Waiting on Wednesday - Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (By Goodreads)

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

I know! I know! This title doesn't come out until October 23rd but I am SO EXCITED that it is! It is like waiting for the last book in the Harry Potter series...where everything comes together.  I am sad to see it end but I am so freaking excited to read what happens as well!  So excited in fact that I am tempted to read them from the beginning...can it be done in time? (I've already started re-reading the entire Infernal Devices/Mortal Instruments/Dark Artifices series).

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (by Goodreads)

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

I know I just recently wrote about this title coming out but I actually received it this past weekend from my library!  I am not super keen on the cover but I REALLY enjoyed Mary's last series - The Remnant Chronicles so I have high expectations.  Too much reading...too little time!

- Christinabean

Waiting on Wednesday - Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions. 

Don't let the mundane cover fool you.  Mary E Pearson is a stellar author.  Her last series, the Remmant Chronicles kept me up late at night.  Reading that is. And crying and smiling and well, it was awesome.  I read that series so quickly that all the books blurred into one and I will need to re-read them to do a review on each individually.  Never fear though.  Half of them are on audio.  :)  So back to Dance of Thieves...I am actually late on this one. It was released last week.  Get on over to your neighborhood bookstore and buy it.  I have a feeling it will be another epic tale.

- Christinabean

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Published: August 2016

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 437
Copy Provided by: Library

Summary:  Goodreads

Summary:

New York City as you’ve never seen it before.

A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one?

Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you’re this high up, there’s nowhere to go but down…

Review:

I have been on the waiting list for this for AGES.  I put it on hold at the library and would forget to pick it up or be waiting in a long line to get it, or they wouldn't have it at the bookstore.  It seemed that fate just never wanted me to read it....until one day I managed to get an eBook on my phone....

The first thing I need to say is that Katharine did an excellent job of creating believable, likeable characters.  At least for me.  I really enjoyed peering into everyone's life and how each was defined by their status and level in society.  How different Watt's life was compared to Avery.  She also managed to merge different sexual preferences into the mix in a subtle way.  I find that more of the current titles seem to involve or mention bi-sexual or transgender relationships.  While this is something that has come more to the forefront in society and is nice to recognize, I don't feel that EVERY title needs to be doing this.  Some are very blatant about it as well, like it was an afterthought in the editing process and now they have to go back and re-write it into the story line.  One of the characters realizes that she likes girls and begins a new relationship with someone outside of their clique.  The way Katharine explored this development felt very natural and integrated.  OK. Enough of me venting about sexuality in current YA titles. (Sorry for the rant).

I really enjoyed this title and the storyline took a turn that I wasn't expecting and left me LITERALLY hanging at the edge of my seat for the next title.  (Which I promptly purchased).  That is EXACTLY what I look for in a novel.  Entertaining, engaging, suspenseful, thrilling and always keeping one step ahead to surprise you at the end and leave you breathless and wanting more.  Well Done Ms. McGee!

I think you'd like it if you enjoyed watching and/or reading the series - Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.  This is a nice mix between the two.  There is enough drama from Gossip Girl to keep the relationships between characters constantly flowing and enough intrigue, lies, misunderstandings and demise to mirror Pretty Little Liars fans.

Stacking the Shelves - War Cross by Marie Lu

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (By Goodreads)

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life.

The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. 

Sadly for some, we are becoming more of a technology dependent world and more and more of us are logging in and spending more time as our virtual selves than our real ones.  I imagine this book to be something similar to Ready Player One.  Marie Lu has always been on my TBR list of authors but for some reason I haven't yet tried her titles.  Eager for this one from Audible though! (I know book #2 is just around the corner...just in case it's a winner for me!)

- Christinabean

Waiting on Wednesday - #murdertrending

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is



Summary (by Goodreads)

WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest 8/18 citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0.

When eighteen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn’t commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one? 

I picked this title for my weekly WOW because a) I love Gretchen McNeil and b) who knows which direction technology and social media is going to drive us in the future.  As incredulous as it might seem to be able to stream a live execution, we aren't technically that far away.  Is this the direction that our society is heading? Where do we draw the line in "sharing"?
- Christinabean