Waiting on Wednesday (#76)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

I Am the Traitor by Allen Zadoff

Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

In the third and final instalment in the Unknown Assassin trilogy, Boy Nobody is on the run from The Program and uncovers a secret about his past that forces him to decide where his loyalties lie.

The Program has sent Boy Nobody on countless missions, instructed to kill whichever target he was given. But now, after going rogue, he is on his own mission to rescue his friend Howard who was captured by The Program. Boy Nobody manages to free Howard as well as Tanya, a mysterious girl who was being held with him. Howard and Tanya help Boy Nobody collect information about his father, eventually revealing a dangerous secret that teaches Boy Nobody a valuable lesson -- he can't trust anyone.

Allen Zadoff packs the third book of the Unknown Assassin series with even more action, higher stakes, and mind-blowing reveals that will leave readers riveted

I loved the previous two in the Unknown Assassin trilogy, fast paced, quick read, and I just love the way they're written, sad it's going to end though. :(

What're you waiting on?

Review: Beware the Wild

Beware the Wild
Author: Natalie C. Parker
Publication Date: October 21st 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.

Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her.

This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance

Beware the Wild was everything I hoped and wanted The Drowned Forest to be, enough strange to be charming, enough weird to be strange and enough just is to not be religious. There is religion, it's set in a very religious town, but it wasn't exactly present in the story or focus of it. To which, I'm thankful of.  It  started off pretty quick, a lot quicker than I was expecting, and maybe that's why it dipped in the middle a little, it started the engine before you'd even shut the door, but it got me hooked so it done its job, and I'm not faulting it on that. The story was great , and the idea of it was fun, someone close to you disappearing and you being the only one to remember them, and the fact that the whole town and their lives carrying on as if that person never even existed, and in Sterling's case, having someone replacing her brother- as a sister, It also very authentic to the setting. But,  I am however, faulting it on a few things.

Review: Compulsion

Compulsion
Author: Martina Boone
Publication Date: October 28th 2014         
Publisher: Simon Pulse
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Hmmm, I had high hopes for Compulsion, three  families, magic, gifts, a curse. A line that goes back, a story that no one really knows but assume to. Dejá vu, anyone? Compulsion is a story that's already been told, in a manner that isn't anything new, but I was expecting and hoping it would have a twist, something that sets it apart from its preceders. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

Stacking the Shelves (74) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? I'm getting into the holiday spirit a little. It's been cold, but I want it to snow! Snow please. Then it'll feel all Christmas-y. Anybody like The Veronicas? I've been listening to the new album non-stop for the past two weeks, love it.

Review: Snow Like Ashes

Snow Like Ashes
Author: Sara Raasch
Publication Date: December 4th 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own

The similarities to the Throne of Glass series are there, I'm not going to lie. But it's the same with other genres, things are always going to be familiar, and I guess with Snow Like Ashes and binge reading the Throne of Glass series over a week ago, It took me a good 30% to get into it. I wouldn't say it's better or less than Throne of Glass, because in a way they are similar, they're also not.

Review: On the Edge

On the Edge
Author: Allison van Diepen
Publication Date: November 25th 2014 by
Publisher: HarperCollins 
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

From Allison van Diepen, author of Snitch and Street Pharm, comes a sexy, dangerous novel about a teen who witnesses a murder and gets caught up in the seedy world of Miami’s gangs.

Maddie Diaz never should have taken that shortcut through the park. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen two members of the Reyes gang attacking a homeless man. Now, as the only witness, she knows there’s a target on her back.

But when the Reyes jump her on the street, Maddie is protected by a second gang and their secretive leader, Lobo, who is determined to take down the Reyes himself. Lobo is mysterious and passionate, and Maddie begins to fall for him. But when they live this close to the edge, can their love survive?

On the Edge is a compelling story about fighting for what’s right and figuring out where you belong. The novel showcases a gritty, realistic voice and earth–shattering romance that will intrigue readers of Simone Elkeles and Paul Griffin and captivate fans of Allison van Diepen's other novels.

On the Edge really surprised me, I didn't think it would totally be for me since it is to do with gangs and all that lovely stuff, and really, I watch enough of that on TV since I watch every type of Cop shows out there, right now I'm pretty addicted to Chicago PD, which, if you haven't seen it, is one of the best portrayals of blurred lines I've seen, in my opinion, especially when it comes to Voight.. But, reading about it? I usually find them cheesy, I don't know why, but it's the same with music and art in books that just do for me. But, YES. I freaking loved it.