Waiting on Wednesday (54)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!





This week I'm celebrating May 8th releases! There's so many good books due to come out on this day... and it's less than 4 weeks away!

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Synopsis:
Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: 2012 Debut Author. Lightning addict main character. Other than that, I feel like the synopsis has a lot of words, but doesn't explain much. It still has me intrigued.

Until I Die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake — and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: Sequel to a book that I loved! I'm excited to continue Kate and Vincent's love story. And see more of Jules, of course ;).

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

**WARNING: SPOILERS**

Synopsis:
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: I don't even need to read that HUGE synopsis to want to read it. Book 5 in The Mortal Instruments series. That's all there is to it.

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Synopsis:
Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.

What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.

From Goodreads

Why I want it: LOVED Katie's debut novel, Awaken, and I'm interested to see her take on contemporary romance. Also because I like how this book focuses on after the "honeymoon" phase of love.


What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

UK Cover Reveal: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Amy Plum decided to tease us all and tell us that the UK cover of UNTIL I DIE, second book in the Revenants series, was revealed on some unnamed blogs. Then said: "Go find it!" Thankfully, Goodreads is on the ball and I was able to find the cover there, and it's beautiful. Like, pretty amazing. Take a look:

I love the swirly swirly-s everywhere, just like on the cover of DIE FOR ME. And it's got another amazing dress. Here's the first one, so you can compare:

Now that I look at the side-by-side, I think I still like the first the best. The red just pops! And I like the background in DIE FOR ME better. Either way, I still think the cover of UNTIL I DIE is pretty amazing, and I can't wait until it comes out so I can read it! It's due for release May 3rd, 2012.

What do you think of the cover? Have you read DIE FOR ME? What did you think of it?

Review: Die For Me by Amy Plum

Title: Die For Me
Author: Amy Plum
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: May 10, 2011
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 352
Source: From publisher through NetGalley
Series: Revenants
1. Die For Me
2. Untitled (expected pub 2012)

Synopsis:
My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

From Goodreads

Kate just had her life fall apart around her, and she’s coping the best way she knows how: secluding herself in her little bubble where she can protect herself, and her heart, so that she can’t be hurt again. She cuts herself off from her friends in New York, and spends her days wandering Paris museums or sitting at the Café Saint-Lucie reading her favourite classic novels. Then things start happening: she sees this handsome, mysterious guy in several different places, then she sees him rescue a suicidal girl, she almost gets crushed by falling building, she sees people sword-fighting in tunnels, and other odd and impossible things. And somehow, they’re all centred around this mysterious guy: Vincent. Even though her brain tells her to run away, her heart has other plans.

I really loved this book. It’s a totally different take on paranormal and I’ve never read a book like it before. Amy created an amazing paranormal world that’s just as mysterious and complicated as any other you’ve read about, but hers has sexy, French boys, too. There was heartbreak and danger and hope and fear all wrapped together, and it created the perfect balance so that I was never bored with it.

I liked Kate as a main character. Although she felt this constant pull to want to be with Vincent, she also knew how to use her brain. It wasn’t like she dropped everything to be with him, because she’d experienced a lot of loss recently and was guarding her heart. I think that made her more of a 3D character rather than the typical, flat, run-into-his-arms-even-though-it’s-a-bad-idea girl. Don’t misunderstand me, she wanted to run into his arms even though it was a bad idea, but she knew to be smart with her heart and be safe at the same time. This made her an awesome character for me.

The other characters were great, too. Georgia, Kate’s sister, was a totally different character from Kate. She was out every night partying it up and dealing with the loss of their parents in her own way. She was the popular girl who had lots of friends and was very outgoing, totally opposite from Kate. Then there was Vincent, the love interest. He was very secretive around Kate, which was understandable, given that he has a big secret. But when Kate asked him to be honest with her, he did his best to tell her what she wanted to know and let her make her own decisions from there. He definitely won brownie points with me for that. A few of the other characters also settled into a special place in my heart: Jules, because of his constant flirting with Kate and upbeat mood (once you get to know him); Charlotte, because she was a cute character who was a good friend to Kate when she needed it; and Mamie, Kate’s grandmother, because of her wisdom and faith in love, that helped Kate throughout the book.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romances, but are looking for something other than vampires, werewolves, or angels. Amy puts a new spin on paranormal, and her romance is not so cliché as some YA novels recently. DIE FOR ME really is a great adventure in a beautiful city, and you’ll finish the book content, but also hungry for more. It comes out May 5, 2011 in the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, and May 10, 2011 elsewhere. Make sure you grab a copy!

Preorder now!

Teaser Tuesday (15)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away, so that you don't ruin the book for others)

Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR list is they like your teasers!

Like I said last week, I’m giving you a teaser from Amy Plum’s debut novel, Die for Me! I’m so in love with Vincent right now. Just... so in love. (translation: I’m really enjoying this book! It’s a great debut and the concept is awesome so far.) Here’s my teaser:

Just as I left my safe little nook against the wall and stepped around my table, a huge crash came from behind me, and I was knocked flat onto the ground. I could feel my knee stinging and lifted my head to see blood on the ground beneath my face.




What was the crash?? Well, Die for Me comes out on May 10, 2011 (just over a month!) so you’ll have to make sure you pick up a copy when it comes out. (Or you can preorder it here!)

I’m really loving the characters in this book, not only Kate and Vincent, but also Kate’s sister Georgia, and Vincent’s friends. I love Kate and Georgia’s relationship, which is clearly strengthened because they lost their parents. But they’re also closer than sisters, they’re best friends, and I love to see that in sisters.

Feel free to share your teasers in the comments. I’d love to see what you’re reading!