“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Title: Asylum
Author: Madeleine Roux
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Summary:
Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it’s a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.
As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it’s no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.
I really enjoyed Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and this one sounds right up my alley too. Just the right mix of creepy and mystery to keep it interesting. Plus these photo-novels are superbly creepy.
I moved up beside Jamie.”I have to go.”
She frowned at me. “Where?”
I pressed a hand to the bottom of my belly. “My bladder. It-”
Ah.” She gave a small laugh. “We interrupt this life-or-death situation for a pregnancy pee break. Don’t see that in the movies, do you?”
~From Broken by Kelley Armstrong
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Title: Magisterium
Author: Jeff Hirsch
Pages: 310
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn’s only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn’t for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn’s mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on the mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies and dreams about the day she can escape. But when her father’s work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run—with only one place to go.
How I wish I had better things to say about this book. I was so excited about it! This is one of the books I picked up at BEA 2012 and, though it took me forever to read it, it was one that I had high hopes for. Science fiction and fantasy combined? Sign me up! But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
It took me forever to read it. I kept putting it down and not picking it back up. But there was just enough intrigue that it wasn’t a DNF. I think I kept hoping that it would redeem itself.
The characters lacked depth. I never found myself emotionally invested in them. Even when reading it, I often found that I couldn’t remember the names of the two primary characters (just now, I had to look back to the publisher’s summary to remind myself).
The world-building was virtually non-existent. He tried. You can tell that he tried, but it just didn’t do it for me. He never managed to successfully explain why the world was the way that it was and how it worked. When you’re talking about parallel existences and traveling between them, there has to be a level of explanation that simply didn’t exist.
The villain of the story, the Magistra, was never fleshed out well enough for me to understand exactly what she was, why she was the way she was, and why I should care about her fate at the end of the story.
These are all problematic for me when I’m reading a book. I want to be invested in the characters I read about. Hell, I want to become them. When I read, I should be transported to the worlds I am reading about, not struggling to understand the mechanics of how or why they work. If I can’t understand them – or worse, don’t care enough about them to understand them – the author has done something wrong.
And that’s what Magisterium was for me. I simply didn’t care enough about the world or the characters in it because the author didn’t give me a reason to.
Other Reviews:
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Title: Broken
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages: 444
Publisher: Bantam Books
Available: Barnes and Noble
Book Order:
1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
From the Publisher: Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough-only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers, unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs. Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for-which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.
When I wrote my review of Bitten I said that Elena wasn’t my favorite of the women in the series. Since that time, I have changed my mind. I adore her. Once she settled down with Clay and started a family (in this novel, she’s pregnant) yet still maintained her kick-ass persona she really grew on me. (Note: I reserve the right to change my favorite main character with each book.)
In this one, she struggled with wanting to do more than she was able to because of the pregnancy and still needing to take care of Pack responsibilities. It was a feat she juggled remarkably well. I’m pretty sure there’s no way I could have done it.
Elena’s not the only woman in this one – Jaime Vega makes an appearance (due in no large part to her enormous crush on Jeremy) to help get rid of the zombies released by the portal. The books with the crossovers are the best ones to me. When the characters work as a team across the supernatural races – that’s when I really love this series.
And Jack the Ripper? In modern Canada? Well… maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. You’ll have to read it to find out! I can tell you that the portal was on the From Hell letter and once the inhabitants were released, vicious killings began happening in Toronto. Very very tricksy.
Other Reviews:
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Title: Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6)
Author: Kevin Hearne
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Publisher: Random House
Summary: For a two-thousand-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt—Artemis and Diana—for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is . . . run like hell.
Crashing the pantheon marathon is the Norse god Loki. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok—AKA the Apocalypse. Atticus and Granuaile have to outfox the Olympians and contain the god of mischief if they want to go on living—and still have a world to live in.
I haven’t been this excited about a book in ages. I’ve done this entire series via audiobook and let me tell you – it’s fantastic. However, I recently canceled my subscription to Audible… what a conundrum!
It looks like this is the perfect opportunity for me to go out and buy the entire series to put on my shelf. On release day.
Yep.
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Title: With All My Soul
Author: Rachel Vincent
Pages: 377
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It’s time to kick some hellion butt…
After not really surviving her junior year (does “undead” count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She’s going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.
But then she meets Wrath and understands that she’s closer to the edge than she’s ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can’t save everyone she loves without risking everything she has…
How do you begin to say goodbye to a series that you have adored for years?
That’s something I’m going to have to do many times this year, and this is the first book I took the plunge with. While there have been others that I haven’t yet been able to read, this is one that even while in the midst of my hermitude I went straight to the store and bought on the day of release.
I read it in a single sitting. Well, sort of. I kept putting it down to prolong the reading.
And then I cried like a baby when it was over.
Kaylee was a main character I didn’t like in the first book. Especially since my introduction to this series was via audiobook. I thought she was whiny, immature, and stupid. Then when Rachel @ Fiktshun started a reading challenge for the series, I thought I’d give actually reading the series a shot. And it was a completely different experience. I fell in love with all of the characters – including Kaylee. Over the course of the series her character grew from the whiny, immature girl into someone who would give everything to save those she loves.
When it came time to read the final chapter of the series, I wasn’t ready to let go. I trusted Rachel to do right by the characters – she’s never steered us wrong – but saying goodbye is always so damned hard. And then she had to go and introduce a brand new character in the last book! Who does that?! Ira was quite the character. He reminded me quite a bit of Al from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, truth be told. That means he was a demon I liked and wanted to see more of. But since we didn’t meet him until the final book, I probably won’t get my wish.
This book had everything we’ve grown accustomed to in a Soul Screamers novel – kidnapping, threat of death, impending doom, Avari stalking Kaylee, creeper vine wounds, demons, succubi, and above all – friends and family banding together to best evil.
All in all, this was a beautiful and fitting end to the story. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.
But ya know – just because this series is over and done with doesn’t mean this has to be the end of this world. Hear that Rachel? I hear a spin-off just calling your name…
Other Reviews:
It’s been approximately 2.5 months since I’ve posted anything at all on this blog – and prior to that my posting was pretty sporadic. I don’t know what happened. Ordinarily I am a voracious reader who can’t wait to find out about the next big release. I can’t wait to join in the conversation about my favorite books – and yours too!
But something happened several months ago. I burned out. And it wasn’t with a small little flame either. I went out with a blaze of fire so bright and so strong that I didn’t even pick up a book for several months. And that is so unlike me that I found myself wondering what the heck was wrong with me. I’d look at these stacks of books that I had been dying to read for months and feel nothing at all.
I haven’t even read some books that came out by my absolute favorite authors.
I don’t know why.
I can make excuses. I can try to explain it away.
But when it comes down to it, I suspect it has more to do with depression than anything else. But that doesn’t feel right to me either, because in my head depression should push me more into my fantasy land of books. Except my fantasy land of books became more than that when I began blogging. It became a community of people that I became somewhat accountable to. I promised you guys that I would read, and write, and participate. And being a part of community is something that I have not been able to do for the last several months. Even online.
Allie Brosh, of Hyperbole and a Half, recently came out of her self-imposed hiatus after 18 months. Her post was on living with depression and struggling to overcome it. When I read it, I cried. And I laughed. But mostly, I cried. Because I saw myself in her world. I saw someone who understood how I feel every day of my life. Only those feelings extend into this online community that I have become a part of. When I am a hermit, I need to be a hermit online too. It’s too much energy to try and be anything else.
I have started reading again. And while I don’t think I’m ready to jump back in head first, full speed ahead with 3+ reviews per week plus all of the extras I used to do – there will be new content posted again. I miss this community. I miss sharing my passion with people (heck, I miss feeling that passion!). I miss interacting with you guys through comments and tweets.
I hope to see you.
Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!
Here’s how it works:
- Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
- Write up a short summary (include the title, author, and cover art, if applicable) and an explanation of why you love it.
- Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
- Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list – or some other classic!
Thanks for participating, and we look forward to seeing what you choose to remember!
Original Premiere Date: September 22, 2004
Title: Veronica Mars
Created By: Rob Thomas
Starring: Kristen Bell, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Tina Majorino, AND MORE!
Summary: After her best friend is murdered and her father is removed as county sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.
Yesterday was one of my favorite days in the whole wide world. It’s been six years since Veronica Mars went off the air (on May 22, 2007) and ever since, there have been rumors of a possible movie.
Yesterday, that rumor became a reality. Thanks to Kickstarter.
I don’t even know how it happened, to be honest. This campaign broke all sorts of records - it raised $1m in 4h and 24m. It raised its funding goal of $2m in less than a day.
It probably helped that this wasn’t a fan-backed campaign, this was the real deal.
And now it’s happening.
When I saw the video below, I nearly squealed out loud in delight. Which wouldn’t normally be weird – except I was at work. In a cubicle. There are only so many weird looks a girl can take.
And sure – I know that this is a cheater post. It’s not literary in nature. Veronica Mars is a TV show, not a book. But it is definitely a throwback – and it completely took over my Twitter feed yesterday. And it served to perk me up yesterday when not much else did. And this is my blog and half of my meme, so I can do what I want. 
Are you as excited as I am about this project? Do you think Kickstarter will work this well for similar projects (anybody else thinking Firefly?)?
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Title: Through the Ever Night
Author: Veronica Rossi
Pages: 341
Publisher: HarperCollins/HarperTeen
Available: Barnes and Noble
From the Publisher: It’s been months since Aria learned of her mother’s death.
Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.
Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It’s a moment they’ve been longing for with countless expectations. And it’s a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at fi rst. Then it slips away. The Tides don’t take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry’s control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?
Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.
While I was disappointed in most of the first book, I had no such disappointments here.
While months passed between the events of the first and second books, we didn’t get to experience that and didn’t have to wait for Aria and Perry to be reunited. There was little time where they were apart from one another from the reader’s perspective – and I liked that.
Unfortunately, the good times were not to remain.
Aria and Perry were soon split up again thanks to an attempt on her life by one of Perry’s people. Aria and Roar decided to move out on their own to get information from Sable about the location of the Still Blue so that Perry wouldn’t have to choose between Aria and his own people.
{{{PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT}}}
Through an interesting chain of events, Sable and Hess make a deal with another for the Still Blue that saves only part of their people – and none of Perry’s. Will Aria be able to save those Hess left behind, including Talon? Will they be able to find the Still Blue on their own? Will Aria be reunited with Perry? What about Roar – will he ever find peace and happiness?
I was flipping the pages just as fast as I could to find the answers to these questions – and I have to admit, I ran out of pages before I found all of the answers I sought.
Luckily, there’s still another book coming out next year. Hopefully, I will find all of the answers in that one.
Other Reviews:
Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!
Here’s how it works:
- Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
- Write up a short summary (include the title, author, and cover art, if applicable) and an explanation of why you love it.
- Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
- Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list – or some other classic!
Thanks for participating, and we look forward to seeing what you choose to remember!
Original Release Date: October 1, 1999
Title: Ender’s Shadow
Author: Orson Scott Card
Summary: Welcome to Battleschool.
Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn’t hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it’s how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.
Bean is a genius with a magician’s ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.
What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battleschool Bean meets and befriends another future commander – Ender Wiggins – perhaps his only true rival.
Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.
I’ve featured Ender’s Game before, but I gotta say – Bean is so much cooler than Ender ever was. This series is a companion to the Ender’s Game series and takes place at the same time. I think I like Bean more because he’s such an underdog – and I always love the underdog.
Have you read these? Which do you prefer? Ender or Bean?
Title: Asylum
