Lisa's Looking Forward To #14 - May 14th

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.

From my ARC list for May 14th:

Gotta love that cover, right? And the story sounds great as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Unfortunately Christina Lauren books lately have been hit or miss for me as audiobooks.  I will have to wait and buy a physical copy of this one I think. But that will have to wait till after I move! 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Amy, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds really good, and I was lucky enough to win an ARC from the author through the Spring Young Adult Scavenger Hunt.  Now I just need time to read it!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see. This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of Love and Gelato and The Unexpected Everything.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 



Final Thoughts:
 So, only one that I actually have a copy of, and now that it is past the pub date, it isn't on my priority TBR.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight.

Lisa's Looking Forward To #12 - April 16th and April 23rd

Doing two weeks this time because I have a couple posts scheduled for next Wednesday, and since I only have one book I'd post then anyway, may as well combine them!  Will join up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.


From my ARC list for April 16th:

The other book I've read by this author I enjoyed, and this is also a retelling, of a poem by Edgar Alan Poe, so that grabbed me as well!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Edgar Poe counts down the days until he can escape his foster family—the wealthy Allans of Richmond, Virginia. He hungers for his upcoming life as a student at the prestigious new university, almost as much as he longs to marry his beloved Elmira Royster. However, on the brink of his departure, all his plans go awry when a macabre Muse named Lenore appears to him. Muses are frightful creatures that lead Artists down a path of ruin and disgrace, and no respectable person could possibly understand or accept them. But Lenore steps out of the shadows with one request: “Let them see me!”

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Waiting to be abducted by aliens?  Just sounds like it could be unique!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A high school outcast spends his life hoping to be abducted by aliens in this funny, quirky novel about finding your footing in a world that sometimes feels like Mars.

Convinced his mother has been abducted by aliens, Charlie Dickens spends his nights with an eye out for UFOs, hoping to join her. After all, she said the aliens would come back for him. Charlie will admit that he doesn’t have many reasons to stick around; he doesn’t get along well with his father, he’s constantly bullied at school and at work, and the only friend he has is his 600-pound neighbor Geoffrey, and Geoffrey’s three-legged dog, Tickles.

Then Charlie meets popular, easy-going Seth, who shows him what real friendship is all about. For once, he finds himself looking around at the life he’s built, rather than looking up. But sooner than he expected, Charlie has to make a decision: should he stay or should he go?

Sound good?  Add it to Goodreads HERE. 

I enjoyed the other book by this author that I read, Love, Lies, and Spies, and actually am currently reading this one to post a review on next week.  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
1833. After young Lord James Ellerby witnesses a near-fatal carriage accident on the outskirts of his estate, he doesn't think twice about bringing the young woman injured in the wreck to his family's manor to recuperate. But then she finally regains consciousness only to find that she has no memory of who she is or where she belongs.

Beth, as she takes to calling herself, is an enigma even to herself. She has the rough hands of a servant, but the bearing and apparent education of a lady. Her only clue to her identity is a gruesome recurring nightmare about a hummingbird dripping blood from its steel beak.

With the help of James and his sister, Caroline, Beth slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind her identity and the sinister circumstances that brought her to their door. But the dangerous secrets they discover in doing so could have deadly ramifications reaching the highest tiers of London society. 

Sound good?  Add it to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds like it could be a very unique new story.  And that cover!  Now I did DNF the first book I tried by this author, so that's why I didn't go out of my way to try to get a copy of this one.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:


In a novel in two voices, a popular teen and an artistic loner forge an unlikely bond — and create an entire universe — via texts. But how long before the real world invades Starworld?
 
Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. When an unexpected encounter results in the girls’ exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam’s feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they’ve built survive the inevitable explosion?

Sound good?  Add it to Goodreads HERE.


 From my ARC list for April 23rd:

Now this is the third in a series, but I've been intrigued with the premise for it since I first heard of them.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Tristan and Dylan have escaped death and conquered destiny. Nothing is stopping them from being together.

But every action has a consequence, and their exile to the real world has caused an imbalance in the afterlife. It's owed two souls – and it wants them back.

When the world of the dead claims Dylan's parents to restore the balance, Dylan and Tristan are offered a terrible bargain: stay together and condemn innocent souls to death, or return to the wasteland to take their place and be separated. Forever.

Are they willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?

The stunning final instalment of Dylan and Tristan's epic love story, Outcasts is the much-anticipated follow-up to the award-winning Ferryman, and heart-pounding sequel Trespassers.

