Waiting on Wednesday - February 29, 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.

There have been so many fantastic cover reveals in the past week that I wasn't quite sure as to what I wanted to pick for my Waiting on Wednesday post this week.  I decided that this week calls for a 3 part WoW, just so I can fit in as many fantastic books as I possibly can.

Pick number 1 is the follow-up to one of my favorite 2012 debuts.  Lucky for me, its release date has been announced as October 9, 2012, so I won't have a year-long wait on my hands.

The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges
Coming October 9, 2012 from Random House Children's Books

From Goodreads:

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Why I'm waiting on it: I simply adored The Gathering Storm and am beyond ready to see what other adventures Katerina has in store.

 
My second pick is the third book in a series, the last two of which I devoured voraciously.  With a release date of October 2, my October to-read list grows even further.

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien
Coming October 2, 2012 from Roaring Brook Press

From Goodreads:

Gaia Stone has challenged the ruthless regime of the Enclave, she's crossed a terrible wasteland to live in Sylum and even adapted to their strange new ways. But now she faces her biggest challenge ever: leading the people of Sylum back to the Enclave in the hopes that they can find a way to peacefully co-exist. The Enclave has grown even more cruel in the time they've been away, and now Gaia has the added burden of feeling responsible for the safety of the former residents of Sylum as well as her own. Gaia's always been strong-minded, but is she willing to pay the price of being a leader? And what if what's at stake is her and Leon's future?

Why I'm waiting on it: I read both Birthmarked and Prized within a 48 hour period.  These books are one of my most favorite dystopian series and I can't wait to read more.

  
My third and final pick is a 2012 debut.  Not only does the plot sound awesome, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Coming August 28, 2012 from Balzer+Bray

From Goodreads:

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Why I'm waiting on it: That plot description has me completely sold.  I can't wait to get my hands on this book.  It already has a home on my "books I would dance a jig for" list.
  

Cover Alert!

There have been some fantastic cover reveals today.  Three upcoming titles all had their covers revealed on various blogs and I couldn't have been more excited.  Think of it as a 1-2-3 punch of awesome, as there is a 2012 debut, a 2nd in series, and a 3rd in series to behold.  Be sure to click on the titles to add these books to your Goodreads shelves and read the descriptions. 

Defiance by C.J. Redwine (coming August 28, 2012 from Balzer+Bray)

Isn't this cover gorgeous!?  The plot description sounds just as amazing as the cover looks.  I'm looking forward to this 2012 debut.

The Unfailing Light (Katerina Trilogy #2) by Robin Bridges (coming October 9, 2012 from Random House Children's Books)

As if the cover wasn't enough, to find out that the sequel to The Gathering Storm comes out this year is the best news I've heard all day!  I had thought I would be waiting until next year.

Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien (coming October 2, 2012 from Roaring Book Press)

I am so in love with this series that I nearly forgot to breathe when I saw Caragh O'Brien's blog post feed on Goodreads.  This cover goes beautifully with the other two in the series and I am sure that the book itself will be as amazing as its predecessors.

Review - The Gathering Storm

by Robin Bridges
publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
date of publication: January 10, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 395
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

What I Thought

The Gathering Storm is one of those historically-based novels that just really draws you in and makes you want to learn more about the time period it is based upon.  When you add supernatural elements to such a book that gives you a new lens with which to view that period through, you have an especially interesting read.  Everything from the setting to the characters were attention-grabbing and absorbing.  There is so much to say about this book that I am worried I will miss something important.  However, I will definitely do my best to cover all of the best attributes of the book.

The setting was quite possibly my most favorite aspect of this book.  I haven't often had the chance of reading novels set in Russia (I know, I'm an English major who has never read Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky; shame on me!), but after reading The Gathering Storm, I definitely want to change that.  Tsarist Russia is interesting, to say the least, and I found myself intrigued by the ways in which court life were portrayed in The Gathering Storm.  From previous history classes I have taken, I had learned a little about the influence of French customs upon the Russian court, but to see it put to action added an entirely different nuance to it.  Not only that, but Ms. Bridges did such a great job of describing everything from the housing to the schools to the outdoors that I almost felt as though I was walking alongside Katerina throughout the book.  The descriptions of lush and glittering balls juxtaposed against the dark and mysterious shadows that exist alongside the light made for an epic read that I was sorry to see come to an end.

Another fantastic aspect of The Gathering Storm is its characters.  In many ways, Katerina is ahead of her times.  She isn't content to go with the status quo and fall in line with what is expected of young women in 1880s Russia.  She has dreams of becoming a doctor that make her less than willing to settle with her prescribed role.  In other ways, however, she is a contradiction to these dreams in that she still thinks she needs to be saved from time-to-time, which reflects the mindsets of other young ladies of her time.  Katerina, however, shows much promise.  I think she has great things ahead of her in the next installment and beyond.  She is much too dynamic as a character to not progress.  Grand Duke George, on the other hand, remains as much of a mystery to me now as he was when first introduced into the story.  I am intrigued as to where his character is going, however, so I will be looking forward to seeing what else he has to offer in later books.  In any case, from the good characters to the bad to those in between, there is much to discover in The Gathering Storm that will leave your head spinning and eager for more. 

I adored the storyline almost as much as the setting.  Threats to the Tsar, rampant murders in the court, and the supernatural creatures that surround it all make The Gathering Storm the spectacular and riveting story that it is.  Though there are vampires in this book, they are vampires as you have likely never experienced before.  There are many different species of vampire in this book that made for an especially interesting journey through eastern European folklore.  As if all of that weren't enough, there are also additions such as necromancers, wizards, and faeries hidden right in the midst of the Russian court.  With such vivid and intriguing subjects, it is hard not to find yourself caught up in the wonder of this story.

Fans of historical fiction and paranormal romance alike will find The Gathering Storm to be a force to be reckoned with.  I didn't want to put this one down, although I didn't want it to end, either.  Robin Bridges has given us another fantastic contribution to the beginning 2012 with this book.  I can't wait to see what she has for us in the future.

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