Wow - The Wind Whisperer by Krista Holle

I can't wait!!!

~t-o-n-e

Waiting on Wednesday... 

is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

The Wind Whisperer
by Krista Holle
Expected publication: October 2013

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious.  Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks.  But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him.  It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior.  Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief. 

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated.  Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light. 

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes.  Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.

Krista Holle

Wow - Assassins!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine....

I cannot wait for these books to come out!!  Both have assassins... and yet, they're totally different. I'm excited because these are my favorite authors this year so far. I hope Dark Triumph is as awesomely written as Grave Mercy. (No pressure, Robin!) And I hope Nobody is full of all the psychological twists I've come to anticipate from Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

I'm drumming my fingers. Waiting.

Still here.

Dark Triumph
by Robin LaFevers
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected pub: April 2nd 2013 by Houghton Miffin Books

Premise:

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.



Nobody
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected pub: January 22nd 2013 by EgmontUSA

Premise:

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

What are you waiting on?

Wow - Mind Games

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine...

Mind Games
by Kiersten White

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost


This bit of deliciousness doesn't come out 'til Feb 2013, but with an author like that... and a cover like that.... and a premise like that.... I'll be tapping my fingers impatiently 'til then!!

What are you waitin' on?!

Wow - Sequels!!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine...

This week, I'm excited about Nexts!!!  

The Forgiven Duke
Jamie Carie

Tethered by her impulsive promise to marry Lord John Lemon - the path of least resistance - Alexandria Featherstone sets off toward Iceland in search of her parents with a leaden heart. A glimpse of her guardian, the Duke of St. Easton - the path less traveled by - on Dublin’s shore still haunts her.

Guardian 


coming fall of 2012. Pre-order an e-copy NOW for only $3.99!
Amazon/B&N


& Avenger
expected April 2013

by Heather Burch

Wow - Etiquette and Espionage + Update!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I found this amazing-looking book on an author update on Goodreads... a feed off of Gail Carringer's blog.  I love the colors & the similarity to the Parasol Protectorate Series... but the title. Oh MY!!  This sounds like a book I can't wait to get my hands on... only I'll have to. Wait, that is. It doesn't come out 'til next February!!! What's up with that?!

 

Etiquette & Espionage

by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.

Update:  I brought my laptop out to my brother today (an hour away). He's a programmer and my dad, a professional tech supporter, zipped over with his computer tools and something that will suck info off my hard-drive.

The prognosis is that my hard drive did, indeed, crash. I'm not sure whether I should pull my hair out that I haven't backed anything up for a year... or whether I should count all my blessings.

'Cause I had started rewriting my book... so all my previous drafts are on my Nook to read and I hadn't written much, yet, compared to next month, even. (Which will be backed up!!!!)  And I posted so many of my favorite pictures somewhere. All my books are all retrievable, if they aren't already on my Nook... which leaves my blog. If Blogger will just behave 'til I get my other duckies all in a row, I shall be so careful to back up everything everywhere.

Of course, the biggest blessing is having family that will leap to my rescue, saving me a lot of money in repairs for the time (and care!) involved in this rescue.  Greater yet is the undistracted quality time I've been spending with my family, since it's so awkward to get online.

I wish I could claim extra reading time, too, but I've been running around like a maniac. I'll see if I can't add that to my Thankful List while my laptop is painfully far away getting worked on.

Since I did not get my post up for Shadow on the Wall today, I will have an author interview with Pavarti Tyler SOON, which will be even better!!!

If only I pre-wrote my posts a week in advance!!!!  Yea... right.

Wow - Review and Author Email - Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Welcome Waiting on Wednesday-ers and Colorimetry Readers... today I give you the long-awaited email from Anna Banks that nearly rolled me off the couch (had I been less wedged, I would've fallen off.)

Wow is hosted by Breaking the Spine...


Of Poseidon

by Anna Banks
Hardcover, 324 pages
Expected publication: May 22nd, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends
NetGalley e-copy for review on my Nook


Premise: Ganked from Goodreads

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .  

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

I have been in love with this cover since the first time I saw it and posted it on Waiting on Wednesday back in November.  That means I can claim it as my own, right?

