THE TAKING Cover and Synopsis!

Hi guys! Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately. One word for you to explain that: MIDTERMS. Yuck, right?

But! I can now share with you the recently revealed cover and synopsis for THE TAKING, an upcoming book from one of my favorites, Kimberly Derting.

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own? 

Sounds awesome, right?! Can't wait for this one. So I guess we can call this one this week's Waiting on Wednesday (on Thursday)? Anyway, super pumped. Look for this one April 29!

Book Thoughts: Once

Title: Once
Author: Anna Carey
Series: Eve #2

Eve is back, but she's lost Caleb: Califia, the safe place they've been looking for, is women-only. But if you think Eve is going to take that for very long, you've got another think coming. She goes looking for Caleb... and finds someone way more surprising. Trapped in the City of Sand, Eve has to find a way to save Caleb, her friends -- and herself.

I didn't love this one the way I loved EVE, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's awesome to see the world continue to develop, and I hope we get to see more details of The New America in book three! I continue to adore Eve and Caleb's romance, and the new characters (namely Charles, Harper, Beatrice, and Clara) are a welcome addition to the story. I think my favorite character is still Arden, though, because she's the one in whom I see the most depth and fight; I wish we'd gotten to spend more time with her in this book. I do love the dynamic Charles adds, though!

I'm honestly feeling pretty meh about this book right now. I enjoyed it, definitely, but it wasn't a standout like EVE was and there's not really anything jumping out at me that I just HAVE to talk about. Hopefully it's just middle book syndrome and RISE will bring the level of awesome back up, because I really do like the story Anna Carey is telling and the characters she's created. Here's to book three!

HEARTBEAT Cover!

The cover for Elizabeth Scott's upcoming novel HEARTBEAT is here! I've loved everything I've read by this author, so of course I'm super excited for this one too. Plus, isn't this cover pretty? :)

HOLLOW CITY Cover Reveal!

Today Entertainment Weekly revealed the cover for the second installment in Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine stories. Isn't it lovely?

Book Thoughts: Crown of Midnight

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2

Okay. Let's talk about how much I love this book.

First and foremost, I just really love Celaena. I LOVE that we can have a girl who's totally not afraid to kick some but when she needs to (and darn good at it too) but also really loves pretty dresses and her puppy and chocolate cake. I like that she's not perfect -- she's reckless and impulsive, she doesn't always think about consequences, she can't sing. But she tries to do what she thinks is right, and she's just. I love her.

And I l-o-v-e the character development we get with Dorian and Chaol. My shipper heart does not know what to DO with this beautiful book, but quite apart from the romance I just love the two main men. They make mistakes, and they learn from experience, and their individual relationships with Celaena as well as their relationships to each other are just beautiful.

I love the pacing, too. With so much going on it would be SO easy to just rush the details, but it felt like the book was exactly the right length: it accomplished what it needed to and gave every event the attention it deserved without dragging things out. I called the "big reveal" at the end of this one way early on, but I didn't care, because I wanted to see how the characters got there, and there was enough going on that I totally didn't predict that I was still on the edge of my seat.

I cannot WAIT for the next installment of this series. I just need to know how the characters are going to deal with the situation they find themselves in at the end of this book, and I just need to spend more time with them and in this world. I hope we get to find out more about the Fae and the way magic works in this world as the series progresses!

So yes. Definitely a worthy continuation of the Throne of Glass story, possibly even better than the first book (which doesn't happen a lot for me). If you haven't read these yet, get on it! Meanwhile, I shall eagerly await Book 3...

Waiting on Wednesday 10/2/13

Hosted at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming books that we bloggers can't wait to get our hands on. This week I'm waiting on THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM by Mary Gray.

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

The title is actually what first drew me to this one, and the description cemented my interest: post-apocalyptic (ish) chock full of mythology references? Yes, please. I will be checking this one out. Look for it October 22!

What are you waiting on this week?

Book Thoughts: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Series: Between #1

I really really wanted to love this book (because seriously, it has a freaking gorgeous cover and the description sounds amazing) and at first I was afraid I wasn't going to. It didn't feel particularly well-executed at first. It was really really obvious that River had some kind of paranormal thing going on that was drawing Violet to him, and I thought the whole book was going to be "but WHY do I like him so much?!"

...it wasn't.

I can't tell you where it was that I went from slightly disappointed to absolutely enthralled, but I do know that I actually put off lunch for a solid two and a half hours because I was too busy reading this to go make food.

There is some seriously creepy stuff in this book. In a good way. It felt like a paranormal romance at the beginning, and by the end I was positive I had just finished a horror novel -- to which I needed the sequel, like, immediately.

Definitely put this one on your list of "scary books to read leading up to Halloween." And if you think the first couple of chapters are a little hard to get through... stick with it. It gets so much better. Oh, and my advice? Read it with the lights on.

Book Thoughts: Fangirl

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell

I don't even know where to start talking about this book. I loved it.

I've never really gotten into fanfiction, reading or writing; it's just not my cup of tea. And I don't know what it's like to have a sister -- except, well, now I do, because of Cath. And I've never had a random roommate, because I lived with a high school friend my freshman year. But I could feel everything in this book.

The descriptions of Cath's anxiety are just so spot-on. (I actually stored pictures of some of the pages on my phone just so I would have the quotes with me.) Her college is so, so different from mine, but Cath's feelings in a new situation are incredibly relatable anyway.

Plus. Okay. Characters. Love them. They're all so multifaceted (except maybe Courtney, but we don't see her much) -- all of them are flawed, but they all have lovable characteristics, too. Even Simon and Baz, who are fictional characters in a fictional story, felt real. I wanna read the Simon Snow series now! It was super cool getting to see snippets of both the actual stories and Cath's fanfic.

I just. I can't put into words how much I loved this book. I was so sad when it ended because I wasn't ready to leave the characters behind, even though the story had concluded. I could ramble about this forever but I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've read it -- contact me on twitter or tumblr or facebook, or email me, because I would LOVE to talk more about it.

Cover Reveal: The One

Today the cover for the third book in the Selection series by Kiera Cass was revealed! I haven't read the books yet (they're on my list), but isn't this cover freakin' gorgeous?

Waiting on Wednesday, 9/25/13

Waiting on Wednesday, hosted at Breaking the Spine, is a weekly meme to feature prerelease books that we bloggers can't wait for. This week my pick is CHAMPION by Marie Lu.

CHAMPION is the conclusion to the trilogy that began with Legend and was followed by Prodigy. I read the first two books in two days over my spring break, and holy wow did I love them. I cannot WAIT to see how June and Day's story ends!

From goodreads: (beware spoilers for Legend/Prodigy)

He is a Legend.She is a Prodigy.Who will be Champion? 
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

What are you waiting on this week?