With more than two million copies sold worldwide, Ferryman is a cult sensation in China, staying in the top 10 bestseller chart for three years before securing a Hollywood movie deal in early 2018.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 


Final thoughts:
Only one of these that I got my hands on early.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  It's open till Saturday!

Lisa's Looking Forward To #11 - April 9th, 2019

Another big week of books!  Once again I'm going to join up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Check out what is in my Blog planner for new titles publishing this week.

I'm a huge movie buff, I go about once a week or so, and so any movie set in a movie theater is intriguing to me.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
The Green Street Cinema has always been a sanctuary for Ethan. Maybe it's because movies help him make sense of real life, or maybe it's because the cinema is the one place he can go to still feel close to his dad, a film professor who died three years ago. Either way, it's a place worth fighting for, especially when developers threaten to tear it down to build a luxury condos.

They say it's structurally unsound and riddled with health code violations. They clearly don't understand that the crumbling columns and even Brando, the giant rat with a taste for sour patch kids, are a part of the fabric of this place that holds together the misfits and the dreamers of the changing neighborhood the cinema house has served for so many years.

Now it's up to the employees of the Green Street Cinema--Sweet Lou the organist with a penchant for not-so-sweet language; Anjo the projectionist, nicknamed the Oracle for her opaque-but-always-true proclamations; Griffin and Lucas who work the concessions, if they work at all; and Ethan, known as "Wendy," the leader of these Lost Boys--to save the place they love.

It's going to take a movie miracle if the Green Street is going to have a happy ending. And when Raina, Ethan's oldest friend (and possible soul mate?), comes back home from Hollywood where she's been starring in B-movies about time-traveling cats, Ethan thinks that miracle just may have been delivered. But life and love aren't always like the movies. And when the employees of the Green Street ask what happens in the end to the Lost Boys, Ethan has to share three words he's not been ready to say.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This is supposed to be based on a true story, that is probably what grabbed my attention.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
In 1937, Mary Margaret Joyce is born in the Tuam Home for unwed mothers. After spending her early years in an uncaring foster home, she is sentenced by a judge to an industrial school, where she is given the name Peg, and assigned the number 27. Amid one hundred other unwanted girls, Peg quickly learns the rigid routine of prayer, work, and silence under the watchful eye of Sister Constance. Her only respite is an annual summer holiday with a kind family in Galway.

At the tender age of thirteen, Peg accidentally learns the identity of her birthmother. Peg struggles with feelings of anger and abandonment, while her mother grapples with the shame of having borne a child out of wedlock. The tension between them mounts as Peg, now becoming a young adult, begins to make plans for her future beyond Ireland.

Based on actual events, The House Children is a compelling story of familial love, shameful secrets, and life inside Ireland’s infamous industrial schools. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Not sure, this one just sounds like it could be a really deep story.  And the cover is beautiful!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.

After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

The whole unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper has always intrigued me.  Especially since the movie with Johnny Depp called From Hell.  I've read Patricia Cornwell's book on her theories, and I think they even had some news about who they think it really is just recently.  This story sounds great because it is about the victims, giving a true story of who they were.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Miscast in the media for nearly 130 years, the victims of Jack the Ripper finally get their full stories told in this eye-opening and chilling reminder that life for middle-class women in Victorian London could be full of social pitfalls and peril.

The "canonical five" women murdered by Jack the Ripper have always been dismissed as society's waste, their stories passed down to us wrapped in a package of Victorian assumptions and prejudice. But social historian Hallie Rubenhold sets the record straight in The Five. In reality, only two of the victims were prostitutes, and Rubenhold has uncovered entirely new research about them all--in some cases, material no one has ever seen before.

The Five tells for the first time the true stories of these fascinating women. It delves into the Victorian experience of poverty, homelessness, and alcoholism, but also motherhood, childbirth, sexuality, child-rearing, work, and marriage, all against the fascinating, dark, and quickly changing backdrop of nineteenth-century London. From rural Sweden to the wedding of Queen Victoria, from the London of Charles Dickens to the factories of the Industrial Revolution and the high-class brothels of the West End, these women were not just victims but witnesses to the vagaries and vicissitudes of the Victorian age.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

The Alien movies are some of my favorites, and now a YA novel set in that universe?  Sign me up!  And that cover is so spooky!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
An original young adult novel of the Alien universe

Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember. Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology.

Just settled on a new colony world, they discover an alien threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen. And suddenly the sisters’ world is ripped apart.

On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia’s knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos. But then a shocking family secret bursts open—one that’s as horrifying to Olivia as the aliens surrounding them.

The creatures infiltrate the rich wildlife on this virgin colony world—and quickly start adapting. Olivia’s going to have to adapt, too, if she’s going to survive...

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.


Final thoughts:
Once again a lot of books, just as I mentioned last week, I think it will be this way the next few months.  I didn't get my hands on any of these early, although I wish I had!  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.

Lisa's Looking Forward To #9 - March 26th, 2019

Second week I'm posting this on a Wednesday, and hopefully this week I'll have time to join in with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  There are quite a few books coming out next week that I've got listed in my planner. So here we go!

You can read my review of this one HERE.  But the final part of the blurb tells you one big reason I was first interested!  I just wish I'd been able to get a physical ARC, but will be reading an e-galley.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
A thief. An officer. A guardian.

Three strangers, one shared destiny . . .

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

There have been a lot of books about Joan of Arc lately, and this one sounded pretty good based on the format it is in.  Maybe I'll get ahold of it some day.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Author David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death.
Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc’s life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood). Along the way it explores issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds like a good contemporary mystery with a twist.  Plus, I've always wanted to read something by this author.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.

When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they're kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.

As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?


Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds really good, and I'm pretty sure I've been reading some good reviews about it.  I've yet to read a James Patterson Presents title either, so that intrigues me as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

On one hand this sounds like it is similar to the story Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but it also has some unique sounding ideas in the synopsis below.  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
After moving into a dank and drafty basement suite in West Edmonton with her truck- driving father, nasty stepmother and taciturn twin brother, Ash, seventeen-year-old Greta doesn't have high expectations for her last year of high school. When she blacks out at a party and is told the next day that she's had sex, she thinks things can't get any worse. She's wrong.

While Greta deals with the confusion and shame of that night, her stepmother and father choose that moment to disappear, abandoning Ash and Greta to the mercy of their peculiar landlord, Elgin, who lives upstairs. Even as Greta struggles to make sense of what happened to her, she finds herself enjoying her new and very eccentric family, who provide the shelter and support that has long been absent from her life. Much to Greta's surprise, she realizes there is still kindness in the world--and hope.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.


Final Thoughts:
Quite a few books come out next week.  Only got to read one, a few I wish I could read soon!  How about you?  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.

Lisa's Looking Forward To - January 8th New Books

For many years I've participated in the Waiting on Wednesday meme, as well as more recently the Can't Wait Wednesday post.  After a while I got to where I wasn't always joining in, due to tours and other things.  However a year or so ago, I started keeping track of the new releases I found on Netgalley and Edelweiss that I wanted to read, and whether I downloaded them or requested them, and when I had to get them read and reviewed by.  I had to do that because I would forget because I was requesting too many.  Now I still keep track of them, have a whole page in my blog planner for each month where I separate these week by week.

I also used to always participate in the Sunday Wrap-Up Post, or the Stacking My Shelves Post each week.  But again, blog tours, and working at the bookstore, and then downloading so many free ebooks over the past two or three years, kept me from being faithful to always doing that.  However, no matter what, I still seem to be faithful to keeping track in my planner of the new books coming out that I see on NG and EW.

Mostly I look up YA books it seems, so you'll see a theme in these posts that way.  But I decided something easier to do, than a wrap-up post each week, or a WOW post in the middle of the week, was to just do one of these each week.   You see, I don't always get to these books, even if I really wanted to. And now I don't request them all, or download them all, trying to work on getting that Netgalley percentage up where it should be.  But this way I can look back at the ones I thought I might try to read.  I'll share if I've read them and either a link to the review or let you know when to look for the review.  If I haven't read them, and you have, I'd love to hear what you thought!

These are the books on my list that will be published on January 8th, 2019:

This was one I had to have a physical copy of, which I was lucky enough to finally find someone to trade with me on Twitter for.  Yay!!!  I read it and loved it, and my review was yesterday.  Now, I need to find out how to get on the list for an ARC of the next book in the series.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

This is one that the synopsis definitely sounded like it could be a tear-jerker.  A contemporary type of story, one that I rarely request from publishers, but thought if someone had sent me a copy, I would probably have read it. Might be one I'd get for my school library for my students.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Last month, Elin tried to kill herself.

She knows she's lucky that her parents found her in time. Lucky to be going to prom with her three best friends, like any other teen. Like it never happened. And if she has anything to say about it, no one but her best friends will ever know it did.

Jenna, Rosie, and Ket will do anything to keep Elin's secret—and to make sure it never happens again. That's why they're determined to make prom the perfect night. The night that convinces Elin that life is worth living.

Except, at prom, Elin goes missing.

Now it's up to her friends to find her. But each of the girls has her own demons to face. Ket is being blackmailed by an ex. Rosie is falling in love for the first time. And Jenna . . .

Jenna is falling apart.

And no one, not even her best friends, knows why.

Heart-wrenching and utterly impossible to put down, When the Truth Unravels follows four friends as they confront their greatest hopes and darkest secrets in one life-changing night.

I was lucky enough to receive, I think through Goodreads giveaways, ARCs of the first two in this series.  I reached out to the publisher for a copy of this last one, and I think one is on the way, but I know I won't get it read in time for this pub date.  However I'm interested to see where the story goes, and how it all will end.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingaleand The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.


Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

Advance praise for The Winter of the Witch

“Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy isn’t just good—it’s hug-to-your-chest, straight-to-the-favorites-shelf, reread-immediately good, and each book just gets better. The Winter of the Witch plunges us back to fourteenth-century Moscow, where old gods and new vie for the soul of Russia and fate rests on a witch girl’s slender shoulders. Prepare to have your heart ripped out, loaned back to you full of snow and magic, and ripped out some more.”—Laini Taylor 


Those are the three main ones on my blog calendar for this week. One I've read, one I'm going to read, and one that was at least interesting enough to note in my planner.  Have you read any of them?  Will you be adding any of them to your TBR? 

Can't Wait Wednesday #44: Umbertouched (Rosemarked #2) by Livia Blackburne

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Wow, I hadn't done one of these since last April until last week, and now you're getting two in a row!  I've got another publisher request from Disney-Hyperion for sharing a new book, which comes out November 6th.   Check it out!

UMBERTOUCHED delves into the complex emotions and heart-stopping action of

Zivah and Dineas’ fight to break free from the Empire.

 

The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof.  Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

 

Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah, whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left. Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way. 

PRAISE FOR LIVIA BLACKBURNE

“A must read for fans of An Ember in the Ashes.”

—Justine Magazine on Rosemarked

 

“Blackburne’s fast-paced fantasy will please fans of Leigh Bardugo and Tamora Pierce.”
—School Library Journal on Midnight Thief

 

“Put this in the hands of fans of Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth.”
—VOYA on Midnight Thief

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times best-selling author LIVIA BLACKBURNE wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a three tesla MRI scanner. She is also the author of Midnight Thief (an Indies Introduce New Voices selection), Daughter of Dusk, and Rosemarked, the companion to this book. Follow her online at liviablackburne.com, on Twitter @lkblackburne, and on Instagram @lkblackburne.

So, have you read this author, or the companion book to this one, Rosemarked?  Does this sound like one you'd like to dive into?  What book are you looking forward to this week?  

 

Can't Wait Wednesday #43: Last Seen (The Amateurs #3) by Sara Shepard

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  I haven't done this since April, I've had a pretty busy blog schedule, plus wasn't sure of any I wanted to share.  Then I saw this conclusion to a very popular series was coming soon, so I decided to share this post.  Here is the blurb:

At first, the mystery they’re tasked with seems to have nothing to do with Aerin or her kidnapper. But as Seneca, Maddox, and Madison hit the Jersey Shore to gather clues, they begin to uncover the true background of the killer and the horrors that shaped him into who he is. The scavenger hunt leads them to the family of a recently kidnapped boy, a serial child-snatcher, and dark secrets they could never have seen coming.

As Aerin struggles to play nice with the person who killed her sister in order to buy herself time, her friends work feverishly against the ticking clock that could mean her life, and every clue they uncover leads Seneca to suspect she's more connected to the killer's history than she ever realized.

Praise for The Amateurs:

“Chilling and romantic and full of surprises.”

—Cecily von Ziegesar, New York Times best-selling author of the Gossip Girl series

“A delicious and suspenseful page-turner. I want more!”

—I. Marlene King, Executive Producer, Pretty Little Liars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARA SHEPARD is the author of the first and second book in this series, The Amateurs and Follow Me, as well as two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, and the series The Perfectionists. She graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. Visit her online at @sarabooks on Twitter and Snapchat, and @saracshepard on Instagram.

So, is this a series or author you read?  Are you excited for this one?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Can't Wait Wednesday #42: Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  I haven't done this since February, I've had a pretty busy blog schedule, plus wasn't sure of any I wanted to share. But last week I found this one by a favorite author of mine, Tessa Gratton.  A new YA book.  You can read my review of her recent fantasy book, The Queens of Innis Lear HERE.  Anyway, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Once, a witch made a pact with a devil. The legend says they loved each other, but can the story be trusted at all? Find out in this lush, atmospheric fantasy novel that entwines love, lies, and sacrifice.

Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest.

Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early.

Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out. 

How does this one sound to you?  Have you read anything by this author?  What book or books are you excited for this week?