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.

These Shallow Graves

by Jennifer Donnelly

hitting shelves October 27th

from Delacorte

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.
    Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort shot himself while cleaning his pistol. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was a partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.
    The more Jo hears about her father’s death, the more something feels wrong. Suicide is the only logical explanation, and of course people have started talking, but Jo’s father would never have resorted to that. And then she meets Eddie—a young, smart, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. But now it might be too late to stop.
    The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and this time the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

My thoughts: While I never did try out Donnelly's crack at fantasy writing, I loved her last work of historical fiction, Revolution. LOVED.  So I'm excited to see her going that route again!  This looks amazing, and I can't help but be drawn to the mystery and intrigue set in the gilded age of New York!

Get Ready for Rogue Wave!! Deep Blue + Custom Nail Polish Giveaway!

Today I'm helping Disney-Hyperion spread the word about the upcoming Rogue Wave, book two in the Waterfire Saga by Jennifer Donnelly!

In this exciting sequel to DEEP BLUE, the mermaids are on an exceedingly important and dangerous quest. Their journey is testing their skills and their friendships, forcing them to grow and take on new challenges, and will alter their lives forever.

  Serafina, Neela, Ling, Ava, Becca, and Astrid, six mermaids from realms scattered throughout the seas and freshwaters, were summoned by the leader of the river witches to learn an incredible truth: the mermaids are direct descendants of the Six Who Ruled–powerful mages who once governed the lost empire of Atlantis. The ancient evil that destroyed Atlantis is stirring again, and only the mermaids can defeat it. To do so, they need to find magical talismans that belonged to the Six. 

Serafina believes her talisman was buried with an old shipwreck. While researching its location, she is almost discovered by a death rider patrol led by someone familiar. . . . The pain of seeing him turned traitor is devastating. 

Neela travels to Matali to warn her parents of the grave threat facing their world.  But they find her story outlandish; a sign that she needs to be confined to her chamber for rest and recovery. She escapes and travels to Kandina, where her talisman is in the possession of fearsome razormouth dragons. 

As they hunt for their talismans, both Serafina and Neela find reserves of courage and cunning they didn't know they possessed. They face down danger and death, only to endure a game-changing betrayal, as shocking as a rogue wave.

Rogue Wave hits shelves January 6th, 2015!

To prepare for it's release date, how about a giveaway of Deep Blue and some really gorgeous custom nail polishes!

 Prizing & samples  courtesy of Disney Publishing

a Rafflecopter giveaway

•US mailing addresses only please 

•Contest ends 12/8/14

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning author of both adult and young adult books, including Deep Blue, the first book in the Waterfire Saga. For adults she has written a trilogy of best-selling books that includes The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. Her first young adult novel, A Northern Light, received many accolades, among them the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Carnegie Medal in the UK, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. Her second young adult novel, Revolution, was named a Best Book of 2010 by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

TWITTER  •  WEBSITE  •  GOODREADS

Win DEEP BLUE by Jennifer Donnelly + custom nail polish set!

I'm sure you've all witnessed this gorgeousness:

Well, today I'm happy to be able to host this awesome giveaway: 

TWO winners will each win a copy of DEEP BLUE and a custom nail polish set inspired by the book!! 

 Prizing & samples  courtesy of Disney Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The first in a series of epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.  

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe. 

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin’s arrow poisons Sera's mother. 

Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin’s master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world’s very existence.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning author of both adult and young adult books, including Deep Blue, the first book in the Waterfire Saga. For adults she has written a trilogy of best-selling books that includes The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. Her first young adult novel, A Northern Light, received many accolades, among them the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Carnegie Medal in the UK, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. Her second young adult novel, Revolution, was named a Best Book of 2010 by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

TWITTER  •  WEBSITE  •  GOODREADS 

Enter to win!!
Giveaway open to US addresses only
Contest ends 4/28/14

 

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.

Deep Blue 
by Jennifer Donnelly

hitting shelves May 6, 2014 from Disney Press

description:

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.

My thoughts:   One gorgeous cover, an epic fantasy storyline, and the author that blew me away with her YA debut Revolution back in 2010...perfect combo.   It's been a long wait for more from this author---I'm ready!

Review: Revolution

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

release date: October 12, 2010

hardcover, 496 pages

intended audience: Young adult

source: ARC from Star Book Tours

rating:


description from goodreads:
Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Review: While I was reading the first part of this book, I was a little unsure of my opinion of it. It was a lot to take in: a lot of sadness, a lot of rich kids and irresponsible drug use, a lot of historical and political detail. It was all interesting enough, but it wasn't until about a third of the way through this tale that it really grabbed me and then it was an amazingly touching and thrilling story that didn't leave me, even when the last page was turned. As a matter of fact, I plan to buy it and read it again soon!

When we meet Andi, she is completely broken. Her entire family is broken by the death of her little brother. She is suicidal and popping anti-depressants like candy. She is just about flunking out of her prestigious private school,and she couldn't care less. Her only solace is her music. Her angst and sorrow make her a hard character to connect with, but you definitely feel her loss and pain. Her father takes her to Paris where he works so he can supervise her schoolwork. She soon discovers that her father is there to prove that a mysterious container that is said to hold the heart of the dauphin of the french revolution (Marie Antoinette's son) is, without a doubt, the real thing. This hits close to home for Andi because it involves the awful death of boy the same age as her brother. She continues to spiral down and down, leaning more and more on her anti depressants. Then one day, she finds a mysterious artifact that causes her to be completely wrapped up in the history of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, the dauphin and the amazing story of a young actress her own age who was the dauphin's companion.

The amount of research put into this novel was so impressive. It put you right into the French Revolution, and all the people, places, smells, and terrors just come alive. Music, both modern and classical, is almost a character of it's own in this story. Andi's connection to a young performer from 200 years ago becomes more and more entwined until...!! You must read this and find out! It's definitely surprising!

Favorite quote: That whole window to the soul thing? That was him. When you looked into his eyes, you could see everything he thought and felt and loved. You could see Lyra and Pan. The Temple of Dendur. Bottle Rockets. Gary Kasparov. Beck. Kyuma. Chili cheese dogs. Derek Jeter. And us.

Visit Jennifer Donnelly's website here!

Trailer: