Tag Archives: upcoming releases

Jan 31 2014
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January 2014: Review Recap!

Review Recap

 So far in 2014 I have read a bunch of killer titles! The trouble is, I am still posting reviews for books I read in December (fail). Near the end of last year, I was making an effort to get caught up on all the great ARCs I’d been approved for on Netgalley and Edelweiss. 3/6 of the books I reviewed this month are evidence of my attempt to catch up. As one of my Top Ten Bookish Resolutions of 2014 was to quit requesting so many ARCs, next month’s ought to be a much better month in reviewing!

Books Reviewed:

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Control by Lydia Kang
Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull (March 11, 2014)

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – 2.5/5 stars

Control by Lydia Kang – 2/5 stars

Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull – 3.5/5 stars

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Outpost by Ann Aguirre
Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra

 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – 5/5 stars!

 Outpost by Ann Aguirre – 2.5/5 stars

Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra – 3/5 stars

My favorite book reviewed this month was by far Sanderson’s Way of Kings. I’ll have to see how the series continues before I make any drastic decisions, but suffice to say it’s in contention for one of my favorite fantasies!

Waiting on Wednesday Features:

There are some really awesome titles coming out, but the one I’m most excited about featured this month is Lascar’s Blade by Glenda Larke.  She’s easily one of my favorite authors and I vowed I would drop everything to devour anything new from her.

I am participating (and I use the term loosely) in two reading challenges this year: a Dystopian Challenge (hosted by Blog of Erised) and a Series Challenge (hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.). As you can see, I have accrued zero points for both challenges thus far this year. Although I’m not too bent up about it because my biggest challenge this year is a personal one: read only the books that excite me the most. For the record, I am doing a smashing job in that one so far!

Other exciting news: Charlotte over at Apathy and Rhetoric and I started a monthly YA book club!  It has been really fun to participate in so far, and we are welcoming anybody who wants to join. For more info, click on the button below:

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 What awesome books did you read this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 28 2014
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Coming Soon: Sky Jumpers: The Forbidden Flats by Peggy Eddelman

forbidden flatsTitle: Sky Jumpers:  The Forbidden Flats

Author: Peggy Eddelman

Series: Sky Jumpers #2

Genre: Middle Grade

Release Date: September 2, 2014

The Overview: Twelve-year-old Hope has always felt a little different from everyone else who lives in White Rock. She tries hard, but she doesn’t always think before she acts. She takes big risks. Sometimes her risks pay off, but sometimes they fail. Sometimes she fails. Hope knows that the most dangerous thing about living in White Rock is that it’s so close to the deadly Bomb’s Breath—the invisible, fifteen-foot-thick band of compressed air that’s hovered over the earth since the Green Bombs of World War III. The citizens of White Rock live in fear of the Bomb’s Breath. Only Hope has figured out a way to go through it—and lived to tell the tale. But when a massive tremor rips across the earth, the Bomb’s Breath begins to lower over White Rock. It’s up to Hope and her friends Brock and Aaren to make the dangerous journey far from home across the bandit-ridden Forbidden Flats to the wilds of the Rocky Mountains and obtain the one thing that may be able to stop it—before the Bomb’s Breath sinks too far and destroys them all. This time, Hope can’t fail.

forbidden flats

 Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 I thought the first book in this series (Sky Jumpers) was a fun story with great characters and a cool atmosphere. I’m predicting that Sky Jumpers: The Forbidden Flat will be even better than the first book because now that the world is established there is nothing left but to explore it!  I am super excited to see how the story continues and think Eddelman is a strong addition to the middle grade market.

 What book are you waiting on? Have you read Sky Jumpers yet?

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 21 2014
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Coming Soon: Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Graduation dayTitle: Graduation Day

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Series: The Testing #3

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: June 17, 2014

The Overview: In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle? She wants to put an end to the Testing: In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight. But she can’t do it alone: This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for – but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves–and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates. Who can Cia trust? The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope–in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau’s epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it’s Graduation Day. The Final Test is the Deadliest!

Graduation day

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

I have a plethora of books I’m waiting on. The trouble is, all the ones I’ve not done a WoW post for don’t have covers, release dates, and/or titles as of yet, making difficult to feature them. So for the next foreseeable future, I’m going to be focusing on books that I think I would be waiting on if I’d actually made the time to start the series.

