Waiting on Wednesday - April 18, 2012

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the link above will take you straight to her post and widget.

I've got FOUR more awesome books that I am positively excited about.   I simply couldn't choose just 3, so there are 4, instead.  You'll see why once you read more about them.

For this first selection, tread carefully if you haven't read the first 3 books in the series.  There are spoilers for the 3rd book in the description!

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
coming October 23, 2012 from Little, Brown BFYR

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Why I'm waiting: I've loved this entire series and I am dying to know what happened to Ethan!

 Ironskin by Tina Connolly

coming October 2, 2012 from Tor

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discover just how far she will go to become whole again.

Why I'm waiting: I love any and everything about books involving the fae, so this one is, naturally, high on my list!

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
coming September 25, 2012 from Harlequin Teen

She won’t resist until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

Why I'm waiting: I have become more and more of a fan of zombie fiction, so this one caught my eye immediately.

  Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

coming September 11, 2012 from Knopf BFYR

Its name is spoken only in whispers, if the people of Alban dare to speak it at all: Shadowfell. The training ground for rebels seeking to free their land from the grip of the tyrannical king is so shrouded in mystery that most believe it to be a myth.

But for Neryn, Shadowfell's existence is her only hope. She is penniless, orphaned, and utterly alone - and concealing a treacherous magical power that will warrant her immediate enslavement should it be revealed. She finds hope of allies in the Good Folk, fey beings whom she must pretend she cannot see and who taunt her with chatter of prophecies and tests, and in a striking, mysterious stranger, who saves her from certain death but whose motives remain unclear. She knows she should not trust anyone with her plans, but something within her longs to confide in him.

Will Neryn be forced to make the dangerous journey alone? She must reach Shadowfell, not only to avenge her family and salvage her own life, but to rescue Alban itself.

This first novel in a new trilogy from enchanting fantasy author Juliet Marillier is a captivating tale of peril, courage, romance, and survival.

Why I'm waiting: I adore Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters series, so when I saw that she had this YA trilogy coming up, I was very excited!

Review: Beautiful Chaos

by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
date of publication: October 18, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 528
source: from publisher for review
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin? For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.
Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

What I Thought 

When compared to the novels that came before it, Beautiful Chaos begins with a slightly different tone. Gone is the bored, carefree attitude with which Ethan approaches life in Gatlin. Gone are the constant worries over catty schoolmates. Instead, there are more dire things to worry about and even more danger than ever before. Worry and despair are the names of the game in Beautiful Chaos, and be forewarned: things do get very harrowing.

The pacing of this book took a little while for me to get used to. It started out a bit slower than the previous two installments, so immediately my expectations were challenged. Part of the reason was that it was much more emotionally wrought than before, which means that there is more weight put on emotion rather than thought. Another reason that I think the story was slower for me was that the plot kept building and building before the really horrible things began to happen. While what was happening was fascinating, it took a little while for me to adjust. When I did, however, I was as sucked into the story as before. Things between Ethan and Lena are much easier to observe this time around, even with all of the worries they are surrounded by. The characters are much the same as ever, with a few exceptions. Poor Ethan, for example, is beginning to forget things he should know, while Amma is more elusive than usual. John Breed makes a surprising turn around and a little more about his past is finally revealed, which I really enjoyed. These characters make up the heart of this book and I was so glad to get to know even more about each one. I will just say that I was not at all prepared for the ending. Talk about a cliff hanger. I'm so very thankful that there is going to be a fourth book! Otherwise, I would have been one sad reader.

Pacing issues aside, I really enjoyed Beautiful Chaos. The distinct style of writing is still there and the characters are as amazing as ever. There is no way I will be abandoning this series, though I wish the wait for book 4 weren't quite so long. It's going to be hard to be left waiting for another year! If you are a fan of the first 2 books, you'll definitely want to continue. Just be prepared with tissues in hand and an open mind.

Obligatory legal statement: This finished copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review: Beautiful Darkness

by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
date published: October 12, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 503
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

What I Thought

Beautiful Darkness picks up a few weeks after the final events of Beautiful Creatures. This book details the difficulty of choices and the importance of deciding who you are going to be rather than letting the choice be made for you. There are a lot of difficult situations for Ethan to deal with, as well as a lot of infuriating moments in regard to Lena. Added to the mix are the introduction of new characters, journeys to new places, and an increase in the stakes at hand. Buckle up, because this is an action-packed ride.

