[Waiting on Wednesday] - #141

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Revival
   Author: Chris Weitz
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: July 19th, 2016

     The teens survived a mysterious catastrophe in The Young World, brought the cure back home in The New Order, and now must forge a new world in this fast-paced conclusion from acclaimed film director Chris Weitz.

     The teens forge a new world in this epic conclusion to The Young World trilogy.

     After the emotional cliffhanger of The New Order, shocking events take place for Donna, Jefferson, Kath, and their tribe as they face their greatest challenge yet--how to hold the new city-state of New York against a ruthless attack from the Old World.

     Heart-stopping action and exciting new revelations will leave readers hungry for the final installment in the series.

My Stance:

     This is another series I am hoping to get around to. I am excited for this, and while my TBR is getting larger and larger, I am hoping to tackle that and get around to some of the books I am most excited for. The first book is something I bought on a whim, there was something that spoke to me. I was reading Gone by Michael Grant at the time and this book is pretty much the same thing, however without the superpowers.

There is something about how the world just ends and only teenagers are alive, and how the author thinks the world would react and somehow manage to work. That's the whole reason, I mean the whole teenage gangs and fighting to try to figure out the curse. As well, how does one fall in love in the end of the world and when you are leading a group of teens, there has to be a lot of pressure and growth in just the position Jefferson holds for his gang. I honestly am looking forward to this.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #140

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Darkest Magic
   Author: Morgan Rhodes
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: June 28th, 2016

     In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes's highly acclaimed Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, danger looms and the mystery deepens as two warring evils vie for possession of one elusive, powerful book.

     Modern-day Toronto: Sisters Crystal and Becca Hatcher are reunited after reclaiming the Bronze Codex and narrowly escaping death. They have no one to trust but each other, and the only thing keeping them safe is the book that sent Becca's spirit to Ancient Mytica--the same book that their enemies would kill them for.

     Ancient Mytica: Maddox grapples to keep his newly discovered powers under control, while the ruthless goddess Valoria hunts him down.

     Modern-day Toronto: Farrell embraces his dark side as he unwittingly falls further under the spell of Markus, the mastermind leader of the nefarious Hawkspear Society, who will stop at nothing to find Crys and Becca--and the remarkable book in their possession.

     New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes takes readers into exhilarating new high-fantasy territory with volume two of the Book of Spirits and Thieves series, an epic contemporary saga perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.

My Stance:

     So as of lately I have been in this whole fantasy and sci-fi bender and haven't gotten around to much else. Falling Kingdoms is by far is one of my favorite books and I have been meaning to explore the rest of her books. I have most of her novels on my shelf at the moment, and while I haven't gotten to Spirits and Thieves I am awaiting it expectedly. There is a lot of depth and character growth/diversity in her novels. Rhodes won't let me down.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #139

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Passion of Dolssa
   Author: Julie Berry
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: April 12th, 2016

     I must write this account, and when I have finished, I will burn it.

     Buried deep within the archives of a convent in medieval France is an untold story of love, loss, and wonder and the two girls at the heart of it all.

     Dolssa is an upper-crust city girl with a secret lover and an uncanny gift. Branded a heretic, she’s on the run from the friar who condemned her mother to death by fire, and wants Dolssa executed, too.

     Botille is a matchmaker and a tavern-keeper, struggling to keep herself and her sisters on the right side of the law in their seaside town of Bajas.

     When their lives collide by a dark riverside, Botille rescues a dying Dolssa and conceals her in the tavern, where an unlikely friendship blooms. Aided by her sisters and Symo, her surly but loyal neighbor, Botille nurses Dolssa back to health and hides her from her pursuers. But all of Botille’s tricks, tales, and cleverness can’t protect them forever, and when the full wrath of the Church bears down upon Bajas, Dolssa’s passion and Botille’s good intentions could destroy the entire village.

     From the author of the award-winning All the Truth That’s in Me comes a spellbinding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page and make you wonder if miracles really are possible.

My Stance:

     I loved All the Truth That's in Me so much that at the end of the book I immediately added Berry to my favorite author list. That book was so well written, the anguish and growth from the characters and was so great, and how Judith overcomes her trauma and still managed to be better. I am hoping for another monster of a book again in this novel and from the sounds it may be just that.

     Dolssa and Botille and such odd names, but I guess the book does take place in France. What am interested in is how Dolssa end up near death, I understand that the Church is after her for being a heretic. I am curious on why she is a heretic as well, I mean it could be something like being a witch or just some odd science over church incident. Which opens the door to explore her character as well, and I doubt that Berry will let that go to waste.

     Botille seems pretty self explanatory, her character just seems so one dimensional. I hope she's the one that surprises me the most. Who knows maybe the secret lover that Dolssa has is female and that's why she's a heretic, and being the kind woman that Botille is, she hides the two of them away. I am intrigued to get my hands on this book, it has the potential to be another good book from Berry.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #138

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Forest of Ruin
   Author: Kelley Armstrong
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: April 5th, 2016

     From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes the breathtaking conclusion to the Age of Legends trilogy, perfect for fans of Graceling and Game of Thrones.

     The empire rests on the edge of a knife, and sisters Ashyn and Moria are the handle and the blade. Desperate to outmaneuver the evil Alvar Kitsune, whose hold on the people grows stronger every day, Emperor Tatsu begs Moria to put aside past grievances and ally with Gavril—at least long enough to make an attempt on Alvar’s life. Meanwhile, reunited with her long-lost grandfather, Ashyn discovers that she is the key to a ritual that could reawaken an ancient dragon and turn the tide of the coming battle in their favor.

     But with lies and betrayal lurking around every corner, Ashyn and Moria will have to decide once and for all where their allegiances are. And it may not be where their hearts would lead them....

     In this breathtaking final book in her epic trilogy the Age of Legends, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong blends fantasy, action, and romance to give readers the unforgettable ending they’ve been waiting for.

My Stance:

     I finally managed to get my hands on this series, so I haven't yet read this book. I know coming back recently I didn't want to have to say, I am trying to avoid this book's synopsis, but I am looking forward to this series. Something about Kelley Armstrong and some of her sci-fi novels, they have such great potential that I am not going to spoil anything or risk spoiling anything for myself. I just finished Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead and it was just fantastic, I am so glad that was the first book I read by her. I am super excited to get into The Immortal Crown with her, but everytime I see Richelle Mead's books, Armstrong's is right next to her. So if there's any comparison at all, I am looking forward to getting into them.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #137

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Flawed
   Author: Cecelia Ahern
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: April 5th, 2016

     Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

     But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.

     She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

     In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything.

My Stance:

     Flawed is one of those books that can go one of two ways, really good or just another run of the mill books. While dystopia is a bit overcrowded, you have to hunt for a good book. Personally I think you are looking at a decent one. I am looking for the book to be more about how the girl just makes a split second decision and for some reason that means her life is completely altered.

     What I don't understand though, is how one simple action can brand you forever. I mean everyday we make decisions, and while there's not as many as drastic as what this book is going with. I am thinking more of you see a person on your walk into work, and a drunk driver is speeding toward them. I imagine most people would yell and try to get their attention. While some would run and try to save them. But all in all, we'd attempt to do something but it would all be the right thing to do. Not many people would keep walking and do absolutely nothing. To me, it's that decision that makes me wonder the validity of that decision the book is talking about.

     However, I think the general plot of the book is going to be overall good. It reminds me of the movie Hot Fuzz, where there's a group of people who are trying or want to dictate the agenda of everyone. The idea that just because one decision brands Celes forever as Flawed, there's something odd going on. However, if you make a decision and feel that it was the correct one, stand up for it. There are too many people that when they feel pressured after their decision they back down and think they are wrong. If you believe in what you did, than stand up and fight for it. Plus who does something that they don't believe in in the first place. Either way, I think it's going to be a book to keep your eye on.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #136

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Ice Like Fire
   Author: Sara Raasch
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

     Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

     Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

     As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

My Stance:

     Ice Like Fire is on nearly everyone's watch list, if it's not it should be. I need to read the first book soon, and while it's on my list I am not sure where it's going to happen. For a book of faeries and a world of magic there probably won't be a better book this year. So this is just a no-brainer, and an immediate purchase.

     So onto this book, and having not read the first, maybe there's a bit spoiled, but the overall plot I don't know yet, so maybe. There is just so much going on in this synopsis, in fact there is almost too much. I wonder if it almost requires you to read the first book? if so that's a good thing, I love books that carry over and make the reader want to go onto the next book immediately. I need a good series to binge read again. So I am not going to even try to touch the synopsis. I will say though that it sounds good, I don't understand much of it, but that's fine, just makes me want to read the first book sooner.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #135

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Immortal Heights
   Author: Sherry Thomas
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

     However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort....

     Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

     With The Immortal Heights, Sherry Thomas brings the acclaimed Elemental Trilogy to its breathtaking conclusion.

