Deity
(Covenant #3)
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
To be released: November 6, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads)
"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "
Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.
If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...
I had the first book to this series sitting on my shelf for over a year and decided to randomly read it one day this summer and OH MY GODS why did I wait so long? I immediately went and read the sequel and am now dying to read Deity. I plan on getting around to reviewing the first two books (I'm trying, but we shall see things hav been crazy for me), but seriously, this series is a new favorite. I cannot wait for the next book. I'm super excited, especially after how book 2 finished. Everyone should read this series. Cannot wait for November to see what happens next.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
The Torn Wing
(The Faerie Ring #2)
Kiki Hamilton
Publisher: Tor Teen
To be released: October 2, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation...
Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and those she loves, Tiki needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will she be brave enough to face the truth?
If you haven't read the first book in this series, The Faerie Ring, I highly suggest you go do that. It was one of my favorite books of 2012 and I cannot wait to read the sequel. I'm so excited to see what is gonna happen to Tiki next and to learn more about her. I'm dying for it to be October to read this book.
"My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has...welll...issues. How do you think I am doing?" - opening line ofPushing the Limits
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. Echo and Noah couldn’t be more different, but they find themselves united by a common goal: to sneak into their court-
ordered social worker’s case files in order to learn the truth about themselves and their families. What they didn’t count on is falling in love -- and now Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the
limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
Oh god, this book. This book
gave me all the FEELS. I knew this book would be dealing with some serious
stuff but I didn’t expect to feel such a wide range of emotions. I laughed, I
bawled my eyes out, and even got angry. So many feelings that I wasn’t expecting.
Pushing the Limits was so much more than a romance story. While the romance was smoking
hot, I have to say I enjoy learning more about Noah and Echo as characters and
seeing them overcome their struggles more than the romance. Both Echo and Noah
are very trouble characters and have dark secrets they have kept buried inside.
Katie McGarry was not afraid of tackling the nitty gritty and serious issues,
which I really liked. She was able to capture the emotional struggles Echo and
Noah were facing so well that I was in tears for these poor, poor characters.
Normally I am not a fan of
alternating points of view, one of the characters always seem to come off as
weaker or it just does nothing for the plot, but in the case of Pushing the Limits the alternating point
of view worked perfectly. I loved getting into both Echo and Noah’s head. The
writing helped create these characters who you come to care about and get
emotionally attached to. Katie McGarry wrote these fabulous characters and as a
reader you were truly was able to get into each of their heads. When a chapter
ended and switched characters it didn’t feel awkward, the story flowed and it
didn’t feel like head jumping (thankfully!).
Now Noah and Echo, man, I
just wanted to give them a hug. And boy, do they need one. Noah is the boy
everyone warns their daughters against, but he’s so much more. While he has the
tough, bad boy exterior, Noah is one of the most caring, motivated, strong
teenagers I’ve seen. Despite all the struggles he’s had to face, like losing
his parents and growing up in foster care, he’s extremely dedicated to his two
brothers who have been separated from him. Noah’s devotion to his younger
brothers, oh god. It was the sweetest thing. The scenes with Noah and his
brothers made me tear up so much, I’m not afraid to say it. He loves them so
much and will do anything for them. Noah gives everything to those he loves and
will do anything to protect those he loves, such an admirable trait. I loved
that aspect of his personality so much. I loved how he grew as a character over
book. And then there is Echo. That poor poor girl. She definitely has it rough.
Her father is overprotective and overbearing, she is not allowed to see her
mother because of an event Echo cannot remember but left her with horrible
scars over her arms. Despite everything, Echo still wants to remember the
horrible event that almost killed her and still cares for her mother. Her
struggle to learn the truth about that night was hard to read. All she wanted
was to know. When she finally learns the truth, I was in tears with her. Like
Noah, she grew so much over the story. She was willing to come to terms with
what happen and open up to those around her, thanks to Noah. While they might
be the two messed up character ever, they were so adorable and perfect
together.
The romance in this book was
electric. Noah and Echo’s chemistry jumped off the page and you couldn’t help
but want them to be together. They needed to be together for each other. But
the romance did not define this book. Yes, it might be how they market it, what
with the cover and all but it was so much more. The emotional struggles in the
book are what really made me love it. The romance was a nice bonus.
If you read one book this
year, it definitely should be Pushing the
Limits. Its such a great read that captivates you with its amazing
characters and draws you in with their struggles. I’m super excited to see what
Katie McGarry writes next because she has me next. A companion book staring a
secondary character for this book is being published so I’m super excited for
that! Hands down, Pushing the Limit
is a must read.
P.S. I think these lines
from the Broadway show Next to Normal define
what Noah and Echo both are ultimately working toward in their struggles: “I
don't need a life that's normal—/ That's way too far away, / But
something...next to normal / Would be okay. / Yeah, something next to normal— /That's
the thing I'd like to try. /Close enough to normal / To get by...”
Q & A with Author Katie McGarry
Q: What was your inspiration for writing Pushing the Limits?
A: I had two main inspirations: One, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to write a story in which my characters felt strong enough to leave their pasts behind and create new futures for themselves. The first scene I ever saw in my mind was Echo and Noah leaving town after graduation. Two, I wanted to write two characters who were facing over- whelming issues and who, through battling these issues, found hope at the end of their journey.
Q: How did you come up with Echo’s name?
A: Echo went through several name changes as I wrote the manuscript. For a while, she had a very normal name, but it always felt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echo from her mother’s point of view that I found her name. Echo’s mother loved Greek mythology so it made perfect sense that she would name her children after the myths. I read several Greek myths and the moment I found Echo’s, I fell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl who lost her voice. Thankfully, she finds it by the end.
Q: Which character is the most “like” you?
A: All of them. I gave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me than others). Overall, I’d say I’m a strange combination of Echo, Lila and Beth. Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing loyalty to my friends and Beth encompasses my insecurities.
Q: Did you experience friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?
A: Yes. And the more people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace has struck a stronger nerve in people than I ever would have imagined. It seems most of us have un-fortunately experienced a relationship where a person wants to “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it serves their needs. In case anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.
Q: Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?
A: Yes. The relationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, my nearest family members were over fourteen hours away. My friends became my family. The peopleI grew up with were more than people I watched movies with or talked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I shared life’s most devastating moments, but also my hardest laughs. These were people who I would have willing- ly died for and I know they would have done the same for me. They shared my triumphs with smiles on their faces and con- gratulatory hugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt my feelings. These were also the same people who were more than happy to get in my face if they thought I was making a wrong decision.
Q: Did anything that happens to Echo happen to you?
A: Sort of. I was bitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It felt very strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. It was even strang- er to have injuries and not have an inkling where they came from. In college, I finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. I relived the horrible event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes later to find myself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, I still don’t remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind and there is no blood in any of the memories.
Check out the book trailer!
About author Katie McGarry:
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.
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Perfect Scoundrels
(Heist Society #3)
Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
To be released: February 5, 2013
Summary (from Goodreads):
Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.
No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.
Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.
I love the Heist Society series and cannot wait for the next book in the series. I really like the summary of this book and I like that we shall see a lot of Hale since he's my favorite character (maybe we will finally find out his real name). I cannot wait to see what Kat and the gang get up to next. February seems to far away to wait!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