What do I like about it?!?!  The color, the fogginess, the way the girl is swimming fully dressed in the dark?!  I'm not sure.  I tell you what, though... this cover has NO HINT of Author-Snarkiness!!  To find that, you gotta read the very first paragraph in the book:

"I SMACK into him as if shoved from behind. He doesn't budge, not an inch. Just holds my shoulders and waits. Maybe he's waiting for me to find my balance. Maybe he's waiting for me to gather my pride. I hope he's got all day."

I had just slipped into bed and cracked the book open (figuratively speaking) to see if I wanted to read it next (in my compulsive way of avoiding my "to do" review list.)

And instantly I was cracking up. When I thought I was done laughing, I was laughing again. And then I wanted to cry... and then laugh... and my husband thought there was a problem with me and there was... I was getting a loaded dose of Anna Banks.

I would like to say it's only this book that's the problem, that the author had a moment of confusion where snarky humor overtook her writing, that she settled down after a chapter or two. No such luck. Check out her picture below... innocent right?  But then read her email to me. Uh-huh!!

So what did I think of the book?

My Review:

I didn’t mean to read the entire book in one day. *ahem*  Really.  I didn’t have the time, and I really wanted a book I could wander through slowly on my Nook, so Of Poseidon was very inconvenient.

It's light & fun… if death and survival-of-the-species is “light & fun”. The author’s humor leaks out everywhere, from the exclamations, to the slapstick situations that got reactions out of me (yes, I think tripping is funny. I’ve done my fair share of it.) 

I saw in other reviews that procreation was criticized as a goal. In answer, my reply is, "it was explained". I am all about WHY’S!!  There is plenty reason behind the procreation focus, not to mention the characters complaining about it themselves and I didn't feel any one person, like Emma, was more put out than anyone else. It made plenty of sense, although, I agree the system stinks. Who wouldn't?!  You'll have to read it to see what I mean.

Emma is a fun character. She has deep, strong relationships and a good grasp on her own feelings. Garen is excessively handsome, which borderlines cliché, alrighty, especially with the hormonal-type romantic attraction firin’ up every scene. (Think Firelight or Twilight wolves.)

The story is told very interestingly. Emma’s point of view is in first person, whereas Garen’s is in omniscient third. I was jolted out of the story a few times settling into the pov over and over. The overall effect is understanding the situation from both sides, while feeling as if I am Emma.

So, what did I like best? The world-building. The irreverent humor. The Syrena were believable. Their history and general life are explained a little, enough to answer some initial questions. There is plenty more that is not explained, but the story is not complete in this volume. (Semi-cliff-hanger, anyone?!) And the humor caught me by surprise too many times to count.

I would so love to discuss deeper plot stuff... like...

When did I catch on to who was who?  What's up with Grom's love life?!  What in the world is Garen going to do with the pickle he's gotten himself into?!  And can we see more of Toraf and Rayna PLEASE?!  I love 'em!!

My Rating: 4 - Good!!  This is a snarky light read with a well-developed concept.

Now for the good stuff.

I saw all the humor on Anna's website. I mean, she says stuff like " If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place." So I wrote her an email asking if she hadn't noticed that her story didn't end when the book did?  'Cause I kept trying to flip to the next page on my Nook when I was out of pages!!

I know... irreverent of me.  But she replied with this (I am justified!!) (Bolding mine):

Hey Laura!
    I'm so very mad at you right now. I was eating dinner with my family at THE fanciest Sonic in town when I read your email and I promptly snorted coconut slushy right out of my nose and onto my chili dog. I paid good money for that chili dog! So, please know that wherever you are right now at this moment, I am giving you the stank eye.

   LOL!  As for the plans on wrapping up that story, there will be a sequel, tentatively called Of Triton. Unfortunately, Galen dies. Or does he???? Mwahahahahaha! (Payback for my chili dog! I mean, it was a foot long!).

   As for your questions, Syrena is the Polish word for mermaid. Don't tell Galen.

I got the idea to write about mermaids from an article I read which outlined how they'd discovered that the colossal squid--that ginormous thing you see with its tentacles wrapped around ships in old drawings--actually does exist. All this time, as late as 2005, they thought the colossal squid was just fishermen's lore.  I thought, What ELSE could be out there? Mermaids? Sasquatch? (I believe in Sasquatch, BTW).  And so it began.

