Waiting on Wednesday: Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

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 WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith.  WILD AWAKE releases on May 28, 2013 from Katherine Tegen Books (Harper).

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Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you ar...moreThings you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

 

 

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The first thing that drew me to this book was the title, WILD AWAKE.  I don't know what it is about it, but it just seems so hopeful and alive, but with a spark of true emotion.  Then I read the blurb and I knew this was one I needed to read.  I'm always looking for a contemporary that has sadness, but not so much that you want to lock yourself away and cry.  This seems like one of those contemporaries.  Also...I'm thinking this will definitely have some laugh out loud moments.  The cover?  I'm kind of one a line with the cover, not exactly sure if I like it yet.

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock by Kathleen PeacockARC received by Harper Collins via Edelweiss
Release Date:  5-8-2012
Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: A haunting tale that adds a new dimension to the werewolf drama.


Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

After reading Hemlock, I find myself stuck in Limbo, not really able to decide how I feel about it.  I am not particularly fond of werewolves, but after seeing the gorgeous cover, I was hoping that this book would change my mind.  Did it?  Hmmm....jury's still out.  I mean, if you look at my list of "likes vs. dislikes" then you would say that it definitely changed my mind, but the dislikes seemed to weigh heavier on me.  However, I do believe this book will gain a following and many people will enjoy it.  So, instead of just jumping in to the things that disappointed me, lets start with the aspects that will bring me back for the second installment.

What did I like about it?

There was great imagery in the transition from man/woman to wolf.  I found it interesting how Kathleen Peacock described the doubling over and snapping of bones (ouch!).  I really liked this idea versus Stephenie Meyer’s snap your fingers and bada bing you’re a wolf description.  This just seems so much more realistic, the fact that shapeshifting can be painful and ugly.  I think she did a great job of using this idea of the transformation to symbolize how the lupine disease can strangle you from the inside. 

I really like Kyle, one of Mac’s love interests.  He seems very genuine with a hint of I’ll-kick-your-butt if you cross me.  He was definitely the most believable of the characters, and I would probably read book 2 just to see what happens with him in the future.

Amy is haunting Mac’s dreams, and I can’t tell if it is actually a haunting or just Mac’s subconscious going wacky.  Either way, her dreams are very intense, and I think they were my favorite part of the book.  The dreams were macabre and full of gruesome foreboding which stood out from the rest of the novel.  I really think that Kathleen Peacock has a way with words when it comes to these grotesque hauntings--and I'm hoping there's more to them than meets the eye! 

I found the layers of prejudice to be very reminiscent of true human behavior, and the Literature teacher in me finds it fascinating and wants to dissect it even more.  But, I'll let you do that for yourself!

The ending….peeked my interest just enough for me to wonder what’s to come in the next installment.

What disappointed me?

The romance was very bland, and since romance is the part of books that I really LOVE to read, it disappointed me that this love triangle was so anticlimactic.  It was very wishy-washy, back and forth, and I got to the point where I wanted to thump Mac…hard.

There were parts of the plot that were slow and predictable.  I wanted something to really make me say, “No way,” but that point never came.  I still read the book in a day because it was a fast read, but it wasn't one of those books that made me want to skip lunch because I couldn't put it down.

So…I’ll leave you with a few answered q’s:

Did I enjoy reading it?  There were times I was reading because I wanted to know more and other times I was reading to get to the end.

Will I read the sequel?  Probably, especially if the cover is awesome.  Plus, I want to find out about the Amy hauntings.

Would I recommend this book?  To those who like werewolves yes, but if you are like me and even dislike Jacob, you might find this book is not for you.

Free Four! A Story from Tobias!

Holy Insurgent Batman!!! Harper has just announced if they reach 35,000 pre-orders they will unlock a special, pivotal scene from Divergent in Four's POV!!!  Yep, I pretty much just exploded!  Everyone please go pre-order Insurgent right now!  We want this scene!  If you have already pre-ordered, have no fear, it counts toward the 35,000!  Plus, I just checked out Amazon a minute ago, and you can pre-order Insurgent for $10.79!  That is total crazypants, awesomesauce!  Also don't forget to keep supporting Team Erudite!  Smart is oh so sexy!!!

