Companion Novels Challenge 2013

Hi, welcome to the first ever Companion Novels Challenge, hosted by Vivian at Confessions of a Vi3tBabe and me!

What is this all about, you say? Well, we challenge you to join us in reading as many companion novels as you can this year. 

What exactly constitutes companion novels? Companion novels are a set of novels that revolve around different characters within the same world, with each book having its own unique plot. Cameos of certain characters can be seen making appearances in any and all of the novels within that particular set of novels, i.e. the first book will introduce a set of secondary characters, who will then have their stories told in subsequent novels within that world. 

Companion novels are all the rage nowadays, and we're certainly big fans! Sometimes, when reading a series, we fall hard for the secondary characters and find ourselves wishing they would have their own books... and if we're lucky, it happens! Authors like Katie McGarry, Simone Elkeles and Kristen Cashore have taken on this challenge, and many more are following suit. For examples of companion novels, check out this Goodreads List, which we'll be constantly updating! 

We want this challenge to be very laid back because we know not everyone is interested in the same set of books. We also know everyone has a HUGE list of books to read, so we definitely don't want to add more pressure to pile. 

Here's how we plan for this event to go down:

1. A new challenge will begin every TWO months, with the first challenge beginning this month. So that means you'll see a post in February, April, June, August, October, and December.

2. Each post will have a set of companion novels that we're challenging you to read along with us (we'll be reading those books during that time) BUT (here comes the laid back part) you don't necessarily have to read that set. You can read any set of companion novels you want for those two months. If you like the books we chose, go ahead and read them. If not, go ahead and choose your own! It's as simple as that!

3. At the start of each challenge we will post a linky list where you can post your review of the companion novels you read for those two months. The list will close before the next challenge begins. You can review the book(s) on your Blog, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The only stipulation is that the date of your review has to be within the time frame of that particular challenge for which you're linking up with.

4. Each review link counts as ONE entry in the giveaway that we'll be hosting for that particular challenge. If you do decide to follow along with us and read the assigned books, then you'll get an extra TWO entries per review (for a total of THREE entries) in that giveaway.

5. In order for your entry to count, you must SIGN UP for the challenge via the linky list below. You can sign up anytime as long as the challenge is going on, but your name must be on the sign-up list for your entry to count towards any giveaways.

What's the schedule going to be like? 

February - Something Borrowed, Something Blue by Emily Giffin 

April - Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles 

June - Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore 

August - Pushing the Limits, Crossing the Line, Dare You To by Katie McGarry 

October - Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins 

December - Tempting the Best Man, Tempting the Player, Tempting the Bodyguard by J. Lynn

Details about the books, giveaways, and information regarding a specific challenge will be explained when the post for that month goes live. (The February one should be up next Friday!) Any questions? Feel free to leave a comment below or email Alexa or Vivian. 

Feel free, by the way, to grab the button for the challenge:

If you're ready to sign up and get reading, just fill out the linky list below: