Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Bad Blood

by Dimitria Lunetta

hitting shelves March 14th, 2017

from Delacorte Books for Young Readers

A girl discovers a family secret and a past full of magic that could both save her and put her in mortal danger in this suspenseful novel that’s perfect for fans of Katie Alender and Natasha Preston.

All sixteen-year-old Heather MacNair wants is to feel normal, to shed the intense paranoia she’s worn all year like a scratchy sweater. After her compulsion to self-harm came to light, Heather was kept under her doctor’s watchful eye. Her family thinks she’s better—and there’s nothing she wants more than for that to be true. She still can’t believe she’s allowed to spend her summer vacation as she always does: at her aunt’s home in Scotland, where she has lots of happy memories. Far away from all her problems save one: she can’t stop carving the Celtic knot that haunts her dreams into her skin.

Good friends and boys with Scottish accents can cure almost anything…except nightmares. Heather can’t stop dreaming about two sisters from centuries ago, twins Prudence and Primrose, who somehow seem tied to her own life. Their presence lurks just beneath the surface of her consciousness, sending ripples through what should be a peaceful summer. The twins might hold the key to putting Heather’s soul at rest…or they could slice her future deeper than any knife.

My thoughts:  "Good friends and boys with Scottish accents can cure almost anything.."  100% percent agree with this statement. ;)  

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Damage Done Blog Tour Giveaway

Today I'm hosting another awesome giveaway from Penguin Random House! 

Damage Done 

by Amanda Panitch

22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. She's even getting used to the empty bedroom where her brother should be. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.

  One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . .

                    
     ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Panitch grew up next to an amusement park in New Jersey and went to college next to the White House in Washington, DC. Amanda now resides in New York City where she works in book publishing by day, writes by night, and lives under constant threat of being crushed beneath giant stacks of books. 

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER 

Add Damage Done on Goodreads 

WIN A COPY of DAMAGE DONE!

Enter below!

•Must be 13 or older

•Open to US/CAN addresses only
•Ends 8/24/15

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Blog Tour Giveaway: Stone Rider by David Hofmeyr

Today I am super excited to feature 

STONE RIDER 

by David Hofmeyr!

"Intense, original, compelling . . . bristles with attitude. So cool. Just read it."--Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone and BZRK

In the vein of The Outsiders and the early Western novels of Elmore Leonard, this inventive debut novel, a cross between the cult classic Mad Max movie series and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, blends adrenaline-fueled action with an improbable yet tender romance to offer a rich and vivid portrayal of misfits and loners forced together in their struggle for a better life.

Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive.

The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury.

And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything.

                    
     ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Hofmeyr was born in South Africa and lives in London and Paris. In 2012, he was a finalist in the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices competition and in 2013 he graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People. He works as a planner for Ogilvy & Mather in the UK. Stone Rider is his first novel. 

(from ARC edition of Stone Rider) 

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  INSTAGRAM

Add Stone Rider on Goodreads 

WIN A COPY of STONE RIDER!

The lovely folks at Delacorte are letting me giveaway 2 copies! 
Enter below!

•Must be 13 or older

•Open to US/CAN addresses only

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Blog Tour: Fates by Lanie Bross Giveaway!

Today I'm excited to be participating in the blog tour for

Fates by Lanie Bross

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people's fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

About the author:

LANIE BROSS was born in a small town in Maine, where she spent the next 18 years dreaming of bigger places. After exploring city life, she and her husband and two young sons ended up coming right back to the wilds of Maine, where they live just one house down from where she grew up. Fate, perhaps? She loves chasing around her rambunctious kids, playing tug-of-war with her 95-pound Lab, and writing for young adults. FATES is her first novel. For more information, visit her website www.leebross.com or follow her on Twitter (@LanieBross).

Giveaway! 
I have one beautiful finished copy of Fates to give away! 
•US addresses only please
•Must be 13 or older
•Ends March 5, 2014

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Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Suspicion

by Alexandra Monir

hitting shelves December 23rd, 2014 from Delacorte Press

description:
A contemporary Downton Abbey with a dash of the supernatural, a hot and heavy romance, and a deadly family mystery.

"There's something hidden in the maze."

Seventeen-year-old Imogen Rockford has never forgotten the last words her father said to her, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

For seven years, images of her parents' death have haunted Imogen's dreams. In an effort to escape the past, she leaves Rockford Manor and moves to New York City with her new guardians. But some attachments prove impossible to shake-including her love for her handsome neighbor Sebastian Stanhope.

Then a letter arrives that forces Imogen to return to the manor in England, where she quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind Rockford's aristocratic exterior. At their center is Imogen herself-and Sebastian, the boy she never stopped loving.

Combining spine-tingling mystery, powerful romance, and unforgettable characters, Suspicion is an action-packed thrill ride.

My thoughts: Despite this one being painfully far from publication, it's already on my radar.  Intriguing synopsis, gorgeous cover, and an author whose first book I absolutely loved (I do need to read her second book still, so something to do while I'm waiting for this one!). 

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Hexed  
by Michelle Krys

hitting shelves June 10th, 2014 from Delacorte

description: If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

My thoughts: This looks like a fun one.  As much as love a super creepy, eerie tale, I also love a book that gives me a main character with some fun wit and attitude (think Hex Hall or Ghost and the Goth, two of my favorites!).  This sounds like it has that same fun feel to it, and I can't wait to read it.

Becky's View: Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
♦publisher: Delacorte Press
♦release date: July 16th, 2013
♦hardcover, 400 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦from publisher for honest review

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love. 

Review: If I was going to review this book in one word, that word would be...

BREATHTAKING.

Stacey Jay's latest book completely blew me away.  With it's gorgeous flow of words and undeniably creative restructuring of this classic tale, Of Beast and Beauty is truly one of the best fairytale retellings I have ever read.  These comfortably familiar characters inhabit a futuristic world of myth and dark magic, where one group of people have adapted to survive the world, and one group hides away and fears it.

The story is told in three alternating POVs, and I honestly have never seen this done quite so well.  The characters are so rich and complex that the lines between who is beastly and who is beautiful is continually blurred and crossed.  Main characters, Isra and Gem, both grow so much, not only because they are forced to grow by the situations they face, but because their new and cautious feelings for each other make them want to grow. They face so many challenges, both together and apart, and it was a thrill to be along for the ride.  Even the supporting characters are so well written.  Almost every person's part in the story constantly shifts as ugly truths are revealed.  One of my favorite characters was Needle---so kind and loyal and dignified right to the very end.  And the roses,...OH the roses.  They are a character all their own; I doubt you've ever seen the rose in Beauty and the Beast portrayed quite like this...and you may never look at a rose garden the same way again.

The story twists and weaves and tumbles, leaving the reader breathless.  Each long-held secret is uncovered in a flurry of devastation and awe.  The story shows how fear of the unknown can easily manifest into cruelty and prejudice.  While each fighting to save their own people, Gem and Isra make each other stronger. They desperately search for a way to stop the evil that has a hold on Isra's city, without sacrificing their lives in the process.  The ending is incredibly exciting, so much danger and triumph! And I won't spoil anything, but the way Stacey Jay interprets the "tranformation of the beast" scene was the perfect way to bring Isra and Gem's story to a close.

Of Beast and Beauty easily wins a spot on my favorite books of 2013; don't let yourself miss out on this outstanding and beautifully told story!

Find Stacey Jay online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Of Beast and Beauty:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Amy's View: Dead River by Cyn Balog

Dead River by Cyn Balog
♦publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
♦release date: April 9th, 2013
♦hardcover, 256 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

My friends and I are spending prom weekend at a remote wooded cabin on the Dead. The Dead River.

I thought it was going to be just us.

I was wrong. 
Nothing is what it seems in this creepy paranormal thriller by Cyn Balog.

Review:

Creepy, raw and terrifying. A ghost story that winds you through a ghostly tale of destiny and fighting for where you belong.

Spending a weekend rafting on the Dead River, instead of prom, leaves Kiandra with more to worry about than just hiding the trip’s whereabouts from her father. Convincing herself this is just the weekend getaway she needs, ends up turning fatally wrong.   

Kiandra has spent her life trying not to think about what goes through a person’s mind before they plunge themselves in a river, to never be heard from again. Her life was happy and surreal spending her days on the river as a child fishing in the best spot on the Delaware, until the fateful day her mother waded into the river to end her life. Kiandra’s life was uprooted instantly, leaving everything she has behind at a moment’s notice, starting a new life away from the water’s edge.

Soon she feels the call of the water, pulling her towards it just as it did for her mother. Even with the precautions her father took to protect her, the tragedies that lay in the undercurrent of her family history, has no match for the pull of destiny.

The moment Kiandra arrives at the Dead River the water beckons her, calling to her as if it was a sweet lullaby.  Lulling her to be pulled underneath into its angry, unforgiving wrath, spinning promises like a delicate web.  Only after it’s too late, does she discover that the Dead River is unrelenting and unwavering in its deceit, unable to deliver on its promise.

With Kiandra’s freak accident, the Dead River changes everything. Destiny is finally able to present itself, where she can discover who and what is most important in her life as well as the truth behind her mother’s suicide.

Constant brushes with death add to the paranormal level of this thriller. Chapter after chapter, life and death resonate through the ghostly beings presented throughout the storyline, with each of their personal stories being brought to life in a captivating way.

This is an amazing ghost story, unlike any other traditional ghost stories that are told. A story that legends are created from, and destined to be campfire stories for years to come. Hang on while the undercurrent catches you unaware through the build up and the twists and turns. For in the end, you will lay there washed up in its wake, amazed at the story that lay before you.

This genre of book is where the author Cyn Balog should have been the whole time. Horror fans, open your door whole heartily and welcome her in, you will not be disappointed.

Find Cyn Balog online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Dead River:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Tandem
by Anna Jarzab

hitting shelves October 8th, 2013 from Delacorte BYR

description:
Everything repeats.
You. Your best friend. Every person you know.
Many worlds. Many lives--infinite possibilities.
Welcome to the multiverse.

Sixteen-year-old Sasha Lawson has only ever known one small, ordinary life. When she was young, she loved her grandfather's stories of parallel worlds inhabited by girls who looked like her but led totally different lives. Sasha never believed such worlds were real--until now, when she finds herself thrust into one against her will.

To prevent imminent war, Sasha must slip into the life of an alternate version of herself, a princess who has vanished on the eve of her arranged marriage. If Sasha succeeds in fooling everyone, she will be returned home; if she fails, she'll be trapped in another girl's life forever. As time runs out, Sasha finds herself torn between two worlds, two lives, and two young men vying for her love--one who knows her secret, and one who thinks she's someone she's not.

The first book in the Many-Worlds Trilogy, Tandem is a riveting saga of love and betrayal set in parallel universes in which nothing--and no one--is what it seems.

My thoughts: I love the sound of this one---parallel universes and an epic fantasy, plus I've always heard really great things about Anna Jarzab's writing.  Gorgeous cover, too!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Of Beast & Beauty

by Stacey Jay

hitting shelves July 23rd by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

description:

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

My thoughts:  You know I'm always up for a good fairytale retelling---plus unlike many retellings these days, Jay kept the story rooted in high fantasy, rather than giving it a modern, urban makeover! Looove that about this one. And well, the extra-gorgeous cover doesn't hurt either. 

Amy's View: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield
♦publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
♦released: September 11, 2012
♦hardcover, 288 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year's Fourth of July festival won't see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing's wrong.

And they're not the only ones hiding something.

Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people's pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year's Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams.

In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?

Review:  This is one of those books that has a cover that instantly draws you in. A pink cover with blood splayed across the top. This was an instant grab for me.

Clare is a cute eccentric character that loves all things vintage (Becky and I can totally relate) and spends every free second re-designing her vintage finds into wearable art. But the ironic thing is her gift of spinning old clothes into something new is also her curse. Clare carries a family secret passed down from generations; she can see people’s pasts just by touching their clothes.

This causes major problems. Not only does she see things in clothing that she wishes she never did but she also gets involved in solving the town’s murders. Having a serial killer that kills on the same week every year has the town and Clare on high alert and has Clare’s special ability finally helping her gain answers instead of trouble.

As much as I was excited to read this book I found myself a little let down. The story line is great, the characters were well-developed and the ending was a real eye opener (which in fact completely saved this book). Sophie Littlefield is a great writer, however I could tell throughout the whole book that she is foremost an adult fiction writer and almost over-developed the characters. I found some of the characters actions a little unbelievable for a “normal teenager.” But in the authors defense, I guess Clare is anything but normal. Headstrong, independent and out to find the truth using her family’s’ curse to aide her along the way. 

Overall a decent mystery and a refreshing change in paranormal abilities.

Find Sophie Littlefield online:  Website  •  Facebook  •  Twitter

Purchase Hanging by a Thread:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Becky's View: Rapture by Lauren Kate

 
Rapture by Lauren Kate
♦publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
♦release date: June 14, 2012
♦hardcover, 432 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Fallen, book 4
(my reviews for Fallen, Torment, & Passion)

(spoiler warning: description & review may contain slight spoilers for previous books in the series!)

The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Review: Writing this review is feeling very bittersweet. I have enjoyed this series all the way through and I am so sad to see it end. But WOW...did it end with a bang. I finished last night and I think I am still trying to catch my breath. The entire series was a whirlwind metamorphosis---from the boarding school dark romance, to a mystery about an otherworldly curse, to a time travel epic through thousands of years, and now this: a journey of timeless love and a girl trying to find out who she is and why these incredible occurances have happened to her and her true love, the angel Daniel.

There was literally not a moment's pause in the adventure of this final installment. Daniel, Luce, and their friends are in a race against time to find the artifacts that, when brought together, will show them how to stop Lucifer from erasing thousands of years of earth's history. Rapture has a completely different feel and seemed much darker than any of the other books in the series. Emotions run deep, there are lots of surprises, and definitely some tears. If you love this series like I do, {spoiler! highlight to read:} you know there is definitely a connection to so many of the main characters and to lose any of them was devastating! The plot wraps itself up in twists and turns, groups change sides, new dangers present themselves---and the things that come to light in Rapture completely blew me away. There were things that maybe I should have seen coming, but they never even crossed my mind until I read them, gasping in shock! It was an astounding and wholly satisfying finale. I know people seem to either love this series or dislike it---but if you are one who loves it and has become completely wrapped up in the fate of these wonderful characters, I'm sure Rapture will blow you away!


Miss Lauren Kate, I will miss Luce and Daniel, Cam and Arianne, Gabbe, Roland, Molly, and the rest of them. Thank you for giving them such an amazing story! I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Visit Lauren Kate: Website • Facebook • Twitter

Purchase Rapture at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound

Trailer:


source: I purchased this one, then received an ARC for review from publisher.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Spirit and Dust
by Rosemary Clement-Moore


hitting shelves May 13, 2013 from Delacorte Books for Young Readers

description:
Speaking to the dead is no new thing for Daisy Goodnight. The living, on the other hand, can occasionally be a problem. Especially when they knock you out, kidnap you, and force you to be their magical police dog.

Donald Maguire—mob boss, extraordinaire—has a missing daughter and Daisy is his first choice to track her down. But he didn't actually ask her for help. When she woke up in his guest bedroom, she was told. But why her? And who—or what—in the world is the Black Jackal?


My thoughts: Ok, so I know this almost a year away from coming out, but GUYS...It's Rosemary Clement-Moore. Did you read Texas Gothic? It was awesome. Once of my faves last year. So I am very excited to see more from this author. And this premise looks right up my alley. :)

Waiting on Wednesday - The Fallen Edition

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for. For my WoWs, I'll be choosing a Sooner (books released in the next month or so) and a Later (books further out). Here's what I'm eagerly anticipating:

Sooner:

Fallen In Love
by Lauren Kate

hitting shelves January 24th, 2012

description:
Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye . . .


Later:

Rapture
by Lauren Kate

hitting shelves June 12, 2012

description:
The sky is dark with wings. . . .

In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together . . . but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal?



My thoughts: Ok, so I know readers have a love or hate relationship with this series, but I have to say, I have really adored it so far! Click here to see my previous reviews and features on the Fallen series and author, Lauren Kate. SO relieved to see these two covers live up to books 1 & 2...the Passion cover was such a let-down. As for Fallen in Love, it's a collection of stories, which I don't usually go for, but with it being about characters that I'm already invested in, I'm excited for it! The ending of Passion was pretty amazing, so I can't wait to see what happens next in Rapture!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Lies Beneath
by Anne Greenwood Brown

hitting shelves June 12, 2012 from Delacorte Press

description: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

My thoughts: This one sounds so good. I love Mermaids, but my favorite depictions of them have always been on the creepy side (think Peter Pan movie remake from 2003). The mermaids in this book sound like they are going to be completely bad-ass. Those mermaid sister's don't sound like anyone I'd want to mess with! Plus I love a good forbidden love :)



Become
by Ali Cross

hitting shelves November 11, 2011

description: Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

My thoughts: This one sounds awesome, and the few reviews that I've seen so far have been great. Fabulous cover, intriguing dilemma (the devil's daughter want to be a good girl? Can't wait to see how that goes over!)...and strangely enough, one of the things that makes me want to read this is the main character's name: Desolation (aka Desi). How cool is that name? Not that I want to name my next kid that, but as a character's name in a dark story? Very cool.

Review: Juliet Immortal

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

released: August 9th, 2011

hardcover, 304 pages

intended audience: Young adult

rating:





source: from publisher for honest review

description:
The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

Review: This is one I'd been coveting for a long time---with its gorgeous cover and the promise of a completely reimagined Romeo & Juliet. Juliet Immortal takes the most well-known love story of all time and gives it a completely twisted makeover, sending the characters off into a whole new direction.

Over 700 years, Juliet and Romeo are pitted against each other in a war of love---Juliet fights to save the love between soulmates, while Romeo fights to destroy it. Juliet jumps from body to body and then has to figure out who the two soulmates are that she has to keep together. She lands in the body of Ariel, a girl who is a bit awkward and unself-assured due to a burn scar on her face and mother who has always made her feel self-conscious about it. I loved the way Juliet had to balance her actions between how she would react and how Ariel was expected to act, and the fact that with each life she overtook, she strove to make things better in that life, despite that not being her purpose for being there. It made for a very complex character. It was almost like reading a story told in both first and second person perspectives. I thought the romance was very sweet and I loved Ben's character---definitely not love at first site but a sort of instant easiness with each other that grew as they got to know each other, despite Juliet's efforts to hold back. I found the main plot twist concerning them to be predictable, but not in a way that completely ruined the story---more like you are just waiting for the characters to realize it, too.

There are some really great satisfying and heartfelt moments concerning Ariel and her mother and the intensity and conflict in the friendship between Juliet/Ariel and the best friend, Gemma was so infuriating as it needed to be. There are some really creepy moments and a good amount of violence and gore, which was slightly unexpected. Romeo made a fairly nasty villain, but his true intentions were always kind of unclear. Still, I found a few parts dragged for me and the details of the Mercenaries and the Ambassadors became a bit muddy and confusing.

Still, an interesting take on Romeo & Juliet! I recommend giving this one a try at your library.

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Purchase Juliet Immortal at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound