Fandom Collide: A #Divergent #TFIOS #Legend & #FierceReads SwagGiveaway!

As you all know, Once Upon a Twilight is a dedicated site with book reviews and a team that loves to swoon over hot characters. Well, did you also know we love to follow books adaptions along with book events? If not, here is the link to our Red Carpet Endings, where we bring you the latest news to your lovely books adaptions. With privileges, I have attended many events and have gather a couple of swags that I'd obtained while attending these and well... We bring you the Fandom Collide Swag Giveaway!

First of all, if you missed my "A Day with Marie Lu" post, here is the link. A day full of fun with Marie Lu, author of 'Legend Triology'!

On this very day, I was able to win this poster:

While at YallFest and the Miami Book Fair, I won some Divergent and Allegiant swag. Earlier this year, I was able to attend two of the Divergent Tour stops! So here are some of the pictures I took:

And was lucky to score these:

 

With YallFest and Divergent Tour Stops, I gathered these:

And since I am a fan of John Green, well... I decided to attend the madeness of The Fault in Our Stars tour in Miami. If you didn't know, this event had to be shut down early because well... it was MAD. Take it from an expert. ( I consider myself an expert since I've attend 3 of Twilight's World Premieres, along with two of Robert Pattinson's World Premieres). Well here is the only decent pictures I was able to take at this event:

Here is a mini video I took of John Green leaving:

And this special and limited art poster was given out: 

Last but not least, we were the "dedicated blogger" for The Fierce Reads stop at Books and Books in Miami. If you missed the post, here is the link.

Here is the last piece of the giveaway:

Which brings you:

So Enter this awesome giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Legend + Prodigy Paperback Giveaway!

We are excited to be part of this giveaway. If you have not started Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu, then this is the perfect way to start. Available for Pre-order, Prodigy will be released on paperback April 8, 2014.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. 

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

(Open to US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Champion By Marie Lu

Champion
Legend #3
Author: Marie Lu
Reading Level:  Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Released: November 5th, 2013
Review Source: Purchased

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Dystopian style books continue to be the flavor of the era and nothing seems to change that fact for the time being. So while trying to sift through the countless YA novels sometimes becomes a tiresome task, finding and sticking with the great ones always makes up for it. Which makes my reason for putting off reading the thrilling conclusion to the Legend series seem so wrong. The Legend series in my opinion has done a wonderful job of bringing something fresh and unique to the YA world. While sticking to the basic dystopian foundation the Legend series broadens the genre as it tackles politics along with human psychology. Add that to the break neck pace mixed in with some tasty violence, and of course a major teenage romance, then I’m quite surprised this series hasn’t been made in to a feature film yet. Since it had been a while since I read the last book, Prodigy, I had somewhat for gotten the awesomeness that is this book. Luckily for me I didn’t put Champion down for an entire day reading none stop and simply enjoying what a great and clever author Marie Lu is.

So after reading and taking some time to reflect on the conclusion of the series, I realized that I’m going to miss these characters and reading about them. First off, leaping into Champion, we find June and Day each struggling with their own mindboggling problems. The world is still a terrible and miserable place, while also nobody really looks like getting along. Thankfully Day, June, and all the other misfortunate misfits of the Legends series are there to make everything right in the world. This brings me to one of the aspects I really liked in Lu’s writing; she didn’t slack off on any aspect when it comes to characterization. That goes for all of the characters not just Day and June. Every novel has subplots to go along with the main storyline. What makes a story great is if an author can intertwine almost perfectly the multiple subplots and main plot together. To me, Champion is a great example of how this should be done. The minor characters each fulfill a need in the story but they also add to the quality and richness of the overall story.

Another reason I enjoyed this book is that the quality of storytelling that Marie Lu produces is just so captivating. Quite frankly the way her stories unfold will just leave your mind blown. The dialogue she uses allows for fluid progression through out the novel making reading this book all that simpler. Lu’s development of a story is so good in fact that my only issue is that there wasn’t more content for me to devour. Really though, that’s just me being greedy, but I could honestly see her picking up this world again especially after this crazy ending. However, it seems like June and Day’s time has sadly come to an end, leaving the blueprints for a great movies series, because lets face it, every book gets turned into a movie these days. Hopefully in the near future she’ll decide to pick up the pen and create another world that will give me as much enjoyment as her last.

Book Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion
Legend #3
Author: Marie Lu
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Released: November 5th 2013
Review Source: Penguin Group

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Let me start by saying that I just love the ending of this book. It is bittersweet yet understandable. For a Dystopia book, this is something I would expect with a happy ever after… event if it takes time! Now, the action, HOLY MOTHER OF ALL ACTIONS! I was on edge reading this book! Marie Lu blew me away with all the actions going on! I felt like I was watching a movie, one you cannot blink or else you would miss an important scene. I cried, I laughed, and yeah I enjoyed my time reading.

You know the characters from the previous books of this series. You know you love them, but this book will make you fall hard for Day. The devotion of his love toward June is just to admire. He will do anything she will ask, even if it breaks him.

“Billions of people will come and go in this world,” he says softly, “but there will never be another like you.”

God, Marie Lu broke my heart many times in this book! I love how Day is the one that shows all the emotions (so not typical for a guy) while June is more of a “robotic” type of gal. So when she realizes she is in love with him, I just couldn’t help but grin like a fool!

I know June loves Day, but I just couldn’t understand why she asked so much of him. In my opinion, she went too far, she kind of took advantage of him. I know it was for a good cause, but my heart just couldn’t understand. I did however, loved the part when she cries out to a higher power. That part just twisted my heart.

“I throw this prayer into the sky with every shred of strength I have left”.

I was consumed with grief.

This prayer was everything.

This prayer was perfect.

(And I’m crying again).

In my honest opinion, this is the perfect ending for a dystopian series. There are many ways Marie Lu could've ended this series but I believe she chose the perfect one.

I recommend this book to everyone! Definitely a must read. (Excuse me while I go wipe my tears).

Chat with Marie Lu About #Champion Today at 7/6c!

Chat with New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu tonight about her latest release in the Legend series: CHAMPION.

The chat will begin at 7pm EST/4pm PST. Ask a question using the hashtag #ChampionChat and enter to win a SIGNED CHAMPION BOX SET!

Find out more at marielu.org.

Once Upon a Signing: A Day with Marie Lu

How would you feel if you had the chance to spend time with one of your favorite authors? Excited? Nervous? Well, I had the opportunity to spend time with Marie Lu at a luncheon, provided by Penguin, and let me tell you something, I was freaking out! Not only that but I'm pretty sure I made myself look like a fool. But I couldn't help it, I was Fangirling from the inside. Marie Lu is such an amazing and sweet person. 

We talked about her tour and how she's flying from one city to another with extreme changes of weather. I love how the three of us, Ana (Owl Always Be Reading), Harmony (RadiantRead) and I were comfortable talking about random things we enjoy doing. 

Of course, we had to ask her about her favorite books and what she is currently reading. Also, Ana asked her if she was Team Adam or Team Warner.  I was happy to hear she love Warner!!! (Yess, how can you not love him?!) 

I had such an amazing time with Marie and I will never forget this experience. This is a moment I will forever remember! 

Don't forget to read her latest installment of Legend Trilogy: Champion!! This is a packed action book that will have you on edge! (Review to come soon).

Here are some of the pictures from the signing at Books and Books later that day:

Marie Lu started writing as early as 5 years old.

Initially June started out as a boy because Marie Lu based him off as ValJean/Javert relationship in Les Miserable. Her fiancé gave her the idea to change June to a girl, to make it much more interesting. 

Marie Lu's next book is a fantasy series,  expectations date of publication next year! Make sure you to look for it once this is out!

Here are the rest of the pictures:

She was so happy about all my tabs :) Thanks Ana for putting me in the spot lol

*squueeeee*

Don't forget to enter the giveaway, her posters are signed!! Good luck.