My Stance:

     The conclusion of the Elemental Trilogy is here. With it comes more fantasy and turmoil than previously. I have the other two books, but they aren't high on my list. I am thinking about bingeing the series, it's one of those that I think would be better all in one sitting. I am eager to get to the series, it seems like a good read, and I've heard some decent reviews on Goodreads as well.

     I have always wanted to read a good atlantis book, and while this seems like one of the forefront books of the series. I am looking at the high fantasy series as sort of a Divergent/The Young Elites sort of. Maybe I am mistaken on my interpretation on the series, but there are pieces that resemble both of them. Atlantis is sort of like Roman mythology for me, I prefer Roman more so, but Atlantis is good. The thing with Atlantis is there's a wide selection of stories, but there isn't a lot of them that aren't all that great.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #134

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Newt's Emerald
   Author: Garth Nix
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     Lady Truthful will inherit her family’s most valued heirloom on her eighteenth birthday. Until the Newington Emerald is stolen.

     Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt” by her boy cousins, discovers that to her horror, the people closest to her have been framed for the theft. But Newt won’t let their reputations be damaged by rumors from a false accusation. Her plan is simple: go to London to recover the missing jewel. Despite her best intentions, a young lady travelling alone is frankly unacceptable behavior. So Newt and her aunt devise another plan…one that entails men’s clothing and a mustache.

     While in disguise, Truthful encounters the handsome but shrewd major Harnett, who to her amazement volunteers to help find the missing emerald under the assumption that she is a man, Henri de Vienne. But once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure, Truthful realizes something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.

     Truthful has far more than romantic complications to worry about. The stolen emerald is no ordinary heirloom-it is the source of the family’s luck and has the power to yield vast magic. It would be completely disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. The fate of England depends on Truthful securing the emerald.

My Stance:

     On my shelf is the Sabriel series, and while I have heard great things about Garth Nix I haven't really gotten into any of his books yet. I've been looking for something simple and easy to get into, and this may be just the book. It's a solo book thus far, and I love how it's sort of contemporary but at the same time has a bit of fantasy. I get the feeling this is sort of an old timey book, as in it takes place in the past like the 1800s. I love the fashion around that time era, but there is something that drives this book further and further.

     Garth Nix is one of those authors that's held pretty high above everyone else. I guess I can understand why at times, but having not read any of his work, I want something that I would enjoy and something almost safe for my taste in books. Which gets me to this book reminding me of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, the whole bit of dressing like a man and impersonating one just to get what you need done done. Something tells me also that there will be a bit of a complication similar to that in Leviathan. However the whole contemporary and fantasy bit gives me a sort of sense of urgency, and awe for how this book will end.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #133

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: First and Than
   Author: Emma Mills
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

     Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

My Stance:

     Everyone needs a good contemporary romance on their shelf and to read every now and then. This book would be my pick of the few for the week, it just has such an amazing synopsis that I am already more or less eager to get my hands on the book. It's go this whole bit of falling for that unintended person, and that's the whole bit that has me most interested. I love how Mills takes this before and after approach, that who we thought we'd end up with isn't who we end up with in the end. I for one know all about that. There is a lot about this book that's up in the air though and for the most part that is what confuses me the most.

     Devon, which if I may say is an odd name for a girl, is set and wants to be with Cas. It's the turn of her Cousin Foster and Ezra, a friend, that makes the whole story far more interesting. It's their friendship that I think drives the rest of the story, there is a relationship that starts and the whole world takes a turn. Part of me wants to say that Ezra and Devon have something in common. Part of me wants to see the relationship between the two, but there's not enough about what the two are like and who they are to make a good statement, or judgement. I think this book is going to be a good short contemporary romance for the fall.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #132

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Dreamstrider
   Author: Lindsay Smith
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 6th, 2015

     A high-concept, fantastical espionage novel set in a world where dreams are the ultimate form of political intelligence.

     Livia is a dreamstrider. She can inhabit a subject's body while they are sleeping and, for a short time, move around in their skin. She uses her talent to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. But her partner, Brandt, has lately become distant, and when Marez comes to join their team from a neighboring kingdom, he offers Livia the option of a life she had never dared to imagine. Livia knows of no other dreamstriders who have survived the pull of Nightmare. So only she understands the stakes when a plot against the Empire emerges that threatens to consume both the dreaming world and the waking one with misery and rage.

     A richly conceived world full of political intrigue and fantastical dream sequences, at its heart Dreamstrider is about a girl who is struggling to live up to the potential before her.

My Stance:

     Dreamstrider sounds like a great book, it's my normal style of book. The idea that this book focuses on dreams as a play for political power, makes me think of Inception. However, the twist in this one is that there's this Marez guy who offers Livia a different way of life. My question is this, what is a Nightmare, and why does that make the deal so important? The best part I think, and the biggest concern, is how the novel is going to distinguish between the waking world and the dream world. If the transition or the difference between the two isn't explicitly stated or very clear, the reader could get confused on where the novel is exactly. However, if done right and well, this aspect alone could very well make this a great start of a series.

     I am curious on Brandt, there isn't much about him. Other than growing distant, there needed to be some more on him. I guess I am looking for the spot in which a relationship may be, or might turn up. Maybe I am dreaming, maybe this is going to be something a bit more lackluster. I am curious on it, it has such a beautiful cover and the synopsis sounds so good. I'm just left trying to figure out more and just where the book is heading.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #131

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: A Madness So Discreet
   Author: Mindy McGinnis
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 6th, 2015

     Grace Mae knows madness.

     She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

     When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

     In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

My Stance:

     Mindy McGinnis is a work of art, how she writes to the story she creates. I am a huge fan, so when this book hit Goodreads, there was no doubt I would fawn over it. Grace while being a victim, I assume, of some horrid family secret, or something, is kept silent and sent to an insane asylum. What I fear the most is if Grace is pregnant, more for what it could mean to her character and what could have happened to her. I know that most books don't get me this worked up in just a synopsis, but this one is almost twisted and I like the implication and or the idea that's here so far. I just wish there was more information on what nightmares happened to her.

     There is just something about how dark McGinnis's books are, and this isn't an exception. I love how her novels are sort of twisted and dark, but they just tend to tell the story as it is. There is no sugar coating the story with her. With Grace, McGinnis isn't an exception at all. This whole thing of being an assistant for crime scenes, sounds like Grace is making her life better. However, whatever is holding her together, is threatened by some of the nightmares in the closet. I like the dark and exploitative way Grace is built, along with the dark past. McGinnis has built a wonderful novel to start a series with.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #130

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Rose Society
   Author: Marie Lu
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 6th, 2015

     From New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes the second book in the exhilarating Young Elites series.

     Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

     Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

     But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

My Stance:

     The book sounds like a The Dark Knight, and Marie Lu is one of those authors that if she sets her mind to it she can not only just nail a story but set it on fire. I have no doubt this will be one of the best books of the year. So what gets me nervous is the characters insistent need on revenge. It's not your typical novel, and I appreciate how dynamic the story seems. There's enough characters to pull the main character in many different directions. However, Adelina seems bent on one thing and is completely bent on that goal.

     What Adelina doesn't realize that her friends are trying to protect her, maybe not so bent on stopping her. The cast sounds great, and while having not read any of the first book yet, Marie Lu's novels are one you can't ignore. Every character makes an impact, and this has the making for something of the ages. I just hope that Adelina isn't building an army for that same simple-minded goal. There are a lot of good books, this week and I'm not sure which one is the highest on my list.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #129

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Rest of Us Just Live Here
   Author: Patrick Ness
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 6th, 2015

     What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

     The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

     What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

     Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

     Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.

     Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

My Stance:

     Patrick Ness has always caught my eye, specifically with The Knife of Never Letting Go, and this book just sort of stood out and confused me. You normally get an idea for what a book is by the synopsis, however in The Rest of Us Just Live Here, there's something about the book that leaves nothing disclosed. I absolutely have no idea what this book is even about, and frankly that worries me. I have faith in Patrick Ness. I am curious about where this particular novel is going, and I am looking forward to the book. The novel perplexes me, who is the main character? And what exactly does he or she act like? I am curious to see what Ness puts forth.

     Normally, I talk a bit and voice my opinion while just trying to guess what is going to happen or my worries with a book. However, in this case there's not a lot to go off of, so I will go off the deep and and just try to guess. I think the book pertains to a lot of superheroes. There's heroes around in their world, and there are those that just stumble by normally. I think the book is about a normal person who hasn't done the elegant or asked that girl out. I wonder what that person would do, what he needs to do. This is speculation, but the potential on this synopsis is boundless, even if it's completely vague.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #128

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Carry On
   Author: Rainbow Rowell
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 6th, 2015

     Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

     Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

     Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

My Stance:

     Rainbow Rowell, is one of the authors that when I started reading her novels, I wasn't sure I would enjoy her. Now she's one of the few that I follow regularly, I want to read everything she puts out. She's a great author, one of the best. So when I heard that she's got a fantasy novel coming out, you can bet I was quick to fall in line. I am more than curious about the novel and how Rainbow Rowell is going to pull it off. What I don't understand though, is the synopsis talks about kissing, however there's no mention of a significant other or a relationship. I don't doubt that Rowell will work it in.

     Carry on is a long jog from what Rowell normally does, normally with any other author I would have reservations about venturing out of an author's comfort zone. This is something about Rowel that I have faith in, and Simon just seems like a great character to get to know. Something about how a magician being thrust into a normal world, and like Jim Butcher, I am left wondering if the real world even knows that the underbelly even exists. A magician, while being totally basic and borderline overdone, there is something about how Simon deals with the world. There is a sort of paranoid bit that catches my eye, and I can't wait to read more about him.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #127

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Six of Crows
   Author: Leigh Bardugo
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 29th, 2015

     Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

     A convict with a thirst for revenge.

     A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

     A runaway with a privileged past.

     A spy known as the Wraith.

     A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

     A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

     Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

My Stance:

     Six of Crows has been on my radar since the release date was announced, I have been a fan of Leigh Bardugo for a while now and the new series looks better than the last. I know it's probably blasphemy and I'll probably end up regretting it later, but for now it does. This book reminds me so much of Ocean's Eleven, that I am looking forward to it based on this reason alone. Kaz is one of the characters that I am most interested in this coming month and while I am not sure who he is in the list of superheroes, it leaves me hoping he's the thief. I have always found that there is more to the whole planned heist. The syfy take is catching and promising.

     I just wish there was something else about the book, who the other characters were and what the heist is actually. Even if you don't explicitly say it's a bank robbery or kidnapping plans/goods, there needs to be some information about what they are getting into. However, the more I think about how much I want to know, maybe that's why Bardugo didn't give us anything. The anticipation, the anxiousness is there, and I am more than happy to say she didn't give me any details, because for that reason alone, I will find out and read the book, as fast as I can.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #126

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: What We Saw
   Author: Scott Westerfeld and Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 29th, 2015

     Ethan, aka "Scam," has a way with words. When he opens his mouth, whatever he wants you to hear comes out. But Ethan isn't just a smooth talker. He has a unique ability to say things he doesn't consciously even know. Sometimes the voice helps, but sometimes it hurts - like now, when the voice has lied and has landed Ethan in a massive mess. So now Ethan needs help. And he needs to go to the last people who would ever want to help him - his former group of friends, the self-named "zeros" who also all possess similarly double-edged abilities, and who are all angry at Ethan for their own respective reasons. Brought back together by Scam's latest mischief, they find themselves entangled in an epic, whirlwind adventure packed with as much interpersonal drama as mind-bending action.

My Stance:

     Scott Westerfeld is back, and with a novel that sounds interesting. I am not completely sure what to make of it. I know that Westerfeld didn't write the whole thing, and that's why I am a bit nervous on this novel in particularly. I have seen duo-author compilations work, but rarely have I seen a trio. The dynamic and getting everyone together and discussing how it should be written, has to be tough. Honestly I hope the trio pull it off, because this book has some great potential.

     There is something about how Ethan, "Scam," and how his ability to just make people hear what they want that has me intrigued. Further Ethan pairs that with having work with colleagues that he has managed to make cross in the past. So why the name Zeroes? I mean is it like the whole X-men complex where they are viewed as less than human and are perceived as nothing? That's just rattling in my head for now. Further I would like to know what Ethan has done, what lie he has told that got him into so much trouble that he has to turn to those people. I love the plot and the potential to turn this book into something very much like Unwind. The originality is all there, just needs the follow through.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #125

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: What We Saw
   Author: Aaron Hartzler
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 29th, 2015

     Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

     But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

     This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

My Stance:

     This book normally wouldn't cross my radar, but there was just someone who happened to read this book and the review was just too much to ignore. From what I have gathered, the book is about a girl who gets raped at a party and her friend being taken home early is suspecting her boyfriend of taking a step further. However, what she doesn't understand is the complete series of events that have taken place the night before at the party. However the following days she starts to get pieces of what happened at that party. Normally I can only handle so many of these books. The authors just nail it so deep and emotionally that I either can't stand one of the characters (main or supporting), and I tend to be driven away by the reaction, their separate actions, or their perception of the world around them. I just don't seem to buy them and part of the time, I get a little unnerved.

     I was looking at this book, and while there is something about it that does unnerve me. However, it's more about how the characters stay silent. I love the thought that even the lines of innocent and guilty are blurred when no one wants to talk. If no one talks about the incident, who do you determine the guilty is and the who the innocent are? That is the reason I am looking forward to this book, and mainly I am looking forward to seeing just how things turn out.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #124

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Scorpion Rules
   Author: Erin Bow
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 22nd, 2015

     A world battered by climate shift and war turns to an ancient method of keeping peace: the exchange of hostages. The Children of Peace - sons and daughters of kings and presidents and generals - are raised together in small, isolated schools called Preceptures. There, they learn history and political theory, and are taught to gracefully accept what may well be their fate: to die if their countries declare war.

     Greta Gustafsen Stuart, Duchess of Halifax and Crown Princess of the Pan-Polar Confederation, is the pride of the North American Precepture. Learned and disciplined, Greta is proud of her role in keeping the global peace, even though, with her country controlling two-thirds of the world’s most war-worthy resource — water — she has little chance of reaching adulthood alive.

     Enter Elián Palnik, the Precepture’s newest hostage and biggest problem. Greta’s world begins to tilt the moment she sees Elián dragged into the school in chains. The Precepture’s insidious surveillance, its small punishments and rewards, can make no dent in Elián, who is not interested in dignity and tradition, and doesn’t even accept the right of the UN to keep hostages.

     What will happen to Elián and Greta as their two nations inch closer to war?

My Stance:

     So I have gone over a few authors that I'm pretty much renewing some of the series, however in this case there is a new book. And I am really looking forward to this book. The Children of Peace seem rather harsh and I am reminded of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys and the lifestyle she declares some prisoners are held. I loved Sepetys version of the prisoners, however what makes this novel call to me is the dual perspectives in this novel, which makes this so much better.

Greta while being the noble and trying to protect her country and well hording water, I don't quite agree with her perspective. However, I will hold my complete judgement of her character until I manage to get my hands on the novel and read. Elián is the character I want to just dive into, he/she is the one character that gets me the most excited about this book. He is the typical dystopian character, however rebelling against and oppressive government is something I can get behind. The path this book is taking is just outrageous and frankly has my eye. I cannot wait.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #123

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: The Tattooed Heart
   Author: Michael Grant
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 22nd, 2015

     The games continue in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant’s sequel to Messenger of Fear: a haunting tale for fans of Stephen King that combines fantasy with real-world horror stories.

     Mara has learned to punish the wicked as the Messenger’s apprentice. Those who act out of selfishness and greed, and others who become violent because of prejudice and hate, pay the ultimate price. But Mara is constantly reminded that Messengers are serving their own kind of punishment—for every person who is offered justice, they wear a tattoo that symbolizes the heart of the crime. As Mara delves deeper into her harsh reality, she will discover that in spite of all the terror she and Messengers inflict, caring in this world is the hardest part of all.

My Stance:

     I am glad for this novel. Having started the Gone series, Michael Grant didn't take much to catch my attention. He has a fantastic way with characters, and while there are some novels I haven't enjoyed c completely, it wasn't for the characters. I love how this book reminds me more of The Boondock Saints, but in a twisted syfy sort of way. The way Mara seems to be second guessing being an apprentice for the Messenger's. I love the dichotomy of Mara and the Messengers of fear. How Mara seems to want to be a good apprentice, yet in the end she is wondering if there is a better alternative. My question is, who are the Messengers? I know having not really read the first book, maybe I'm missing something, but in a synopsis I would think a face, person, or something to help identify with them would be better. This book just sounds so great, rather than BZRK which left me questioning some of the physics and transitions. However Grant is still a great writer and after Gone my faith is renewed in him.

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[Waiting on Wednesday] - #122

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Ungodly
   Author: Kendare Blake
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: September 22nd, 2015

     As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in the final Goddess War novel by the acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood

     For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what Ares said.

     So she was wrong about some things. So the assault on Olympus left them beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

     But Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the Fates arrive to eat their faces.

     And Cassandra is up there somewhere too. On a quest for death. With the god of death.

     Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference.

My Stance:

     I am glad for this novel. Ever since Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake has been on my watch list, and this series has been good. I am looking forward to this book and while it may not be top on everyone, Kendare Blake is just a great author. There is a lot of mythology novels and adaptations, but Blake's imagination is just spot on and sets herself far apart from the other novels. She makes her difference in how she divines the characters in a believable way and also gives them a little something more to remember. The world that Blake creates is just magnificent, and the world building she does is some of the best I have read and I am looking forward to more of her fantastic work.

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