Waiting on Wednesday: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

"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:  Through the Ever Night

Author:  Veronica Rossi

Series:  Under the Never Sky #2

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Publication Date:  January 8, 2013

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, 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 dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

Why I'm waiting:  First, I love this cover.  I love that they kept the cover theme from the first novel instead of changing it up mid-series.  Sure, that's not how I pictured Perry -- at all -- but it works.  I loved Under the Never Sky, especially the fact that Aria and Perry started off as enemies, and I can't wait to see where the story takes them in this next installment.  I love this world, aether and all, and I'm ready to get back to it!

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Labels: dystopian, harper-collins, post-apocalyptic, under the never sky, veronica rossi, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Teaser Tuesday #22: The Diviners by Libba Bray

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:  The Diviners
Author:  Libba Bray
Series:  Diviners, book 1
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:  September 18, 2012
Source:  ARC won from author Claire LeGrand
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies." When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

My teaser:

"So I shot the man in the back," Jericho said, testing Evie's attention.
"Interesting," Evie said without looking up.
"And then I took his head, which I keep under my bed."
"Of course," Evie muttered.
"Evie. Evie!"
Evie looked up and smiled weekly.  "Yes?"
"You're not listening."
"Oh, I pos-i-tute-ly am, Jericho!"
"What did I just say?"
Evie gave him a blank stare.  "Well, whatever it was, I'm sure it was very, very smart."  -- p. 342 of ARC

Okay, so I cheated a bit.  Sue me.  But I just KNEW I was going to love this book as I much as I did Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy, and I was RIGHT!  The banter, the intrigue, the chemistry...it all equals WIN as far as I'm concerned.  And I adore the history of the 1920's, so it's like this book was written with someone like me in mind.  I will seriously be singing Libba Bray's praises forever and ever and ever.  Woman can do no wrong in my book.  :D

Also, in case you weren't aware, Barnes & Noble is offering a sneak peak of The Diviners for Nook users.

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Labels: diviners, hachette, historical fiction, libba bray, teaser tuesday

Audio Clip: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Good day, fellow bookworms!  Today, I have the pleasure of sharing an audio clip from the upcoming audiobook for Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama.

Title:  Monstrous Beauty
Author:  Elizabeth Fama
Narrator:  Katherine Kellgren
Series:  Monstrous Beauty
Publisher:  Macmillan Audio
Publication Date:  September 4, 2012
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | no Audible link as of the date of this post

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

You can find my review of this breath-taking novel here.  I hope you enjoy the following clip as much as I enjoyed the book:



The narrator is the same as that of the Ashes audiobook, which I raved about earlier this year.  And if you’d like to take a peak at the author’s writing and the world she has created, you can check out her short story, Men Who Wish to Drown, set in the same world as Monstrous Beauty.

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Labels: audiobooks, elizabeth fama, macmillan, mermaids, monstrous beauty

The Sunday Symposium: Cover Redesigns

The Sunday Symposium is a new weekly feature in which I'll be discussing various bookish topics and asking for your commentary, as well.  And as an incentive to you for your opinion, and to get the ball rolling this week, I'll also be selecting one random commenter to receive an Amazon gift card.  But more on that in a moment.

This week's topic is the recent slew of cover changes happening mid-series to many of our favorite books.  I, for one, am undecided on these changes.  (Disclaimer:  I'm discussing US cover redesigns here, but I'd love to hear from my international readers on this topic, as well.)

On one hand, I am obsessive-compulsive and hate that the changes mean that the books currently on my shelves won't match the next book in the series.  It also perturbs me that the publishers didn't have the wherewithal to select the new covers before the initial printing of the first books.  Sometimes it feels like a marketing ploy to get neurotic people like me to buy the first book with the new cover -- in addition to already owning the book with the original cover -- so that all my books match.  I may be completely off-base there, but that's what it feels like.

The first instance of this that I recall was with Wolfsbane, the second book in the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer.  I really liked the old covers, but there was nothing I could do about it.  However, the publisher did offer up new cover jackets for those of us who already owned hardcovers of Nightshade so that our books would all match.  That was pretty gracious of them, but that was the only time I saw this happen, and I only stumbled upon that opportunity by accident.  (By the by, I have an extra new Nightshade jacket if someone desires it.  I was sent two by mistake.)

VS.

On the other hand, some of the cover changes have actually resulted in more appealing covers for these series.  I know I can't be the only one tired of the same old girl-in-a-pretty-dress-that-is-in-no-way-relative-to-the-storyline covers.  And I know I'm going to get flogged for saying this, but I really like the new covers for Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series.  The original cover did kind of fit the story, since Warner likes to dress Juliette up like a pretty, pretty doll.  But I feel that the new covers speak volumes towards the actual plot of this series.  And they're so eye-catching!  :P

VS.

So, what are your thoughts on changing the covers mid-series?  Yea or nay?  What's been your favorite cover redesign?  Least favorite?  Do you rush out to buy the new covers for books already on your shelf?  C'mon, we're all friends here...you can be honest.  :0)

Seriously, tell me how you feel about this topic in the comments section, and then enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card for your troubles.  I can't promise I'll always bribe you with a gift card, but you're opinion does matter to me, either way.  The winner of this week's gift card will be announced on next week's edition of The Sunday Symposium.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


As always, thanks for stopping by & happy reading!

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Labels: cover redesigns, giveaways, the sunday symposium

In My Mailbox #46

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.

Super excited to get some extra reading in on this long weekend...how about you guys?  And I have some great new reads to add to my TBR pile:

For Review:

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth
Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt

Audiobooks Purchased:

Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Angelfall by Susan Ee
The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

I've already started the audiobook of Angelfall, and I am LOVING this story.  I can't wait to read/listen to the rest!  Have you read any of these?  If so, what'd you think?

The Week in Review:

Review:  Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Authors Are Rockstars Tour featuring Cynthia Hand

Teaser Tuesday:  Outpost by Ann Aguirre

Waiting on Wednesday:  This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Review:  Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Blog Tour:  My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop:  Win a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Week Ahead:

Lots of reviews!  I'm STILL trying to catch up after participating in the Summer Wrap-up Read-a-thon and I haven't reviewed many of those titles yet!  o.O  Plus, my reviews of Outpost -- due for release on 9/4 -- and What's Left of Me, which releases mid-September.

The Sunday Symposium - a new feature in which I'll be discussing various bookish topics and asking for your commentary, as well.

Check out my review for Monstrous Beauty and then stop by this week to hear a clip from the audiobook, graciously provided by Macmillan Audio.

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm)