Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. A spin-off of the meme called "Can't Wait Wednesday" is now hosted at Wishful Endings. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Waking Forest

by Alyssa Wees

hitting shelves March 12th, 2019  

from Delacorte Press

Pan’s Labyrinth meets The Hazel Wood in this novel about a girl with terrifying visions and a wish-granting witch whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways.

The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?

My thoughts:  I thought at first glance of this cover that it was an MG book, but I would have wanted it either way!! Turns out, it looks to be a enticingly creepy-sounding YA---wishes and witches and creepy dark woods... and I. Cannot. Wait!! 

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created 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.

Lantern's Ember
by  Colleen Houck

hitting shelves September 11th, 2018

from Delacorte Press

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare. 

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

My thoughts: That cover! That synopsis! It all sounds so very Halloween-y and I can't freaking wait. (sidenote: be sure to visit the author's blog post when she announced this books. Her Halloween-decorations are amazing and she tells about giving out her books to older trick-or-treaters! I hope those kids know how lucky they are!! 😍)

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

No Good Deed by Kara Connolly {review}

No Good Deed
by Kara Connolly
♦publisher: Delacorte Press
♦release date: July 18th, 2017
♦hardcover, 352 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

Review:  This was such a fun adventure.  Champion archer Ellie Hudson stumbles through a portal into the Middle Ages of Sherwood Forest, pops out on the grounds of Nottingham Castle, and instantly becomes a wanted "man" for trespassing.  She's forced to earn her freedom with a little test of archery skills---what a perfect time to be good with a bow and arrow. ;) 

What I love is that this wasn't a retelling of Robin Hood--it's fully a time travel story, where a very modern girl lands in middle ages and finds herself in very ironic company. She meets a Will, a John, a Friar, and a reluctant nun at the Sisters of Marian priory--and immediately fits them all into the story she knows so well.  She takes on her brothers name (Robert). And with a few acts of trying to right a few of the Sheriff 's wrongs, she becomes the legend of Robin Hood with all the help of her merry men.  I loved Ellie's witty attitude and bravery, and even though she does seem to fall into her new surroundings a little too easily, it's still fun to see her take it all on, throwing everyone for a loop with her wild way of speaking,  crazy impulsiveness, and stubborn determination.  There's just a tiniest little hint of romance, but my favorite relationship was the friendship that grew between Ellie, Will, and John. Lots of great characters,  some great action and intense feats of archery, and lots of things to make you appreciate the differences between medieval times and our own! 

If you're looking for a good, entertaining historical time travel book that certainly doesn't take itself too seriously, pick up No Good Deed!  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Twitter   •   Website

Purchase NO GOOD DEED:

Indiebound   •   BookDepository   •   Amazon

What To Say Next by Julie Buxbaum {spotlight + giveaway}

Today I'm shining a spotlight on a fabulous upcoming title, the second YA novel from Julie Buxbaum, WHAT TO SAY NEXT !!

•ABOUT THE BOOK• 

What to Say Next 

by Julie Buxbaum

♦publisher: Delacorte Press

♦release date: July 11th, 2017

♦hardcover, 272 pages

♦intended audience: Young adult

♦stand-alone, contemporary

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. 

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

•FIRST THOUGHTS•

Julie Buxbaum's Tell Me Three Things was one of my favorite books of last year, and while I'm only about 70 pages into this one, it's wonderful so far! The humor and sentiment  both feel very genuine, the characters and the various relationships are completely refreshing and I can't wait to see how Kit and David's connection grows!  Each of their alternating points of view are compelling and unique, as Kit works through her grief and her disconnection from her seemingly clueless popular circle, and David with his stark and honest observation of the people around him and of his own growing curiosity about Kit.  

•ABOUT THE AUTHOR•

Julie Buxbaum is the New York Times best selling author of Tell Me Three Things, her young adult debut, and the critically acclaimed novels The Opposite of Love and After You. Her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Julie’s writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young children, and an immortal goldfish. 

