Waiting on Wednesday (28)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are looking forward to. What I plan on doing for the next few weeks is to talk about the books that are coming out at the beginning of next year from different publishers. First up is January 2012 releases coming from HarperTeen. So here are the books I'm looking forward to.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

January 3rd, 2012

Exiled from her comfortable home, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland – called the Death Shop – are slim. Violent energy storms can strike suddenly, and even the very air she breathes might kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous – a savage. He’s also her only hope. 

Because Aria alone holds the key to his redemption, Perry needs her, too. Their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 

This book sounds like it has a fantastic read and a great new dystopian novel. Plus it has an absolutely gorgeous cover, which I'll be honest, is what originally drew me in.

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

January 17th, 2012

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning. 

If you haven't read Unearthly yet you definitely should. I read it at the beginning of the this year and have been waiting ever since then to be able to read Hallowed. I just can't wait to find out what happens next to Clara, Christian and Tucker.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

January 24th, 2012

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

The premise for this book just sounds incredible and I've heard nothing but good things about it from people who have already had a chance to read it. Plus it's another book with an absolutely gorgeous cover so what is there not to like?

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

January 31st, 2012

NEWSOUL 

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.  

NOSOUL 

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?  

HEART 

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

Again, how can this book not be awesome. The concept and premise just sound incredible and the book as a whole sounds like nothing I've read before. And again it has an absolutely gorgeous cover, which again, is what originally grabbed my attention where this book is concerned.

So these are the books from HarperTeen I'm looking forward to in January 2012. Now if January could just get here so I can get my hands on all these wonderful books I would be perfectly happy.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1)

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Release Date: April 5, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background--the only clue she has to go on is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip--but she never had put much thought into her real parents were or how she ended up with her adopted family in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in her claustrophobic town--from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel...different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

The Gathering is the first book by Kelley Armstrong that I've read and I am glad I finally picked up one of her books off of my bookshelf. I highly enjoyed reading it and definitely wondered why it took me so long to actually read the book. I know that I won't wait again.

Maya doesn't really know much about her background or where she comes from. All she knows is what her parents have been able to tell her about her birth mother and a paw print birthmark on her hip. And until recently that was all she needed to know. But when her best friend mysteriously drowned in the lake, maya starts questioning everything and she isn't the only one asking questions. In her small town, nothing unusual ever happens, but lately, weird things have been happening and everyone is starting to worry. In her search for answers and information, Maya finds herself getting closer to bad boy Rafe who may not be as bad as he looks. And with his help, Maya may finally find out exactly who she is. But that's only if she can pull all this off before the forest fires get to town.

Until recently, everyone was telling me what a great writer Kelley Armstrong is but I couldn't really say anything about her from personal experience. Now I can finally say that I agree with what everyone has been telling me. I really and truly enjoyed reading The Gathering. The story was something different and even though I knew there was a paranormal element to it, it almost felt like I was reading a contemporary book. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it was something I actually really liked about the story. And then the ending sort of took me by surprise. The last twenty or so pages of the book got really intense and then the story ended. I almost wondered if my book was missing some pages. Let me just say that I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

The characters in this book were intriguing and it took me a while to figure them out. I liked getting to know Maya the best. She was an interesting character and I liked how independent she was. The best part about her independence was that she didn't necessarily need a boy and she was happy with her situation Not that she was completely closed off to the idea of boys, especially if their names were Rafe and Daniel. What was interesting about the two boys was how they were pretty much complete opposites by still had a lot in common. Where Rafe was the resident bad boy, Daniel was the good guys always ready to jump in to help. Though personally, I preferred Daniel because he just seemed more genuine and that made me like him better. Though Rafe wasn't all bad, I just need to get to know him better.

Overall, The Gathering was a highly enjoyable read and I am more than happy to have finally given Kelley Armstrong a shot. Now I really can't wait to get my hands on The Calling, the next book in what promises to be a great series. 

Lack of Posts...

As you may have noticed, there has been a lack of posts on the blog this week. This is mostly due to the fact that school has gotten to that time where it is slightly hectic with midterms and essays. I am still reading as much as I can, I just haven't had the time to sit down and do any blog work. But I am pulling through and school is getting a little less overwhelming so you can expect to see more posts popping up on the blog quite soon. 


I should definitely be back to posting more regularly and hopefully starting this week, I will be reviewing one short story each Friday from different anthologies I have on by bookshelf that need to be read. 


And if I get the 5 followers I am missing to get to 500 you may also just see a giveaway.

Thanks for sticking around even when I'm not really there!

