Waiting On Wednesday: Into The Hollow

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Into The Hollow (Experiments in Terror #6)
Karina Halle

Expected Publication Date:  November 2012

Perry Palomino has fought her demons – and won – but the battle is far from over. She’s now left broken and on her own, leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray – and the Experiment in Terror show – a second chance. But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship, as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies. The snow-covered peaks and ravenous forests hide an urban legend too unbelievably frightening to be true and the only way the duo has a chance of surviving is if Perry can let in the very man who sent her to hell and back.

Why:
Experiments in Terror has to be one of my favourite all time series that I've read in the past year or so. It's horror and it's well done. Last book I was lucky enough to be able to participate in the Blog Tour, this time I failed and missed out on the call out *laughs*. That does not make me any less excited though.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Program

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Program
Suzanne Young

Expected Publication Date:  April 30th 2013 (FIXED)

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. 

With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.

And The Program is coming for them

Why:
For some reason I really like the idea of dystopian societies thinking emotion is bad. That's part of the reason I enjoyed Delirium. But in this case I also think that with the rise of people addressing suicide and depression considered being rampant nowadays, I don't see something like this being so farfetched as a futuristic problem (you could say that in Japan this is already a national crisis that they keep trying to help with). I also really like Young's stylistic way of writing and I wonder how it will go with a plot like this.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Library Edition [1]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. 


Or at least that is the basic principal usually. As most of my books come from the library however, I'm going to instead focus this week on the books I have on hold in my library system that I'm dying from the wait for: Grave Mercy, Born Wicked, Under the Never Sky, Insurgent, Fear, Before I Fall, and Enchanted

Hold Position: 11 out of 21 holds

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? 

Hold Position: 3 out of 4 holds

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

Hold Position: 2 out of 5 holds

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.  

Hold Position: 84 out of 136 holds

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Hold Position: 40 out of 42 holds

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost. 

  

Hold Position: 2 out of 5 holds

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Hold Position: 8 out of 10 holds

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Waiting On Wednesday: Something Strange and Deadly

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Something Strange and Deadly
Susan Dennard

Expected Publication Date: July 24th 2012

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Why:
Historical Fiction + Zombies = Awesome. I love the whole idea of it, and I'm so glad I came across this book on goodreads, because I'm super excited for it to come out now. It also seems far from your ordinary Zombie tale, probably bordering more on Necromancer type activity. It also sounds like it might be a set-up for a series of historical, paranormal butt-kicking books.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Diviners

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Diviners
Libba Bray

Expected Publication Date: September 18th 2012

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-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Why:
I am super intrigued by the plot and setting of this book and I like Libba Bray as an author, so I have to admit I am very interested in catching this book when it comes out. Also creepy museums are always an awesome idea *biased*.


P.S. 100th post!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Treachery of Beautiful Things

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Ruth Frances Long

Expected Publication Date: August 16th 2012

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

Why:
I have a theory that there may be some horror elements to this book and that's what akes me more excited for it than other fantasy/faerie books I've encountered. The idea that there are these insanely beautiful things that are just to lure you in and hurt you.


Also, I am a sucker for gorgeous covers and this is def a gorgeous cover.

Waiting on Wednesday: Glitch

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Glitch
Heather Anatasiu

Expected Publication Date: August 7th 2012

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Why:
First off, what an absolutely gorgeous typography work on that cover! Secondly I'm such a sucker for plots like this.

Waiting on Wednesday: Dust Girl

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Dust Girl

Sarah Zettel

Expected Publication Date: June 26th 2012

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone, when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west" (California).

Along the way she meets Jack a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Why
What can I say? I love Americanized Fairies! I'm not talking about Seelie and Unseelie type, but ones that seem very American Frontier (Part of the reason I love Patricia C. Wrede's Frontier Magic series). I also have a soft spot for stories about the dust bowl. I find that time a good example of American stubbornness and survival. Also hobos!


...


In general this was a book I put on my TBR list and then realized shortly afterwards it wasn't out yet causing great unhappiness. I'm sure I'll be getting it as soon as I can.

Waiting on Wednesday: Enchanted

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Enchanted

Alethea Kontis

Expected Publication Date: May 8th 2012

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Why
Me, obsessed with fairytale adaptations? Never! ... Anyway the plot sounds interesting, a bit of the frog prince,a bit of forbidden love and the joy of sisters named for the days of the week, which is oddly enough a thing I adore. Also I read a quote where Sunday is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter which is a fun superstition I enjoy in fantasies (Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede also has that.)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Far West

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Far West (Frontier Magic #3)

Patricia C. Wrede

Expected Publication Date: August 1st 2012

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia C. Wrede, the fantastic conclusion to her tale of magic on the western frontier.Eff is an unlucky thirteenth child...but also the seventh daughter in her family. Her twin brother, Lan, is a powerful double seventh son. Her life at the edge of the Great Barrier Spell is different from anyone else's that she knows.When the government forms an expedition to map the Far West, Eff has the opportunity to travel farther than anyone in the world. With Lan, William, Professor Torgeson, Wash, and Professor Ochiba, Eff finds that nothing on the wild frontier is as they expected. There are strange findings in their research, a long prarie winter spent in too-close quarters, and more new species, magical and otherwise, dangerous and benign, than they ever expected to find. And then spring comes, and the explorers realize how tenuous life near the Great Barrier Spell may be if they don't find a way to stop a magical flood in a hurry. Eff's unique way of viewing magic has saved the settlers time and again, but this time all of Columbia is at stake if she should fail.

Why
When I decided to start participating in Waiting on Wednesday I knew there were three books I really wanted to post up: Palace of Stone, Bitterblue and The Far West. Patricia C. Wrede's Frontier Magic Series is a series that crept up on me and stole me away with it's amazingness.


Of all historical fiction, Oregon Trail, Orphan Train and Lewis and Clark related stories have always been my favourite. The frontier has always entranced me. What Wrede does and create an alternate reality of historical fiction. The series takes place in America during the time of westward expansion, but there is a twist: there is magic in this world (And the area we know as America is called Columbia in their version of the world). Magical creatures and wizards inhabit this version of the world. The world building is absolutely fantastic, and it is this world building that makes waiting for this next book so hard. Wrede is very careful to only reveal a little bit each book, go a little farther west. I want to know so bad what new creatures they will discover, and I know there's something big and bad coming.


If you have not had the pleasure of reading this series, go read it! The series starts with Thirteenth Child which is a pleasant introduction to the world and the main character, Eff, grows so much in both the first and second books. If you love fantasy, adventure, stories of magic or the wild west, you will love this series.

Waiting on Wednesday: Bitterblue

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Bitterblue

Kristin Cashore

Expected Publication Date: May 1st 2012

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire 

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.  

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Why
Graceling is a book that happens to have the honor of being one of the books to drag me back into reading as much as I did when I was younger. It is a book I reread over and over and over, and then when I read Fire I ended up doing the same thing. Graceling is already worn down, and if I had Fire in non-ebook format I'm sure it would be the same, so my excitement for Bitterblue is not all that surprising. I already have it put on hold at the library in fact.

What I like is that these books, though taking place in the same world and having somewhat similar characters aren't so direct in sequels I'm betting you can read Bitterblue without reading Graceling and you certainly can without reading Fire. But I highly recommend both of them anyway just because they're so good.

Waiting On Wednesday: Palace of Stone

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Palace of Stone

Shannon Hale

Expected Publication Date: August 21st 2012

Synopsis
Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so 
sophisticated and exciting . . . until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she should help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends’ ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home 
and the bustling city. 
Picking up where Princess Academy left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.


Why
Princess Academy was my first Shannon Hale book and I still to this day find it enchanting and reread it again and again. So when I learned there was a sequel I was pretty excited, seeing Miri older and in a different environment is an exciting thought, she is more than enough to carry another book.