Sep 15 2015

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Coming Soon: By Aimee Carter

Title: Queen

Author: Aimee Carter

Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #3

Genre: Teen Dystopian [ish]

Release Date: November 24, 2015

The Overview: Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton’s niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person’s rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear…and ultimately, between life and death. To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton’s secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she’s loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty’s survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all.

Waiting on Wednesday
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I thoroughly enjoyed Pawn, the first book in this series, but never quite made it around to reading the sequel. Now that the third one is on the horizon, I might just hold off a little longer and then binge read all three (sounds like fun, doesn’t it?). Although the story lacks a believable society (and world building in general), I liked enough things about it that those deficiencies didn’t bother me. It’s a cool concept for a story, and I love the mild chess tie-ins that give these books their theme. I am genuinely excited to see where the story goes next!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 25 2015

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Coming Soon: This Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda

Title: This Gulf of Time and Stars

Author: Julie E. Czerneda

Series: Reunification #1 [A Clan Novel]

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: November 3, 2015

The Overview: First in a new science fiction trilogy, set in the same universe as the Clan Chronicles, by the Prix Aurora Award-winning Julie E. Czerneda. [I’m a little underwhelmed by this description… Basically, if you’ve read anything in the Clan world, or more specifically, the Trade Pact Universe Trilogy beginning with A Thousand Words for Stranger, this is a continuation of Sira and Morgan’s story.]

Waiting on Wednesday
Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Czerneda is my favorite sci-fi author, and I recently entered (and lost) her Beta Reader competition to have the chance to check out an early copy of this very book for consistencies. I “studied” for the competition for about two months, but in the end just missed the mark (but would totally do it again if the opportunity presented itself – how many people get to say they beta read for one of their favorite authors?). Anyway, I think it’s safe to say I know this series a lot better than the average reader and am tickled pink to finally get my hands on This Gulf of Time and Stars in November. It’s a continuation of Sira and Morgan’s story, so I’d recommend reading the Trade Pact Universe first at the very least and the excellent prequel series, Stratification, at the most. I loved them all!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 4 2015

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Coming Soon: Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Calamity

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Reckoners #3

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: February 16, 2016

The Overview: When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy. David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back. . . . But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.

Waiting on Wednesday
Hosted by Breaking the Spine

I am a HUGE Brandon Sanderson fan, having loved everything I’ve read by him so far (which at this point is almost everything he has published). The Reckoners series has been a lot of fun – easily one of his most charming/cheeky works to date – and I simply can’t get enough of David and his awful metaphors. The more I learned about how the magic works in this world, the more I want to know, and I am just dying to have my questions answered in this final book! This series is a lot of fun (did I say that already?) And it’s one of the few that I feel comfortable recommending to a wide spectrum of people. Basically, if you like superheroes and supervillains, humor, and great writing, you should probably add Steelheart to your TBR. ;)

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 8 2015

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Coming Soon: All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: All In

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series: The Naturals #3

Genre: Teen Fiction

Release Date: November 3, 2015

The Overview: Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days…. After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team’s unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any tape. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code—and the closer the Naturals come to unraveling the mystery, the more perilous the case becomes. Meanwhile, Cassie is dealing with an equally dangerous and much more painful mystery. For the first time in years, there’s been a break in her mother’s case. As personal issues and tensions between the team mount, Cassie and the Naturals will be faced with impossible odds—and impossible choices.

Waiting on Wednesday
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The Naturals landed itself in the #1 spot as my favorite book of 2013. Killer Instinct was just as good, and I am simply beside myself with excitement for All In. I love the premise, I love the characters, I love the mystery, and I love the psychology behind everything. I’ve always been fascinated with shows like Criminal Minds and CSI but have always been too squeamish to actually watch them. The Naturals series satisfies all of my morbid fascinations, but does so with a charming YA flair! I strongly recommend the series – read it… READ IT NOW!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 24 2015

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Coming Soon: Tarnished by Kate Jarvik Birch

Title: Tarnished

Author: Kate Jarvik Birch

Series: Perfected #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian [sort of]

Release Date: December 1, 2015

The Overview: Ella may have escaped to Canada, but she’s hardly free. Stuck in refugee housing for liberated pets, she’s just as trapped as she was at the congressman’s house—only now she has to live without Penn. But she’s determined to get out. And to make matters worse, there are rumors circulating that pets like Ella are turning up dead all over the U.S., not to mention that she might be to blame. When her old acquaintance, Missy, shows up in Canada, the two of them set off together, thrusting them back into the dangerous life they just left behind. Now, they must navigate the seedy world of the black markets to uncover the dark secrets that the Kennels have been hiding, and rescue the boy she loves.

Waiting on Wednesday
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Perfected was my favorite YA read of 2014, and I loved it so much that I haven’t even been able to compose a review for it yet. Have you ever enjoyed something so much that no matter how much you gush about it in a review it won’t do it justice? That’s how I feel about Perfected – it was such an experience! The best comparison I can make is to DeStefano’s Chemical Garden Trilogy – a slightly dystopic society with a lot of messed up, somewhat dark practices; fascinating female protagonists who find themselves at the center of it all; and beautiful, poetic writing that never seems flowery or overdone. Perfected was one of the few books I will definitely be rereading, and I hope to say the same about Tarnished. December can’t come too soon!

What book are you waiting on? :-)

by Niki Hawkes

May 26 2015

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Coming Soon: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher

Title: The Aeronaut’s Windlass

Author: Jim Butcher

Series: The Cinder Spires #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: September 29, 2015

The Overview: Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace. Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory. And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake.

Waiting on Wednesday
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Jim Butcher is tackling a fantasy?! Holy hell, sign me up! I am six books into his Dresden Files and am loving them, but something about the premise for this new series has me salivating a little bit… All I’m saying is, I may drop everything to pick this one up day comes out. I can’t see how it could NOT be good.

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes