Waiting on Wednesday | Revenge and the Wild | Michelle Modesto

Jun 24

Waiting on Wednesday

Revenge and the Wild • Michelle Modesto

Book cover Revenge and the Wild Michelle Modesto

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

STAHHHP. Is this a fantasy steampunk Western? DOES THE SYNOPSIS SAY WAGON TRAIL?! Someone send me smelling salts. Please. PLEASE. I can’t. REVENGE AND THE WILD sounds amazing. Westie sounds like a complete BAMF, with her mechanical arm and her foul mouth. The magic and the gold angle sounds really interesting. I just need this book, guys.

REVENGE AND THE WILD comes out February 2, 2016 from Balzer + Bray

Revenge and the Wild Michelle Modesto

 

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Waiting on Wednesday | Blackhearts | Nicole Castroman

Jun 10

Waiting on Wednesday

Blackhearts • Nicole Castroman

Book cover Blackhearts Nicole Castroman

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. This is their story.

Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There’s just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents’ deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she’s stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

I swear, friends, I had no idea that this cover was just released today until I looked at Twitter late in the afternoon, but YAY PIRATES. I am dyinggg over the prospect of being able to read about the infamous Blackbeard before he became infamous. There’s nothing about BLACKHEARTS that doesn’t appeal to me: the time period, the setting, the plot. Loving it all.

I will admit to being SUPER nervous about the end of this book already because, well, Blackbeard eventually became that nasty pirate. And, like, I don’t know this Anne person. Sooo…fingers crossed that this one doesn’t have a heart-breaking ending, guys.

BLACKHEARTS comes out on February 9, 2016 from Simon Pulse

Blackhearts Nicole Castroman

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Most Anticipated Books in the Second Half of 2015

Jun 9

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books in the Second Half of 2015

Wooo, guys. Sometimes I can’t even with these lists. The “ten” just feels SO CONSTRICTING. It’s SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF MY LIST. There’s way more than 10 books that I’m dying to read in the second half of 2015. Nothing out of the ordinary here. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that there are books I’m excited about that didn’t make the cut. But, like, barely because I want to read them ALL.

Top Ten Tuesday

Guys, I’m starting the dog days of summer off RIGHT. I’m dying for THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO. I can’t wait to read about Tim. COURT OF FIVES will probably be my first Kate Elliott book, unless I dive into one of her old-school fantasies before then. THE WOLF WILDER just sounds…so beyond amazing, I can’t even deal. I DO NOT EVER pass up on new Jay Crownover books, like BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE, even though I prefer her Marked Men series to Welcome to the Point. And DUH QUEEN OF SHADOWS. DUH.

Top Ten Tuesday

I just really read the synopsis for SORCERER TO THE CROWN the other day even though it’s been on my TBR for a while now, and it blew me away. NEED IT. VENGEANCE ROAD is pushing all of my Western buttons. A MADNESS SO DISCREET sounds creepy and perfect for fall. WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER = see VENGEANCE ROAD + Rae Carson. And I’ve been solidly in Marie Lu’s corner since her Legend series. Book 1 in The Young Elites was good, but ended so strongly, I can’t wait to get my hands on THE ROSE SOCIETY.

Top Ten Tuesday

Lots of contemps here! YAY! ROMANCING THE DARK IN THE CITY OF LIGHT…I mean, PARIS. And feelings. I am in. FIRST & THEN sounds adorable, adorable, adorable. When I found out that Rick Riordan was tackling Norse gods in MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD, I died for a few seconds. Legit needed resuscitation. WINTER. WINTER. OMG. I am a big fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s Elementals series, even though the last book was a let down. I’m still excited to read THICKER THAN WATER, though. She does relationships really well.

What books are you guys looking forward to in the second half of 2015? I left SO MANY good ones off my list! WAHHH!

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Waiting on Wednesday | Hunter | Mercedes Lackey

Apr 8

Waiting on Wednesday

Hunter • Mercedes Lackey

Book cover Hunter Mercedes Lackey

 

Centuries ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were slashed open allowing hideous fantastical monsters to wreak havoc; destroying entire cities in their wake. Now, people must live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the evil creatures constantly trying to break in. Only the corps of teen Hunters with lightning reflexes and magical abilities can protect the populace from the daily attacks.

Joyeaux Charmand is a mountain girl from a close knit village who comes to the big city to join the Hunters. Joy thinks she is only there to perform her civic duty and protect the capitol Cits, or civilians, but as cameras follow her every move, she soon learns that the more successful she is in her hunts, the more famous she becomes.

With millions of fans watching her on reality TV, Joy begins to realize that Apex is not all it seems. She is forced to question everything she grew up believing about the legendary Hunters and the very world she lives in. Soon she finds that her fame may be part of a deep conspiracy that threatens to upend the protective structure built to keep dark magic out. The monsters are getting in and it is up to Joy to find out why.

So, as a lover of fantasy, Mercedes Lackey is one of the more egregious holes in my reading. Alas. ALAS. This bums me out so much. HOWEVER, now that I know all about HUNTER, I’m stoked to get started on her catalog. The reality TV angle in this one sounds interesting, and it’s not usually something that I enjoy reading about since I don’t really like reality TV. I’m more than willing to look past it, though, because of the “fantastical creatures” that are sneaking their way into this world, mysteriously. Also, conspiracies? Another check. Love reading about those. It sounds a little like a dystopian fantasy! WUTTTT! I’m really excited for HUNTER.

HUNTER comes out on September 1, 2015 from Disney-Hyperion

Hunter Mercedes Lackey

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Waiting on Wednesday | The Thorn of Emberlain | Scott Lynch

Mar 25

Waiting on Wednesday

The Thorn of Emberlain: Gentleman Bastards #4 • Scott Lynch

 

Book cover The Thorn of Emberlain Scott Lynch

A kingdom torn by civil war.

A breakaway republic, outnumbered on all fronts.

Two thieves caught between avarice and admiration.

Things change forever.

Yup. That’s it. That’s all we get. (For now.) BUT THE COVER. Guys. I die. I still haven’t read book three in this amazing series (starting it very soon, though), but I think it goes without saying that I will always need to know what’s up with Locke Lamora and his bff, Jean Tannen. These two and their crass, clever banter and their unshakeable loyalty make me frenzied with fangirlishness.

If any of you are fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and are looking for something to read in the long, LOOONG wait for WINDS OF WINTER, you’d be doing yourself a huge favor by starting this series. It’s hilarious and complex and the world-building is stellar, and you can’t get any better than Locke and Jean, especially in terms of bromances.

THE THORN OF EMBERLAIN comes out in July 2015 (hopefully) from Del Rey

The Thorn of Emberlain Scott Lynch

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Waiting on Wednesday | The Next Together | Lauren James

Mar 18

Waiting on Wednesday

 The Next Together: The Next Together #1 • Lauren James

Book Cover The Next Together Lauren James

How many times can you lose the person you love?

A powerful and epic debut novel for teenagers about reincarnation and the timelessness of first love from a talented young writer.

Teenagers Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again. Each time their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated.

But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace?
Maybe the next together will be different…

In 1745, during the siege of Carlisle, in 1854 on the way to the Crimea, in 2019 and 2039 as first scientists and then students uncovering and rediscovering a dangerous plot, and in multiple timescales between, they are thrown together, with no memory of having met one another before, only an irresistible instinct that they must be with one another against all odds – even while the epic events unfolding all around seem sure to tear them apart.

AHHH, ok. *Calms self* Guys, THE NEXT TOGETHER just sounds so fun and emotional. Like, I feel like I’m going to read it and cry. “Tragically separated” sounds so devastating, but I’m completely intrigued. I’m loving the historical fiction vibe, the contemporary romance vibe, and the dystopian conspiracy vibe. It sounds like time travel slash reincarnation, and that’s no small thing to attempt, but I’m curious enough to be UTTERLY STOKED.

Also, it’s impossible for me to NOT dig this cover. It’s got TEXTURE! Like I wish that each column was three-dimensional and I could open them like flaps. I’ll probably be ordering this one from overseas.

THE NEXT TOGETHER comes out on September 3, 2015 from Walker UK

The Next Together Lauren James

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Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR

Mar 17

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Book on My Spring TBR

I LOOOOVE putting together these Top Ten Tuesdays, guys. There are so many books each season that I can’t WAIT to read and I just love being able to shine the spotlight on some of my more eagerly anticipated titles. This spring is a DOOZY, guys. SO many great books to look forward to! As usual, these are in no particular order.

Spring TBRCRIMSON BOUND | ROSAMUND HODGE. I know that some people didn’t LOVE CRUEL BEAUTY, but I did, so I’m pretty excited about this take on Little Red Riding Hood. Rosamund Hodge makes things darkly beautiful. (May 5, Balzer + Bray)

THE WRATH AND THE DAWN | RENÉE AHDIEH. I’m, like, beyond stoked for this book. I’ve heard literally maybe one bad thing about it. I’m not sure I’m going to care though because A Thousand and One Nights is such a great jumping off point for a retelling. GIMME IT. (May 12, Putnam Juvenile)

Spring TBRTANGLED WEBS | LEE BROSS. First of all, THIS COVER. I die. Second of all, a historical fiction in mid-18th century England about blackmail and scandal and secret lives. It just sounds so fun and addictive. (June 23, Disney Hyperion)

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES | SARAH J. MAAS. Yes, I’ve already read this book. Yes, I’m still looking forward to it. I can’t get enough of Sarah’s books right now. The faeries and the fantasies and all of it–I just love them all. This book was outstanding. (May 5, Bloomsbury Children’s)

Spring TBRTHE NOVICE | TARAN MATHARU. I’m sorry, did someone say debut fantasy? About a young apprentice who can summon DEMONS? And also war, orcs, etc.? I’m so in with this. (May 5, Feiwel & Friends)

THE PENDERWICKS IN SPRING | JEANNE BIRDSALL. OMG you guys know how much I love the Penderwicks, right? I can’t even with how much I love them and their loveable, funny family. This book takes place after a time jump and is told from Batty’s point of view. BATTY. Adorable. (March 25, Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Spring TBRAN EMBER IN THE ASHES | SABAA TAHIR. So I just found out yesterday that the audio of this book is narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West, the amazing pair behind THE SCORPIO RACES. So that’s a plus. But I was looking forward to this debut long before yesterday. A fantasy in a Roman-esque world is always going to pique my interest. Plus I’m hearing great things. (April 28, Razorbill)

ASA | JAY CROWNOVER. ASAAAAAA. Guys, if you like reading adult contemporary with a little grit and a good heap of drama and some major sexytimes, you NEED to read this series. I’m a little bummed that Asa’s is the last book, but I know that Jay Crownover has some great things up her half-sleeve. (April 21, William Morrow)

Spring TBRTHE DEVIL YOU KNOW | TRISH DOLLER. I love Trish’s books. They’re all complex and emotional. This one sounds a little different with the whole road trip (YAY!) gone horribly wrong (NOO!). I have faith that Trish will bring the awesome once again. (June 2, Bloomsbury Children’s)

THE WITCH HUNTER | VIRGINIA BOECKER. I die every time I look at this cover because it has an ouroboros on it, and I’ve always loved the symbolism of something that eats its own tail and regenerates. But I’m also excited because this book sounds excellent: A young girl who hunts witches is accused of being a witch herself and then meets up with wizards and deals with curses and all kinds of awesome stuff. CANNOT WAIT. (June 2, Little Brown BFYR)

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Top Ten Tuesday | Winter TBR

Nov 25

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Books on my Winter TBR

These seasonal TBRs are honestly some of my favorite Top Ten Tuesdays. You know why? No matter how hard I try, and no matter how awesome the Broke and Bookish girls are at keeping the topics coming after sooooo many Top Ten Tuesdays, I feel like I repeat myself. And that bugs me just on a personal level. I like to keep it fresh! Enter these awesome lists that HAVE to change, and Amy is a super happy girl. I’m SO EXCITED FOR THESE BOOKS! Obvs I have more than ten. I didn’t even try to rein myself in.

winter

 

Save Me | Jenny Elliott • January 6, 2015 (Swoon Reads)

Oooh, guys. So much going on in this debut. Witchcraft, forbidden love, whales. Also, I kind of can’t stop looking at the cover, with the girl floating in midair. It’s mysterious and magical and beautiful.

All the Bright Places | Jennifer Niven • January 6, 2015 (Knopf)

I have to say, I’m not really a fan of all these “THE FAULT IN OUR STARS meets whatever” descriptions just because a book has death in it. But a debut (another one! Yay!) about two sad, broken kids learning how to not be so sad anymore together is something I will ALWAYS enjoy.

The Darkest Part of the Forest | Holly Black • January 13, 2015 (Little Brown BFYR)

Holly Black is a new-to-me author, friends. I only really started reading her books this year, and I really enjoyed them. This story about siblings and faeries and a horned boy in the woods in a glass casket sounds FAB.

Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles #3.5 | Marissa Meyer • January 27, 2015 (Feiwel & Friends)

DUH.

In Some Other World, Maybe | Shari Goldhagen • January 13, 2015 (St. Martin’s Press)

Really looking forward to this one. Sure, it’s kind of adult-ish because it follows a group of young people into adulthood, but hey. Sometimes you have to see what the fictional people you own age are up to.

I Was Here | Gayle Forman • January 27, 2015 (Viking Juvenile)

DUH 2.0

I’ll Meet You There | Heather Demetrios • February 3, 2015 (Henry Holt & Co.)

No but stop. Wounded veteran? Literally, you don’t have to say anything else. Nothing. I’m in.

Better When He’s Bold: Welcome to the Point #2 | Jay Crownover • February 3, 2015 (William Morrow)

Guys, Jay Crownover is so legit. Her Marked Men series is one of my favorites, and I enjoyed the first book in her Welcome to the Point series, too. BRING IT, GIRL.

Red Queen: Red Queen Trilogy #1 | Victoria Aveyard • February 10, 2015 (Harper Teen)

First of all, THIS COVER. So provocative. But I like the sound of the story too, obviously, with it’s blood divisions and secrets.

Seeker: Seeker #1 | Arwen Elys Dayton • February 10, 2015 (Delacorte BFYR)

So, a Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games comparison. Ok, I can dig it. Although seekers remind me of nothing ever aside from Harry Potter. Also, I’m very interested in this whole “her best friend and the boy she loves isn’t who she thinks” business.

A Wicked Thing | Rhiannon Thomas • February 24, 2015 (Harper Teen)

WHOA WHOA WHOA. A Sleeping Beauty retelling about what happens AFTER the marriage? STAHPPPPP.

The Winner’s Crime: The Winner’s Trilogy #2 | Marie Rutkoski • March 3, 2015 (Farrar Straus Giroux)

DUH 3.0

The Storyspinner: The Keeper’s Chronicles #1 | Becky Wallace • March 3, 2015 (Margaret K. McElderry)

Ooh, so this story kind of has shades of Kvothe for me somehow: a fantasy about a performer with no troupe…actually that’s kind of where it stops. But there’s murder and a missing princess and magical beings and scheming dukes. *nods head*

The Orphan Queen: The Orphan Queen #1 | Jodi Meadows • March 10, 2015 (Katherine Tegen Books)

I’ve never read anything by Jodi Meadows. I KNOW. This sounds like a more Amy place to start than her previous series, so I’m really looking forward to it. There’s lots of fantasies on this list! YAY!

What books are you guys looking forward to this winter?

 

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Waiting on Wednesday | Tangled Webs

Nov 19

Waiting on WednesdayTangled Webs: Tangled Webs #1 • Lee Bross

Book cover Tangled Webs Lee Bross

London, 1725. Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours-for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.

Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London-secrets.

But leading a double life isn’t easy. By day Lady A is just a sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London’s slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, an infamous thief who moves seamlessly between the city’s criminal underworld and its most elite circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money to buy passage out of London.

Everything changes when she meets Grae Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is-not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past?

First of all, guys, THIS COVER. I CANNOT IT’S GORGEOUS. Second–and more important–of all, I basically love the sound of this entire book. I love this time period, I love that it’s historical fiction, which I’m pledging to read more of, it has a thief, a girl dressing as a boy…I don’t think I need to say more. TANGLED WEBS sounds excellent.

I’m only slightly intrigued slash anxious about these two guys here–the thief and the rich boy. I’m hoping that this triangle isn’t weird. WHATEVS I already preordered it.

TANGLED WEBS comes out on June 23, 2015 from Disney Hyperion

Tangled Webs Lee Bross

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Waiting on Wednesday | A Court of Thorns and Roses

Nov 12

Waiting on Wednesday

A Court of Thorns and Roses: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1 • Sarah J. Maas

Book cover A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas

 

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristen Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

I am a full-blown Sarah J. Maas fangirl. Her Throne of Glass series has become a true favorite of mine because of its complexity and darkness. When I first found out that a new series from Sarah would be starting next year, I possibly died. I just love the way she writes and imbues everything with emotions and consequences, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE her characters. I will read anything she writes. That is all.

It’s a bonus, then, that A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES sounds so fabulous. First of all, Feyre is a huntress. LOVE. Second of all, there’s a “fiery passion” and an “ancient, wicked shadow.” Third of all, two of my best favorite authors are in the blurb–Kristin Cashore and GRRM. My body is ready. I’ve already preordered this book.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES comes out on May 5, 2015 from Bloomsbury Children’s

A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas

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