Waiting on Wednesday: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

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

This week's WoW selection is...

Title:  Requiem
Author:  Lauren Oliver
Series:  Delirium, book #3
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publication Date:  March 5, 2013

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Why I'm waiting:  Where do I start?!?  Pandemonium's ending left me utterly speechless.  I mean, sure I kind of saw it coming, but I was hoping things wouldn't go down that way.  I can't say anything else without risking spoiling it for those who haven't read up to this book, which includes Hana -- which you should also definitely read -- but just know, this series is kind of explosive.  Literally and figuratively.  I cannot wait to see where Lauren Oliver takes things in the finale!

So, what are you waiting on this week?  Share in the comments or leave a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: delirium, dystopian, favorites, harper-collins, lauren oliver, must-read, post-apocalyptic, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Official Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

THIS is the post where I help reveal the official trailer for Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout!!!  Squeeee!!!  And it's hawt!  =D

Title:  Opal

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Lux, book 3

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Purchase/Preorder:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

And here's the trailer:

About the author:

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

So, what do you think?  Are you excited?  Can December 11th get here fast enough!?!  Also, don't throw anything at me because I haven't started this series yet, but I've got time to read the first two books still, right?  If rumors are true, I'll probably devour them in a single sitting!  :0)

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Labels: book trailers, entangled, jennifer l. armentrout, lux, sci-fi

Teaser Tuesday #33: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from the following book:

Title: Falling Kingdoms
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms, book 1
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Source: ARC, thanks to the ladies at Good Choice Reading
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...

The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

My teaser:

Emilia's gaze grew harsh.  "Sharp tongue, Cleo.  You should watch where you point it or you might hurt someone." -- p. 80 of ARC

Indeed!  =D  This book promises to be full of surprises.  I'm a little worried that there are what looks to be like four separate points-of-view, but I've got high hopes for this fantasy novel.

What are you teasing us with this week?  Share in the comments or leave me a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: beautiful covers, falling kingdoms, fantasy, morgan rhodes, penguin, teaser tuesday

Movie Monday #1: Oz: The Great and Powerful

We all delight in seeing our favorite books brought to life on the big screen.  We cringe at casting.  We scoff at release dates.  All the while, we're gearing up to see if the director's vision lives up to the world we've conceived in our own imaginations.  Sometimes it does...and sometimes it doesn't.  We could lament the movies that don't measure up, or we could return to the books for a re-read, possibly with a slightly different mind-set.  All's fair when it comes to artistic vision, right?



This week, I'd like to feature:

Title:  Oz:  The Great and Powerful
Director:  Sam Raimi
Stars:  James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams
Release date:  March 8, 2013
Based on:  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking. That all changes, however, when he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Um, I've never actually read the story or the prequel, which this movie is apparently based off of, but I'm sure I would love it if I ever had the time to sit down with it.  I should make time, right?  Regardless, I have always loved the original movie featuring Judy Garland and even the not-so-popular sequel The Return to Oz, so I'm positive I'll love this movie just as much, if not more.  That movie poster is phenomenal and the trailer (below) is just as awesome.  What do you think?  Are you thrown off by the casting choices or do you think Sam Raimi and cast will do this movie justice?

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Labels: from book to screen, movie mondays, the wizard of oz

Short Story Sunday #1: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi

Short stories are awesome.  They give us in-depth insight into characters, providing anecdotal proof of why some characters are they way they are.  They entertain by creating a certain mood or focusing on a singular effect...some instance in a previous body of work (or one to follow) that might have been glossed over or ignored completely in a longer novel. 

And so, every Sunday for the foreseeable future, I would like to highlight short stories and novellas set in worlds I've already come to love and learn a little more about some of the secondary characters in my favorite novels.  I'll be underscoring some of my favorite aspects of these short works of fiction, in addition to offering up a mini review of each work.

This week's featured short story is:

Title:  Roar and Liv
Author:  Veronica Rossi
Series:  Under the Never Sky, book #0.5 (prequel)
Publisher:  Harper Teen
Publication Date:  October 30, 2012
Source:  purchased ebook
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

If I wasn't already impatient for the release of Through the Ever Night so that I could return to Perry and Aria and the dangers of the Aether storms, I am now dying for the next book.  I might even download the audio, just as a refresher before the next book's release in January and so that I can wallow in that world a little longer now that I've gotten a taste of it again.

I loved Roar's character in Under the Never Sky.  He wasn't the complete opposite of Perry, but his entire demeanor was almost jovial compared to that of Perry, who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.  And all this, despite the fact that Roar has lost the one thing that matters most to him in this world:  Liv.

I'll admit, I wasn't really sure what the relationship between Roar and Liv was just from reading Under the Never Sky.  It was obvious that Roar loved her and cared for her more than he does anyone else, except maybe Perry.  But we never got to see how Liv was with Roar...if she felt the same way.  I got the sense that she ran away from her impending marriage and from Roar because maybe at 19, she wasn't sure what she wanted, and she was getting away while the getting was good.  After reading this short story, I feel like I have a better handle on Liv.  And on Roar.  They both love each other and want to protect each other and will go to any lengths in order to do so.  I fear there will be heartbreak involved. 

Also, it was kind of awesome to see how Perry acted and interacted with others before his encounter with Aria.  And seeing him with Vale...my heart hurts.  These are brothers...they are family, and the animosity between them is almost palpable.   Learning even more about Perry through Roar's eyes just makes me want to read the next book that much quicker so I can see him happy with Aria again.  I know they have a lot of roadblocks ahead, but I'm optimistic.

This short story provided some great insight into the Tides and the bond between Roar, Liv, and Perry.  I'm so anxious to return to this world.  And that short two-chapter excerpt from Through the Ever Night did not help matters.  If you wanted more of Roar in Under the Never Sky, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this novella.

Favorite quotes:

"We were supposed to be brothers one day, Per.  Real brothers...family."  I don't know what I'm saying.  The Luster is speaking for me.  But I can't take the words back."

"This girl.  She's all I see."

"My ambitions aren't grand.  All I have ever wanted is to be there for the two people who mean everything to me.  Maybe that's a small goal to others, but it's always felt like enough."

"I'll give her time time, but I won't give up.  Ever."

Rating: 

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Labels: harper-collins, novellas, post-apocalyptic, reviews, short story sunday, under the never sky, veronica rossi