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  INSTAGRAM  •  GOODREADS

Purchase What to Say Next:

 Indiebound   •  Amazon  •  Book Depository

*GIVEAWAY*

Today I'm giving away one finished copy of 

What To Say Next 

to one person, anywhere in the world! 

Enter below, and Good Luck! :D
Open Internationally, ends 7/7/17

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

The Breathless

by Tara Goedjen

hitting shelves October 10th, 2017

from Delacorte Press

A gothic mystery set on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, the novel follows 16-year-old Mae Cole's quest to uncover who is responsible for her sister's mysterious death, and the terrifying turn it takes as she starts to dig up long-buried secrets about her family's dark past.

My thoughts:  Not too much info on this one as of yet, but...Gothic. Southern. Mystery. Family secrets.  That's really all I need to know to draw me to this one! :D

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

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.

No Good Deed 

by Kara Connelly

hitting shelves July 18th, 2017

from Delacorte Press

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

My thoughts:  OH my, how fun does this sound!!? Time travel, archery, Olympic trials, a strong female lead with a snarky voice (if the synopsis is any indication), and medievel Sherwood Forest!! Definitely looking forward to this one!

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

And I Darken by Kiersten White {blog tour review}

I'm super excited and honored to be participating in the blog tour for one of my long-time fave authors and her new title! Today I'm reviewing the incredibly epic 

AND I DARKEN 

by Kiersten White! 

And I Darken

by Kiersten White

♦publisher: Delacorte Press

♦release date: June 28th, 2016

♦hardcover, 496 pages

♦intended audience: Young adult

♦series: The Conqueror's Saga, book 1
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Review: AND I DARKEN has a vast epic feel and scope that I really enjoyed.  It followed it's characters, the hard and seemingly heartless Lada, and the tender-hearted and gentle-souled Radu from their birth into their teens and really gave the reader a chance to know them. There is so much that happens in the course of their lives but at the heart of it is a brother and sister, their familiarity, their rivalry, their protectiveness of each other, and how love will shape both of their lives. 

I have certainly never read about a princess like Lada--and I loved her! Though admittedly I was also terrified of her by the time she turned the not-very-sweet age of 5! Her bravery, her stubborness, her fierceness, and her insistence to be treated as an equal to the boys and not as incapable simply because she was a girl were all things that I couldn't help relishing as I watched her character grow. Radu faces challenges just as immense, as he constantly struggles to prove himself and later when he is forced to face a truth in himself that he doesn't even have a name for. I also loved the focus on his spiritual journey and how it strengthens him. 

While it's a huge brutal and exciting tale, there were a few sections of the story that I found to be really slow going. Also, as much as it might have made sense for Lada and Radu to be hardened and matured by the harsh situations they found themselves in,  there were still some actions and dialogue that I couldn't picture a 12 and 13 year old doing or saying. The story almost immediately picked up for me though when they turned 15 and 16, and stayed a twisting, engaging, emotional roller coaster until it's very end.  There were a few nights this one kept me up until 3 am, completely unwilling to put it down! This is nothing like anything I've read from Kiersten White, but it was definitely another piece of incredible and creative storytelling from her!

•ABOUT THE AUTHOR•

KIERSTEN WHITE is the New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy; the dark thrillers Mind Games and Perfect Lies; The Chaos of Stars; and Illusions of Fate. She also coauthored In the Shadows with Jim Di Bartolo. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, which, in spite of its perfection, spurs her to dream of faraway places and even further away times.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  TUMBLR  •  GOODREADS

Purchase And I Darken:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Be sure to visit the rest of the tour stops for AND I DARKEN!