Divergent: The Choosing Ceremony

Holy jumping trains Batman, we are just 3 months shy of the release of Insurgent!!!  I think I can say without a doubt, this is one of the most aniticipated novels of the year!  Between the factions, the rebellion and FOUR this series bleeds amazingness.  To kick off the celebration early, HarperCollins has been creating some pretty great things to tide us over until the release.  I can't word it any more perfectly than Alison from HarperCollins did herself:

As we get closer and closer to the on sale date of INSURGENT (5/1/2012!!!), the excitement just keeps building! We wouldn't want to leave you out in the cold like the factionless, so the team here at HarperCollins has created something awesome to dull the pain of your temporarily Four-less existence. First, check out the Choosing Ceremony eCard. Then, spill some metaphorical blood playing this new game: http://www.facebook.com/DivergentSeries?sk=app_161995987251488

So head on over to facebook and have some fun until our "Four-less" day are over!!!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver Review & Giveaway

It's time for Day 4 of our 1 Year Blogoversary Celebration!  Today we are celebrating the release of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver! *throws confetti*


Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins
It's out today!
Reviewed by: AmyG (Big sis) and Baby Sister Britt
Sister's Say: Poetic, Pristine, Perfect

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I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

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So after I finished Pandemonium, I went straight to twitter and wrote this: NOOOOO! Don't end there!!! To which then I joked around with Brooke from Brooke Reports that my review would look like this:
No words...stunned silent...buy the book!

Of course, that can't be my review even though it accurately and precisely describes my feelings after reading the last page! So here goes with the actual review as literate as I can make it through my stunned silence.


Lauren Oliver appears again to knock our socks off with her beautiful words.  From the opening pages of the book, everything is completely sensory.  I can feel, see, taste, smell, and hear everything.  Not only from the outside, but the inside.  I know how Lena felt after leaving Alex at the gate, running for her life without him, physically and emotionally wounded.  Not from me trying to imagine it, but from Lauren actually placing me inside Lena's thoughts.  She has a way of putting you directly in her character's heads and hearts.  Her words are absolute poetry, and her ability to emotionally bind you to her characters is genius.

The story is also told in sort of a fractured timeline. Oliver jumps back and forth in time between the beginning of Lena's escape and later when she has become an established part of the resistance. For some, this jump might seem off-putting, but we loved it. It was so fascinating to see broken Lena and strong Lena, but have no idea when or how the change occurs.


Pandemonium introduces a world of new characters.    I loved all them, and the perfect, non-traditional family they created together.  Oliver weaves the back stories of these characters into the tapestry of the story and creates a beautiful masterpiece.  They are the perfect ensemble to Lena's story.  They glide along in the background adding bits and pieces here and there that give the book emotion and more beauty.  I'm so excited to see where the story leads with this cast of characters.


I know in Delirium, we all fell in love with Alex!  I am right there with all of you, I was completely infected with deliria amor nervosa from the moment I met Alex.  And, the disease has struck again, but this time with Julian.  Julian, Julian, Julian...what can I say?  He is sweet, cute and perfect!  His father is head of the campaign for the cure, so you can imagine the turmoil that Julian faces as he realizes that he might be in love.  The war raging within himself as he slowly transitions his beliefs from love being a disease to love being a gift is moving and terrifying.  I don't think anyone's words but Lauren's could have given his emotions justice.  You will love Julian.  He is in many ways completely different from Alex, but I promise you will love him all the same.


Now for the ending.  Ms. Oliver slaughtered, yes slaughtered all of our hearts with the ending of Delirium.  I must say that she does it again in Pandemonium.  She is the Queen of crazy, amazing, shocking endings!  It's brilliant though!  I definitely count this a plus in her novels.  I love the tormenting endings, it makes me angsty and crave the next book even more!

Lauren Oliver has quickly made her way into my circle of all time favorite authors.  I read her books for her beautiful words.  She could honestly write a book about rocks, and it would be utterly breathtaking.  She's a true artist when it comes to the talent of weaving words together to create something amazing!  Her writing alone should urge everyone to go read this series, but when you combine this with her heart-pounding plots, and masterful characterizations, you have a series for the ages!

Dark Days of Winter: Interview with Jodi Meadows

Welcome to the YA Sisterhood and this leg of the DARK DAYS OF WINTER Tour, the BIGGEST Dark Days Tour yet! We're so excited to have Jodi Meadows on the blog, author of the recently released INCARNATE from Harper Collins. You all might be sick of hearing us talk about how much we love her, and INCARNATE, INCARNATE'S cover, and INCARNATE'S Book Trailer.... BUT TOO BAD! Because we're here to give this fantastic author and her book even more love! If you missed our review of INCARNATE, feel free to check it out now! And if you think we're biased, just check out one of more than 300 5-star reviews on Goodreads (and the book only came out Tuesday)!  


You can stay up to date with all Dark Days news on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday.  You can also follow Dark Days on twitter here.

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

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So, since this is the BIGGEST Dark Days Tour ever... We've asked Jodi to reveal the answers to some BIG questions!

Who was your BIGGEST crush as a teen? (Mine was Kirk Cameron)

The love interest in whatever book I was reading. Mmm, fictional boys.


YAY! We're with you there! We loved fictional boys so much that we started a Tournament just to fangirl over them! :)

What is your BIGGEST regret or mistake?

I've made a lot of mistakes, but I try not to regret them. Every choice I've made -- good and bad -- has shaped who I am now. But the biggest mistakes . . . probably involve (non-fictional) boys and kissing. 

Amy says Ditto. :) Brittany is proud to say she has very few boy/kissing related mistakes. 

What is the BIGGEST secret you've kept from your parents?

Wait, is my mom reading this? No? Okay, mumblemumble years later, I still haven't told my mom about the times I drove off school campus during my free period so I could kiss my boyfriend. (Clearly real boys were a problem for me. Fictional boys were often better influences.)

Haha! As sisters, we definitely deal in secrets, too. Amy's biggest secret didn't stay hidden from our parent's long, thanks to me (Baby Sister Brittany). Hey-- what are little sisters for?

What is your BIGGEST joy or achievement to date?

Oh man, I have a lot of them! But in keeping with the theme of boys . . . marrying my husband. Who, by the way, is not made of fiction. Just so we're clear.

Congratulations-- on the marriage and the fact that he's real. :)

What was your BIGGEST hurdle or fear while writing or trying to get INCARNATE published?

The fear that no one would ever say yes, and that I'd never achieve my dream of sharing my stories with strangers.

Well... we're certainly glad that Harper Collins said yes, and you got to share your stories with us!

Which represents the BIGGEST challenge-- Dragons or Sylphs?

Tie! As the author, I can't commit to Team Sylph or Team Dragon. I love (and fear!) both of them equally.

Brittany is officially Team Dragon. Amy is Team Sylph. Ruh-roh. Sister Civil War. 

Music is such a strong theme in INCARNATE, what or who is your BIGGEST musical obsession?

Currently, Snow Patrol, Ludovico Einaudi, Ólafur Arnalds -- wait, by biggest was I supposed to choose only one? 

Well... since we've only heard of Snow Patrol, looks like we might be discovering some new artists!

What book has been the BIGGEST influence in your life thus far?

Oh there are SO many books that have affected my life, but coming down to it . . . probably WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn. My 7th grade English teacher read it to the class and that was the first time a) I realized writing was something people could do as a job, and b) the fantasy/paranormal/magic in books could be REAL, rather than explained away by SCIENCE.

We are big supporters of Fantasy being REALITY. We're still waiting for our Hogwarts letters. 

And lastly...

What's the BIGGEST word in your vocabulary?

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

(That's totally a big word.) (If you drag it out for a full minute.) (You don't need to breathe, right?)

Just how long can you say Um without breathing? Amy's best was 33 seconds. Brittany's was only 15 seconds. For the record... she doesn't smoke. She has asthma. #excuses You all should see if you can beat 33 seconds! It's surprisingly fun!

And that's a wrap! A HUGE, erm, I mean-- BIG Thank you to Jodi for letting us interview her! And thanks to Harper Collins for allowing us to be a part of the Dark Days Tour! It's been amazing! 

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Jodi Meadows lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut.

Be sure to check out the next stops on the Dark Days of Winter Tour.

Leg 2

2/7 Brodi Ashton at The Readiacs

2/9 Courtney Allison Moulton at Reading Teen

Leg 3

2/21 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

2/22 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

2/23 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

2/28 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

3/1 Lauren Oliver at All Things Urban Fantasy

3/6 Claudia Gray at A Life Bound By Books

3/7 Alex Flinn at Mundie Moms

3/8 Dan Wells at Bookalicious

Leg 4

TK Jill Hathaway at Down the Rabbit Hole

TK Kimberly Derting at Confessions of a Bookaholic

And, catch the author tour at a city near you!

Leg 2

Cynthia Hand (HALLOWED), Brodi Ashton (EVERNEATH), Jodi Meadows (INCARNATE) and Courtney Allison Moulton (WINGS OF THE WICKED)

February 16^th @ 5pm | Barnes & Noble | Southlake, TX | A Good Addiction 

February 17^th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Austin, TX | Mundie Moms 

February 18^th @ 4pm | Blue Willow Bookshop | Houston, TX | Once Upon a Twilight

Leg 3

Lauren Oliver (PANDEMONIUM), Claudia Gray (BALTHAZAR), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS)

March 9^th @ 6:30pm | Books & Books | Coral Gables, FL | Harmony's Radiant Reads 

March 10^th @ 2pm | Barnes & Noble | Alpharetta, GA | TK

March 11^th @ 4pm | Vroman’s | Los Angeles, CA | TK

*LIVESTREAM event   

Leg 4

Kimberly Derting (THE LAST ECHO), Jill Hathaway (SLIDE), and Dan Wells (PARTIALS)

April 18^th @ 7pm | Books & Co | Dayton, OH | TK

April 19^th @ 7pm | Anderson’s Bookshop | Naperville, IL | TK    

April 20^th @ 7pm | Barnes & Noble | Burlington, MA | TK

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Release date:  January 24th, 2012
HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Reviewed by: AmyG (Big Sis)
Sister's Say:  Enticing, Eloquent, and Eerily foreboding

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 
Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's... (-goodreads)

First off, I need to thank HarperCollins for sending me this gorgeous ARC.  I've been eyeing if for months with that beautiful red dress surrounded by those spooky clouds.  I would love to frame this book cover and hang it up on my wall!  Who needs art when there are book covers like this out there!

Everneath isn't just a book with a pretty cover though.  The writing, the imagery, and the characters make it as beautiful on the inside as the out.  We at the YA-Sisterhood all share a deep love of Greek mythology.  Call it having an English teacher as a mom or just a love of classical education, but throw in some Greek Mythology and it's hook, line, and sinker for us!  Greek mythology has been slowly routing out a place for itself in YA literature, and I couldn't be more happy about it!  Everneath is just the right amount of Greek mixed with just the the perfect touch of modernization!

The most profound thing about Evermeath was the imagery.  Brodi Ashton has a way with words that brings the story to life.  The tunnels, the shades, and the animation of the emotions were tangible.  I can still close my eyes and see them as if I were actually Nikki.  There is this scene at a dance in which the Everlings are feeding off the emotions of the crowd and all at once it was both horrifying and beautiful.  Part of me wishes I could have actually seen it while the more sane part doesn't agree.  From the opening pages to the last page Everneath oozes these fantastic images.  They are hauntingly gorgeous and will leave you breathless and wanting more.

For those of you asking, "where's the romance?" Never fear, there is a love triangle to rival all love triangles!  First off, there's Jack, the dreamy boy next door that encompasses everything that Nikki desires.  On the other hand, there's Cole the epitamy of the broken bad boy that is oh so redeemable.  While reading this book, I was sadly that "love the one you're with" girl.  I cheered "Jack, Jack, Jack" during his scenes and "Cole, Cole, Cole" through his pages!  Please don't make me choose!  You will be hard pressed to find 2 more different characters with the same amount of dreaminess!  I would love to see a showdown between Jack and Cole in the Crush Tourney with all cards laid on the table, and see who would come out the victor!  Maybe that would help me choose!  Umm, yeah, probably not!

Most of the time, I am not a fan of the disrupted or broken timeline that appears in Everneath, but it worked perfectly here.  So much of the novel deals with time that the broken sequence of it, helped develop parallel emotions between the characters and the reader.  Nikki's time slowly ticks away at the beginning, but as the book proceeds the time gaps get smaller and time slips by faster.  I found my heart rate increasing and actually felt anxious for Nikki as time seemed to drain quickly away.  This was actually a brilliant way to pace the novel!  It was like watching the sand run out in an hourglass and there was absolutely nothing I can do to stop that last grain of sand from slipping to the bottom.

I cannot give this book or Brodi Ashton enough praise.  Everneath needs to be on every YA lovers bookshelf, especially those that adore Greek Mythology.  Brodi creates a story that at first seems familiar with the allusion to the Greek myths only to throw you for a complete loop.  At the exact point that I thought I knew what was about to happen, she completely knocked me off my feet.  Brilliant I tell you, brilliant!  It's all the Greek mythology I love with twist of her own that left me completely speechless and crying on the floor with the knowledge that it will be a whole year before I can read book 2!

Exclusive Reveal: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Trailer

Today is a BIG HUGE, day!  Right now, we at The YA Sisterhood are able to exclusively reveal the  trailer of Jodi Meadow's Incarnate!  It is gorgeous and encompasses the theme of the book perfectly!  And, Incarnate will officially be released in exactly ONE week!  That's right kids! Mark your calendars, bombard your bookstores, fight off the other buyers if necessary! You don't want to miss this! If you want to find out more about Incarnate, visit our Top 10 Reasons why you should read Incarnate, and be sure to check back on Feburary 2nd for our special Dark Days of Winter interview with Jodi Meadows.

Without further ado, here is the Incarnate Trailer: 

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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Available January 31st, 2012

Pulished by HarperCollins

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NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

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Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
Published by: HarperCollins
Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC
Reviewed by: AmyG (big sis)
Sister's Say: Heavenly, Heartbreaking and Healing

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning. 

First off, I must say thank you to HarperCollins for sending me this ARC.  There was much joyous dancing and squeeing upon receiving it!

I have a love/hate relationship with second installments in a series.  Sometimes I dread a 2nd books and debate if I should just wait for the 3rd then read them together.  Second books are a double edged sword in which too much information can leave nothing exciting for the 3rd and not enough can send the readers packing.  It's a fine art to be able to walk that blade without getting cut.   And, to say the least, Cynthia Hand has sent that sword back from whenst it came!  Hallowed was stunningly beautiful and left me in joyous raptures!  One of my favorite 2nd installments of all time!

One of my favorite things about this book was getting to know Christian.  There's sort of a new trend I've been noticing in YA literature with love triangles that I really sort of love!  Instead of the having this huge tumultuous love triangle right off the bat, each guy has been given his own book.  I love it because it teaches us that 1st impressions can sometimes be hugely deceiving.  Frankly I didn't like Christian all that much in Unearthly and was Team Tucker all the way!  However, after reading Hallowed, I love them both and don't envy Clara her decision at all!  It would be heartbreaking to have to choose between Tucker and Christain now.  (If you are interested in more examples of this trend I'm referring to, Sophie Jordan's Firelight series is a great one.  The other books like this are all ARCs so I don't want to reveal to you quite yet which one those are, but maybe closer to their release dates!  But I'm telling you now, keep a look out for this trend, I hope you love it as much as I do!!!)

Honestly, there are so many amazing qualities of this book, that I'm not really sure where to start without running into next week.  In Unearthly, we catch these tiny glimpses of this world of angels that Cynthia Hand has created, but mostly just as it pertains to Clara.  However, in Hallowed, we get the whole shebang.  I fell in love with the entire idea of these angels, their community, their missions, their lives, and even the dark wings.  I felt at times that this was something that could really be possible.  I loved that she completely swept me away to the point of bluring the lines between fantasy and reality.  This is one of the few books since Harry Potter that I had to remind myself that this was not real!

There are so many emotions dealing with this book, actually this entire series so far.  One moment I would be laughing, the next crying, then terrified, and then a few pages later find myself melting!  Hallowed made me feel and feel deeply and strongly.  I am attached to all these characters now. I found myself cheering for them to succeed, crying with them through their pain, and their mission became my mission.  What a joy it was to read this!  Hallowed will be released on January 17, so if you haven't pre-ordered this yet, go do so now!  This is one of those rare series that will appeal to all ages from 14 to 85!

I want to leave you with a quote from Hallowed that demonstrates both the wittiness and beauty of Cynthia Hands writing.

"Before I moved here, I never got the whole love-triangle thing.  You know, in movies or romance novels or whatnot, where there's one chick that all the gus are drooling over, even though you can't see anything particularly special about her.  But oh, no they both must have her.  And she's like, oh dear, however will I choose?  William is so sensitive, he understands me, he swept me off my feet, oh misery, blubber, blubber, but how can I go on living without Rake and his devil-may-care ways and his dark and only-a-little-abusive love?..." (p. 237, ARC)

Also, be sure to check out my Teaser Tuesday from Hallowed also!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Release date:  January 3rd, 2012
Reviewed by: AmyG (Big Sis)
Sister's Say:  Unique, Unworldly, and Unbelievable Amazing

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction. 
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions. 
They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY 

First off, I would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you to HarperCollins for sending me Under the Never Sky!  This is one of those books that leaves pieces of itself with you to be recalled at random times sometimes purposefully and other times subconsciously.  For the past few days, phrases and scenes keep sneaking into my brain leaving me with a goofy grin on my face and oh so desparate for the next installment.  At first glance, I was a little leery of reading this as I'm not a huge sci-fi fan.  Across the Universe and I am Number Four were both great reads, but almost a little to sci-fi for my taste.  From the description of this book, I thought this book might be the same, but I loved the cover so much, I decided to take the plunge.  And, praise the Lord that I took that plunge!  Holy bananas batman, was this book knock my socks off, blow me away, rock my face off, out of this world (or at least pod) amazing!

The entire idea of living in a world completely destroyed is not far off from everyone's imagination as 2012 looms in our ever present future.   With the destruction of the world, the government in Under the Never Sky has created pods for people to live in order for them to survive.  Within the pods people are genetically engineered, and basically live most of their lives separate from reality.  They have created these other, virtual worlds called Realms in which people can completely exists in their imagination.  Anything they want or can think of simply appears before them.  Want to be 10 lbs skinnier, have pink hair, and be covered in tattoes, then you simply think it and behold you are.  Want to go back to the times of ancient Greece and study about mythology at its birth, then that's just a thought away also.  How brilliant yet scary is the idea of being able to escape at any moment to anywhere in anytime.

On the other hand, it wouldn't be a dystopian if everyone was lucky enough or maybe unlucky enough to live in the pods.  Outsiders (or savages as they are also called) exist in the world outside the pods.  Because of the utter desolution of the world, the Outsiders have naturally evolved to be able to survive.   Some of them have enhanced senses from an accute (times a billion) sense of smell or sight or being able to here from miles away.  These unbelivable enhancements have made it possible for people to survive outside the pods.  Also, I loved the irony of the names that Veronica chose!

Now for the Hook, Line, and Sinker: imagine a girl from a pod meeting a boy from the outside.  They have been taught to hate each other from the beginning of their lives.  This ultimate of all boy meets girl scenarios.  The fireworks between them are bright, beautiful and earth shattering.  It's an amazing love story that has refused to leave me.  For those of you that can't resist the "epic" love story (that once in a 20 lifetimes love) in the midst of absolute turbulance then you are going to fall hard for this book.  I could go on all day about how incredible the love story is in this book, but what makes this book even more unbelievable is the plot and writing are just as good as the love story.

This book is absolutely missing nothing!  The plot is twisting and heartbreaking while the imagery is as vivid as HDTV.   Between packs of cannibals and wolves, I was on the edge through the entire book.  So much so that this was a one sitting read.  The best way I can describe the imagery in this book is the word "alive."  Everything came to life right in front of me.  The way Veroinica describes the atmosphere, the land, and the aether is tangible.  I've never felt more thrown into a story in my life.  I can still close my eyes and picture the aether swirling around me.  It absolutely beautiful and terrifying.

As I said above, this book is lacking nothing!  There are no words to explain how much I loved this book.  In fact, as soon as I finished it, I texted all the girls in my book club to tell them to pre-order this book because we were kicking our January book out and Under the Never Sky was taking its place.  I implore you with everything inside me to pre-order this book and read it immediately!  I'm off to read it again!!!  Please tweet me or let me know in the comments section how you liked this book!  I'm dying to talk to everyone about it!