Waiting on Wednesday (76)

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. This week I have two titles I am particularly looking forward to reading.

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski
September 24, 2013
Greenwillow Books

On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, Jack Polovsky has just taken a handful of pills when his cell phone rings. Here's some news: his ex-girlfriend has given birth and Jack is the father. Jack hasn't spoken with Jess in about nine months--and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. Maybe it's the pills. Maybe it's Jack's general state of mind. But Jack needs to introduce the baby to his grandma--and tell him a few important things along the way to Grandma's house. Then, maybe everything will be all right. Then at least he will have had a day or two with his son and done his best to shape him. Jack kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend Tommy and with the ex, Jess. As they head to Grandma's house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates the Greek myths--because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one.

In turns funny, heart wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love friendship, fatherhood, and myth.

Ever since I first heard about The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski, I have been wanting to read this book. It sounds like a fantastic contemporary story that's a little out there but stil has a lot of potential. I can't wait to find out for myself.

Blackout by Robison Wells

October 1, 2013

Harper Teen

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger--where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all. 

Though I haven't read any of Robison Wells' other books, Blackout sounds fantastic. Just from reading the synopsis, I can tell this is going to be a crazy and intense story. Though I feel like this might also be the kind of story that is going to make me think a lot. But those are the best kinds.

Resist by Sarah Crossan

October 8, 2013

Greenwillow Books

What would you do if you were desperate? 

Bea, Alina, and Quinn are outlaws. They started a rebellion and have been thrown out of the pod--the only place where there's enough air to breathe. Bea has lost her family. Alina has lost her home. And Quinn has lost his privileged life. What will they find, now that they are refugees in the perilous Outlands? Their final safe haven may be harboring dark secrets. But together, the three teens find the will to keep fighting, to save one another, and to break free from everything that's holding them back.

Sarah Crossan has created a dangerous, shattered society, and brought to life three heartbreakingly relatable teenagers who come into their own. A wrenching, thought-provoking, and unforgettable post-apocalyptic novel.

I really enjoyed Sarah Crossan's Breathe last year, so I can't wait to see what happens next in Resist. The synopsis doesn't give too much away, but from what I remember from the first book, I just know that this is going to make me think that this is something that could actually happen.

So these are the books I'm waiting on and am excited about this week. What are you waiting on? 

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Title: Breathe (Breathe #1)
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Greenwillow
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Chapters

Inhale. Exhale.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe…

The world is dead.

The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn should be worried about Aline and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Be a wants to tell him that non of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Who doesn't like a good dystopian read? That's my opinion when it comes to dystopians, but I'm still a little worried they're all going to start sounding the same. But Sarah Crossan's Breathe was something new and different. And it was a story that completely drew me in.

Their whole lives Aline, Quinn and Bea have been told that it's impossible for them to survive outside the pods. Now that all plant life has died, there's just not enough oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere for humans to survive. But that might not be entirely true. In an effort to help Alina escape the pod, Bea and Quinn disvoer that life outside the pod might be possible and the Resistance is dead set on proving it. But things don't always go as planned and before they know it, Alina, Quinn and Bea have started a war and a revolution. And now they have to be prepared to fight for their lives and find a way to survive outside the pod.

So. Breathe. Let me just start off by saying that it was s fantastic read. The whole idea that we would run out of oxygen on Earth is one that is quite realistic and it made the story that much more powerful. Running out of oxygen is definitely something that could happen, and while I was reading, it's something that really made the story come to life. But beyond the almost realistic quality of the story, it was also one where it always felt like something was happening. And there was definitely plenty of action. The other aspect of the story I really enjoyed were the multiple narrators. Each brought something different to the story.

Alina, Quinn and Bea each had their chance at telling the story, and like I've already said, each brought something different to it. Alina had the knowledge of the Resistance the will to fight. Quinn has led a privileged life as the son to a high ranking Breathe official and doesn't want to believe his father has lied to him his whole life. Bea's family has always struggled for money and all she wants is for Quinn to be more than just her best friend. It was just interesting to see the story from each of their perspectives because each one saw things differently and that gave the story more depth. It was also just interesting to see how all the different relationships between these three characters played into the story as a whole.

Overall, Breathe by Sarah Crossan proved to be a fantastic dystopian read. Right from the start it grabbed my attention and the realistic quality of the story kept me reading all the way through to the end.