Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Title: Invisibility

Author: Andrea Cremer & David Levithan

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Stephen has been invisible for practically his whole life--because of a curse his grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen's mother before Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen's NYC apartment building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to figure out a way to break the curse. But things don't go as planned, especially when Stephen's grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide how big of a sacrifice they're willing to make for Stephen to become visible--because the answer could mean the difference between life and death. At least for Elizabeth.

Invisibility is one of those books that I've been wanting to read for quite some time for a number of reasons. The premise was different from anything else I've read recently. Though I've had some issues with the stories, I love Andrea Cremer's writing. And I've been hearing for a long time how long how amazing a writer David Levithan is. So why shouldn't I read Invisibility? And in case you were wondering, it was as good as I hoped it would be.

His whole life, Stephen has been invisible. Not just to everyone around him, but also to himself. Stephen has to concentrate just to be able to hold a fork or open a door. It's not easy to go through life without anyone ever seeing you, but it's something that Stephen has had to live with. But then Elizabeth moves into the apartment next to his and all of a sudden someone can see him. And from the moment Stephen realizes that Elizabeth can see him, everything changes. Now Stephen has someone on his side, someone who has the potential to be able to do something to break Stephen's curse. But is all comes down to what sacrifices everyone is willing to make.

As I've already mentioned, there were many factors that contributed to my desire to read Invisibility. For starters, the premise was quite unlike what's currently out there in YA. And invisibility curse clearly suggests paranormal, but for 90% of the story, it reads almost like a contemporary. Which in turn made it so I just flew through the pages. For the most part, the action is concentrated in the last 50-75 pages or so. Before that action picks up, as a reader you get to see so many different relationships develop. And as much as I liked the action packed ending, I loved seeing those relationships develop and blossom. Those relationships were very much different from other relationships you see in books. For starters, there's the whole invisibility thing that kind of puts a wrench in things. But despite the fact that some of the involved parties couldn't actually see each other, the relationships still felt incredibly real and like the whole invisibility thing was a non-issue. But it did make some of the interactions between characters quite interesting.

Having one of the main characters be invisible to all but one of the other characters makes for quite the interesting situations. But having Stephen be invisible also makes you feel for him in a way that you won't necessarily for other characters. With Stephen, you not only feel the pain attached to the loss of his mother, but you also feel the lifetime of pain that comes from having been invisible to everyone who cares about you. Until Elizabeth come along that is. And Elizabeth was definitely a character with many layers. After what happened to her brother, Laurie, I can understand Elizabeth's attitude towards people, not willing to let herself trust anybody, for fear that they would hurt her or the people she cares about. But then when she's with Stephen, you get to see this whole other side of Elizabeth, like he brings out something in her that she keeps guarded around everyone else. So because of all that, the relationship between Stephen and Elizabeth is really interesting to see develop and grow. But I also have to mention Laurie, because he often put a smile on a my or made me snicker. And I also admired him. Because after everything that happened to him before his family moved to New York, to see him act the way he does and have the attitude he does, I just have to respect and admire him. Not a lot of people would be able to come back from what he did so I feel like it is worth mentioning. 

Andrea Cremer and David Levithan's Invisibility was just as good as I had hoped it would be. The story captured my attention from start to finish, and I loved the contemporary feel that was attached to this story despite the paranormal elements. If you want a cross between contemporary and paranormal, I would definitely recommend Invisibility because it has just the right mix of the two genres.

Waiting On Wednesday (65)

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 for Penguin/RazOrbill Canada.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
January 8, 2013

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there's an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem's story--Just One Year--is coming soon!

Do I even have to explain why I am beyond excited to read Just One Day by Gayle Forman? This story just sounds like something that will completely suck me in and I know from reading Gayle Forman's other books that my heart will inevitably be breaking while reading this book. But it's not like that's going to stop me from reading Just One Day.

Rise by Andrea Cremer

January 8, 2013

The sequel to Rift and the prequel to the New York Times bestselling novel Nightshade.

Everything Conatus stands for is at risk. Hoping to gather enough resistance to save their order, Ember and Barrow attempt a desperate escape. But fate offers little mercy. When their mission is exposed, the couple face relentless pursuit by the supernatural horrors that act on the commends of Eira's ally: the mysterious Bosque Mar. A shocking revelation forces Ember out of hiding, sending her back into the heart of dark magic at Tearmunn keep, where she must convince her old friend Alistair of her love or face dire consequences. Ember's deception offers the only chance for the resistance to succeed, but what she discovers in the shadows beneath the keep will shatter her world and bring about the Witches's War.

Richly sensual and full of magic, action and danger, Andrea Cremer's fifth book set in the Nightshade world is an edge-of-your-seat page turner.

I still have to read the first Nightshade prequel, Rift, but that is not stopping me from being excited about the release of the sequel. Rift is on my to-read pile for the Christmas holidays, that way I will be ready for Rise when it comes out in January. And I just know this book will look pretty on shelf what with the shimmery cover and everything.

The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus

January 2013 (RazOrbill Canada)

A runaway slave with a shadowy past, sixteen-year-old Persephone has spent four long years toiling beneath the leering gaze of her despised owner and dreaming of a life where she is free to shape her own destiny. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a handsome chicken thief named Azriel changes her life.

Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny--she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they one were.

Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make.

And no one--least of all her--could have imagined the shocking truth her decisions will reveal.

It wasn't until I went through RazOrbill Canada's Winter 2013 catalogue that I discovered Maureen Fergus' The Gypsy King. But then I read the summary for the book and it sounded like something I would definitely be interested in reading. I'll just have to wait for January to see what this one is all about. 

So these are the Penguin/RazOrbill Canada January 2013 titles I'm looking forward to. Just from preparing all these posts I know that my wallet will be in pain come the new year, but that doesn't stop from being excited about all of these titles. Once again, January 2013 can't come soon enough!

Waiting on Wednesday (43)

For those of you who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

RIFT BY ANDREA CREMER

Before Calla Tor, there was Ember Morrow 

Sixteen-year-old Lady Ember Morrow fulfills a family obligation by joining her friend Alistair in the Conatus Guard and begins training to help with the order’s true mission, to seek out and stop evildoers and their unnatural creations.

I really loved Andrea Cremer's Nightshade trilogy so I'm very happy to have more coming from her, especially a book that takes place in the same world as Nightshade. I'm also happy about this book because it sounds pretty awesome and takes place in a different time period. All in all, this books sounds like it could be pretty amazing so I'm really excited about it.

Rift by Andrea Cremer will be published August 7th, 2012 by Philomel.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Title: Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes out alive, that is. 

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to a breathtaking trilogy.

When I finished Wolfsbane, I was definitely left wanting more and I was way more than happy to have a copy of Bloodrose on hand to start reading right away. And it was incredible. This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster and I did not want to get off. Andrea Cremer definitely wrote a great conclusion to this trilogy.

Now allied with the Searchers and reunited with most of her pack, Calla is preparing for the battle of her life against the Keepers and the rest of the Guardians. But even before doing that, Calla and the pack have to help Shay and the Searchers get the final pieces of the Elemental Cross, the only weapon that can stop the Keepers and their magic. And then she has to prove to her pack once again that she's their legitimate alpha, but she also has to pick who will be alpha alongside her. Will it be Ren, the boy she's been destined to be with since birth? Or will it be Shay, the boy who stole her heart when he showed up in her life? Calla must find a way to keep her pack safe through all of this, but to what lengths is she willing to go to keep those she loves safe? But more importantly, what will happen when the battle is over? Will Calla and her pack even be alive to see the world without Keepers?

I loved this book. I tried as hard as I could to make it last longer, but I just couldn't put it down in order to do something else. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to this trilogy. Andrea Cremer really brought everything full circle, though in the process she caused my heart to break over and over again. This book is a crazy emotional roller-coaster. I would go from laughing out loud one page to crying like a baby the next. Whatever you do, if you read this book make sure you have a box of tissues close. To say the very least, there was never a dull moment in this book. When the pack wasn't on some crazy adventure, they were just hanging out with the Searchers doing who knows what. It was just an amazing end to a really incredible trilogy.

Since the beginning of this series, I have loved Calla. She's strong, she's kind and she will do anything to protect the people she loves. In Bloodrose she is definitely put through a lot and how she survives it all is a mystery to me. In her position, I would be a complete mess. But she somehow manages it all. While I love Shay, I've been Team Ren from the start and I was very happy to see that he had a much bigger role in this book. He was back and he was ready to take up his position as alpha with Calla, if only she would let him. As for Shay, I still loved him but I found that in some parts of the book he would become someone I didn't particularly like, though I was able to overlook that for the most part. Like I mentioned in my review of Wolfsbane, I loved the Searcher characters and I was glad that they were even more present in Bloodrose. I can only hope that I will be able to see more of them in the future in some way or another.

Bloodrose was a thrilling read, and a fantastic conclusion to a fabulous trilogy. While reading this book, you will be taken on a crazy emotional ride and, if you are anything like me, you will be begging for it not to end. While it was an incredible read, I was still very sad to see this series come to an end.

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Title: Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2)

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer--one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack--and the man--she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter way? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must figure out which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

I have had Wolfsbane sitting on my shelf pretty much since its release date. But I only just read it, and now I'm kicking myself for that. I had forgotten how much I loved this story and these characters. This second installment proved to be just as good, if not better, than the first.

After running away from her union with Ren, Calla was taken by the Searchers. When she wakes up in their lair, she doesn't know what's going on and what happened to Shay. Last she saw him, he was also being taken away by the Searchers. As Calla finds out more about the Searchers and everything she's been told by the Keepers, she realizes that the enemy may not be who she thought it was. Calla and Shay decide to join forces with the Searchers in an attempt to take down the Keepers. But Calla won't be able to do it alone, she needs her pack back. Except she left them behind when she ran away from Vail with Shay. But more importantly, Calla needs an Alpha. Will it be Ren, the boy she's known her whole life, or Shay, the boy who came into her life and stole her heart.

Werewolves, or just wolves, are probably my favorite paranormal creatures. I don't really know why, but they just are. And Andrea Cremer may also have something to do with it. The world she created in this series feels incredibly real, every page I felt like I was right there alongside the characters. And if the world isn't amazing enough, the story she tells through Calla is absolutely incredible. I loved every single minute of it, and never saw any of it coming. The story was packed with action and at every corner there were new twists and turns. This book just took me on an incredible ride.

Calla is an amazing character. She's strong, she's not afraid of anything and she'll do just about anything to help the people she loves. And then there's the whole love triangle thing. Normally it would annoy me that Calla keeps going back and forth between Ren and Shay, but here the story wouldn't work without Calla not being able to choose. And in her position I wouldn't know show to choose between Ren and Shay (though I do lean more towards Ren). Shay pretty  much swept her off her feet when he showed up in town and she ran away to save him. But she has a history with Ren and she grew up thinking that's who she would be with. And on top of it all the boys are not making it any easier on her. The new Searcher characters were really great. I loved getting to know them and they were a great addition to the story. And I have to admit that Connor and Adne were my favorites, I just loved the relationship between the two.

Wolfsbane was a great sequel, and an even greater read. This book will take you on an incredible journey and you won't want it to end. It was a good thing I was lucky enough to have a copy of Bloodrose on hand to read when I finished this one. 

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Title: Nightshade (Nightshade #1)

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Source: Gifted

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Calla Tor has always know her destiny:

After graduating from the Mountain School, she’ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters’ laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heat, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

With the publicity campaign it got, it was almost impossible for me not have heard about Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. There was a lot of hype about the book and because of that I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to my expectations but it didn’t disappoint. Plus the book is all about wolves, so what’s not to love about it?

Calla has always known what her future would look like. When she turns 18 she’s going to marry Ren and then their two packs are going to come together and form a new one. As that day comes closer, Calla has come to terms with this idea and the two packs are starting to get closer, especially Calla and Ren. But then Shay arrives in town and everything seems to change. Now Calla starts doubting what everyone has been telling her for her entire life. Everything she has always believed in is now being challenged and Calla now has to choose between marrying Ren and following her destiny or giving up everything she knows and following Shay.

I’ve read my fair share of stories about wolves but never one quite like this one. Most of the time the wolves have to hide what they are and tend to live on the outside of societies. Here, the wolves and their leaders are the ones with the power and humans live in fear of them. It was unlike the other wolf stories I’ve read and I absolutely loved it! Cremer created a whole societal structure that actually works and doesn’t at all seem out of place in the modern world. I loved learning all about the inner workings of that society and seeing how all these lies were woven into it. It was just interesting to see how everything fell apart while at the same time it all fit together.

The workings of the pack were also interesting to learn about. It was almost like each pack was a family, despite them all being teenagers. The dynamics there were also interesting; even though they’re all friends, none of the wolves dared go against what Ren and Calla said. The budding relationship between Calla and Ren was fun to watch develop. Despite the front he put up, Ren seemed to really care about Calla, which became really obvious when her relationship with Shay started developing. The one I loved seeing the most, was the relationship between Bryn and Ansel. It was just so cute and I want them to have it all. But who knows what’s going to happen? As far as Team Ren and Team Shay goes, I’ll have to get back to you on that one, I haven’t made my mind up yet.

Nightshade was an awesome read. Andrea Cremer created a world and a story that stays with ou even once it’s over. I would never have guessed that this was Cremer’s first book, she is a phenomenal writer. Now I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Wolfsbane.