Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine 

and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

My pick this week:

All the Truth That's In Me
Julie Berry

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication date: September 26th 2013
by Viking Juvenile  

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last

Falling back on my good old contemporaries that will, I'm sure, have a much better outcome than dystopians lately. I'm telling you I get nauseous at the thought of having to read another dystopian novel. But anyways, the blurb says I will be shocked and disturbed, and that is all I really need to know! >.< Plus I'm kind of loving this cover--it does reminds me a little of Slated but I do prefer this one, I'm liking the red and white contrast.

What are you waiting on, this Wednesday?

Link me up! :)

Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hopeless
Colleen Hoover

Series: Hopeless #1
Genre: NA Contemporary
Publication date: May 7th 2013
by Atria Books

Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own. Holder has the ability to invoke feelings in Sky she's never had before. In just one encounter he leaves her terrified yet captivated and something about him brings up a rush of memories from the past that she’s worked so hard to bury away.

Sky knows Holder is nothing but trouble and tries to keep him at a distance, but he is adamant about learning everything he can about her. Sky finally caves to his unwavering pursuit, but she soon finds out that Holder isn't the person he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life changes forever.

-A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review-

Wow where do I start? At the amazing characters? At the sky rocketing chemistry? At the scenes that are so powerfully emotional that you want to curl into a ball and cry for days? I have nothing but praise for this gem that Colleen has created. This book rocked my world, and then it broke it in two.

Before we get down and heavy into the depths, let's talk about what started it all, and that is the characters. Sky is our protagonist and she could not have been a more enjoyable character for me. She does not have an ounce of superficiality on her body. This girl is honest, so honest that she blurts out the most random and embarrassing things because she doesn't want to play games or make assumptions. She's probably the most authentic character I have met in a book thus far. Her straightforward attitude is the cause of a few comical moments between her and Holder, but moreover, it's the reason she fits so well with him. Holder is definitely intense--especially at the beginning. He clearly has issues that he has a hard time voicing, which leaves him balancing on the edge of his abyss. I found their personalities to fit together perfectly, actually. I was not sure about Holder as the love interest at the start as he came off as a little forceful, but I was left intrigued by the reasons behind these actions. It's obvious he has motives beyond our understanding, and he never crossed any lines in my "book of unforgiving behavior", he's just a little... determined. It didn't take long until we got to see more sides to him, showing that his character is much more complex than the bad boy he's rumored to being. Together, these two sizzle! I have rarely come upon a romance that sparked as much as this one. Their chemistry is coupled with a shared connection that is positively explosive, yet convincing. I was lost to lala-land entirely while reading this novel.

Much darker than I had expected, Hopeless is a harsh read that will clobber your heart, leaving you bloody and broken. While I did guess at a lot of the events that would occur, this novel still left me disturbed and shocked, even when I did know what was coming. It's the kind of story that is not meant to leave you flabbergasted by the sudden twist of events--although the less perceptive than I might be--rather it's meant to rattle your bones with its raw, visceral intensity. The last half of the novel delivers some violently emotional scenes that displays exactly what kind of talent Colleen possesses to be able to embed so much power into the written word. I'm telling you, some of it took my breath away--I literally had the urge to look away until it passed, not because of anything gory (though one part is a little bit), but because of how much pain it entails. I was not expecting so much grit from such a pretty blue skied cover.

On the subject of covers, take a look at the full mockup and tell me you don't get chills (especially those who've read it):

Such a perfect representation. I'm hoping the published version is not changed as the front cover was modified slightly for the Atria release.

What else can I say? This novel was an honest to goodness extraordinary read that mesmerized me every step of the way. It's undeniably haunting, crazily romantic, and the type of story that you just don't get over.

5 Hot Espressos

Review: Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

Chantress
Amy Butler Greenfield

Series: Chantress Trilogy #1
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Publication date: May 7th 2013
by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England.

“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

-A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review-

Sadly, it's not a heart that she's holding on the cover, it's her stone necklace! Boo! Just wanted to get that out of the way first. A gorgeous cover, however--though slightly less interesting than when I thought it was a heart--Chantress is pretty on the outside, and intriguing on the inside.