I collect signed books, Gone With The Wind stuff (seriously) and cellulite, which I store below my waist. My favorite color is red. I'm from Niceville Florida. The people in Niceville are not always nice. In fact, whoever named it Niceville might have been using sarcasm...

I'm glad you like the cover. They were actually thinking about changing it at one point, so I wake up each day thankful that plan was thwarted because I lub my cover! :)

I'll let my publicist know that you very obviously had pages missing from the ARC you downloaded, because I certainly DID finish up the story, AND I started a new one. All in the last sentence of the last page. Alas, I know this ending is going to get me a black eye when I go on tour this summer.... =D

Thanks again for the laugh (snort),
Anna

I rec'd her email when I was sitting on the couch with my abundant family watching some show about fixing up cool hotrods (if you must know, Anna Banks) and I started laughing outloud, of course, and had trouble staying upright despite being squished in place tightly.

I did not email back... 'cause obviously she's got the upper hand with snortin' slushies and who knows what irreverent thing I would say next. Better to stop while I'm ahead and just publicly post her email to share with everyone. Don't you think?

We got some good news here...  a sequel in the works, and Galen's possible imminent death, and a word in Polish!!  Plus some touring comin' up!!

Ganked from her blog:

Oh hecktotheyes! I'm going on book tour this summer with three fellow Macmillan (and undeniably awesome) YA authors: Jennifer Bosworth (STRUCK), Emmy Laybourne (MONUMENT 14), and Leah Bardugo (SHADOW & BONE). We shall be called FIERCE READS. Check out our Facebook page here, and be sure to like us, at least a little. :)  

For a complete schedule of tour stops, check out the "Appearances" tab at the top of my blog.  

Also, if you can make one of the stops, be sure to ask me "Boxers or briefs?" because I'm DYING to say, "Saran Wrap!" =D

If anyone makes the tour, can you pleeeese ask her "Boxers or Briefs?"?!?!  (I just dare ya to come to Portland, Oregon, Anna!!!)

Find & Follow:

Blog

Twitter

Fierce Reads Tour on Facebook

Pre-Order your copy:

The Book Depository

Wow - "Too Many" books?!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I look forward to sharing the up-coming releases I'm looking forward to and seeing everyone else's. This is the day my Wishlist grows. It doesn't need my help to grow, really, it seems to have a life of it's own... and these are two of the newest books on it:



The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
by Kady Cross (Check out the author's website!!  SO cool!!!)

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.  

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. 

Um... this cover is so beautiful and unusual. I haven't even read The Girl in the Steel Corset, yet, and I want this book!!!

Silver
by Talia Vance

Before Brianna fully understands who and what she is, she accidentally binds her soul to Blake. Forced to find a way to reconcile forbidden love and her bloody heritage, Brianna discovers that there's nothing pointless about her, and Blake may be in the most danger of all. 

How do you accidentally bind you soul to someone, anyone?!

I love this barren blue cover. The title is what intrigues me the most, though... what does silver have to do with being beautiful and binding souls? I need to know the answer to this question.


So... you know Savage Grace came out yesterday, right? Well... the first two in the series are on SALE right now, which is very newsworthy, in my opinion. Since I'm not expecting any books in the mail this week, I've been inexplicably drawn to e-copies. Something about e-books that only cost a buck or two is very innocent, you know? Compelling... beautiful... non-space-taking...

If anyone else is feeling this pull, here are some great deals I found hopping around:

Only $1.79  (You know you want to. They're less than $2/ea!!)

These are FREE:

(11:15 is a pre-quel to Halflings - JUST released. Woop!!)

$.99 - Read with me the third week of March(ish)!!!
Also $.99 for Nook.



$1.29  (This is a must-have, of course, for Nook HERE.)

From my Wishlist... $3.99 Nook; $3.49 Kindle:

$3.99 Must-Have's for Kindles only:

Graceling is available for $6.99 on Nook, which, if you don't have it, well, you MUST!!

You're WELCOME!!!  :-D  

Thanks for stopping by!!  I can't wait to see what you are waiting for!  Leave me a comment so I make sure to swing by your post.