Waiting on Wednesday: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Throne of Glass – Sarah J. Maas
August 7th, 2012 – Bloomsbury USA Children’s

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

I’ve been waiting to feature this one until the cover revealed, and lucky me it came out Monday!  I have to admit I’m really disappointed in it though.  I wish there hadn’t been a model on the front, but I tend to prefer covers that don’t feature people period.  Ah well, we can’t win them all.  Maybe I’ll be happier with the paperback.  STILL!  So excited for this one.  It’ll be my third play on Cinderella this year, but that doesn’t make me any less pumped for another fantastic female assassin book after falling hard for Grave Mercy.  I have the first e-book prequel on hand, and am hoping to read it sometime in the next week or two.  Biting my nails hoping that the book won’t disappoint! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Envy by Elizabeth Miles

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

  Envy – Elizabeth Miles
  September 4th, 2012 – Simon and Schuster

Spring is here, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension…revealing the secrets buried beneath.

The Furies are back, and Emily Winters is about to discover that their roots in Ascension are deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to take them down. But it's hard to focus when she's desperate to make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she's thrilled when not only does popular Gabby takes her under her wing, but the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all…

It's tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed Fury, the first in this series and Elizabeth Miles’s debut, and am very excited for the second installment!  This is the UK cover, which I am using because 1) it matches the cover of Fury and 2) it is significantly better than the GIANT FACE covers that have overtaken the US copies.  What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There – Catherynne M. Valente

October 7th, 2012 –Feiwel and Friends

September returns to Fairyland to reunite with A-Through-L, Saturday, and Gleam, and to confront her shadow-self, who has become the queen of Fairyland-Below, the upside-down world beneath the Fairyland of the first novel, filled with creatures of water and shadow, tales of ancient Fairyland before the human world was born, and not a few hungry buffins, blind birds of ice and moonlight. The yearly revels of Fairyland-Below climax in a mysterious rite September must avert or else lose her shadow forever.

Did you guys see this?!  Did you?!  Last week, the cover for the upcoming sequel to the beloved The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making was released and I just about died.  Died I say!  I adore the art in this series so so much, and I am happy to see that this cover is at least as gorgeous and breathtaking as the first.  I like that it’s a bit more creepy!  I cannot even express my excitement at seeing this book come out, and I wait impatiently for the day that it is in my hands.

Waiting on Wednesday: Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes by various authors

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

  Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retelling of Mother Goose Rhymes
  Expected Publication October 16th, 2012 by Month9Books

Nursery rhymes sung sweetly can take us back to childhood. But deep inside many of those childhood favorites is… a hint of something dark. TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes imagines dark and sinister things amuck in Mother Goose-land. From familiar rhymes, to some of the more obscure, TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Mother Goose rhymes as a child, but has come to love the darkest of tales.

I wasn’t going to do a WoW post today, but when I drug my butt out of bed at noon to see my friend Alyssa of Books Take You Places had added this to her GoodReads pile, I instantly pounced on it.  I absolutely adore retellings, especially dark ones, and the idea of a group of authors getting together to retell Mother Goose Rhymes has me captivated.  The cover, revealed today by Kristi at The Story Siren, is at least half wonderful.  I’m not sure how I feel about the overly done up girl at the boottom, but I LOVE the hanging paper birds that she’s staring up at.  I love that they just aren’t cranes, but hummingbirds and swans too.

I’m not going to reiterate the large list of authors involved, but please check out Two and Twenty Dark Tales on GoodReads for the full list.  I hadn’t heard about Month 9 Books before, but I found the idea of a charity anthology interesting, so I looked them up at their website.  They were founded by Georgia McBride, the genius who also created #yalitchat on Twitter!  They don’t specifically say which charity proceeds will be donated to, which bugs me a little, but I’m sure they will make this information public specific to this title closer to its release.  Also, authors involved donate their royalties to charities of their choice.  Love this!  Two and Twenty Dark Tales will be out in October, and I’m sure I’ll be gobbling it up.

Waiting on Wednesday: Embers and Echoes by Karsten Knight

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

   Embers and Echoes – Karsten Knight
   August 28th, 2012 – Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing

Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you’re the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, “new beginnings” are just a myth.

Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she’s only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn’t all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence…and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire

Ash isn’t without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash’s previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future.

Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.

I read Karsten Knight’s debut, Wildefire, the first in the series last fall and really enjoyed it.  The series has a fun take on mythology, where gods are reincarnated each generation, and he writes about a wide variety of mythologies including Norse, Egyptian, Polynesian, and Hopi.  Looking forward to the next installment!  I may have to dredge up my memories so that I can review this series on the blog.  I don’t like the cover for Embers & Echoes as much as I liked Wildefire’s, but ah well.  What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews
July 21st, 2012 - Ace

Some people have everything figured out — Andrea Nash is not one of those people. After being kicked out of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea's whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend, Kate Daniels.


When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano — the male alpha of Clan Bouda and Andrea's former lover — die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate ... and must work with Raphael. As her search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, Andrea knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a backseat to saving the world ...

You guys!  I have recently been diving in to the completely kick-ass world of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series and loving it.  This past week the cover was revealed for the newest installment, Gunmetal Magic.  Instead of Kate, we'll get to see Andrea featured.  I just met Andrea while reading Magic Burns, and can't wait to see more from this sharp-shooting, take-no-prisoners woman.  I also like this cover quite a bit better than either of the first two Kate ones.

Waiting on Wednesday: Reached by Ally Condie

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Reached - Ally Condie
November 13th, 2012 - Dutton Children's Books

Unfortunately, there's still no blurb, but since the cover and title finally released this week, I couldn't help myself!  I loved Matched, and really liked Crossed (even if it was one of those second books in a trilogy), so I'm excited to see this story end. I'm sad to say that the cover of Reached is my least favorite of the trilogy (Crossed being my favorite).  I like the broken glass, but I'm not a fan of the dress.  I do like that the cover colors correlate to the colors of the pills that each citizen carries in the Society.

Entertainment Weekly did have an interview with Ally Condie in which she reveals some info about Reached, you can check that out here.  I honestly didn't read all of it because I don't want to know what's  coming.  What I did read was that in Reached we'll get three points of view, Cassia, Ky, and Xander.  Hopefully they're actually distinguishable from one another!

Waiting on Wednesday: Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Blackbirds - Chuck Wendig
April 24th, 2012 - Angry Robot

Miriam Black knows when you will die. She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.

But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.

No matter what she does she can't save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she'll have to try.

Blackbirds is hands down the coolest, creepiest cover I've seen this year.  Luckily, the insides sound pretty dang cool and creepy as well.  

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcomign releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Shadows Cast by Stars - Catherine Knutsson
June 5th, 2012 - Atheneum

Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet - especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the plague that is ravaging the rest of the world.

Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to the plague, but that doesn't mean she's safe. Government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cass and her family, they flee to the Island, a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors, and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken Cass under her wing, and the tribal leader's son into his heart, the spirit world is angry, and it has chosen Cass to be its voice and instrument...

So when I signed up for GoodReads this summer, this was the FIRST book to go on my To Read list.  I love reading about various mythologies, and the idea of a futuristic story that ties in aboriginal mythologies is something I can't pass up.  Plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous!  

Waiting on Wednesday: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater
September 18th, 2012 - Scholastic Inc.

Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.

So this last week, while I was inhaling multiple Stiefvater books at once (The Scorpio Races and Shiver), this little announcement popped up and I proceeded to squee in anticipation.  This new four part series by Stiefvater sounds amazing, and I cannot wait to pick it up!   What do you all think of the cover and the blurb?  

Waiting on Wednesday: Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments, dark and light, by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from under the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a story-teller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with . . . or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.

Faery Tales and Nightmares, one of my most anticipated reads of 2012 is coming out in just three weeks and I am so excited for some more Melissa Marr!   She got me all ramped up for it last week with this post wherein she stated:

Notes in reply to questions: Yes, there is a story about Seth after the end of DARKEST MERCY. Yes, there is a Keenan/Donia story. Yes, "Stopping Time" & "Old Habits" (Dark Court stories) & "Cotton Candy Skies" (Shadow Court story) are all in there. So are the story that started the series "The Sleeping Girl & The Summer King," a vampire story, a selchie story, and a handful of others. 

So not only do we get more of our Wicked Lovely favorites (I'm particularly excited for "Cotton Candy Skies"), we get sechies?!  Omg want now.  What are you waiting on?