Waiting on Wednesday (67)

For those who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are particularly looking for to. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be doing this a little differently. Like I did last year, each week I will be talking about books that are coming out early next year from different publishers. Up this week are January 2013 releases coming from St. Martin's Griffin.

Vortex by Julie Cross
January 8, 2013

Julie Cross's Vortex is the thrilling second installment of the Tempest series, in which the world hangs in the balance as a lovelorn Jackson must choose who to save.

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 beings 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.

Though I had my issues with the first book, Tempest, it ended on a really interesting note that left me wondering what would happen next. It was the kind of book where it took me a while to get into it and I started liking it right before it ended, so I'm really interested to see where Julie Cross is going to take the story in Vortex.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

January 15, 2013

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own--until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high--the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose--and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

Right when I read the summary, I knew that I just had to read Uses for Boys. It honestly sounds like it has the potential to be a great story, and one that will no doubt have my heart breaking on more than one occasion. I honestly can't wait to be able to read this one.

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel

January 29, 2013 

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human--and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. 

With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead…

I cannot even begin to explain how long I have been waiting for Stolen Nights. I absolutely loved Infinite Days when I read it over 2 years ago and I have been (im)patiently waiting for the second book. Though I feel a reread of Infinite Days may be in order so I know what's going on when I pick up Stolen Nights. 

So these are the January titles from St. Martin's Griffin I'm eagerly awaiting. From all these posts the last few weeks I feel like January is going to be an awesome month for books. Be sure to come back next week to see what books I'm waiting on from HBG & Disney-Hyperion!

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Title: Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1)

Author: Rebecca Maizel

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: August 3, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one.”

Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste. Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else who wasn’t Rhode. But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful that I could dream. I never expected to be sixteen again...but then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me.

On one of my numerous trips to the bookstore, I decided to pick up Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel. Even though I have a pile of books waiting to be read, I decided to read this one right away simply because I had heard so many good things about it. As it turns out, all those good things were very true and I really enjoyed reading this book. It was great to read a vampire story where all the focus wasn’t on vampires, if that makes any sense.

Lenah Beaudonte has been a vampire since the fifteenth century, but when she wakes up in the twenty-first century she finds out that she has become human once again. Now she must learn to live like a normal sixteen-year-old while dealing with losing Rhode, her lover for the past 500 years. Fitting in at her new boarding school doesn’t appear to difficult but when she meets Justin Enos, things might turn out more complicated than they looked. Lenah never expected to fall in love with Justin, but that love may just be what will save her.

I absolutely loved Lenah. She was such a great character and I loved getting to know her. It was always so fun to see her discover things that to me are things I’ve been doing my whole life, like breathing and having a heartbeat for instance. It was always funny to see her accept to do things without knowing what they are and have her turn around to Tony to ask what she just signed up for. She really didn’t have things easy though; as much as she wanted to enjoy life and have fun she always had to worry about her old coven coming after her. Every page I turned I was hoping that she would be able to just be happy with Justin and not have to worry about her coven. Lenah was just a great character.

I have mixed feelings about Justin. Sure he’s super cute and every girl wants to be his girlfriend but beyond that I wasn’t entirely sure what more he had to offer. But then something happened that just made me completely changed my mind about him, but I’m not going to say what (so I don’t ruin it for anyone). After that, I could really tell that he truly cared about Lenah and saw a whole other side to him that I didn’t really expect. By the end of the book I was totally sold on Justin and I was totally rooting for him.

I wasn’t sure about the whole concept of the story at first. Vampires just seem to be everywhere these days and I didn’t really feel like reading another story like that again. But then I started reading and saw that vampires weren’t actually the main focus of the story. The story was really about a teenage girl learning to live and love life and doing new things. Even this aspect didn’t seem overdone either. The mix of the two together made for a story that was something new, different and quite enjoyable.

Infinite Days was a really good book. It’s a refreshing change from all the other vampire stories that are available out there. Now that I’m done reading it, I can’t wait for the sequel, Stolen Nights, which is coming out in March 2011.