALES

      Fairy Tale retellings are hugely popular lately, especially in the literary world. So this Halloween season I want you to pick a fairy tale (any fairy tale, get creative and do some research... maybe you can unearth some obscure fairy tale that not many people remember) and give it a twist. Maybe Sleeping Beauty was put to sleep for the protection of the people. Perhaps the beast in Beauty and the Beast was a horrifying bloodthirsty monster. You get the idea.

    The contest folder "DARK FAIRY TALES CONTEST 2016" will be open for entries from now until Noon CST on OCTOBER 30, 2016. Winners will be announced at MIDNIGHT ON HALLOWEEN


RULES:       You MUST be a member of Paranormal-Artists to enter the contest.      Please submit your entries to the “DARK FAIRY TALES CONTEST 2016” Folder. Entries submitted to any other folder will not be considered.       Only one submission per person, please!      All submissions must be new and created for the contest.      All submissions must mention the group, this contest, and the theme in the artist's comments.      Submissions can be in any medium of your choosing (Short Stories, Poems, Drawings, Photographs, Photomanipulations, etc.) as long as your creation has something to do with the theme. 
   PRIZES:   1st Place:    25     A Feature in 's (my) Journal and my blog (taylorfenner.blogspot.com)    An ebook copy of my most recent Paranormal Romance novel, OUT OF DARKNESS
   2nd Place:     15      A Feature in 's Journal and my blog (taylorfenner.blogspot.com)     The opportunity to name a character in my upcoming novel
   3rd Place:       10       A Feature in 's Journal and my blog (taylorfenner.blogspot.com)      A llama from 
      All winners will also be featured at 
     At this time I'm actively seeking prize donations. I wish my contributions could be more but things are tight right now, hence my creative alternative to point prizes. If you would like to donate please either note  or note the group! Anything can count as a prize: DA Subscriptions, Points, Artwork Commissions, Prints, Books, Features, Llamas...ANYTHING!
    Also, be sure to check out 's "A Monster Calls" Prose Contest! Details can be found here: Prettyflour's A Monster Calls Prose ContestHey, everyone! Later this week I'll be announcing our annual Halloween contest but in the meantime, our awesome group member :iconprettyflour: is holding a Halloween contest of her own. Here are the details:
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to Prettyflour's Halloween of Horrors!
Fall is here. Leaves are turning.
Apples and pumpkins are EVERYWHERE.
Halloween is right around the corner.
It's time for scary stories.
It's time for a contest!
A Monster Calls.
This is a literature contest.
Show me a monster in prose.
Scare me. Thrill me.
Tell me a monstrous tale!
The deadline for this contest is 10/30/2016.
Note me :iconprettyflour: with your submission.
Please mention this contest in your comments.
New work for this contest, please.
Only prose please (1000 word limit).
Be scary! Be creative! Show me a monster!
Winners. There will be two.
1st prize gets
400 points, a scary short story by me, and a feature in  :iconpoeticalcondition:, :iconpoets-and-warriors:, :iconflashfictionlives: and :icon
      
Good luck and happy creating!

Retellings: What Are They?

With my next major writing project (the top-secret NaNoWriMo project I refuse to talk about) being a YA Fantasy / Fairy Tale Retelling, and the sub-genre being more popular than ever I've been asked: What is a retelling? How can an author take something that's already published and write about it again? Isn't that plagiarism? The simple answer is no. 
What is a retelling of a story? A story retelling is when an author takes a preexisting story (whether a fairy tale or a classic story) and updates it, changes it, gives the story a new twist. 
For example: Romeo & Juliet. What if Romeo and Juliet were from two different warring planets? Or what if Romeo were an alien and Juliet was a human? What if they hated each other? 
Why isn't that plagiarism?  Well, because though the characters are named the same and the basic format of the story (lovesick boy meets girl, they fall in love, their families hate each other, they both die [or maybe not]) may be the same, it's no longer Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. The setting is different, the timeline is different, the genre is different, hey maybe they don't even die at the end! That's what makes it a retelling. A retelling is a completely new version of an old classic. 
What sorts of stories have been used for retellings? Lately every time you look there's a new retelling hitting the shelves. Lots of stories from Romeo & Juliet to Pride & Prejudice to fairy tales like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Beauty and the Beast have been used as inspiration for story retellings. 
In fact, I just read an ARC for a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera and another book I saw on Netgalley is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Retellings are becoming the new "big thing" in YA fiction. 
Does That Mean Authors Are Getting Lazy & Don't Have Any Original Thoughts? Absolutely not! No my dear readers, that's what's happening to Hollywood and the film industry! But I digress... back to the original point. If you had a cool idea to spruce up or take something old and beloved and make it newer, fresher, and even better wouldn't you pursue it? 
That's kind of what a story retelling is like. We all love "this story" but what if secretly that story didn't go like that at all? What if it really went more like this... That's another way to bring about a story retelling. As an author you may create a character that you felt got "wronged" in the original. Let's say they were cast as the villain. Aren't all villains just misunderstood heroes that's dreams were crushed? What were they like before they became the villains every one knows them to be? It makes you think, doesn't it?
What Are Some Story Retellings I Might Like? A lot of story retellings come into the YA Paranormal or Fantasy genres so here are a few story retellings you might like...*Note: Each of these books are part of a duology, trilogy, or series, so for this blog's purpose I'm showing you the first book in the sequence. 
1. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Retelling of: Romeo & Juliet
Tagline: The greatest love story ever told is a lie.
2. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Retelling of: Alice in Wonderland

3. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter Genre: YA Mythology / Fantasy / Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Retelling of: The Persephone Myth4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Retelling of: Cinderella

5. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Retelling of: Beauty and the Beast6. The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Retelling of: The Singing Bone by the Brothers Grimm7. The Hollow by Jessica Verday: Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Retelling of: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

***Do you like story retellings? What's your favorite retelling?

"Book Mail" Thursday #5

This "Book Mail" Thursday I'm enjoying my most recent arrival. Saturday (when most of my book orders arrive) I received...
Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige
For some reason I feel like I should have waited to read this book until winter. The books I've been reading lately have been more of a Halloween / Fall motif, but I was so eager to read this one I couldn't wait! 
Waiting On: Between October 8-14 I'll be receiving the following books:
The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia (from Good Choice Reading, signed and personalized)

Nemesis by Anna Banks (from Books of Wonder, signed by author)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (from Books of Wonder, signed by author)

Books I'm DYING to Splurge On: Good Choice Reading just started a new virtual signing for Heartless by Marissa Meyer and I really want to order a copy for myself. But alas, I've been trying to save for the Apollycon 2017 virtual signing that I think starts on October 1st. Plus, Christmas will be coming soon and I want to get my grandmother an ergonomic mouse (and maybe keyboard) so it's easier on her when she's working on the computer with her carpal tunnel. But maybe since I have royalties coming in at the end of October (thank you everyone that has grabbed a copy of Out of Darkness!) and I'm thinking of doing a book sale to clear out my inventory of books (my books) around Black Friday-Cyber Monday, I can still swing it... See how I sneakily try to re-budget so I can buy more books? It's a sickness. I need book rehab! 
Anyway, if you want to learn more about Good Choice Reading's newest virtual signing for Heartless by Marissa Meyer Visit Here!

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #42

Last week I got distracted from TOG by an ARC I received from Netgalley. I'm still planning to finish Throne of Glass, but this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm diving into a recently released novel...
Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.
Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything . . . including Snow's return to the world she once knew.
Why I Chose This Book / What I Think So Far: A few bloggers I know read this book as an ARC and raved about it and when I read the description I knew I had to read it. As I've said many times before I have a weird obsession with mental institutions (something about the history of them really) and that initially drew me to Stealing Snow. Retellings are also a really big thing lately and I've loved all the ones I've read so far. I vaguely remember the Snow Queen fairy tale from my childhood (it's by Hans Christian Andersen) and I thought it would be interesting to read a retelling in the villainous queen's perspective. I just started Stealing Snow last night but the first line sucked me in. 

S-O-S Books: Another Look

A few weeks ago something occurred that I'd never given much thought to before. As an indie author, it's not something that affects my books, but as a reader, it's something that still has me scratching my head asking, "how is that fair?"
The Situation: It was the week before Labor Day and a Facebook group I belong to was all abuzz because copies of Sarah J. Maas's upcoming book, Empire of Storms, was showing up on bookseller shelves at least a week (more in other places) before the release date. On and on the group members cried about the unfairness of the situation and how the booksellers that put the book out early should be fined. 

I was curious to see if my local Barnes and Noble had the book out early but I wasn't too concerned... I've just started the first book in the series so Empire of Storms wasn't a book I was dying to get my hands on like other people. 
No, upon a visit to my local Barnes and Noble on September 3rd, they didn't have Empire of Storms on the shelf. However, they did have the Throne of Glass Coloring Book, And The Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich, and another book I'd heard mentioned, Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova; none of which were supposed to be released until September 6, 2016. 
When I brought this to the group's attention and asked, slightly frustrated,  what was wrong with these bookstores lately I was met with a completely different reaction than those that brought forth comments about the EOS "tragedy."
I was basically told that if the book (in my case And The Trees Crept In, which I did purchase) wasn't marked S-O-S when it was shipped to the store then the bookstore could put the book out whenever they felt like it. Basically, the reaction was, "who cares?"
What Are S-O-S Books? Yes I know dear readers, I thought S-O-S meant Save Our Ship, too. I honestly before that day had never heard that term before when it came to books. So what does S-O-S mean when it comes to books? 
After a little digging, I learned that S-O-S means Strict-On-Sale. Apparently when some books are so highly anticipated - think Harry Potter, Twilight, or in this case, Empire of Storms - publishers place a sticker on the boxes of books sent to booksellers marking them "Strict-On-Sale" as in "if you sell these books or even open the box before the printed release date, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE." There's even an embargo or law if you do break that agreement and the bookseller could be slapped with fines. 
Why Aren't All Books S-O-S? This is a question I'm still puzzling over. I mean why is it that some books are considered more important than others? Why is it that a group of people can get so hysterical about the early release of one book but be so nonchalant about the early release of another? 
How is putting out a book early fair to the publisher of that book or the author, no matter what the book is? If booksellers have to option to say, "this box is taking up space in my stock room, I think I'll stick the book out today even though the release date isn't until two weeks from now," just because the book isn't marked "S-O-S" then why do publishers even set release dates? I mean if booksellers are going to set the books out whenever, just willy-nilly then why even bother? 
The other thing that bothers me is how is that fair to a reader that may really want to read a certain book when a bookstore in let's say, Appleton, Wisconsin (my nearest store) sets out a book five days before it's release but a reader who's dying to read it in Denver, Colorado has to wait until the release date because their local bookseller doesn't put it out until the release date? And don't even get me started on people who've pre-ordered a copy online or are waiting for an eBook copy to be delivered to their Kindle/Nook/Kobo/iPad, etc. They still have to wait until the release date! 
But of course when I voiced this opinion to the group I was told a bookseller couldn't keep every book that comes in until the release date; that would be unrealistic. How stupid of me for even suggesting it! After all, life isn't fair and some people just have to suck it up. (Those last two sentences weren't actually spoken to me as much as they were implied.)
In my opinion all books should be S-O-S, otherwise why bother setting a release date at all? How can you market something when technically a book isn't supposed to be out until "this date" but some stores set it out on "this earlier date?" 
As an Indie Author, I set the release date for my books carefully and thoughtfully. I don't just randomly say, "Oh, by the way, my next book comes out on Tuesday," a week prior. That wouldn't give me enough time to get people excited about the book, nor would it make the release date special. What good would it do to say "Into the Light will be on sale on December 13, 2016," then put it out two weeks earlier? Hint: it wouldn't. 
How Would You Feel? Let's forget books for a minute. How would you feel if you were really looking forward to a new video game, or a movie coming out on DVD, or concert tickets - all of which were going on sale on a SPECIFIC date but let's say a Walmart in Louisville, Kentucky put the video game out a week early and you live in Omaha, Nebraska. Or a Target in Houston, Texas started selling that DVD five days before the Target store in your hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota? Or worse yet, the ticket seller for the concert you want to go to has the ability to print tickets before they go on sale for herself and her friends, so she does. How would you feel? Outraged, if you're anything like me. I'm sure you're thinking, "well if I don't live in that place how would I know?" But that's the whole point! It's the craftiness, the sneakiness of the booksellers I'm talking about. If you run a red light at 3 AM and there's nobody else on the road to see it, does that make it okay? No, no it doesn't. 
So what do you think? Do you think it's okay for booksellers to put out books whenever they feel like it? Or if they have to wait to sell one book, should they have to wait to sell all books that come in before their release date? Why or why not?