What's New? Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre

 

Hey there! I hope you're having a great day. Well, I probably already know about this book, but I just saw it, and OMG! It sounds so badass! Plus these authors have some amazing books (I haven't read any, don't hate me!!). I'm really, REALLY looking forward to reading this one.

Expected publication:  February 13th 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

 

Zara Cole has been in and out of New Detroit’s rehab facilities for treatment of her antisocial disorder. There’s no adjusting Zara’s attitude, though. A painful past has made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in the Zone instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan–a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned to along with fellow Honor Beatriz, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time, along with a devotion she’s never experienced before. Yet nothing—not her Honors training or her street smarts—could have prepared her for the dark, dangerous truths that lurk behind the glitter of starlight.

Honor Among Thieves is the first book in a daring new sci-fi series by bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre.

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Waiting on Wednesday: Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles Trilogy #1) by Jodi Meadows

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

Add to GoodReads

Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

Jodi Meadows’s new Fallen Isles series blazes with endangered magic, slow-burn romance, and inner fire.

*****
 

Why am I waiting on this book? I mean, why not? I'm DYING for this book! Dragons! and two moons! (this is weird, but I love stories set in worlds with two moons) and one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen! I hope I (and everybody) love it!

What about you?

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What's New? Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta

 

I read this book was called Until Our Blood Runs Clean before, but the title just changed. I liked that title a lot more, but I don't really care. This book got me all excited with only two words: Traveling Magician. 
I adoooore traveling magicians, so I hope this book is great!
Check it out!

Expected publication: August 8th 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

 

 

Faris grew up fighting to survive in the slums of Brindaigel while caring for her sister, Cadence. But when Cadence is caught trying to flee the kingdom and is sold into slavery, Faris reluctantly agrees to a lucrative scheme to buy her back, inadvertently binding herself to the power-hungry Princess Bryn, who wants to steal her father’s throne.

Now Faris must smuggle stolen magic into neighboring Avinea to incite its prince to alliance—magic that addicts in the war-torn country can sense in her blood and can steal with a touch. She and Bryn turn to a handsome traveling magician, North, who offers protection from Avinea’s many dangers, but he cannot save Faris from Bryn’s cruelty as she leverages Cadence’s freedom to force Faris to do anything—or kill anyone—she asks. Yet Faris is as fierce as Bryn, and even as she finds herself falling for North, she develops schemes of her own.

With the fate of kingdoms at stake, Faris, Bryn, and North maneuver through a dangerous game of magical and political machinations, where lives can be destroyed—or saved—with only a touch.

 

 

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

GoodReads

An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

 

****

 

Why am I waiting for this book?

Well, historical fiction is not what I usually read, but this book sounds cute and funny. This is kind of crazy, but I don't like the font on the title, at all, and that's one of the reasons why I want to give it a chance. 

 

What are you waiting on today? 

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What's New? Wicked Like a Wildfire (Hibiscus Daughter #1) by Lana Popović

 

I'm going to be honest here: When I saw the cover of this book I thought it was a sequel to Wink Poppy Midnight. The cover and tittle are a bit similar, but the synopsis is like nothing I've read before. It sounds like a thrilling and magical read. I can't wait to get the chance to read it!

Expected publication: August 15th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

 

 

All the women in Iris and Malina's family are born with a gleam—a unique way of manipulating beauty through magic. Seventeen-year-old Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, her twin sister Malina interprets moods as music, and their cold, distant mother Jasmina bakes scenery into decadent treats at her confectionery in Old Town Cattaro, Montenegro.

Jasmina forbids Iris and Malina to share their gleams with anyone, and above all, she forbids them to fall in love—being discovered could shatter the quiet lives they’ve built in their tucked-away, seaside town. But Iris and Malina are tired of abiding by their mother’s rules and rebel in secret whenever they can.

Yet when a mysterious, white-haired woman attacks their mother and leaves her hovering between life and death, the sisters unearth an ancient curse that haunts their line—a wicked bargain that masquerades as a blessing, and binds the twins’ fates—and hearts—to a force larger than life. To save each other, they must untangle a thousand years of lies and reveal their own hurtful secrets. But even the deepest sacrifice might not be enough.

Wicked Like a Wildfire is the first book in a sumptuous, bewitching duology about the power of love, death, magic, and the many faces of beauty.

 

 

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Waiting on Wednesday: 100 Hours (100 Hours #1) by Rachel Vincent

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

GoodReads

In this pulse-pounding new trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent, a decadent spring break getaway on an exotic beach becomes a terrifying survival story when six Miami teens are kidnapped and ransomed.

Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.

While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.

But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.

Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t set aside their personal problems, no one will make it out alive.

****

Why am I waiting on this book? I'm not sure if this book is my kind of read, but it's Rachel Vincent! I've loved everything I've read by her so far. So, I hope I love this new trilogy.

What are you waiting on today?

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What's New? Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin

 

You want diverse reads? Here's a diverse read! I'm in love with the cover of this book, though I'm a bit worried because it's told in verse. I've managed to read some books in verse, but I don't remember if I liked them or not. So, I want to give this one a chance. 
Another Romeo and Juliet re-telling. I can't wait to read it!
Check it out!

Expected publication: February 21st 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

 

This beautiful and lyrical novel in verse delivers a fresh and captivating retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that transports the star-crossed lovers to the modern-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza.

Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the barrier fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. Only miles apart but separated by generations of conflict—much more than just the concrete blockade between them. Their fathers, however, work in a distrusting but mutually beneficial business arrangement, a relationship that brings Ronit and Jamil together. And lightning strikes. The kind of lightning that transcends barrier fences, war, and hatred. 

Ronit and Jamil fall desperately into the throes of forbidden love, one that would create an irreparable rift between their families if it were discovered. But a love this big can be kept secret for only so long. Soon, the teenage lovers must face the fateful choice to save their lives or their loves, as it may not be possible to save both.

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ARC Review: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species

by Mindy McGinnis

Source: eARC provided by Publisher.

My Rating: 4 stars.

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

****

This book was so much darker that I expected, but it’s the first Mindy McGinnins book I can finish and I’m glad for that. I struggled a little because for me Mindy’s characters are hard to connect with in the beginning (I DNF A Madness so Discreet), they are too neat and… I don’t know; it’s like they feel too much and end up looking empty.

The Female of the Species is unlike every book I read before. Alex is psychopath? Sociopath? She doesn’t know how to call herself and I don’t have an idea either. The thing is... she feels so much anger. And she’s revengeful. She’s a killer and she doesn’t feel guilty about it.

Since this book is indeed different, I don’t know what to say about it. This book is about abuse. This book is about silence. This book is about female power.

The message of this book is very important. And yes, I think every female alive should read it and understand what the author is trying to say through a dark and messed up plot.

But at the same time, I’m a bit disappointed about it, because I loved many of the characters, I wanted to read more about them, but all I had was rape, rape, rape. There are a lot of violent scenes and I think they weren’t totally necessary. I mean, the message was clear; it would have worked out with less rape scenes and gore.

The Female of the Species is told through Alex’s POV, Peekay’s (the preacher kid and Alex's only friend), and Jack’s, the love interest. They played specific roles in the story. Alex is the killer. Peekay is one of the victims. And Jack is who gives Alex humanity. He brings the human out of the monster.

The first chapters are a little slow, but once you get to know these characters, you care about them.

And Mindy McGinnis’s writing is flawless. So, I had no problem with that.

What I didn’t like was the overuse of violence.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, unless you are very sensitive to this topic… (That doesn’t mean I’m not sensitive). But if you think you can be triggered by it, don’t read it! Stay away of it!

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

****

Why am I waiting on this book? It broke my heart that I wasn't able to finish A Madness So Discreet because I loved the writing and how dark it was. I've heard this one is just as dark, so I can't wait to read it!

What about you?

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Some Books Ago: The Ward (The Ward #1) by Jordana Frankel

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago, because I don't want you to forget them!

Hi there! I'm back from an unexpected break because my computer had a BIG problem like... two weeks ago, and since laptops are REALLY expensive here in my country I couldn't get a new one. So, had to wait until my cousin helped me fix it. And... well, he did it for free so it wasn't priority. 

But I'm back again and I missed all the lovely blogs I read everyday and I missed Goodreads so much, which was unexpected, too.  

Anyway. Today I want to share with you The Ward by Jordana Frankel. I think it's been forever since I added this book to my TBR, but I never had the chance to read it. Have you? Was it good?

The Ward was published on: April 30th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books  

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Ren is a daredevil mobile racer who will risk everything to survive in the Ward, what remains of a water-logged Manhattan. To save her sister, who is suffering from a deadly illness thought to be caused by years of pollution, Ren accepts a secret mission from the government: to search for a freshwater source in the Ward, with the hope of it leading to a cure.

However, she never expects that her search will lead to dangerous encounters with a passionate young scientist; a web of deceit and lies; and an earth-shattering mystery that’s lurking deep beneath the water’s rippling surface.

Jordana Frankel’s ambitious debut novel and the first in a two-book series, The Ward is arresting, cinematic, and thrilling—perfect for fans of Scott Westerfeld or Ann Aguirre.

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The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2) by Jodi Meadows

The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen #2)

by Jodi Meadows

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Source: eARC provided by The Publisher.

Summary:

Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.

HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right. 

HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.

HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.

*****

I don’t think I have something new to say about The Mirror King, I believe everybody knows how awesome this book was.

The Orphan Queen was my first book by Jodi Meadow and though I really liked it, there’s no doubt, at least for me, that the second book was so much better!

I’m absolutely in love with the world building, the characters, the plot and Jodi’s writing.

And one of my favorite things about this book was romance, that’s really surprising for me!

You know, I have a big problem with impossible romances, and how sometimes the characters are so reckless they put lives in danger or put their objectives at risk for love, but these characters had their responsibilities very clear, and I loved that. I always wanted to read a love story like that. It was different from many books I read.

Like I said, I think everything’s been said. The Orphan Queen and The Mirror King are MUST READ. They have all you need in a good fantasy series: Great characters, an amazing and magical world-building, some unexpected twists and turns, a mid-blowing ending and a swoon worthy romance.

The Mirror King was a brilliant conclusion to this beautiful duology! 

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