We begin this book in an interesting setting while we learn how Lucy was told never to sing or bad things will occur. I was made both curious and alarmed at the uncertainty surrounding Lucy's life and lifestyle. She became a compelling character right away; I yearned to know more about her and to my impatient nature's delight the answers started arriving just as quickly. We learn early on who she is exactly, what happens when she sings, and why she should have stayed blissfully hidden and unaware. We also get to meet a lot of great personalities that become surprisingly memorable throughout the story. Even those with the smallest roles all have something that makes them stand out from one another. The lore that we get introduced to is impressive; imaginative and clearly well thought out--especially the Shadowgrims; although I wish they had a bigger part inside the book aside from a hovering threat, they were still a fascinating aspect.

While the premise is original and interesting, I found it a tad too slow for my taste. Hardly anything happens in this book at all except a flurry of events at the end that was maybe a little too easy. Even with the violence and deaths that occur I found it was over and done with as quickly as it had started, with nothing extremely heart shattering about it. It would have helped if the villain of the story was seen as a more threatening enigma, I suppose. We only meet him briefly, keeping him as nothing more than an afterthought for the reader. I feel his part in the whole thing should have been played out with much more show rather than tell to validate his wickedness. The same could be said for the Shadowgrims, as mentioned before; while we observe more of their presence than their master's, these instances are nothing more than a few close calls. Instead, most of the book is spent underground where Lucy is hiding, training to use her powers. This training is slow moving and grueling. It's good--even great--for character development to see her slowly learning and understanding her powers as a Chantress, however it does get mundane after a hundred pages of this. The one good thing to come of it aside from character development is the equally slow moving romance, which may not be anything mind-blowing, but it's sweet and realistic. It's also kept to a minimum. I would even describe it as the slow beginning of something to come.

Great, spirited characters and a unique lore is what fans of fantasy/mythology can expect to enjoy from this novel. If the plot had a little more bite to it, it would have been a truly great read, as it stands it's still a book I would recommend to those who enjoy the genre, I would just advise to not expect to be swept away into a twist riddled, exhilarating plot--because that, it is not.

3 Hot Espressos

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (52)

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

This week at Xpresso Reads

Ok guys this is going to be quick because I'm reading Hopeless and it's so freakingly amazing that I'm doing this post in a hurry to get back to it! So blah blah blah. Kthxbye! Oh wait. I got 2 new giveaways on the blog this week don't forget to check out zee sidebar!

Reviews on the blog this week:

Xpresso Book Tours

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Tours open for sign ups:
-- Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer
-- Hidden by M. Lathan
-- Saving Ben by Ashley Farley
-- The Children and the Blood by Megan Joel Peterson
-- The Book by Jessica Bell  
-- Dead Living by Glenn Bullion
-- Alyx Rayer Chronicles by S.J. Pierce
-- Fall For Me by K.A. Last
--Edge of Truth by Natasha Hanova 
--Fall From Love by Heather London

Stacking the Shelves

 (Click on covers or title links for Goodreads)
I received for review:

*Big thanks to AToMR Tours, Megan Hand, and Simon & Schuster for these pretties!*


I bought
Saw some great deals at Chapters so I grabbed a few pretties! I mean, look at those prices! :D

-Heist Society by Ally Carter

-Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales

-In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

-Strange Angels & Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

I was gifted:
I have been DYING to read this one after I read the amazeballs review from Amylicious at Book Loving Mom and I was equally dying that I couldn't get it at the Kobo store, so when it finally popped up on there she gifted it to me! I love this girl with all my heart! Thanks, love muffin!! And also, it's her BIRTHDAY today so don't forget to all wish her a fab day! :D (I know, right? It's her bday and she buys ME gifts! She's an odd duck, this one!)

*leaves in a hurry to get back to awesome book of awesome*

Link me to your book haul in the comments for when I'm back in the world of the living! :)

XOXO!

Fresh Batch (April 21st - 27th)

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Unbreakable
Elizabeth Norris 

Series: Unraveling, #1
Publication date: April 23rd 2013
by Balzer + Bray

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

Unraveling series:

Elizabeth's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter.

She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.

Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.