Waiting on Wednesday (66)

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 Simon & Schuster.

Crash by Lisa McMann
January 8, 2013

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Jules lives with her family about their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It's not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can't handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode…and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere--on billboards, television screens, windows--and she's the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act--and act fast--to keep her vision from becoming reality.

I read a book by Lisa McMann for the first time this year and it definitely made me want to read more. And then I read the summary for Crash and I just knew this was a book I need to get my hands on. It sounds so intriguing and I can't wait to be able to dive into it come January.

Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick

January 8, 2013

In the tradition of 13 Reasons Why, a suspenseful and heart-wrenching novel from the author of Nothing Like You and Her and Me and You.

Two years ago, Adrienne's best friend walked out of her life. One week ago, she left Adrienne a desperate, muffled voicemail. Adrienne never called back.

Now Dakota is missing. She left behind a string of broken hearts, a flurry of rumors, and a suicide note.

Adrienne can't stop obsessing over what might have happened if she'd answered Dakota's call. And she's increasingly convinced that Dakota must still be alive.

Maybe finding and saving Dakota is the only way Adrienne can save herself.

Or maybe it's too late for them both.

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I am a major sucker for any story that involves mystery. So when I discovered Then You Were Gone I was hooked from just reading the synopsis. Now I'm just hoping that the story lives up to my expectations of it.

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
January 15, 2013

In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia War has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she's lost--family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved. 

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian--a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life--comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it's not just her own redemption at stake…but the salvation of all mankind.

I've been lucky enough to already read an ARC of Level 2 and it definitely left me intrigued. I feel like this is one of those books that could definitely benefit from a re-read as there are some things that are still unclear in my mind. So come January, hopefully I'll have some time to take another shot at this one.


So those are the January 2013 titles I'm looking forward to from Simon & Schuster. Once again, let me just say that my wallet will be suffering come the new year. But I can't help being excited about all these upcoming titles. So many books, so little time, right?

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners (The Diviners #1)

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Do you believe there are ghosts and demons and Diviners among us?

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It's 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he'll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…

Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray opens a brand-new historical series with The Diviners, where the glittering surface of the Roaring Twenties hides a mystical horror creeping across the country.

I remember being really excited about Libba Bray's The Diviners when I first heard about it. And then I kept on seeing glowing reviews of the book, which only made me want to read it that much more. So I was beyond excited when my own gorgeous finished copy of The Diviners showed up on my doorstep, though I was slightly thrown aback by the size of the book. But that didn't deter me and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book as I was reading it. 

Despite having been ousted of Ohio by her parents, Evie O'Neil is thrilled to now be living in Manhattan. Even if it's with her uncle Will, curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult. For Evie, Manhattan means speakeasies, flappers and glamour all around. But everything may not be quite as glamorous as Evie hoped it would be. With a serial killer roaming around town, committing ritual killings. The only people who seem to be able to solve the mystery are Evie, her uncle Will and Jericho, her uncle's student and assistant. Among all the ritz and glamour of New York City, Evie must race against the clock to stop a killer before he unleashes hell on earth.

While I have absolutely nothing against long or big books, I was slightly thrown by the sheer size of Libba Bray's The Diviners. I was honestly wondering how I would be able to get through the book while also focusing on school and work. But it didn't prove to be that difficult once I really got into the story. With her writing, Libba Bray really transported me back to New York City and the 1920s. With her every word, I was able to picture this past Manhattan and the world that Evie was living in. And let me say that at times, that world and that writing gave me some serious chills, especially when I was reading alone at night. It was not exactly conducive to peaceful dreams. The story itself was engrossing. While it did take a little while for me to get into it, which could be accounted for by the fact I was only able to read sporadically, once the story won me over I was not longer able to put the book down. 

Miss Evie O'Neil was quite the character. From the start, she intrigued me. I was never quite sure what to make of her. At times she seemed like just your typical young women living life to the fullest in the roaring 20s. But then there were those moments where she took me by surprise, all of a sudden she would become this completely different Evie who took the time to think and didn't only think of herself. All that to say that Evie is the type of character who you really have to get to know before you make up your mind about her. For whatever reason, I wasn't expecting to become attached to so many characters in this book. All of them each had their quirks and eccentricities that made them unique and, in my opinion, that much more likeable. I just never quite knew what to expect from any of them.

Overall, The Diviners by Libba Bray was a fantastic read, one that brought images of a long gone Manhattan to mine and one that will give you chills for any one of a myriad of reasons. My one recommendation: if you're alone at night, you may want to have multiple lights on when reading certain parts of the book.

For more information on the book, be sure to check out the HBG website.

Stacking the Shelves (18)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga of Tynga's Reviews. It's a weekly post where book bloggers showcase the book they received throughout the week.

So far I am kind of failing at only buying the books on the list I made, though I am still not buying too many so I guess things could be worse. This week I got some books for review, borrowed some from fellow bloggers and bought some at a signing I went to. So without further ado, here's what I got this week.

Review:

- The Lies that Bind by Lisa & Laura Roecker - I really loved The Liar Society when I read it last year so I am looking forward to being able to read the second one. If I'm not mistaken, I will also be a part of the blog tour for this one next month, so be on the lookout for that!

- (You) Set Me On Fire by Mariko Tamaki - I had received an ARC of this book over the summer and have reviewed it already, but at any rate I am happy to have a finished copy to add to my shelves.

- Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - I still have to read Beautiful Chaos but I am still very excited to now have a gorgeous finished copy of Beautiful Redemption. You can bet that as soon as a I have enough time on my hands, I will be reading this one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire, Penguin Canada & HBG Canada for sending me these books for review.

Borrowed:

- Crewel by Gennifer Albin - This book has been on my radar for quite some time so I was happy when the wonderful Kathy from A Glass of Wine offered to lend me her copy of the book.

Won (at signing):

- All Good Children by Catherine Austen - I'll be honest and say I hadn't heard of this book or of Catherine Austen until the signing I went to this week. But I won a copy of the book and I have to say that the summary has be intrigued.

Purchased:

- Night Runner & End of Days by Max Turner - Again, I hadn't really heard about these books or Max Turner until I went to the signing, but the books sound interesting and it was really great hearing him talk about his books and his writing process.

- Dreamless by Josephine Angelini - I received an ARC of this book earlier this year which I read, reviewed and loved. But I didn't have a gorgeous finished copy to put on my shelf next to Starcrossed, so I couldn't resist picking it up at the bookstore.

That's it for me this week! There won't be a Stacking the Shelves post next week as I will be in Toronto for the Second Annual Ontario Blog Squad Blogger Meet Up. I'm really excited to meet all the bloggers I've only talked to online and of course to the roadtrip with the other Ottawa bloggers.

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!

Cover Reveal: Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Today, I am incredibly lucky to be taking part in the cover reveal for Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, so without further ado, here it is.

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 has been 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 around 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. 

Isn't this cover absolutely gorgeous, personally I think so, but here's what author Leigh Fallon had to say about it.

I know, there's no mistaking it. This is definitely a Carrier Series cover, but that was the intention. After the amazing reception to the cover of Carrier of the Mark, HarperCollins wanted Shadow's cover to be instantly recognizable. And it is, but the new darker color palette reflects the darker tone that this installment brings, and the pink and purple really make it pop. I love it and think HarperCollins have done another amazing job. I hope you like it too.

To make things even better, Leigh Fallon is running a giveaway to celebrate the reveal of the Shadow of the Mark cover. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Leigh Fallon

I started out life in South Africa. A year later my parents moved home to Dublin, Ireland. When I was older and realized my parents had moved me from exotic Durban, to sedate Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, I was really ticked off.

Giving up lions for sheep, I grew up in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains where I went to a convent school and had to contend with uniforms, gabardines, and nuns. When not dodging the beady glare of the Sisters of Mercy, I was devouring every book I could get my hands on.

I traveled all over Europe while working in banking and treasury, but I gave up my calculator in favor of a keyboard and haven't stopped writing since. My first book, Carrier of the Mark, was published by HarperTeen in 2011.

Our home is in Cork in the south of Ireland, but we're currently on loan to Massachusetts in the US where I continue to write books about magic, ghosts, and romance, with a bit of Irish flavor.

Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon will be published July 9, 2013 and you can already pre-order the book on Amazon.