Monday, May 30^th: Icey Books, Review

Tuesday, May 31^st: Bookiemoji, Guest Post (Character Profiles)

Wednesday, June 1^st: Seeing Double in Neverland, Review

Thursday, June 2^nd: Alexa Loves Books, Playlist Post

Friday, June 3^rd: Owl Always Be Reading, Review

Monday, June 6^th: Jessabella Reads, Review

Tuesday, June 7^th: The Eater of Books!, Top Five Roundup

Wednesday, June 8^th: Across the Words, Review

Thursday, June 9^th: Pandora’s Books, Sneak Peek for Book Two

Friday, June 10^th: Tales of the Ravenous Reader, Review

Monday, June 13th: A Midsummer Night's Read, Review

Tuesday, June 14^th: The Irish Banana Review, Top 10 Guest Post

Wednesday, June 15^th: Stories & Sweeties, Review

Thursday, June 16^th: Jenuine Cupcakes, Author Mystery Guest Post

Friday, June 17^th: The Soul Sisters, Review

Monday, June 20^th: Winterhaven Books, Review

Tuesday, June 21^st: Two Chicks on Books, Q&A (4-6 questions)

Wednesday: June 22^nd: The Book Swarm, Review

Thursday, June 23^rd: Read. Sleep. Repeat., Top Five Fantasy Books Kiersten Loves to Re-Read

Friday, June 24^th: Please Feed The Bookworm, Review

Monday, June 27^th: Comfort Books, Review

Tuesday, June 28^th: Fitshun, Q&A

Wednesday, June 29^th: Addicted Readers,Review

Thursday, June 30^th: Lindsay Cummings, Movie Casting Post

Friday, July 1^st: Rabid Reads, Review

Monday, July 4^th: Reading Teen, Review

Tuesday, July 5^th: YA Bibliophile, Guest Post (Trip to Romania)

Wednesday, July 6^th: Carina’s Books, Review

Thursday, July 7^th: Mundie Moms, Author Mystery Guest Post

Friday, July 8^th:  Bookishness and Tea, Review

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum {blog tour review}

Tell Me Three Things
by Julie Buxbaum
♦publisher: Delacorte Press
♦release date: April 9th, 2016
♦hardcover, 336 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦standalone
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review

What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?  
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Review: "I don't read much contemp". Somehow I hear myself say this often---and then books like Tell Me Three Things come along and prove that this is getting further and further from the truth for me.  I adored this book, it charmed the pants off me. The characters were fun, the situation was emotional, the stereotypes of the LA private school were at once hilarious and from tales I've heard first hand from my L.A.-raised niece and nephew, not too far exaggerated. But best of all, this was a story of a girl in a pretty crappy situation finding comfort in a mysterious stranger who has reached out to her. It's so very "You've Got Mail" brought into the now. 

Jessie's dad has sprung a new stepfamily and a move to L.A. on her just a few years after her mom passed away from cancer.  Needless to say, it's an adjustment. And I'd say, she does pretty well with it, all things considered. All things being: her dad seems to have forgotten she exists, her stepbrother is totally embarrassed by them at the beginning, the kids at her new school seems completely alien to her. 

Then she gets a mystery email from what appears to be a good samaritan looking to help her figure things out.  I loved watching the progression of their friendship, despite the fact that he was a total mystery. It's also a bit of an emotional roller coaster as Jessie deals with her best friend, Scarlet, growing distant, her dad's new marriage, a mean girl at school who seems to have set her sights on Jessie, and multiple guys who have interest in "the new girl" (this is actually my one gripe---I dislike it when the main character seems to catch every guy's eye), all while still missing her mom so much. I felt so much for her character, there were times when I was so angry for her (ugh, clueless teacher), times when I nearly cheered (the big reveal!), and so many times that her snark and wit had me laughing out loud..  As you see Jessie gain a bit of footing and confidence, you of course are also constantly guessing who SN will turn out to be.  The mystery of it (and the hope!) just made for a fun read.

Here's a few favorite quotes (from the ARC):

Scar's favorite word is "undeniable" actually, which tells you everything you need to know about her. My favorite word , on the other hand, is "waffle". Both a delicious breakfast food and a verb.

He's not real, of course,. We're all better versions of ourselves when we get that extra time to craft the perfect message. 

Read this one! You won't be disappointed!

*ABOUT THE AUTHOR*

Julie Buxbaum is the author of the critically acclaimed The Opposite of Love and After You, and her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Tell Me Three Things is her first young adult novel. Her writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young children, and an immortal goldfish. Visit Julie online at www.juliebuxbaum.com and follow @juliebux on Twitter.

Add Tell Me Three Things to Goodreads

Or Pre-order: Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon