Waiting on Wednesday #9

"Waiting on" Wednesday is  a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases in which we are eagerly awaiting.

We're back to two picks this week, one for each of us.

Kait[Vixen1]'s Pick

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Expected Publication: December 11th, 2012

From Goodreads:
No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.
---------------------------

Seriously, I cannot get over Daemon Black. He just so damn HOT.  I'll admit, I wanted to slap Katy while reading Onyx, but I still love her too. I'm not liking this cover too much. It's mainly Sztella's eyes being closed that looks odd to me. Pepe, that man can't take a bad picture.

If you haven't started The Lux series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? It's amazing.
Here are some linky things for you to follow:
Obsidian[Lux #1]
Shadows[Lux #1.5]
Onyx[Lux #2]


Beth[Vixen2]'s Pick:

Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate

Expected Publication: October 2nd, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.



This book sounds so amazing. I've been reading and re-reading this blurb from Good Reads. I love books that have a different take on things. This almost reminds me of Under the Never Sky, which.. was amazing. Anyways, I can't wait to get my hands on this. I just need someone to buy it for me! (Haha the woes of being broke)



What are you waiting on? Leave us a link in the comments!

Every Day by David Levithan

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Pages: 336
Rating: 5 out of 5

From Goodreads:
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
---------------

I've used masculine pronouns even though A's a gender free character.

"I've never fallen in love with a gender. I have fallen for individuals. I know this is hard for people to do, but I don't understand why it's so hard, when it's so obvious."
A knows how to go day to day in other people's lives without being noticed. Then he meets Rhiannon when he spends a day as her boyfriend, Justin. She sticks with A, even after his day with her is over. Every day after Rhiannon is spent thinking about her, and trying to get back to her. A gets careless when he inhabits a boy, Nathan, who realizes that someone else was controlling his body for the day.

I felt connected instantly. It only took one paragraph to pull me in. Truly, I was connected with this book before it was released. The synopsis called to me. I needed to read this. This is a book that makes you think about what you take from each day.

I started off hoping that all the body hopping wouldn't become confusing or messy, and it never did. The concept of the book was somewhat creepy, but I didn't find A creepy at all.
A is a gentle soul and so very easy to fall in love with. A's existence is purely based on other people, which is really depressing when you stop to think about it. There's no one to really know A, to love A, or to miss A when he's gone.

Rhiannon was a breath of fresh air. Levithan created a very real girl, with a realistic life[before A, of course]. She has a douchebag boyfriend that she holds onto because she thinks that things might get better. She has her doubts about A, and seriously, who wouldn't in that situation.

I really enjoyed the different people A inhabits. Some I loved, some I hated, a couple I felt bad for, and a couple I wanted to slap. One girl really left an impression on me, as she did with A. I'm finding that I'm actually still curious about her now.

There are a lot of questions that go unanswered, but it somehow works. The why's and what's are never explained, but it didn't take away from the beauty of the story. The ending was open enough to allow for another book, but also just final enough to be the true end. Though I think that most readers would find it a little frustrating if Levithan leaves the story as is. I am hoping for more from A in the future.

If you lived every day in a different body would you try to change people or go unnoticed?

Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck

Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck

♥♥♥♥♥

      There is nothing that I can say about this book that wouldn't be a spoiler. That being said... I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't yet read this book. Tigers Destiny deserves nothing less than 5 stars, in my opinion. Colleen Houck really pulled out all the stops in this installment. I can say, without a doubt this book made me Laugh, Cry, Smile and Yell.

     With that being said, I feel like I waited EONS for this installment of the Tiger's Saga to come out! Colleen Houck; You have SUCH a way with words. You captivated me from the first chapter of Tiger's Curse. I have been in love with both Kishan and Ren. I love them both, in equally different ways. I've experienced heartache, glee, frustration, anger, jealously and love... with this story. Waiting for Tiger's Dream is going to be yet another year of torture.

     Kelsey, Kishan, and Ren prepare for their final quest to free them of the the two Indian Prince's Tiger's Curse. On their quest they must learn to look inside themselves for the answers to their fate, for they have been there all along. Evil, grief, pain, love, denial, and acceptance are just some of the things that Kelsey and the tigers are to endure and battle. Love will always prevail...

-Beth [Vixen2]

Waiting on Wednesday #8

"Waiting on" Wednesday is  a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases in which we are eagerly awaiting.

We haven't done a WoW in a couple weeks, so we wanted to showcase a book that we are both lusting over, a book that we are both dying to get our hands on. I know, it's a little over dramatic, but us booknerd fangirls get a little crazy about books we love[as I'm sure most of you know!].

This week we are impatiently waiting on:

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel

Expected Publication: January 29th, 2013
From Goodreads:
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...



---------



Beth & I fell completely in love with Lenah & Justin in Infinite Days, the first in the series. We picked it up because Rebecca is from Rhode Island, like us, and one of the characters is named Rhode. We've been waiting for this book since Infinite Days was released back in 2010, so there is a huge build up of excitement for this release. The book was released early in the U.K., but we're waiting on the U.S. release. We prefer the U.S. cover over the U.K. edition as well.

If you haven't picked up Infinite Days yet, do it. Here's a link: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

And seriously, that cover revamp is gorgeous. I might have to go out and buy a new copy.

We've signed up for the Stolen Nights blog tour, so we're crossing our fingers and hoping we get to take part in it!


What's your WoW? Leave us a link!

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Title: UnWholly
Author: Neal Shusterman
Pages: 416 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5[

From Goodreads:
Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.

Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.

Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

---------I've been waiting to read this follow up to Unwind for almost five years, even though I actually didn't know I was waiting until year three. I was very concerned going into this book. How can any book match the genius that is Unwind? Will this be another middle book slump? Will I love the characters as much as I did before?


I had no reason to worry. UnWholly was amazing. Almost flawless. The only thing holding it back is that it's not quite as good as Unwind. There was still the major conflict of emotions for me. I am absolutely disgusted and appalled by the thought of unwinding, but I'm also intrigued. I know which side I would stand on, but it scares me that I'm sure there are already people out there that would embrace this terrible idea without coercion. That's what this series does to you, it makes you think . It makes you question , not only yourself but the people you know too.

The returning characters were as I remembered them. Connor, Lev, & Risa are some of my favorite characters in any book ever and oh, how I had missed them. There were a few new characters that I really liked and a couple who I didn't.

Miracolina is an intelligent, feisty tithe who knows what she wants and isn't going to let anyone get in her way. I liked her a lot.

Starkey is someone I felt pity for at first, but the more his character evolved the less I liked him.

Trace is pretty awesome. To me he symbolized something very important in this book, but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that.

Cam is the world's first fully composite human being, which means he is made up entirely of other people. I don't even really know what I can say about Cam. He terrified me, and at times I found myself somewhat disgusted by him. He began to grow on me, but I didn't get to know him well enough for it to become complete. I was a little thrown off by his obsession with Risa, but there was something that I liked. He's the character I'm most interested in reading about in the next book.

When "I am" becomes "I'm not..."

The only complaint I have, and it's barely a complaint, is that I wanted to know more about the parts pirates. Is it sick that I wanted to know exactly how it worked? I am so disturbed by the idea, but curious. Is the black market unwinding like the unwinding that happens in the chop shops? I have so many questions that I hope will get answered.

The most disturbingly amazing thing about this book is that some of these things are already happening. People are already selling organs on the black market. There's someone out there right now who's kidnapping someone to cut out their kidney or liver to sell. How far off are we from unwinding? Probably not far enough...



What are some books that have made you think?

Adrift - Elizabeth A. Reeves

Adrift - Elizabeth A. Reeves

♥♥♥♥

  What Can I say about Adrift. I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 hearts. Simply because I thought it was kinda abrupt. I fell in love with the main characters very easily, and was intrigued by the odd romance. I like how Elizabeth Reeves depicted the scenery, and how it had that old time feel to it. Definitely a breath of fresh air, from my normal reads. I'm so glad that I won this on goodreads! I might have never picked up such a gem, otherwise.
     What do you do when you have nowhere to go? You get in your car and drive to Trinity, Newfoundland. At least that's what Meg did. After her father died, she lost everything. Meg lost her home, the last of her family, and everything she has ever known. The only thing she has left is her Car and just a little cash. So she sets off driving, wondering where the road will take her.

     Not knowing why, she was compelled to Trinity. She thought it might be its amazing beauty, or just the fact that she's never even seen the ocean before. Somehow... she feels drawn to the water, like its calling her to it. After arriving in trinity, Meg wakes up in an old cottage. Wondering how she gets there, she sees a little girl. Then she hears whistling. As she assesses her surroundings everything she sees fades away, to a dull old run down cottage. She stumbles outside to meet Devin and his dog.
Devin "rescues" Meg from the island with the cottage. She thinks she sees a budding romance with Devin, but she's not sure... because he's almost just plain rude. Then he drops a whammy on her. Everything she thought she knew... Her life as it exists, is being turned upside down. With the possibility of a family she never thought she had, Meg and Devin take you on a journey of passion, disgust, faerie tales, and discovery all within the realm of "What could be".

 -Beth [Vixen2]

Transcend by Christine Fonseca

Title: Transcend
Author: Christine Fonseca
Rating: 5 out of 5

From Goodreads:
All seventeen-year-old composer Ien Montgomery desires is an escape from his family's rigid expectations for his life; someone to inspire his music. When he meets a beautiful violin-prodigy, Kiera McDougal, his life music takes on new life. With her, he imagines a future outside of his parents’ control. That is, until a horrible accident tears them apart.

Sent to die in a sanatorium, Ien’s obsession for Kiera grows unbearable. Tortured by thoughts he can’t escape and the truth of his monstrous disfigurement, he flees, desperate to exact revenge on the people that ruined his life – his parents. But, vengeance is empty. Betrayed by those closest to him, Ien discovers that the price for his happiness may be his sanity.

Set amidst the landscape of New York's Gilded Age, and inspired by Phantom of the Opera, TRANSCEND exposes the fine line between love and madness.

-----------------
Look at that cover. Wow. So simple, yet gorgeous.

I'm someone who reads pretty quickly, but I really savored Transcend. I spent more time thinking about what I was reading and what was to come.

"Will I become the thing I fear the most of all?"

Ien, a seventeen year old musical composer is overwhelmed by pressure from his family. He is ready to begin his life with his musical partner and love, Kiera, until horrible circumstances rip them from each other. Ien is sent to die at a sanatorium where he begins to plot revenge against the people who have left him disfigured and alone. But Ien will find more than he expected when he begins his crusade of vengeance.

"New truths. I'm more than the flesh and bone that defines me. More than the pain that consumes me and the madness radiating through me. I am a man. And I am still alive."

This book reads like a song. It flows easily, starting with a beautiful introduction then coming to a grand climax that will leave you breathless before crashing around you. I loved the alternating between first and third person. I liked being inside Ien's head, but at times it was quite intense, so it was also nice to have the third person point of view.

I usually have strong feelings for main characters, whether it be love, hate, lust, etc. What I felt for Ien was different. The madness and hate inside of him frightened me. Then I felt pity for the things he'd lost and the things he could never have. I got so wrapped up in his reality I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. Ultimately, I genuinely cared about Ien. I cared about what would happen to him.

I fell completely in love with the story of heartache, pain, and vengeance. The characters, whether real or imaginary, found their way into my mind and heart and rooted themselves there until the last page and will stay there for a while.

Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake

 Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake

♥♥♥♥

                 

                Girl of Nightmares, I can't decide exactly what I want to say about this. I really did adore this book. I'm a little upset over Anna though, I must admit. Her presence lacked in this book. However we do get to meet the thrilling Jestine and go on an all new adventure. I do adore Jestine.. She is just a force to be seen, kicking ass and taking names. Kendare Blake did a great job, considering how the expectations were going to be for this, the follow up of Anna dressed in Blood. I got stuck in a few places, in the book as I felt it had a lull. I might have just been in Anna withdrawl. Overall, Blake delivered a dark, quirky novel which makes you want to laugh, scream, and cry.

                Six months after Anna banished herself to Hell to save the lives of Cas, Thomas, and Carmel... Cas just can't get over her. Despite their efforts, Carmel and Thomas do not persuade Cas to let it go. Finishing up their junior year, the trio heads out on several "jobs". They've been doing well until now. Cas sees Anna. Asking for help is just out of the question. Anna plagues his nightmares.

               Not knowing what happened to Anna when she sacrificed herself for him, Cas can only believe that she is being tortured. The appearances in his dreams are just wrong. Anna comes to Cas in so many terrifically gruesome ways in each nightmare. Deciding that he MUST help her, after everything she did for him... He enrolls the help of Gideon. Only Gideon tells him the same thing everyone else has, leave it alone. Determined to save the one he loves from the evil that is keeping her, and never wants to let her go. Can Cas and his crew save Anna? Or will he die trying?

 Beth [Vixen2]

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Pages: 313
Rating: 5 out of 5

From Goodreads:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

----------------

This was my first John Green novel.

There's not really much I can say with spoilers, so I apologize if this sounds more like a journal entry rather than an actual review.

After reading this I keep thinking about inevitable endings. Even though we know something will end badly, we keep with it. Even though we know it will rip our hearts out, stomp on them, and forcibly thrust them back into our empty chest cavities and scream "Beat dammit! You are still alive!" we still read it eagerly. Even though we know this isn't a typical book, there is no happily ever after ending, there is no talk of future, there is only now. That is what Hazel & Augustus taught me.

Pain demands to be felt.

Don't avoid this book because you're afraid it might be too sad. It is sad, it is so damn sad that I had to stop reading to cry a few times, but it is also beautiful and funny. Hazel and Augustus[and Isaac too] are so funny and witty that it should be unbelievable, but it's not. There are a ton of funny and touching gems in this book like:

-"Quick, give me a throw pillow and some thread because that needs to be an Encouragement" - Augustus

-"What a slut time is. She screws everybody" - Hazel

-"Seriously, don't even get me started on my hot bod. You don't want to see me naked, Dave. Seeing me naked actually took Hazel Grace's breath away," he said nodding toward the oxygen tank" - Augustus

Then there's a part where Augustus says "He specialized in the murder of dreams" and that's how this book made me feel about John Green. I can dream all I want, but it won't change the actuality of what will happen. And it's not fair to hope for anything more than 313 pages. Yes, hope, it's a great thing, but is it real? Does it heal cancer? Of course not. It's just a placeholder in conversation that makes people feel better. John Green may have murdered my dreams, but I can't fault him for it. Like Hazel says, "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities." And I am so damn grateful that I had this small infinity.

-Kait[Vixen1]

Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Title: The Rise of Nine
Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 360
Rating: 4 out of 5

From Goodreads:
Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.
 
---------------
I really, really liked this book. However, I liked Power of Six a little more. There was a ton of action scenes that I really enjoyed, but I think I wanted a little more of a storyline. And maybe a smidge of romance.

Highlights:
I love Eight. His legacies, his strength, and his story are amazing. I'm hoping the little flirtations[I won't mention any names] move forward in the next book.

I really enjoyed the banter between Four and Nine. The dysfunctional relationship they have is hilarious. Nine has grown to be one of my favorite characters. He's sexy, sarcastic, and a little dangerous. But ultimately he's a boy who's been through a lot.

Setrakus Ra is creepy as all hell. Seriously, I got the chills every time he was mentioned. I have a few theories about him, but I'll keep those to myself for now.

The legacies are so cool. Each new legacy that comes to play excites me. Now I have all these hopes for powers that may develop amongst the Garde.

Even though there were so many things I really like about this book I was still frustrated. There was something missing. It might have been the fact that I thought that this book was the last, so I expected some conclusions and answers. Obviously, I was mistaken.

This series is great, and now I can't wait to get my hands on the next chapter in the Lorien Legacies.