The Testing is a book I disregarded initially because I read one rather underwhelming review about it. Over the last couple of months, however, I have come across at least half a dozen rave reviews which definitely made me reconsider my decision not to read it. I do love books about competitions, so I think I actually might be giving the series a try sometime soon. I always love it when I start a series right before the final book is released – I really hate waiting!

What book are you waiting on? Is this a series you’d recommend I start reading?

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 15 2014
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Book Review: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

sky raidersTitle: Sky Raiders

Author: Brandon Mull

Series: Five Kingdoms #1

Genre: Middle Grade

Release Date: March 11, 2013

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level. After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them and ends up in The Outskirts.

The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. Its an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds. And once you come to the Outskirts, its very hard to leave. With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, its up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home before his existence is forgotten.

sky raiders

The Review:

What a fun new series from Brandon Mull! Sky Raiders had everything I’ve come to expect from this author: truckloads of imagination, epic adventures, and characters who are so relatable they take you back to your childhood. Aside from JK Rowling, Mull is definitely my favorite middle grade author and I’m excited to see every new book from him get stronger and stronger.

As an adult, I definitely enjoyed Sky Raiders because the kids were quick-witted and the overall plot was complex enough to keep me engaged. It’s one of those books that gets interesting right away and really doesn’t let up until the end – perfect for kids who have a difficult time focusing long enough to read. While Fablehaven will always be my all time favorite from Mull, I’m thrilled that I now have another solid story to hand to kids looking for next great read.

As I’ve mentioned, Mull always has a great deal of imagination in the books he writes. I have found that, especially in children’s books, too much imagination can make the story a little too far-fetched and silly for my tastes. In this case, however, Mull created a new world where wacky, random things can be made real through a particular magic called “shaping.” Because this world had a solid set of rules, all the fantastical creations became feasible even if they were sometimes a bit random. Was it still a bit too much? For me, maybe a little; for a  ten-year-old (i.e. the target audience) it was perfect.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sky Raiders – it had many neat elements that I’m sure we’ve only scratched the surface of at this point. It’s one of the main reasons I’m eager to read on in this series – I can’t wait to find out more about the Five Kingdoms!

Recommended Reading: I would be eager hand this book to any kid who enjoys books with magic – especially ones who loved the Beyonders series by the same author. It’s definitely geared towards a younger audience, so I would probably only hand it to an adult if they mention they like middle grade titles.

Other books you might like:

Thank you Edelweiss for the chance to read and review this title!

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 15 2014
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Coming Soon: The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke

lascar's daggerTitle: The Lascar’s Dagger

Author: Glenda Larke

Series: The Forsaken Lands #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: March 18, 2014

The Overview: Saker appears to be a simple priest, but in truth he’s a spy for the head of his faith. Wounded in the line of duty by a Lascar sailor’s blade, the weapon seems to follow him home. Unable to discard it, nor the sense of responsibility it brings, Saker can only follow its lead. The dagger puts Saker on a journey to distant shores, on a path that will reveal terrible secrets about the empire, about the people he serves, and destroy the life he knows. The Lascar’s dagger demands a price, and that price will be paid in blood.

lascar's dagger

 Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 While there are many authors that I love, there are few that I’m more passionate about than Glenda Larke. I’ve read everything she’s ever had published including a series I had to pay top dollar to have shipped over from Australia. Everything she writes is golden and I am STOKED that she has another series in the making (The Lascar’s Dagger being the first book). If you like high fantasies like Goodkind, Sanderson, and even Hobb, this author should definitely be added to your list!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 8 2014
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Coming Soon: The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard by Kiera Cass

The selection storiesTitle:  The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection 0.5 & 2.5

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: February 4, 2014

The Overview: Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon’s life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition. Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen’s life within the palace walls–and the truth about a guard’s world that America will never know.

The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer’s love. This collection also features exclusive bonus content, including a sneak peek at The One, the eagerly anticipated final novel in the Selection trilogy.

The selection stories 2

 Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 Of all the book releases coming out in 2014 I have to say that I am most excited about The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass. As it doesn’t come out until May 6, I have strategically avoided reading these short stories until their physical release in February. I’m hoping they help make the wait a little more endurable. If you haven’t read this series yet, it is a romantic dystopian (much like Matched and Delirium) revolving around America, a reluctant candidate in a competition to marry a prince. I loved both The Selection and The Elite and look forward to learning a little back-history on some key characters before picking up the final novel.

What book are you waiting on? 

by Niki Hawkes