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 Last Place on Earth

by Carol Snow

hitting shelves February 23rd, 2016 

from Henry Holt & Co

Daisy and Henry are best friends, and they know all each other's secrets.  Or, so Daisy thinks, until she wakes up one morning to find that Henry and his family have disappeared without a trace. Daisy suspects Henry's disappearance is connected to their seriously awkward meeting the night before, but then she finds a note from Henry, containing just the words "SAVE ME."
 
Deeply worried, Daisy convinces her unemployed brother to take her on a rescue mission into the California mountains. As they begin to home in on Henry's exact location, they also start to find some disturbing clues... clues that call into question everything Daisy believes she knows about her friend.  Why is he so hard to find? What kind of trouble is he in, exactly? And most importantly, who is actually saving who?

My thoughts:  I love friend mysteries and what could be more intriguing than a story that kicks off with a note that says only "Save Me"?  Yes, this sounds awesome. :)

Witherwood Reform School Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Today I'm taking part in the blog tour for  Witherwood Reform School, a new middle grade series from Obert Skye! Check out my review below and enter win a copy of your own!

Witherwood Reform School

by Obert Skye

♦publisher: Henry Holt & Co

♦release date: March 3rd, 2015

♦hardcover, 240 pages

♦intended audience: Middle Grade

♦series: Witherwood Reform School, book 1

♦source: from publisher for honest review

After a slight misunderstanding involving a horrible governess, oatmeal, and a jar of tadpoles, siblings Tobias and Charlotte Eggars find themselves abandoned by their father at the gates of a creepy reform school. Evil mysteries are afoot at Witherwood, where the grounds are patrolled by vicious creatures after dark and kids are locked in their rooms. Charlotte and Tobias soon realize that they are in terrible danger—especially because the head of Witherwood has perfected the art of mind control.

If only their amnesiac father would recover and remember that he has two missing children. If only Tobias and Charlotte could solve the dark mystery and free the kids at Witherwood—and ultimately save themselves.

Review: Witherwood Reform School kicks off a fun series about two clever and mischievous siblings and a little tough-love punishment that goes horribly awry.  When Tobias and Charlotte’s tricks send their ill-mannered nanny running, their father leaves them at the bottom of a mesa and drives away.  His plan was to leave them long enough to scare them and then return, but when his car skids off the road, his memory is lost and  the two kids find themselves abandoned.  They find their way to Witherwood, and once inside, the sinister reform school refuses to let them go.

While this one read a little younger than I expected (I would say perfect age for this is probably 8-10, and those who enjoyed Spiderwick or Series of Unfortunate Events), I enjoyed the dark twisting plot and the sibling relationship.  Tobias and Charlotte were realistic kids trying to find their way out of a horrible situation, sometimes succeeding, but also sometimes making choices that dig themselves even deeper. They both had their individual strengths and cleverness, though I might have like to know a little more about where some of their skills came from, like Tobias’s  knowledge of how to make a key from a bedspring and Charlotte’s exceptional hearing.  I also really liked the chapter-leading narrators voice, tempting the reader on with funny little quips and hints about what’s about to happen. 

It’s a creative story with lots of ups and downs and daring escapes, though I do wish a little more had been revealed about  the school’s  dark purposes by the end. It was a fun read and a good start to a new series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Obert Skye is the author and illustrator of the Creature from My Closet series: Wonkenstein, Potterwookiee, Pinocula, and Katfish. He has also written the bestselling children’s fantasy adventure series Leven Thumps and Pillage. He currently lives indoors and near a thin, winding road with his family. 

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  GOODREADS


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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.  

The Heart of Betrayal 

by Mary E. Pearson

hitting shelves July 7th, 2015 from Henry Hold & Co.

(Watch out for spoilers ahead! If you have read book 1, skip the description!)

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.

My thoughts: AHHH so excited. I loved book one (check out my review here) and I can't wait to see what happens next with these characters.  Also anxious to see how this one reads without that intriguing "not knowing who is who" factor we had in the first book.  Kind of surprised at this cover! It is definitely breathtaking, but I actually think it's a better match as the sequel of Trial by Fire! Don't you think? We'll see how it fits the story!

What future books are you excited for this week?

Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson {review}

Kiss of Deception
by Mary E. Pearson
♦publisher: Henry Holt & Co
♦release date: July 8th, 2014
♦hardcover, 489 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: The Remnant Chronicles, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

Review: Oh, Mary Pearson.  You clever author.  Kiss of Deception fully and completely captured me from beginning to end.  I found myself mesmerized by the extraordinary writing, engaged in this gutsy heroine who fled a world she felt entrapped in, and blindsided by a plot that somehow completely pulled the rug from under my feet. 

Lia has never fit the roll of princess, always running with her brothers and getting into mischief. At 17, she is forced into a marriage to bring together her kingdom of Morrighan to the neighboring Dalbreck. Terrified and unable to imagine a life in a loveless arranged marriage, she takes her life into her own hands and runs away with her best friend, Pauline. They flee to Terravin, a quaint colorful town, and take up as tavern girls to earn there keep.  I had to applaude her, she knew how she wanted to live her life and she took it, and despite being raised among royalty, didn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty. But she does start to see how it’s not so easy to walk away from her old life without it affecting those she cares about, and it’s beautiful to see her slow growth into a young woman and maybe even a true princess. 

There are three alternating voices throughout the story: Lia, Kaden and Rafe.  There is a love triangle, which doesn’t bother me, but to those of you who hate them: don’t write this one off just yet! Of Kaden and Rafe, one is the Prince Lia was suppose to marry and the other is an assassin sent to kill her.  Pearson cleverly wrote this so you don’t know which is which.  As much as I was sure that I had it figured out, I was so wrong, and when the truth is finally revealed, it turned the whole story on its head for me. 

This world is fantastical but set to feel much like our own in ancient times.  The imagery is exquisite though, creating beautiful visuals in my mind for this story to play out in: A cold loveless castle, a welcoming and quaint tavern, a village festival full of noise and games, colorful gypsy caravans, a stark unforgiving desert, and a dangerous wild forest.  Even small intricate details like the swirls and symbols of a painted tattoo were brought to life in gorgeous prose. 

There are fast-paced excitements throughout, but also some long stretches of Lia just settling into her life in Terravin, getting to know all the new people in her life, being there for Pauline, worrying about their safety---there are a lot of low-key moments, but in nearly 500 pages I never found myself bored.  As some stories do, sometimes in completely inexplicable ways, this story just clicked for me. Its a courageous and touching story with all the makings of an epic fantasy, and I can't wait to see what's to come for these characters.

Find Mary E. Pearson online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Kiss of Deception:  BN.com  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Becky's View: Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner

Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner
♦publisher: Henry Holt & Company BYR
♦release date: June 25th, 2013
♦hardcover, 224 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Timedance, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

London, 2218 A.D. Seventeen-year-old Zee is an intern empath. She’s focused on her job, poised for a great career—until one day an attractive patient undoes her hard-earned calm. As an empath, she cannot afford such distractions, but neither can she stay away from David, even when she discovers he’s one of a mysterious alien race. As London comes under attack by anarchist bombings, and as Zee struggles to get a handle on her unusually strong psychic abilities, David starts pulling away. Although Zee’s sure he’s attracted to her, David has secrets he cannot share. But it’s too late for Zee. She’s losing her heart to the gray-eyed alien boy, and she’s determined to follow him—no matter how far it may take her.

Review: Every once in awhile, it is nice to depart from the 400-500 page epic tales and dive into something that’s a quick read.  While shorter books are a nice break, there is always a danger that the story itself will end up feeling like it’s been shorted, and unfortunately that’s the feeling I got from Neptune’s Tears.

The story was enjoyable and entertaining.  Zee is an empath with a promising career ahead of her.  She meets David and instantly feels a dangerous attraction there---dangerous because love can derail an empath’s powers and because he is of the alien race that is visiting Earth.  Despite her fears, their relationship blossoms.  After they fall in love, the idea that her powers would be compromised seemed to go by the wayside; as a matter of fact, they seemed to become even more developed. The writing has a stark quality that sets an intense mood but sometimes feels ironically cold for a story about a girl who works with feelings and emotions.

I would have loved to get to know the supporting characters a bit more; Rani, Mia, Jasmine, Mrs. Hart---there are tons of interesting people who are part of Zee and David’s story but again, they pop in and out and we barely get to know them. Especially Zee’s best friend, Rani---she ends up being such a huge part of the ending, but I think fleshing out her character and their friendship a bit more would have given that a bit more impact. I really enjoyed each subplot: Zee’s relationship with the elegant and proud Mrs. Hart, her family that she’s grown apart from, the mystery behind what David and the aliens are really on Earth for, and a futuristic London that is constantly threatened by anarchist attacks.  I just wish all of these elements had been expanded on---I felt like we really just skim the surface of the story’s potential in favor of centering it around a story of forbidden love.

With the big twist at the end, I am interested to see where this story goes next. I’ll likely pick up the second book and see if I can delve a little deeper into this mysterious futuristic world!

Find Susan Waggoner online:  Facebook

Purchase Neptune's Tears: Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound