Waiting on Wednesday: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

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 DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black.  DANCE OF SHADOWS releases on February 12, 2013 from Bloomsbury USA Childrens.

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Vanessa Adler isn’t so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It’s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family’s gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister’s destiny. She has no choice.

But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn’t just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school’s dancers—prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline—become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons.

 

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I just love the sound of this book!  I have been a ballet fan since watching the movie Center Stage when I was younger, and I am so excited for a paranormal YA book to focus on ballet--and the demons that control a school of ballet!  AH!  Just sounds so unique and enticing.  Plus, LOOK AT THAT COVER!!!  It's gorgeous--one of my favorites for 2012.  February can't get here soon enough!

Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rapture by Lauren Kate

ARC provided by Delacorte Books for Young Readers via Edelweiss

Release Date:  6-12-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  A riveting end to the Daniel and Luce Saga

The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

In Rapture, Daniel, Luce, and the other angels must stop Lucifer from erasing history.  Lucifer plans on using an announcer to sweep all the angels from the infamous fall to the present, thus erasing Daniel and Luce’s past.

I will admit, I was wary of reading Rapture because I did not enjoy Passion—death after death after death.  But, I am glad that I put aside my judgments and went ahead and read the final installment in the Fallen series.  While not as good as Fallen and Torment, Rapture was still interesting and it definitely (I mean DEFINITELY) surprised me!  The twists and turns left me with a cartoonish O-shaped mouth.  There were hints in the book (which I am guessing were put there on purpose) and I knew about halfway through what the twist was going to be,  but still, looking back on the 3 books before this and I NEVER would have guessed that was how it was going to end.  It was an amazing way to end the books, and you will not regret spending your money on this one.

There was so much more action in this book than in Passion, which is great, because the slowness of Passion is what made me wary of Rapture.  But right from the first chapter, Luce and Daniel were in the midst of a war—everywhere they turned they were being chased.  Two words to describe the action:  Excitement and Intrigue.  I was clipped from the present and thrust into Lauren Kate’s world—flying along with Daniel and Luce.

Okay…so, why did I like this book as opposed to love it?  The romance.  Lauren Kate spent 3 books building up this epic romance, and all I wanted was to see that passion.  But I didn’t.  There were kisses and hugs and slightly intimate moments, but there was no grand kiss that took my breath away or romantic scene that made me wish I could trade places with Luce.  It was disappointing that the entire book focused on the war as opposed to the love that exists between Luce and Daniel.

As always with Lauren Kate, there were times when I breezed right over paragraphs and sometimes pages because it was just description after description.  I like description when it builds the scene, but there is such thing as too much.  I don’t need to know the color of the moss on the buildings or a three paragraph description of the heat of a desert.   If she would have cut out some of the superfluous description, the book would have been a much more readable 380ish pages as opposed to 430.  And, I would have enjoyed those pages much more.

So….let me answer a few questions for you.

Am I glad I read it?  Yes.  The ending took me by surprise, and I am still in awe at how perfectly she melded the story.

Would I recommend it to others?  If you are a fan of the Fallen series (even if Passion turned you off), you should definitely read this one!

Should I spend my money on it?  Yes—even if it is only because the cover is gorgeous.  I have an e-copy, but I am definitely going to purchase a hardcopy because of the cover.

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

ARC received by Harlequin Teen via Netgalley

Release Date: 5-22-2012

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Daunting, Delightful, and Delicious!

I don't do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

Samantha is not the only one struck with an insatiable hunger!  Read Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen, and I am sure you will find yourself hungering for more!  Dark Kiss is delectable—so tasty, I devoured it in one sitting! 

Yes, this is another book in the angel/demon category, but, even with the aspects that resembled other books, I still really enjoyed it.  The only thing that bothered me is the very déjà vu feeling I got because much of the plot line resembled the old WB drama, Charmed.  (I mean there’s a Source (of evil) and the Hollow (which sucks good and evil inside it)—both of which are very similar to the television show).

I know quite a few people are burned out on the whole angels and demon scenes; so, I’m going to try to convince you WHY you should read this book.

1.) You don’t have to spend half the book watching the main characters try to figure out who and what they truly are—that’s the biggest thing that bugs me with some paranormal books.  It’s so obvious to us as the reader that at times you just want to rear back and slug someone while screaming, “Seriously?   They have wings….must be an angel or demon!”  It’s not like this with Dark Kiss…right from the start, Samantha figures out who Bishop (we’ll call him Cutie #1) is and who Kraven is (we’ll call him Cutie #2).

2.) There is plenty of action!  There wasn’t any down time where the characters were moping in self-pity because “woe is me….the world is ending and I don’t know what to do.”  Instead, the characters are straight forward with what needs to be done, and they don’t sit around—they get straight to work.  There was never a dull moment!

3.) The hottie guys!  Bishop, angel, has been sent to, quite literally, save the world.  However, when he falls from Heaven into our world, something goes wrong and he ends up a little disjointed.  Enter Samantha who’s touch can open Bishop’s mind and make him sane again.  Not only that, but they have an intense pull towards each other.  This pull is what creates the romance in the book.  Now, I do wish there was more romance because I’m a sucker for it, but I’m hoping that we will see more of that in the second book.

4.) Then we have Kraven, demon, who has also been sent to save the world.  He’s dark, sarcastic, and all to willing to kill whatever gets in his way.  Let’s say Bishop’s the light that Sam is drawn to, but who can resist Kraven, the dark?  I really enjoyed him, and I have a feeling we are going to see quite a bit more from him in the second book.  Can we predict love triangle? 

5.) The ending is satisfying.  While there is plenty still up in the air and much to still be resolved in future books, the ending does not leave you screaming and pulling your hair out.  I don’t know about you, but I really don’t enjoy cliffhanger endings.  It frustrates me that I have to wait a year in some cases to find out if someone lives or dies.  I like when things are wrapped up (somewhat), so I can have some closure but still look forward to the next book.

So…don’t be put off by the fact that it’s another angel book.  It’s refreshing in its own way, and the guys are swoon-worthy.  I think you’ll find Dark Kiss to be a tasty read, so get sucked into Michelle’s world—you never know what you’ll find!