Waiting on Wednesday (20): The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

From Goodreads:

A spine-tingling tale of steampunk and spies, intrigue and heart-racing romance!
When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.
Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.
As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 1st, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's website

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I'm a big fan of steampunk but don't indulge in it nearly as often as I should. I mean, I love history and sci-fi, so why not mash the two together to get a whole new awesome subgenre? The darker elements of this story, what I garner from the description, have me interested, and who doesn't love an eccentric genius? (I'm a fan of Nikola Tesla myself.)

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (17): Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

From Goodreads:

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some CONFESSIONS to make... #1: I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?
#2: I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who "might" be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.
#3: High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry-get it?)
Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.
(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.) (Sorry. That was rude.)

Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: August 28th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's website

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So many female protagonists nowadays seem so docile, rarely expressing intense emotions unless the author wants to make her seem "edgy" or emotional. What I like about this book is that, right from the start, Rose describes herself as angry. And it sounds like she should be! She has things in her life she has a right to be upset about, and Rozett has written Rose to experience more real emotions than are often found in female main characters today.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (16): Skylark by Meagan Spooner

From Goodreads:

Sixteen year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.
Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.
Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret – but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Publication Date: August 1, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's website 

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I've seen the "never seen the sky" concept appear in writing before, this idea that looking up and having a solid understanding as to what's over your head is a basic human right. It often goes hand-in-hand with some sort of dystopian society and a guaranteed way to show your reasons that something's up (no pun intended.)

This skyless world that Spooner has created sounds genuinely interesting, even amass the high levels of YA dystopian books that publishers have been releasing nowadays.

However, I am a little sick of the "forced to flee," idea that pops up a lot in these kinds of novels. No one is forced to run, they take that choice to step forward and protect themselves and their interests, to make a better life for themselves. No one wants a protagonist that just gives up, and so I'm eager to acquire a copy of Skylark to make sure that Lark doesn't.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (15): Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

From Goodreads:

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 7th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

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Yeah, I know, if I had a dollar for every time a new YA dystopian series came out, claiming to be "exciting" or the next big thing, I'd be pretty rich. In all honesty though, I really am excited for this one. I feel like technology-based plots in YA dystopian novels are underrated, and I wish that there were more of them! As scary as it is, especially mentioned in this context, computers are our present and future, and technological implants are already a reality in our world. I think that it's something that's going to become more and more common, both in fact and in fiction. Not that that's bad, but certainly interesting to think about!

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (14): A Midsummer Tight's Dream by Louise Rennison

From Goodreads:

It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed!
Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolf Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain…
When an international visitor comes to stay could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey.

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 26th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

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Yeah, I'm a bit late, but I just found out about this recently and needed a WoW post for it! I wasn't a big fan of the first book but I'm still loyal to Louise Rennison and her fantastic sense of humor, so this one is definitely going on my to-read list, and I'm going to try and get my hands on a copy as soon as possible.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (13): Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas

From Goodreads:

It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.
A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive.

Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

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I've become more interested in survival fiction recently, so I'm adding anything remotely along those lines to my to-read list instantly. It isn't so much a "got to prepare for the Mayan calender" thing as it is a morbid fascination one. Survival fiction, I think, brings out the best in characters, and makes it easier for both the author and the reader to see more of how a character thinks and reacts in tough times because they are put in a desperate situation to begin with. How one acts under pressure says a lot about a person.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (12): On Fire: A Teen Wolf Novel by Nancy Holder

From Goodreads: 

Based on the hit MTV series Teen Wolf—a teenage boy’s life changes forever after he’s bitten by a werewolf. Scott was just a regular guy until one bite changed his life. Now he struggles to understand who he is and what he might become. Is he more wolf than human—or is it the other way around? Whichever it is, it’s not going to be easy. Scott tries to control his urges, but mostly he’s scared that it’s his urges that could end up controlling him. On Fire is the story of what happens when you to walk the line between what you want and what you can’t help from wanting. Will the bite end up being a gift? Or will it be a curse? And what will it all mean for Scott’s relationship with Allison—the girl he can’t get enough of? Only time will tell if he should embrace his newfound powers, or if he should fear them.

Publisher: MTV Books
Publication Date: July 17th, 2012 (?)
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

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Okay, was I the only one who didn't know that MTV also published books? No? Good. Well, now that we've gotten past that I guess it's alright to come out of the closet as a big fan of MTV's Teen Wolf! I've never been a major fan of mushy paranormal romance, so it's a fun little mix-up every week for me, a break from my norm.

I don't have any experience with Holder's work, but it looks from her website and bibliography that she must know what she's doing. I can't wait to sink my teeth (har har) into this novelization!

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday 11: The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

From Goodreads:

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.
The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Twitter

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I really can't have enough dystopian novels in my life. I've toyed around with the idea of combining Mexico, the U.S. and Canada for one of my own stories in the past, but it never came to light so I'm glad that someone else did it! The island prison idea sounds interesting too.

I love survival stories, and I'm glad that this book doesn't have an apparent love interest yet. I'm pretty sure if most people were stuck on a prison island with a life expectancy of two years they'd be more interested in escaping than hooking up, too.

And that cover? It's gorgeous! It's what caught my eye in the first place. I'm certainly excited!

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (10): Artemis Fowl: (and) The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

From Goodreads:

Seemingly nothing in this world daunts the young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. In the fairy world, however, there is a small thing that has gotten under his skin on more than one occasion: Opal Koboi. In The Last Guardian, the evil pixie is wreaking havoc yet again. This time his arch rival has somehow reanimated dead fairy warriors who were buried in the grounds of Fowl Manor. Their spirits have possessed Artemis’s little brothers, making his siblings even more annoying than usual. The warriors don’t seem to realize that the battle they were fighting when they died—a battle against Artemis—is long over. Artemis has until sunrise to get the spirits to vacate his brothers and go back into the earth where they belong. Can he count on a certain LEPrecon fairy to join him in what could well be his last stand? 

New York Times best-selling author and comic genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very end of this thrilling finale to the blockbuster series.

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

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Excuse me as I sob into my pillow. I've been reading the Artemis Fowl books for about five years now,and the fact that it's coming to an end makes me proud to have been a part of such a great series and sad that it's all over. The fact that it's coming out only a month away is really bittersweet, but I'm excited to finally get it in my hands. 

It's been a great run, Arty.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (9): The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?
Annaliese? Or herself?

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: July 17th, 2012
Amazon, Goodreads, Author's website

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I know that young adult fiction probably isn't the most accurate reading material when it comes to psychiatric issues, but ever since the incorporation of mental illness with mysteries into The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer I've wanted to read more. The great reviews coming out of Goodreads don't make it look half-bad either.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (8): Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

From Goodreads:

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. 

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page. 

Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website

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I've been trying to get back into fantasy books again, and from the already-stellar ratings over at Goodreads it looks like I'll have to get this one to help me on my way. I like the idea of dragons "folding" into human shape, along with the conspiracy theme. But, what I really love is that Prince Lucian is described as "dangerously perceptive," and that his description doesn't immediately follow that up with "sexy," "seductive," or any of the like. Romance is fine in small doses, but I really can't stand it when a relationship status is used to define an entire person. I really can't wait for this one!

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (7): This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

From Goodreads:

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually wantto live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: June 19th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website

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I like this kind of new take on zombie stories. I feel like, despite all of the vampires and werewolves and fairies and what other supernatural creatures YA fic has been latching on to, authors have been keeping zombies at more than an arms length. It's uncharted territory for the most part. I also like how she, from the description, doesn't sound like a gung-ho "let's punch every zombie in the face!!!" type of girl. People break down in apocalyptic situations. This cover is also another one that probably merits a Fantastic Covers Friday post, too.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (6): Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

From Goodreads:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website

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Getting struck by lightning? Cults? Doomsday? Earthquakes? Is there anything that this book has that sounds boring? The whole doomsday cult idea sounds so interesting to me, and I love that the description puts more focus on Mia and her problems (because it sure sounds like she has them!) than how many boys are lining up to make out with her. I also haven't heard of this published before, so it will be interesting to see the kind of works that they put out from this point on.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (5): The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website

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I'll admit, I'm probably the last YA reader on Earth who hasn't picked up The Wolves of Mercy Falls series of hers, but I've been listening to The Scorpio Races while I work and it's been pretty good so far. I love the creativity that went into writing it, and I'm certain that Stiefvater will bring the same to this next book. I'll admit that the whole idea of her not having a problem with causing her true love to die doesn't sit too well with me, but I love books about facing death, and so I'm looking forward to this one. 

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (4): The Selection by Kiera

From Goodreads:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website 

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Okay, I was all prepped to write something about how even though I was excited for the release of this book, I still wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it and yadda yadda yadda until I hopped over to Kiera Cass' website to pick up her link when I spotted:

(Photo from Kiera Cass' blog)

It's William Moseley, of The Chronicles of Narnia movie fame, and he'll be playing Aspen in the TV movie of The Selection. Well, that certainly changes things. Maybe I'm just a little uneducated, but I didn't think it was often that not only did a book get picked up for a movie pre-publication, but that the movie was already well underway (according to it's IMDB page.)

Now my excitement rocket boosters are firing, both plot-wise and actor-wise (in case you didn't notice, William Moseley happens to be a rather attractive man), and it's only a matter of time before The Selection is released to rock the book world!

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly over at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday (3): In Honor by Jessi Kirby

From Goodreads:

A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.” 

Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it. 

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?


Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 5th, 2012
Amazon, Author's Website

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I'm not usually into books that don't include some sort of magical/ sci-fi/ supernatural element, but I'm willing to make an exception for more books about road trips. Just the idea of getting in a car and setting off on an adventure is exciting to me. That cover is just stunning too.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly over at Breaking the Spine.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

"The Luxe" meets the ancient world in the extraordinary story of Cleopatra's daughter.
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony—the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies—until she reaches out to claim her own.
This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.
- Description from Goodreads

I'm pretty excited about this one; I've been a fan of ancient Egypt for quite a few years now, and I'm sure that the author did some great research for this book to happen. I've been reading more books with romance/ romantic themes in them recently, and I'm kind of excited about that popping up too. I have the ARC on the way, and I'll be sure to post a review as soon as I finish!

"Waiting on" Wednesday is put on by Breaking the Spine, and is a chance for book bloggers to share books that they are excited about receiving , and wish to share with others.

Waiting on Wednesday: Starstruck by Cyn Balog

Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since.

At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

(Description from Goodreads)

Already have this one coming to me in the form of an ARC, and should be getting it within the next couple of days! I'm a HUGE sucker for books that are realistic fiction, but with a little fantasy twist in the middle to make them not-so-real. I'll have a review up for this book as soon as I finish it, and hopefully it will be as great as it sounds!

Release Date: July 12th, 2011 from Delacorte Books for Young Readers

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event held at Breaking the Spine, encouraging bloggers to share soon-to-be-released books that they are excited about and wish to share with others.