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3)

Author: Simone Elkeles

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Release Date: August 16, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers' lives. But that didn't stop him from taking risks--whether he's scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can't stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules--boys lie to get their way, don't trust a boy who says "I love you," and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor's daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex's wedding, and suddenly, she's tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a south sider is Luis's biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis's family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he's ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge.

Simone Elkeles is a genius. I love the stories she writes, especially how raw and gritty they are. But more than anything what I love are the Fuentes brothers. They are absolutely fantastic and I am sad that their story is now over.

When it comes to the Fuentes boys, Luis has always been the good brother. Unlike his older brothers Alex and Carlos, Luis has stayed away from the gang life that almost got them both killed. Luis has a goal and a plan to reach that goal, except that his constant search for a new adrenaline rush may cause him to lose everything. And if that doesn't do it, then maybe Nikki will make Luis throw all his plans out the window. Nikki may look Mexican, but she has nothing to do with everyone who comes form the south side of Fairfield. And she also doesn't let any boys closer to her heart because they always end up breaking it. But then Luis shows up in town and Nikki is tempted to break all the rules she's followed for her whole life. For Luis, getting Nikki to trust him may be his biggest adrenaline rush yet, that is until the Latino Blood comes knocking on his door. Now Luis has to choose between his dreams and the girl he loves, or doing what almost got his family killed once.

I absolutely loved this story. Simon Elkeles is definitely a master at writing raw and gritty stories. I had very high expectations for Chain Reaction and it completely delivered. Though I have to admit that Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite book in this series, probably just because it was the first one I read. But that doesn't mean that this one wasn't absolutely great. I especially liked how elements from the other books were incorporated into this one. But mostly it was the perfect conclusion to this series, everything came full circle and everything came to a close.

The Fuentes brothers are probably my favorite fictional boys. And Luis may just be my favorite Fuentes brother. He was always so different from Alex and Carlos, he was the good little brother. But the more I got to know him, the more I came to realize he wasn't what he appeared to be. For starters, fearless doesn't even begin to describe him. Though he was really cocky more than anything else. But it wasn't overdone and it didn't stop me from totally loving him. Nikki was also very interesting and different from the other women in this series. I loved getting to know her and I could totally see where she was coming from. Most of all I loved seeing her come out of her shell and learn to trust Luis. That was probably the best part of her character. And of course I loved getting to see Alex and Brittany, and Carlos and Kiara. The best part was probably the wedding scene.

Chain Reaction was the perfect ending to an incredible series. I can't wait for more books from Simone Elkeles. But most of all, I will miss the Fuentes brothers.

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Title: Virtuosity

Author: Jessica Martinez

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: October 18, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't rust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win that she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she's told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes being on top just means you have a long way to fall...

Why I don't read more contemporary novels is a mystery to me. Every time I pick on up I am captivated and I fall in love with how realistic the story feels. Of course, the very same thing happened when I read Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez. It was an incredible story that captivated me from start to finish.

Her whole life, Carmen has worked toward one goal: wining the prestigious Guarneri competition and the honor that comes with it. All those years of endless violin practices and the calluses that come from hours of playing have to have been for something. But when Jeremy shows up in Carmen's life, she loses focus for the first time. What if Jeremy was better than winning the world's most prestigious violin competition. Carmen knows that she shouldn't be with Jeremy, not only is he a distraction but he's also her biggest competitor. But she can't seem to stay away from him. And it's not like Jeremy seems to mind spending time with her either. Maybe Jeremy will be the one to help Carmen feel again after months of taking anti-anxiety drugs to perform. Because what Carmen wants more than anything is to feel again.

Virtuosity was an absolutely fantastic story. To be honest, if I didn't know any better I wouldn't believe that Jessica Martinez was a debut author. Her story was incredible and there wasn't one moment it didn't feel completely real to me. And not only did it feel real, it was also absolutely captivating. Right from page one I was drawn in and I couldn't wait to find out more about the characters and their stories. More than anything, Virtuosity reminded me of why I love contemporary books so much and made me wonder why I read so little of them. But more than anything, it was simply a truly amazing story.

Carmen was such a relatable character. I honestly felt like I could relate to her on so many levels. The violin playing, the pressure she was under to perform and succeed. She was a character I absolutely loved getting to know. Her fears, her doubts, her passion, everything about her just felt completely real. And more than anything, I could understand why she felt the way about she did about Jeremy. From the moment I met him in the story, I feel a little bit in love with Jeremy. And kept falling more in love with him him the more I found out about him. He was a great character and the perfect balance for Carmen. Though it sometimes seemed like his intentions weren't always the most noble, I could tell that he really cared and would do the right thing when it comes down to it. 

Overall, Virtuosity was an absolutely incredible read. Jessica Martinez is a fantastic new author and she wrote and amazing story in this book. I absolutely cannot wait for more from this brilliant new author.