Cover Story! Asunder, Torn Wing, & Falling to Ash

Spotted three beautiful covers this morning!!
(cover images link to Goodreads)

Coming Jan/Feb 2013 (no firm date yet) from Katherine Tegen Books
description:
DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Incarnate trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

Coming October 2nd from Tor Teen
description:
Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and the ones she loves, she needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will Tiki be brave enough to face the truth?

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation…

Coming September 27th, 2012 from Corgi Children's
description:
You can’t choose your family... living or dead.

Trapped between two very different worlds, newly made vampire Moth is struggling to find her place in either. Not only does she have to answer to her strict Irish-Catholic Dad, but her over-protective maker, Theo, is intent on making her the star attraction in his powerful Boston vampire clan. Moth will have to pull off the double-act of the century to please both of them...

Adding to her problems is the dangerously attractive Jason Murdoch, a trainee vampire hunter who loves to play cat and mouse in his spare time (Jace = cat; Moth = mouse). But when the teenagers of Boston’s wealthiest families start to disappear, it forces Moth and Jace into an uneasy truce. Will they be able to solve the mystery behind the disappearances—before someone winds up undead?

(Corgi is a UK publisher, not sure if this will get a US release, or if the cover will be the same!)

What do you think of these covers? Eyecatching, no? Will they be on your to-read list??

Review: The Iron Witch

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

publisher: Flux

release date: February 8th, 2011

paperback, 290 pages

intended audience: Young adult

rating:



source: from publisher for honest review

description: Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

Review: For whatever reason, I had a hard time really connecting with this story. It started out a bit slow and didn't really have anything that made it stand out from other stories out there. The premise was interesting: you have a girl with iron hands that give her extraordinary strength. She is connected to the mysterious world of alchemy and magic, where the four alchemical sects are working to discover the elixir of life and at war with the secret world of elves and fairies. All of this was interesting, but you never got indepth enough about any of this to fully draw you into the story. I kept waiting to hear more about the alchemists and Donna's part in their world, or more about the elves and what was happening to their world. You get hints and small details here and there, on the surface, and I kept expecting to be let in on the secrets as the book went on, but in the end, it felt a little hollow.

I did really enjoy the friendship between Donna and Navin. They had a good, easy-going, loyal camaraderie. Lots of witty banter between the two. The meat of the story is about the elves kidnapping Navin and Donna's plight to rescue him. While this part was suspenseful and exciting, Navin's disappearance doesn't happen until well into the second half of the book. There is, of course, the mysterious love interest with a cool name, Xan. I love the way they meet up on the roof, both hiding from the wild party below. And although I thought the "so-into-you" factor happens a little too instantly, I did like the dynamic of their relationship. It was kind of give and take, and I was glad to see Donna find someone she could share her secrets with. I did not, however, like the fact that, Donna flares up in jealousy at the mere mention of another girls name. They barely know each other, he's just opening up to her, and he can't even say another girls name without Donna getting jealous? And then there is the token mean girl and her posse who mercilessly harass our protagonist and call her "freak"--- it was fun watching Donna put her in her place once or twice. :)

I also liked the interjected journal entries from Donna. With the rest of the story being told in third person, I felt those were needed to really get some insight on her feeling toward everything that was going on around her. However, the quick switches from first to third person perspective made the story feel a little choppy to me.

While this book wasn't my favorite, it was good, and I'll be interested to see if we get a little more detail into the mysterious world as the series continues.

Visit Karen Mahoney's site here.

Read the first two chapters here.

Purchase The Iron Witch at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository

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 Iron Witch
by Karen Mahoney

release date: February 1st, 2011 by Flux

Description from goodreads:
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

My thoughts: I've been drooling over this one for months since the cover was released. And what a gorgeous cover it is, with all it's graceful swirls and bizarre tattoos on her arm. Fairies, magic, a centuries old war---this one is sounds like an amazing, epic fantasy.