Waiting on Wednesday (October 31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we post upcoming releases we're highly anticipating. My pre-publication selection for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely 

Susan Dennard

Series: Something Strange and Deadly, #2
Release Date: July 23rd, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 416

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

*dies* 

What are you waiting on? 

Leave a link in the comments!

Today's Releases (October 30)

  

Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

Rockaholic by C.J. Skuse

  

Venom by Fiona Paul

Gravity by Melissa West

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones

  

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi

Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Cover Reveals!

Goddess
Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed, #3
Release Date: May 28th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 432

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

Susan Dennard 

Series: Something Strange and Deadly, #2

Release Date: July 23rd, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Number of Pages: 416

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

Elegy

Tara Hudson

Series: Hereafter, #3

Release Date: July 4th, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Number of Pages: 400

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.

Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back.

Frozen

Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston 

Series: Unknown Trilogy, #1

Release Date: March 12th, 2013

Publisher: Putnam

Number of Pages: 272

Set in 111 C.D., one hundred and eleven years after a Catastrophic Disaster has wiped out 99% of humanity and left the earth covered in ice, this new series introduces readers to a ragtag group of friends and the dawning of a new time. The world of reason, of mathematics and science, is ending, and a new civilization is being born from the ice: a world of magic and mayhem, sorcerers and spellcraft.

Rush

Eve Silver

Series: The Game, #1

Release Date: May 14th, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Number of Pages: 352

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Unbreakable

Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unraveling, #2

Release Date: April 23rd, 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 

Number of Pages: Unknown

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

Vortex

Julie Cross

Series: Tempest, #2

Release Date: January 8th, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffith

Number of Pages: 352

Jackson Meyer has thrown himself into his role as an agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats. Despite his heartbreak at losing the love of his life, Jackson has proved himself to be an excellent agent. However, after an accidental run in with Holly—the girl he altered history to save—Jackson is once again reminded of what he's lost. And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has changed and someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again.

Shadow of the Mark

Leigh Fallon

Series: Carrier Trilogy, #2

Release Date: July 9th, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Number of Pages: 352

Life for Megan Rosenberg just got a lot more complicated.

While she evoked the air element, and her feelings for Adam intensified, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal was spun around her. With the Order tightening its hold, and the reinstatement of the Mark Knights, Megan has more questions than answers as the Marked Ones grow in strength.

New people arouse suspicion, the DeRises start behaving strangely, and Megan begins to unravel a destiny shrouded in mystery. It’s a destiny the Order has struggled to hide, and a destiny someone from the past… far in the past, has already laid claim to.

Alliances will be made, and friends will be lost, as the Order’s dark secrets are revealed by the very thing they sought to destroy.

Lots of pretties revealed this week! The only ones I'm unsure of are Shadow of the Mark (it's pretty but so lazy), and Goddess, which is just such a disappointment when compared to the other books in the series. But other than those two I love the covers revealed this week! 

What do you think? 

Ratings/Reviews I Would Change

Have you ever went through your old reviews and thought, "Man, I was way too harsh on that book," or "Man, I went way too easy on that book," and you wish you could go back and just rewrite your review or leave a note at the end saying that your entire review should be taken with a grain of salt, or that it's just not a "you" book, but you're just too damn lazy to do so? 

If you have thought that, then I know how you feel. And if you haven't LIAR! prepare yourself, for the thoughts will come. And they will consume your thoughts. (Whoa! Blythe's being overly dramatic! Everyone, get your cameras!) 

I've had my fair share of ratings or reviews that I want desperately to change, but then again I really don't want to do that, either, and not just because I'm lazy. The problem with me, and how I write my reviews, is that right when I finish a book, I hop on the computer to write my review. And if I'm reading a book at night and I'm nearing the end, but I'm too tired to write a coherent review, then I will save the last chapter to be read in the morning so I can write my review. I find my way of reviewing to be both a blessing and a curse. I find it to be a blessing in that it is more convenient for me, and for my readers, and I'll never have to worry about catching up on reviews because I'll always have them done. (Though of course, there are some books that I just can't bring myself to write reviews for, most recently Lucid, which left me so incoherent I couldn't put you through the torture of reading a review form me. See! I care.) However, I also find it to be a curse in that when I immediately write a review upon finishing a book, all of my feelings are way too fresh. This may not be so much of a negative thing to some people, and it isn't always for me, but then there are those books that leave me angry upon finishing, that I just fill my review with expletives and a complete and total bias against the book, and then I publish it. But then I feel guilty for it, reading my review and just thinking, "I was way too harsh. People might read this review and cancel the book out because of it. People who might actually like this book." And that is what inspired me to write this post, but of course I wouldn't have even thought of writing this if it weren't for the wonderful Christina at A Reader of Fictions (she's my go-to girl for gifs. We have arguments entirely in gifs. Because that's how adults argue, in case you haven't gotten the memo.) So, below you will find a couple reviews that I personally would change. Some may surprise you. Or not. I don't know what surprises you. 

Waiting on Wednesday (October 24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we post upcoming releases we're highly anticipating. My pre-publication selection for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett.

 The Midnight Affair
Mindee Arnett
Series: Unknown
Release Date: March 5th, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Number of Pages: 352

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli's dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

I have a feeling that this book was written with me in mind. Despite the fact that I in no way have ever interacted with Mindee Arnett before, I just know that when she sat down to write The Nightmare Affair, she sat down thinking, "Okay. So somewhere in the world, there's a Blythe Harris, and I am writing this book exclusively for her, because she will love it." I mean, come on, the evidence is pretty glaring. A person who is literally a nightmare? Who goes to a magic boarding school? And there's a murder mystery? 

Don't fight it. This book was written with me and mind and you know it. So thank you, Mindee, for writing this book with me in mind. I appreciate it. But I'd appreciate it just a bit more if I can, you know, somehow obtain an ARC. I mean, no pressure or anything. (Definitely pressure.)

WHO SAID THAT?
Not me... 

What are you waiting on? 

Leave a link in the comments!

Today's Releases (October 23)

  

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Blind Spot by Laura Ellen

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

  

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

This may be a small release day selection, but despite that, I am happy, solely because of The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Yeah, I know. I disliked the first book. This series and I have an odd relationship - I loved the plot and general creepiness of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but what I didn't like was the romance between the two main characters, Mara and Noah, and how it bogged down the plot that I loved. However, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer ends with quite possibly one of my favorite endings in young-adult, and, for me, one of the most shocking. It is one of the few times I'll be able to look part the fact that the ending was a massive cliffhanger, just because I loved it so much, and because there just has to be an awesome and more plot-focused sequel to follow. And that is why I will most likely be reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer as you are reading this post. And then of course there is The Lost Prince, which I loved with a passion. But I won't be touching Finale with a ten-foot-pole, and I wish I didn't even touch Blind Spot with a ten-foot-pole, because that book only infuriated me. Which of today's releases will you be getting today? Leave a comment letting me know, and also leave a comment letting me know if you ever read a book where you loved the plot but hated the romance, which unfortunately took over the plot, and which book that was. And, of course, happy reading! 

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve
Anna Carey
Series: Eve, #1
Release Date: October 4th, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 336
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 of 5 stars 

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

To say that Eve surprised me would be a massive, massive understatement. The only reason I picked up this book to begin with was because I have an ARC of Once, Eve's sequel, sitting around, and I felt bad for neglecting it. I had fairly low expectations before going into Eve, and quite honestly, I expected my rating at the end to be at most two or three stars, after reading some of the negative reviews that almost assured I would have a similar experience.

And I think it may be because of those very reviews that I had an experience almost completely opposite with Eve. Before even opening the pages Eve, I expected a boring read with mediocre characters and horrible world-building, as that is what most of the negative reviews led me to believe, but instead, what I got with Eve was a disturbing and emotionally raw novel with great characters that made me cry a countless amount of times. I found Eve to be a powerful and beautifully written little novel, and it was one that punched me in the gut over and over and over again.

In the world of Eve, a disastrous plague has swept the entire nation and left ninety-eight of the entire population dying. After the aftermath of the plague, and after seeing her loved ones slowly fall at the hands of the plague, Eve is brought into the School - a housing place for young girls. At the School, the girls are fed, taught, and treated to until they turn eighteen. However, a day before her graduation from the School, Eve escapes to find out what really happens to the women after they graduate. Horrified by what she finds out to be the truth, she escapes from the School in a mission to go to a place called Califia; a place where she will be safe. But how will Eve, having been sheltered and kept from the outside world almost all her life, know who to trust?

Showcase Sunday (14)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits, and Tea, where we showcase what books we've gotten over the course of the week, whether it be from a book store, bought for your eReader, received from the library, or from the publishers for review. 

For Review: 

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel (via NetGalley)

Bought: 

 

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters

I may have gotten a pretty small haul this week, but it's one I'm happy with, and hey, quality over quantity, right? I've heard good things about Infinite Days, but when I requested Stolen Nights, I didn't know it was the sequel to Infinite Days because the synopsis didn't read like a sequel. Of course, when I was approved for the title, I found out it was a sequel and then bought Infinite Days. That's what I get for not checking the Goodreads page for a book before requesting it on NetGalley. And last week I was a bit unsure about Break My Heart 1,000 Times, but after reading some positive reviews, I came to the conclusion that it is most likely something I will like, and hopefully it will be the perfect Halloween read! 

What did you get this week? 

Leave a link in the comments!

Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Ten
Gretchen McNeil 
Series: None
Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 294
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Vengeance is mine; I will repay.

For the time when their foot shall slide. 

For the day of their disaster is near.

And their doom comes swiftly.

Ten is the story of ten (ha! Get it? Because the book is called Ten? Ah. I'll just stop now...) teenagers who are all invited to a secret house party on a secluded island over the course of a three-day weekend. Expecting to have a fun, drunken and hormonally stereotypical time at the party, best friends Meg and Minnie decide to go, despite Meg's reservations. However, as the two arrive at the secluded island and equally as secluded party house, things begin to go awry, and not just because Meg's crush, whom she cancelled her homecoming date with, happened to be at the party. After watching a video depicting random, seemingly insignificant scenes, ending with a chilling message, "Vengeance is mine.", the teenagers start getting picked off one by one by an unknown killer, and at this party, there's no one you can trust.

I'll be the first to admit that I expected very little from Ten going into it. At first, before its publication, Ten had received raving reviews, and was at my top priority ARC list for quite a while. But then, after its publication, Ten started receiving many two and one star ratings, some from very trusted friends of mine, and my anticipation grew less and less to the point where I went into this expecting to be frustrated and to let my snark out with Ten, only to, in the end, be genuinely surprised by it in almost every way imaginable.

What I originally expected Ten to be upon reading its synopsis months ago was a fun read that would resemble a campy eighties' slasher flick, but afterwards, judging by the negative reviews, I expected it to be a predictable, melodramatic and boring read. This instance, among many, is one where I should have gone with my initial expectation, because let me tell you, I had a whole lot of fun with this campy little book.

Waiting on Wednesday (October 17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine where we post upcoming releases we're highly anticipating. My pre-publication selection for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin.

  Dance of the Red Death

Bethany Griffin

Series: Masque of the Red Death, #2

Release Date: April 23rd, 2013

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Number of Pages: 400

The sequel to Masque of the Red Death, which Melissa Marr called, “Haunting and beautiful.” Araby Worth is poised either to save her city, or to abandon it. In a novel that embodies dark, sexy, tragic, and fearless, Bethany Griffin concludes her incredible, atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story.

Araby Worth’s city is on fire. Her brother is dead. Her best friend could be soon. Her mother is a prisoner, her father is in hiding. And the two boys who stole her heart have both betrayed her. But Araby has found herself, and she is going to fight back. Inspired by one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most compelling stories, “The Masque of the Red Death,” Bethany Griffin has spun two sultry and intricate novels about a young woman who finds herself on the brink of despair but refuses to give in. Decadent masquerades, steamy stolen moments, and sweeping action are set in a city crumbling from neglect and tragedy. A city that seeps into your skin. Dance of the Red Death is the riveting conclusion to the dark and fascinating saga of an unforgettable heroine.

I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of Dance of the Red Death, and not just because of its gorgeous cover (purple! It has purple!). When I read Masque of the Red Death, I remember being thoroughly entranced by the gorgeously detailed and scarily realistic world, and the equally as gorgeous writing and plot. And the fact that Masque of the Red Death ends on a pretty sizable cliffhanger (at least for me), only adds to my immense anticipation for Dance of the Red Death. With an ending like Masque of the Red Death, which promises an amazing sequel (even more amazing than its predecessor), I am eager to see what Bethany Griffin has in store for us. 

What are you waiting on? 

Leave a link in the comments!

Today's Releases (October 16)

  

Zom-B by Darren Shan

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski

The Innocents by Lili Peloquin

  

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin

Hidden by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

  

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters

Sanctum by Sarah Fine

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Ooh, there are some really good releases this week! I can definitely recommend that you get yourself a copy of both Crewel and The Shadow Society - I enjoyed both books very much, so hopefully you will, too! I also have my eye on Break My Heart 1,000 Times and The Innocents. Both have gotten both positive and negative reviews, so I'm not too sure where I'll fall, or if I'll definitely be buying myself a copy of them, but there's definitely the possibility that I will. I may have to wait for more reviews to start pouring in for me to make my decision, though. But I'm particularly wary about The Peculiars. It sounds like it could either be a fun read, or a really, really bad one, and to be honest, I'm not willing to take that chance and see for myself which one it is until more reviews start coming in. I read too many crappy books without knowing it'd be crappy than to go out of my way to read a book I know will be crappy. Which of today's releases do you have your eye on? Leave a comment below letting me know, and, as always, happy reading!