Waiting on Wednesday: What I thought Was True

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created over on the Breaking the Spine blog. And what fun it is!

Since the moment I cracked Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door, I've been waiting for her next book. And the wait will be over on April 15th. Tax day. This shall be my reward: What I Thought Was True

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

Waiting on Wednesday: Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by April Genevieve Tucholke.   BETWEEN TEH DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA releases on April 15, 2013 from Dial Books.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ah!  This is one of my most anticipated books of 2013, and I've heard its the most requested book from Penguin.  And there's a reason for that--it's gothic horror!  I just love the idea of Violet falling for the devil.  It sounds eerie and romantic, all rolled up with something sinister that could possibly give me nightmares!  I am dying to get my hands on this one.

 

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Release Date:  8-16-2012, On Shelves Now

Published by:  Dial Books

Thank you Jen Fisher for letting me borrow it!

The Sisters Say:  A darkly tragic tale of love and betrayal

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.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I didn’t know if I would enjoy it or not.  I found the idea of getting swallowed by a tree a bit weird.  However, after reading the rest of the blurb, I became intrigued by the idea of a world beyond our own, a world full of beauty and magic but laced with poison.  As the weeks went by, I sort of became obsessed with wanting to read it; so I was super duper excited when Jen Fisher told me she had a copy I could borrow!  YAY!   

I’m so glad that I jumped on that opportunity.  The Treachery of Beautiful Things is a bit Labyrinth,  a bit Alice in Wonderland, but wholly and uniquely its own.  I was drawn straight into Ruth’s world, from the moment the trees attacked.  I loved watching this dark fairy tale unfold, full of frighteningly beautiful creatures, as deadly as they are enchanting.  You will never see fairy princesses and knights in shining armor the same again!

While I enjoyed many of the characters in this book, my favorite part was still the world.  Ruth wrote it out perfectly—every frightful and mesmerizing detail.  I felt like I was watching a movie in my head.  I could see the graceful and child-like Folletti flying around with their bow and arrows—their faces twisting with their trickery.  I could see the peaceful river that would seduce you to enter, only to pull you to its depths and claim you as its own.  I could see the watchful eye of the sun slowly sinking from the sky to surrender you to the darkness.  Chilling and addictive, her world is like a drug!

Jenny is the heroine of the story—stuck inside this fantasy world full of temptation and riddles.  She wants nothing more than to find Tom and bring him home—or so she thinks.  But as she pushes through the forest with the aid of Jack and Puck, she starts to discover that Tom is not the only one who needs saving from this world.  There were times I really liked Jenny, but other times that I thought she was childish.  She could stand up and be firm and strong, but then she would give in to a temper tantrum.  I wanted to see more of the adult Jenny—the one driven by desire and passion and a need to do the right thing.  Unfortunately, we tended to see the Jenny that needs protection and sheltering than the girl that won the heart of the forest.

My favorite character (of course) is Jack.  Just like every creature in the Realm, he has both a light and a dark side.  He struggles against his vows to the King and Queen, wanting to help Jenny as much as he can; but he, like all the creatures, must bow to his oaths.  I really enjoyed seeing his struggle between light and dark, good and evil.  You could see the struggle in his face, the hard lines on his forehead, in the way he walked and in the way he talked.  Ruth did a great job of building up his character, making him more than believable.  I wanted to save him—to reach straight into the book and scoop him out.  Of course, I always like the troubled characters—the broken boys that struggle to find the good in a sea of evil.

I really wish we could have seen more of the King and Queen.  They were great characters—full of evil, and I think they could have made the story so much more suspenseful.  However, they weren’t in the book very much until the very end.  I would have loved to see more of them throughout the story.  I kept picturing Oberon like the Goblin King in Labyrinth—one that tricks and deceives using mind control and dreams.  There is even a scene in the book that is reminiscent of the masquerade ball in the movie.  These are the scenes where I would have loved to see more of the treachery that was deeply rooted in these two characters.

While it did have its flaws, I found myself enjoying the storyline and rushing through to see how it ended.  There were times when the story dragged with Jenny’s naïveté and childish demeanor, but not enough of them to really frustrate me. 

Overall, this story was darkly entertaining.  Ruth creates a world where beauty is danger, where a kiss can destroy you, and a heart can be your undoing.  Open this book and let the trees swallow you whole—you might just not want to find your way back out.

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

Release Date:  On Shelves NOW!

ARC received from Michelle Zink and Dial Books

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Alluring and Charismatic 

 Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.

Thank you to Michelle Zink and Dial Books for my copy!  And what a gorgeous cover--her eyes just draw you right in!

Before I had my baby boy, I taught 8^th grade Literature and all the students had to read novel outside of class each six weeks.  It was supposed to be something they would enjoy, and I found, that like me, many of my female students loved paranormal romance novels and they always wanted to know what book they should read next.  However, middle school libraries are very strict with what  books they will purchase; so many of the ones I had read would not have been found in our library.  But A Temptation of Angels would have been perfect for them as it was more middle grade than YA.  Michelle Zink creates a fun paranormal world, full of good and evil, angels and demons, love and betrayal.

So…I’ll start with what I enjoyed.  I was sucked in from Chapter 1 when Helen’s parents are killed and she is sent to Griffin and Darius.  I loved the mystery surrounding the murder and the mystique surrounding both of the brothers.  (I do wish I would have known how old everyone was—somehow that was left out and I felt like it should have been a big deal).  I really loved how Griffin became attached to Helen-wanting to protect her. 

Their relationship was probably the best part of the book.  I love the small innuendoes that Griffin would put out there about wanting to be closer to her an enjoying their bodies flushed up against each other.  While I wanted more romance (and far more details), I will say that the romance was perfect for a middle grade book (like I had mentioned earlier).  I was sweet and subtle, with many romantic kisses, but nothing beyond that.  I do hope that the next books step up a bit on the steamy romance, though. 

The blurb talks about Helen being caught between Griffin and Raum (the childhood friend), and that was something that really drew to want to read the book.  I love books where there is a good “bad guy.”  There was so much potential here, and I did like Raum, but I wish there would have been more of him.  I wanted to find myself screaming, “Who should she choose??”  But, I found myself strictly in the Team Griffin territory because there wasn’t enough intensity between Helen and Raum.  I’m crossing my fingers that there will be in the next installment.

I enjoyed the world that Michelle set up, although I wish there would have been more details about the world and less about Helen’s normal, everyday actions.  I found myself wondering about the time period—it was obviously in the far past (like the 1800s) because it was inappropriate for Helen to be seen holding hands with Griffin.  Plus, she had to take a bath in a basin in her room.  But, beyond that, there wasn’t much detail about the world.  I would have loved to have seen more into the reality around Helen.   On the other hand, there were too many details about Helen’s simple actions—walking from place to place, hiding in corners, etc.  I felt that the book could have easily been 50 pages shorter without all the extra simple details.

Overall, this was a fun and quick read that I know the younger YA crowd would enjoy.  Personally, I like more steam and more fierce action that what was there, but I still enjoyed the relationships and idea of the world.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has a younger teenage girl who enjoys paranormal romance books.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that we are anxiously awaiting is THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Ruth Frances Long.  THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS releases on August 16th from Dial Books.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When I first read the blurb on this one, I thought it was kind of quirky.  However, the more I thought about it, the more it intrigued me.  I find myself curious about the dangerous creatures in Ruth's world, and I can't wait to see how the world of fairy tales is cast in darkness instead of the typical happy-ever-after, let's frollick through the forest hand in hand, and then ride away on a white steed to a castle in the clouds paradigm we all know too well.  Plus--there's Jack...I love me a magnetic boy with secrets!!!  I can't wait for this one!!!!