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.  

  Dark Shimmer 

by Donna Jo Napoli

 hitting shelves September 8, 2015 

from Wendy Lamb Books

Set in medieval Venice, this captivating fairy tale retelling by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli explores belonging, beauty, and the transformative power of love through the eyes of a teenage girl.
 
Dolce has grown up hidden away on an island in a lagoon. She is a giant, a freak, tormented by everyone but her loving mother. She spends her time learning the valuable secret of making mirrors. Following a tragedy, Dolce swims away and lands on an island where people see her as normal, even beautiful. Marin, a kind widower, and his little daughter bring Dolce to live with them in their grand palazzo. Eventually, Dolce and Marin marry. She secretly continues to make mirrors, not realizing that quicksilver endangers her . . . and so evil begins in innocence.

My thoughts:  So curious about this one!  Definitely has a creepy fairy tale vibe though!

Amy's View: Beyond by Graham McNamee

Beyond by Graham McNamee
♦publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
♦released: September 11, 2012
♦hardcover, 240 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Jane is not your typical teen. She and her best friend Lexi call themselves the Creep Sisters. Only Lexi knows why Jane is different from anyone else: Her own shadow seems to pull her into near-fatal accidents. Jane is determined to find out why these terrifying things happen, and to overcome her shadow enemy. Her sleuthing with Lexi connects her own horrors to the secret history of a serial killer.

Review: Beyond can only be described as Steven King for YA. Graham McNamee drives the nail straight into the coffin on this YA thriller. A wonderful fast paced read. Just in time for Halloween!

Jane is a strong girl character who finds herself plagued by her life threatening tragedies. Starting from birth Jane has found herself at deaths door on a repeated basis making her teenage life miserable as well as the talk of the town. Not to mention making life as a typical teenage girl torture especially at high school. But the truth is Jane is hiding a paranormal secret. It’s not the suicide attempts that everyone thinks are her secrets. It’s the dark secret Jane tries to gain control of. One that is trying to kill her, literally. With the help of her best friend (and the only one who knows the truth) Clare must find out who is trying to kill her or deal with the fact that her visions really are responsible for all her suicide attempts. And if that wasn’t enough Clare discovers a skull leading to an old murder. Soon the mystery of whose skull it is and how that person got killed is almost too much for her. Leaving Clare with two choices , give into her dark secret and let it overtake her or fight to solve a murder hoping to solve the real reason she is being tortured. Only by reading this book will you truly find out the answers to the many questions this book lashes out to you. Murder, dangerous paranormal entities, friendship and a budding romance what else does a good book need?

I absolutely love Graham’s use of short chapters making me feel like an accomplished reader as I flew through the book. As for the ending??? No worries the ending doesn’t disappoint it just leaves you shocked and satisfied. But a word of caution: do not start this book unless you have time to sit and finish it. There is no pause in the twist and turns that weave you through this book.

Trust me this book has it all from ghost stories to skulls, strong female characters and a cute guy, a
paranormal thriller and even a murder mystery to be solved. And a little side note… the author's picture is FAB! That’s a 5 out of 5 in portrait genius. Graham I can’t wait for your next book. You’ve made me a follower.

Purchase Beyond:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound