Showing posts with label simon pulse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simon pulse. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

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 LET THE STORM BREAK by Shannon Messenger.  It will be released March 1, 2014 from Simon Pulse.

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Whirlwind romance and breathtaking action continues in the sequel to Let the Sky Fall, which Becca Fitzpatrick called “charged and romantic.”

Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

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The first book in this series was absolutely fantastic, and I cannot wait to find out what is next for Audra and Vane.  Plus, the covers are to die for!

Monday, February 18, 2013

ARC review: Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger


Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
Published by: Simon Pulse, ARC received via trade
Release Date: 3-5-2012
Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:  A tempest of turmoil, treachery and tethered loyalties

 A broken past and a divided future can’t stop the electric connection of two teens in this “charged and romantic” (Becca Fitzpatrick), lush novel.

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.
 
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In a world full of gales, tempests, and squalls

The sylphs live in secret, within closed walls

But there’s one with the power to change their fate

Can he take back his life before it’s too late?

 

Audra’s the guardian who will stand and fight

But will she fall prey to Raiden’s dark might?

Caught in a net of betrayal and lies

How will she fight the storm in the skies?

 

It’s all up to Vane and the powers he claims

Will he save his world or will it end up in flames?

The winds whisper secrets of a past he once lost

But he will fight for his love, no matter the cost.

 

“But I feel a change in the winds.  They whip with more urgency, their songs clipped and rushed.

They know.

The Stormers are coming.”  ARC, pg 311

 

Blasted with passion and treachery, Shannon Messenger creates a world that will lift you off your feet.  Overblown with suspense, inundated with desire, and riddled with mystery, Let The Sky Fall is tempest of emotion.  So close your eyes and throw caution to the wind as it sweeps you away to a place where the air really does whisper in your ear. 

Let the Sky Fall was my most anticipated read of 2013, and it did not disappoint.  This book starts out with a boom, and from there, it’s a steady mix of suspense, action and romance.  Shannon blended her world seamlessly with ours, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the next few books.

The writing was peaceful at just the right times and rocky and jagged when the situation called for it.  I found myself taking note of quotation after quotation for my Teaser Tuesday because Shannon is one of those authors whose words capture your attention and make you say, “Wow.”  Her words are rife with ambiguity, but even so, she never gives anything away.  I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

You know I love a book when I gush about the heroine.  Like I’ve said before, it’s easy to write a swoony guy, but a tough yet vulnerable girl who doesn’t annoy or frustrate a reader?  That is a rare feat, but Shannon met that storm head on, and the result was the powerful Audra.  Bound by oath, broken by her past, and beaten by her circumstances, Audra is a sylph on a mission; and she will complete her mission no matter the consequences.  I admired her courage and her determination—she wouldn’t give up, and she wouldn’t let her heart get in the way.  Though I found myself cheering for her to throw caution to the wind, I still admired her bravery to stand in the face of temptation and danger.

Vane was charming and funny, and his personality had me swooning.  Not to mention he’s got abs of steel!  He’s different than other guys in YA.  He’s deeply caring and at times a bit wimpy, but when the moments count, he stands up with his armor of bravery.  Usually a guy that’s doesn’t have a bad boy bone in his body would annoy me, but Shannon pulls it off with Vane.  I think it’s his charm that does it—when he makes a move, it’s deliberate and charismatic, and I couldn’t help but smile!

And then there’s Audra’s mother.  GRRRR!  She made me so angry with her nonchalant and apathetic attitude toward Audra.  She’s this super powerful sylph, but she has withered away because of the losses in her past.  There were times when I just wanted to smack her and scream, “She’s your daughter!  Care!”  I had an extreme emotional reaction to her, so Shannon definitely did her job. 

And

Then

The

Ending!

OMG…I didn’t see it coming!  I was so swept up in the romance and suspense that the ending caught me completely off guard.  It was  brilliant and compelling ending, and I really liked that Shannon didn’t end it with one of those break-your-heart cliffhangers.  It was poignant and answered many questions, but there are still many more things that are left to be revealed in the future books.  I was a huge fan of the ending, and it just made me wish the next book would come out sooner.

Let the Sky Fall is perfect for teenagers and adults alike, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA literature.  So if you’re tired of the same old same old in YA and you need a change in the winds (hehe), then check this one out!  Enthralling and chaotic—Shannon’s world is charged with love, pierced with anger, and overflowing with deceit.

“Her face looks pale as she stares into space, ignoring me.  She tosses the dove into the sky, its wings flapping in my face as it flies away..

‘Tell me what’s wrong,’ I beg.

‘We just ran out of time,’ she says, finally meeting my eyes.”  ARC, pg 299

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!
To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
Published by Simon Pulse
Release Date:  3-5-2013

 
"I'm a tempest, battering his thoughts, trying to tear them loose."  ARC, pg 34
 
"'When the Stormer attacked it was like the world ended.  Everthing gone, destroyed, sucked up, or broken and left in splinters."  ARC, pg 96
 
"He puts his arms on either side of me, caging me between them.  My heart slams against my chest so hard it feels like it will bruise me from the inside out."  ARC, pg 116
 
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This is a MUST READ you guys!  I loved it from beginning to end.  The idea was brilliant, and Shannon's characters will sweep you away.  You know that wonderful feeling of Spring when a cool breeze washes over your face and all you smell is flowers mixed with the scent of a fresh rain?  That's this book!!!!
 
Leave me a link to your TT and I will go visit as soon as I am home (on vacay right now)!!!
 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Beauty by Nancy Ohlin

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 BEAUTY by Nancy Ohlin.  BEAUTY releases on May 7, 2013 from Simon Pulse.

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Looks to kill for...

Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own—including her daughter.

And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain to earn her mother’s affection,
she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.

At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires.

But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?
 
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First off....Cover LOVE!!!!  I think this cover is gorgeous!  The sweeping dress is beautiful, and I love the single rose that is so deep it looks almost black.  Ohhhh...the symbolism!
 
This sounds kind of like Snow White to me in a way, and I love fairy tale retellings, so if it is, Yay!  But then, it also sounds a little like Cinderella--being plain to not anger her mother.  Maybe its a mixture of many fairy tales.  Either way, I love the mystery surroundind the boarding school; and I'm a sucker for powerful women villains.  So, Go Queen Veda Go!!  If only May weren't so far away!
 
What are you waiting on?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: The Gathering Dark by Christine Johnson

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 GATHERING DARK by Christine Johnson.  THE GATHERING DARK releases on February 12, 2013 from Simon Pulse.

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A mysterious teen boy knows the secrets of Keira’s dangerous hallucinations in this gripping romantic fantasy from the author of Claire de Lune.Keira’s hallucinating. First it’s a door hovering above the road; then it’s a tree in her living room. But with her parents fighting and her best friend not speaking to her, Keira can’t tell anyone about her breakdown.



Until she meets Walker. They have an electric connection, and somehow he can see the same shadowy images plaguing Keira.



But trusting Walker may be more dangerous than Keira could have ever imagined. The more she confides in him, the more intense—and frightening—her visions become. Because Walker is not what he appears to be. And neither are her visions.
 
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I was first drawn to this book because I thought the cover was gorgeous!  And you have to admit, it really is!  But then the blurb (although somewhat vague) sealed my fate!  I  have to admit, I'm most interested in Walker's secret...what he is and what the visions have to do with him.  But the strange hallucinations do have their appeal, too.  I haven't read many books where hallucinations or visions are the focus of the story.  Most paranormal books have them in one way or the other, but they are usually small in regards to the plot.  So, I'm sure this will be different and very interesting!  Can't wait!
 
Leave me a link to your WOW!!