Waiting on Wednesday (44): I’ll Give You the Sun

Waiting on WednesdayI’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

book cover I'll Give You the Sun Jandy Nelson

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell

Jude and her brother, Noah, are incredibly close twins. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude surfs and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and divisive ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as an unpredictable new mentor. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world. 
 
This radiant, fully alive, sometimes very funny novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once. 

OMFGGGG YOU GUYS. I’ve been waiting for this cover to come out so that I could feature Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN in Waiting on Wednesday. In fact, I’ve been so impatient and excited about it that I nearly shouted it out without a cover, just to talk about it. Because I can’t wait for this book. It’s probably one of a very small handful of books that I’m anticipating the most this year. I’m just going to say it now: There’s almost nothing Jandy Nelson can do to wreck my enthusiasm for this book.

Jandy Nelson’s THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is one of my favorite books. All time. I just love it. She does family so well that I can’t wait to see what kind of relationship she creates between Noah and Jude. It sounds heartbreaking and lovely, and I know that Jandy Nelson’s writing will be BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL. SIGH.

I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN comes out September 16, 2014 (aka not soon enough) from Dial BFYR

I'll Give You the Sun

Waiting on Wednesday (43): The Copper Promise

Waiting on WednesdayThe Copper Promise by Jen Williams

Book cover The Copper Promise  Jen Williams

There are some far-fetched rumours about the caverns beneath the Citadel…

Some say the mages left their most dangerous secrets hidden there; others, that great riches are hidden there; even that gods have been imprisoned in its darkest depths.

For Lord Frith, the caverns hold the key to his vengeance. Against all the odds, he has survived torture and lived to see his home and his family taken from him … and now someone is going to pay. For Wydrin of Crosshaven and her faithful companion, Sir Sebastian Caverson, a quest to the Citadel looks like just another job. There’s the promise of gold and adventure. Who knows, they might even have a decent tale or two once they’re done.

But sometimes there is truth in rumour.

Soon this reckless trio will be the last line of defence against a hungry, restless terror that wants to tear the world apart. And they’re not even getting paid.

DRAGONSSSSSS. So I seem to be finding all of these books lately that aren’t available in the US. This is quite a large shame in the case of THE COPPER PROMISE because HELLOOOOO OMG, there be DRAGONS in this book. Not only dragons, but “hungry, restless” ones. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. (Sorry not sorry for the CAPSLOCK, friends.)

But aside from the dragons, I just love the sound of this one. There’s a quest (QUESTS!) and what sounds like some kind of crew of a mysterious nature–what IS the deal with Wydrin, Sebastian, and Lord Frith guys?–that my interest is BEYOND piqued. Kind of dying for this to come out on this side of the pond, friends.

THE COPPER PROMISE comes out February 13, 2014 from Headline in the UK

The Copper Promise

Waiting on Wednesday (42): Princess of Thorns

Waiting on WednesdayPrincess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Book cover Princess of Thorns Stacey Jay

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Waiting on Wednesday (41): The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare

Waiting on WednesdayThe 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare: Alex Wayfare #1 by M.G. Buehrlen

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Buehrlen

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Waiting on Wednesday (40): Dreamwood

Waiting on WednesdayDreamwood by Heather Mackey

Book cover Dreamwood Heather Mackey

 

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Waiting on Wednesday (39): The Waking World

Waiting on Wednesday

The Waking World: The Future King #1 by Tom Huddleston

Book cover for The Waking World by Tom Huddleston

waking world synopsis

I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS BOOK. I’m so upset that it’s only coming out in the UK right now. Because OMG. A dystopian King Arthur tale? The return of King Arthur is actually a HUGE element in the original story, but I don’t know of very many books that deal with it (AVALON HIGH by Meg Cabot and THE DEATH CATCHERS by Jennifer Anne Kogler come to mind), but THE WAKING WORLD has pirates. PIRATES. I can’t.

I am just basically DYING to read this book. As a huge King Arthur nerd, I am always on the lookout for more books and retellings about him and his world, and this one sounds so legit. Also, the author’s name is ALMOST Tom Hiddleston, and that gets me VERY excited.

THE WAKING WORLD  is already available in the UK. No release date for the US, though. *sad face*

Second Star

Waiting on Wednesday (38): Second Star

Waiting on Wednesday

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Book cover for Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Second Star

WHAAAAAT a retelling of Peter Pan. DO. NOT. TEASE. I’m totally psyched for SECOND STAR. First of all, Peter Pan is one of my favorite stories. I always loved the movie versions when I was a kid, and I don’t just mean the Disney one. I am still fascinated by Neverland, and Peter Pan and Captain Hook and all of it. The idea of this contemporary retelling of Peter Pan with lost brothers and surfers and drug dealing bad boys is just making me all fidgety. BRING IT, Alyssa B. Sheinmel. I am ready for your words.

SECOND STAR comes out May 13, 2014 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Second Star

Waiting on Wednesday (36): The Winner’s Curse

Waiting on Wednesday

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Book cover for The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse

THE WINNER’S CURSE by Marie Rutkoski has been on my radar since some lucky ducks got SUPER early copies at BEA. It immediately set off a bunch of my “OOOOH! THIS SOUNDS EXCELLENT” bells because it’s a fantasy, and we all know how much I’m all over those. Any time I hear about a new fantasy series starting I get the happy fidgets; I just want to read them all.

But when I read the synopsis, a few bonus things jumped out at me: First, right off the bat, Kristin Cashore’s name flashed like a huge neon sign in front of my face. KRISTIN CASHORE. Done. I’m in. (Cassandra Clare, too, but if I’m being honest, Kristin Cashore is more of a draw for me.) But then there’s also this music angle, and war and slavery. This sounds like some legit drama, friends. Can’t wait to get my mitts on it!

THE WINNER’S CURSE comes out March 4, 2014 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Winner's Curse

Waiting on Wednesday (35): Maybe One Day

Waiting on Wednesday

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

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Waiting on Wednesday (34): The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Waiting on Wednesday

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Book cover for The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

 

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

WHOA. This debut sounds like it’s going to ROCK MY SOCKS RIGHT OFF MY FEET. Read that synopsis again and count the awesome things. It’s ok. I’ll wait. *waits and hums and daydreams about Ichabod Crane from the Sleepy Hollow TV show* So, did you see all the awesome things?! Magical realism, a girl who LITERALLY has wings, teenage angst, trouble with love, a boy who thinks said girl with feathers is an angel–I can’t deal. Like, I am ready to read this book NOW NOW NOW. Plus, I’m very much looking forward to the fact that THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER  is Leslye Walton‘s debut, and that even the SYNOPSIS sounds pretty. That is some kind of good sign, I think.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is coming out on March 25, 2014 from Candlewick PressGoodreads