Wednesday 31 July 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory
Publication Date: October 15th 2013

Reclaimed - 
Spencer Hill Contemporary



Jenna Oliver doesn’t have time to get involved with one boy, let alone two.

All Jenna wants is to escape her evaporating small town and her alcoholic mother. She's determined she'll go to college and find a life that is wholly hers—one that isn't tainted by her family's past. But when the McAlister twins move to town and Jenna gets involved with both of them, she learns the life she planned may not be the one she gets.

Ian McAlister doesn't want to start over; he wants to remember.

Ian can’t recall a single thing from the last three months—and he seems to be losing more memories every day. His family knows the truth, but no one will tell him what really happened before he lost his memory. When he meets Jenna, Ian believes that he can be normal again because she makes not remembering something he can handle.

The secret Ian can’t remember is the one Luke McAlister can’t forget.

Luke has always lived in the shadow of his twin brother until Jenna stumbles into his life. She sees past who he’s supposed to be, and her kiss brings back the spark that life stole. Even though Luke feels like his brother deserves her more, Luke can’t resist Jenna—which is the trigger that makes Ian's memory return.

Jenna, Ian, & Luke are about to learn there are only so many secrets you can keep before the truth comes to reclaim you.
Synopsis from goodreads.com

Normally I go for more fairy and magic in a book, but this one woke my curiosity. I'm intrigued by how the lives of Jenna, Ian and Luke become intertwined trough a love triangle. Will they be able to help each other to confront their pasts? Also, what happened to Ian and why would Luke not tell him, when he himself is burdened with that particular secret? This story does not sound like a typical triangle drama and that makes it so appealing to me.

Which books are you currently waiting on? Tell us in the comments.

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers.

Dark Triumph – Houghton Mifflin
Books for Children

Would it hurt? I wonder, staring down at the jagged rocks below. Would I feel the moment of my landing? I close my eyes and imagine hurtling through space, rushing down, down, down, to my death.
— Chapter 1

That is when I realize I am still holding my knife, and it is all I can do not to plunge it into his gut. Instead, I move my hand as if to return the knife to its sheath, but I do not pull the blade back quite far enough.
— Chapter 6



Grave Mercy was another one of my lucky finds of 2012 and its sequel has quite a bit to live up to. However, as much as I liked Ismae I was really intrigued by Sybella and absolutely had to know more about her. So far, I’m getting my wish and also don’t get it. This is one of the many things that the author is really (and I mean really) good at: giving you what you want but making you realise that you probably want something else ... not knowing what that is exactly. The writing is just as spectacular as in the first book so I’m happily back in the historic world of those amazing assassin nuns.

Are you returning to a beloved fictional world this week? Share your teasers in the comments.

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.
Publication Dates: UK September 1st 2013, US September 3rd 2013.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown –
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers


Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.
Synopsis from goodreads.com


The cover is so creepily awesome that I could stare at it for a considerable time ... not that I haven’t done so already. Just look at the detail of the veins being part of the title. Yes, I’m easy to please, but then again it’s neither a headless girl nor feet nor person from behind. Furthermore, it’s a Holly Black book and from what I’ve heard it will be vampires. I’m certain that Holly Black will give the whole thing her very own twist, which will either make people love it or say that they couldn’t get into the story. I absolutely loved The Curse Workers series, but I know enough people who didn’t and I can sort of understand them (even though I still think it’s a pity).

Do you have favourite authors who aren’t everyone’s cup of tea? Let us know about them in the comments and please share your waiting on choice of the week.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Hunted by Kevin Hearne


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Hunted by Kevin Hearne.

Hunted - Orbit

They took very different approaches to their famous virginity: Artemis’s complete lack of attention to her personal appearance meant she couldn’t care less what men thought of her, while Diana appreciated the tease of looking desirable yet untouchable.
-- Page 103

Insane as it sounded, I thought it best to risk the sleeping manticore.
-- Page 278


I'm re-reading this book because I didn't really get into the story as I confused it with the one before and expected a totally different narration.
This time, Atticus and his friends are being hunted by the Greek and Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana. You have to mess things up really well to make those pantheons work together though, which tells you a lot about Atticus. ;)
I love the humour and wit in this sixth instalment of The Iron Druid Chronicles as well as the mixture of myths portrayed. Furthermore, the second time around I'm more attuned to the story, which makes it a much more enjoyable read.

Are you immersed in a series this week? Tease us in the comments with your current reads.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights
upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason.
Publication Date: September 17th 2013

The Clockwork Scarab
- Chronicle Books
Two young women of similar age and standing have disappeared:
one found dead and the other still missing. The only clue to
connect them is a small Egyptian clockwork scarab. Only Miss
Stoker and Miss Holmes are well-positioned enough—similar in
age and stature as they are to the victims—to investigate. An
unlikely pair, the fierce Evaline Stoker and logical Mina Holmes must follow in the footsteps of their infamous families—Miss Holmes has inherited her Uncle Sherlock’s keen investigative skills, while Miss Stoker has accepted her family calling as a hunter of the undead. The partners must find a way to work together, while navigating the advances of a strange yet handsome American, a clever Scotland Yard investigator, and a cunning thief, to solve the mystery of the clockwork scarabs.

Set in steam punk London, steeped in Egyptian mythology
and literary references, with a surprising time travel twist and compelling romantic triangles, Colleen Gleason has crafted a fast-paced and romantic debut young adult novel.
Synopsis from goodreads.com

I admit it, I'm a wee bit obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. The thorougly read Holmes collection on my bookshelf might indicate that fact. So there's no way I could bypass a book with a Holmes relative in it. 
Stoker is a new field to me though and I think, I'll keep it that way and let myself be surprised by his sister. She and Miss Holmes seem striking women, quite fitting for a steam punk setting. With both of them working together, mystery is a given and mythology an added bonous. I only wonder why there have to be love triangles and time travels. The synopsis sounds suspenseful enough as it is. 

Do you (re-) read the classics before delving into stories based on them? Let us hear your views and Wednesday picks in the comments.