Book Review | The Wrath and the Dawn | Renee Ahdieh

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | The Wrath and the Dawn | Renee AhdiehThe Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #1
Published by Putnam Juvenile on May 12, 2015
Genres: Fantasy YA, Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 388
Format: eARC
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

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Waiting on Wednesday (52): The Young Elites

Waiting on Wednesday

The Young Elites: The Young Elites #1 by Marie Lu

Book cover The Young Elites Marie Lu

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Guys, I am a die-hard, forever fan of Marie Lu’s Legend series. CHAMPION is one of the best concluding volumes of a series EVER. I’ve known that Marie Lu was writing another series, but when I saw the synopsis for THE YOUNG ELITES, I got incredibly excited. IT SOUNDS AMAZING. Like, I NEED IT. Survivors of a dangerous fever developing powerful gifts? The Inquisition Axis?? THE DAGGER SOCIETY?! Shut the front door. It’s got this fantastical Venice vibe to it that KILLS ME DEAD.

Also:

Young Elites

SHUT AAAAAAP. So awesome. In fact, go check out Marie Lu’s entire Pinterest board for THE YOUNG ELITES. Prepare to DIE. I legit can’t wait for this beyond-awesome-sounding book.

THE YOUNG ELITES comes out October 7, 2014 from Putnam Juvenile

The Young Elites

Waiting on Wednesday (40): Dreamwood

Waiting on WednesdayDreamwood by Heather Mackey

Book cover Dreamwood Heather Mackey

 

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Book Review | The 5th Wave | Rick Yancey

Book Review | The 5th Wave | Rick YanceyThe 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #1
Published by Putnam Juvenile on May 7, 2013
Genres: Aliens, Post-Apocalyptic YA, Science Fiction
Pages: 592
Format: Hardcover
Source: BookExpo
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

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Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Book cover for Prodigy by Marie LuTitle: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend, #2
Genre: Dystopian YA
Publisher: Putnam
Release date: January 29, 2013
Amazon | Goodreads
Source: ARC from Publisher

Summary: June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

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Waiting on Wednesday (22): The Vindico by Wesley King

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!

The Vindico

by Wesley King

Book cover for The Vindico by Wesley King

X-Men meets The Breakfast Club in this darkly humorous adventure.

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire–after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .

Um, X-MEN MEETS THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Seriously. Reading this synopsis just makes me incredibly excited for some fast-paced, thrilling, superhero ACTION. I’m a little new to the superhero thing, but I’m making up for lost time in a big way, friends, and THE VINDICO sounds like the perfect kind of book to help me further my new love. 

Also, did you catch that hint at moral ambiguity at the end there? I can’t overstate how much I love reading about gray area. Things being black and white certainly have their place and I love those kinds of stories, too. But the gray area is where the juicy stuff is, and I’ve got high hopes for THE VINDICO. BRING IT, supervillans. Bring it. 

THE VINDICO is coming out June 14, 2012 from Putnam Juvenile.