Showing posts with label hilary duff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hilary duff. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (38)





"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcases upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!
I first heard about it from PageTurnersBlog.




There are several books I'm looking forward to, and they're coming out within the next two weeks!


Devoted (Elixir #2) by Hilary Duff
Publication Date: October 11, 2011

**Warning about spoilers!**
Synopsis:
Since Sage was kidnapped, Clea has no way of knowing if he is alive or dead. And even though she has only just discovered they were soulmates, she feels like a part of her is lost forever. What’s worse, she can’t even turn to her best friend Ben—because every time she looks at him, all she sees is his betrayal.

But waiting for something to happen is not an option, so Clea is ready for action. Suffering through dreams of seeing Sage with another woman, she makes an uneasy alliance with Sage’s enemies and sets out to be reunited with Sage...in this life or the next.


Why I want it: I read Elixir in the spring and actually enjoyed it. The writing wasn't fantastic, but the story was pretty good. I'm excited to see where it goes next.


The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Publication date: October 18, 2011

Synopsis:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.


Why I want it: Maggie Stiefvater. That is all.


Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publication Date: October 18, 2011

**Warning for spoilers!**

Synopsis:
Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.


Why I want it: It's the third in the series. I loved the first one, but didn't think the second one was as good. Hopefully this one is better and that I enjoy it!


Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Publication Date: October 18, 2011

Synopsis:
Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble... and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, steampunk meets romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.


Why I want it: Even though the synopsis is long, it sounds like a really interesting book. It's a steampunk romance about zombies. I think having those three words in the same sentence is reason enough to read it. And look at that cover!


What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Friday, April 29, 2011

Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

Title: Elixir
Author: Hilary Duff (with Elise Allen)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: October 12, 2010
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 327
Series: Elixir
1. Elixir
2. Devoted

Synopsis:
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.


Before you scoff at the fact that Hilary Duff wrote a novel, hear me out. Yes, I did pick this up because she wrote it and I was curious. And I’m glad I did. The story just drew me in from the get-go and I wanted to keep on reading to see what would happen next.

It’s been a year since Clea’s father disappeared in Rio, so when she gets contracted for a job in Rio, she jumps on the opportunity, dragging her friend and international guide, Ben, along with her. I loved the relationship between these two. To Clea they are just great friends, even though it’s blatantly obvious Ben wants to be more. Either way, he was a great friend to her and very protective. It was cute.

And then there’s Sage, the mysterious, random guy that’s been showing up in her pictures when it’s impossible he was really there when she took them. I liked Sage because I was never sure if he could really be trusted. As soon as we found out he knew something about Clea's father’s disappearance, I was on and off about him and his intentions. He was very hot and cold, but it really worked for the story.

In the majority of the book, Clea, Sage, and Ben are following clues left by Clea’s father, that are supposed to lead them to the Elixir of Life. They jet around the world, from Rio, to Clea’s home in Connecticut, to New York, then Japan. It’s a wild adventure and it’s fun to take with Clea and the two boys. The one thing that felt really unresolved for me, was Clea’s father’s disappearance. It was the reason she went to Rio in the first place. Sage said her father was still alive and could help find him, but once they found clues about the Elixir of Life, that whole objective kind of went on the back burner. Looking for the Elixir was exciting, and the ending was great, but I still would have liked there to be more about her father’s disappearance in the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was skeptical about Hilary Duff’s writing, and I have to say it’s not the best writing ever, but it’s not bad either. The story is exciting and new (I don’t know who else has written about the Elixir of Life), and I’m glad I picked it up. I can’t wait for the next book, because I definitely has some unresolved feelings.

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