In Beautiful Darkness, Ethan is much as he was in the previous book. However, he is being put through a lot of doubt and heartache by Lena, who has begun slipping further and further into her dark side. As she engages in reckless behavior and even becomes somewhat mean-spirited, I couldn't help but be frustrated with her. It was one of those situations in which I wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into her. She definitely succumbed to a drawn out moment of weakness, which shows that people, whether they be mortal or Casters, are flawed beings. Ethan is definitely in for a rude awakening as he learns this very important lesson. It was one of the characteristics of the book that I found to be most interesting. Let's face it: perfect characters become dull. With flawed characters, there is room for more growth, more lessons learned, and more plot twists. Beautiful Darkness delivers on all three counts.

I previously covered Gatlin as a setting in my review of Beautiful Creatures. However, there is a new setting to discuss in Beautiful Darkness. The tunnels that Ethan and his friends find themselves traveling through make for an interesting setting in that they contain not only paths to different places, but also paths to an entirely different world. Each location visited is stranger and more dangerous than the last. I really enjoyed how the tunnel scenes mixed the background up a bit. They definitely provide something new to ponder and keep the story line as fresh as possible. I still can't decide which setting I like better: Gatlin or the tunnels.

Normally, I would write a slightly longer review. However, I don't want to give too much away, as this is the second book in the series, so I have to be sure not to create spoilers for either book. Suffice it to say that I found Beautiful Darkness to be every bit as enjoyable as the first book in the series. It has beaten the second book slump that I usually find within the series I read, which I will give it much credit for. It has so much to offer from character growth to dynamic settings and amazing plot twists. If you haven't picked up this series, you definitely should. You won't regret it.

Review: Beautiful Creatures

by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
publisher: Little, Brown & Co.
date of publication: December 1, 2009/September 14, 2010
format: paperback
pages: 592
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

What I Thought

This book has been sitting on my shelves for five months, yet I had not gotten around to reading it until very recently. I quickly found out what I had been missing out on. I could kick myself for not reading it sooner! Beautiful Creatures has many of the characteristics that I love in a book, and then some. It has a great plot, absorbing characters, frightening villains, magic, mystery, and a great Southern setting. What's not to love?

I immediately felt a connection with the two primary characters, Ethan and Lena. They had great chemistry and moving back stories, which made it extremely easy to become invested in what happened to them throughout the book. Ethan undergoes a personal renaissance when he meets Lena, while Lena learns to put herself out there a little more when she meets Ethan. They seem to bring out the best qualities in each other, which is always nice to see. The other characters were a lot of fun to read, too. From Link, Ethan's affable best friend, to Amma, the Wate family's housekeeper/mother figure, there are a lot of vivid characters to follow and learn about. I was especially intrigued by Macon and wanted to learn more about him. There definitely isn't a shortage of strong characters in this book, which is part of what makes it so absorbing.

The setting is very easy for me to relate to, as it is set in the southern U.S., namely South Carolina. While I am a Tennessean, there are many social traits and language patterns present in this story that I was able to immediately recognize. It was very easy to picture Gatlin in my head, as it sounds not unlike a combination of my hometown and the town I lived in for the first 8 years of my adult life. It came to be a little eerie at times, but was most definitely something I could relate to. In addition, some of the more Gothic settings (Ravenwood Manor, for instance), were absolutely sublime. There was so much atmosphere in this town that it felt much like stepping into the book itself at times.

Finally, the overall plot was a definite bonus. There is a great deal of lore to go along with the Casters (supernatural figures who are somewhat like witches), which went a long way toward making the book what it is. There is a lot of information, but I found that it is both fascinating and presented in such a way that it wasn't hard to keep up. The idea of the existence of supernaturals such as Casters, Incubi, and Succubi hidden under the surface of a sleepy Southern town is an intriguing one. I simply couldn't get enough and sped through the book as a result.

I feel as though I have been gushing, but I truly did enjoy everything about this book. It had such a hook on me that I promptly picked up the second installment and finished it within two days. I absolutely can not wait until the release of the third book in the series. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are a force to be reckoned with and I can not sing the praises of this book enough. I give Beautiful Creatures 5 hoots.

Waiting on Wednesday: September 28, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the image above will take you straight to her post and widget. (Special note: The nifty button above comes from Lindsay at The Violet Hour. Isn't it pretty?)

I've been on a huge Caster Chronicles binge over the last few days, so it's not surprising that the book I'm waiting for the most is Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I have completely fallen for this series and am definitely ready for more!

From Goodreads:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.