Waiting on Wednesday - Fairest by Marissa Meyer

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:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series

Eeeekkkk!!!  I am SO EXCITED to read this one!!!!

- Christinabean

Let's Hear it for the Boys - The Prey by Tom Isbell

Published: January 20th, 2014

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 416

Copy: Edelweiss

Summary: Goodreads

A hot debut trilogy and a riveting story of survival, courage, and romance in a future where creating a master civilization is the only thing prized, no matter the method. After the Omega (the end of the end), 16 year old guys known as LTs discover their overseers are raising them not to be soldiers (lieutenants) as promised, but to be sold as bait because of their Less Than status and hunted for sport. They escape and join forces with a girls’ camp, the Sisters, who have been imprisoned and experimented on for the "good of the Republic," by a government eager to use twins in their dark research. In their plight for freedom, these heroes must find the best in themselves to fight against the worst in their enemies.

Review

This is going to be a difficult one for me to review.  It was one of the ones I finished, but couldn't really find anything about it that stood out for me.  The premise is ok - Kids in camps being trained for, something.  Suspicion that things are not as simple as they seem.  Main characters find out what is really happening and have some rough times trying to get out of camps.

In this case I felt the lack of some back story.  I was never really sure what had happened to get to this point and I never really connected with the characters.  In all honesty other than some rather impetuous moves I don't think there was anything that I truly disliked, but 2 weeks after reading, I'm having trouble remembering any details of the story.

Having said this, I can see the appeal of The Prey for younger readers who are fans of stories of the  'after the apocalypse' type.  I know of a couple of my kids at work who will enjoy the story, so I will be recommending it, but I won't personally be continuing with this series.

Stacking the Shelves

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

This week I got: 

I remember Special K reading and doing a review of The Selection. She gushed about how much she loved it.  I FINALLY started reading it last week and am enjoying it so much that I snagged the other two books.  Look for my review shortly. 

- Christinabean

Shout Out for Indies - Seabound by Jordan Rivet

SEABOUND by Jordan Rivet

When an apocalyptic catastrophe decimates the land, a lucky few escape to sea. 1,003 survivors make their home on a souped-up cruise ship called the Catalina. After sixteen years, the strain begins to show in a floating world of distrust and shifting allegiances. 

Esther is a young mechanic who wants to prove herself, and she’s willing to take risks in the name of progress. But when the fresh water tanks explode, endangering the lives of everyone aboard the Catalina – it’s all Esther’s fault. 
With only a little water left, the crew of the Catalina must use its last fuel to sail for help. They head to an unknown seabound metropolis called the Galaxy Flotilla. The inhabitants of the Galaxy are keen to parade their lives of luxury, but what do the saviors really want in return for their warm welcome? And what is really going on below decks? 

When disaster strikes again, Esther must fight to save the lives of her friends aboard the Catalina before it’s too late. 

Find out how far Esther is willing to go to save her home in Seabound, the fast-paced first novel of the Seabound Chronicles. Available as a paperback and e-book from the following retailers: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

On why I write crossover novels:

I write fiction for adults who love YA. There are so many terrific YA books with immersive world-building and riveting characters. They are fast-paced, heartfelt, and unpretentious. Adults (myself included) read YA just as much as teenagers do because we want to get completely lost in a fictional world. I wanted to write something for these readers, but I also wanted to explore the possibilities for a slightly older character in a YA-like dystopian setting.

The main character of Seabound, a ship's mechanic named Esther, is 22 years old. She has more responsibility on the ship than she would as a teenager and her skills are more advanced. However, she is still trying to prove herself and figure out her place in the world. YA fiction is often about coming of age, and Esther strives to do that in the midst of extraordinary (and often life-threatening) circumstances. I hope her story will resonate with YA readers of any age. 

Jordan Rivet is an American author of post-apocalyptic fiction. She lives in Hong Kong.

Website: JordanRivet.com

Twitter: @Jordan_Rivet

Goodreads

Booktrack (two sample chapters with a movie-style soundtrack)

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Published: March 2013

Publisher: NAL Hardcovers

Pages: 433

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

 My thoughts:

Why haven't I read anything by Anne Bishop before now?  I really don't know!  I've seen her books at work and thought 'Hmm, looks interesting' but never got around to reading any of them.  I think I even took this one home on one occasion and took it back unread.  Why now? Well I was reading some of the blogs I follow regularly and in one of them the virtues of Anne Bishop were being extolled - yep you're right, I can't remember which blog I was reading, sorry, but this person was waxing lyrically about how much of a fan she is of Anne Bishop and I thought to myself, 'self, maybe it's time to try her books?  Then I happened to notice that the third book in this series is due out soon and  I have an advanced copy to read, so I just had to start the series. The rest is history.

Written in Red was so much fun.   It's Urban Fantasy at it's best.  A more or less contemporary world that is peopled with supernatural monsters.  But these are not quite the same werewolves and vampires as we are used to.  In Ms Bishop's world the 'supes' are very much in charge and merely tolerate humans instead of the other way around.  

Meg, the main protagonist,  had just the right blend of knowledge and naivety to make her seem very plausible and I loved the way that she so quickly tried to fit in, without being pushy or presumptive.  At heart, this novel is about accepting people for who, or in this case what, they are and the message comes across clearly without being in any way preachy.

I've already downloaded the second book 'Murder of Crows' - ok, I've not just downloaded it, I've read it and it is just as good as this one, so I feel I can do justice to number three 'Vision in Silver' which is due out March 3rd.  Btw, these are adult books, and there are some gruesome parts, so I definitely would not recommend them to younger teens, but they would be fine as New Adult if you enjoy Urban Fantasy.

Friday Follow - January 16

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question –

Do you own any doubles of your books? What led to getting that second…or third or fourth…copy?  – A Great Read

I do own a double of my books.  Sometimes I receive an ARC from the publisher and I love it so much that I go out and purchase the hardcover copy when it is released.  Once, I won 3 copies of Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong.  I gave one away to a friend when we went to Kelly's signing but I think I still have two copies sitting on my shelf.  I try to weed out books to make room for more but I am discovering that I tend to lean towards e-books right now because I'm lacking space.
 - Christinabean

I own a few doubles, but they are all hard copies and then e-books.  I've been known to read the hard copy at home and then continue reading the e-book copy of the same book when I'm out. It keeps the hard covers in better condition when you don't have to carry them around with you. BTW Christinabean gave ME the other copy of Waking the Witch, so she only has one left.  Lucky me.
- Curlypow

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Waiting on Wednesday - When by Victoria Laurie

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)

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not thehow, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?