Waiting on Wednesday

So I am AGAIN late with my Waiting On Wednesday post! Ugh! Its been a horrible week, please forgive me!  So without further ado-


From GoodReads: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…

All I can say about this one is, I LOVE MERCY!!!! Patricia Briggs has two series that I adore, Alpha and Omega and Mercy Thompson.  Right now I am DYING as I wait for a new book for Ms. Briggs!  So here I am counting the days to January 25th!!

The Eternal Ones by Kristin Miller

From GoodReads: What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.
In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

So this book too me a lot longer to get into than I would have liked, but it was WELL worth it! This book had a little something of everything, some action, a little adventure, some heartbreak, and a lot of romance.  I found the characters to be written beautifully, the whole world brought to life in such vivid colors.  I hope Kristin Miller has plans to turn this book into a series, I am really looking forward to reading more about Haven, Iain, and Beau!

Waiting on Wednesday

My (again late) Waiting on Wednesday post! Defiance by Lili St. Crow, the fourth book in the Strange Angels series! 
From GoodReads: Now that sixteen-year-old Dru's worst fears have come true and Sergej has kidnapped her best friend Graves, she'll have to go on a suicidal rescue mission to bring him back in one piece.

That is, if she can put all of Christophe's training to good use, defeat her mother's traitor, Anna, once and for all, and manage to survive another day . . .

I am UBER excited for this book! Lili St. Crow is the MASTER at leaving us hanging at the end of the book.  I have cursed her name at the end of all three books so far, hating that I had to wait for the next book.  She has brought the characters to life in such a way that you feel as though you know them.  She has made you a part of Dru's world to the point where your heart races with every action-packed scene.  The wait until April very well may kill me. If you haven't checked out this series, then you live under a rock! GET TO THE LIBRARY NOW AND GET THE FIRST THREE BOOKS!!!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

From GoodReads: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

I have to start out by saying that this book, while not entirely original in it's story, was really enjoyable.  I liked the characters, the visualization of the surounding, and most of all, the little twists and turns that the author threw in.  I did find the plot a little bit like many other teen and YA books right now,  however, I find that Rachel put her own spin on it enough to make it different enough that I still wanted to read it.  I look forward to book two in the Hex Hall series and reccommend you give this book a read, it's worth the time!!

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

From GoodReads: Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death.
Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a string of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear.
Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair try to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever.
A seductive paranormal romance full of unexpected twists, Siren is certain to make a big summer splash.

I was really excited to get this book, it had been high on my TBR list.  However, I was left disappointed.  I thought that it dragged on and left me forcing myself to finish it.  It just seemed that everything was lacking in some way.  Emotional scenes made me feel nothing, action scenes didn't peak my excitement, and the ending didn't surprise me at all.  I wish I had at least one thing that I could say that I really liked about this book, but the only thing that I can honestly say is that I doubt I will read the rest of this series when it comes out.

My Soul To Keep by Rachel Vincent

From GoodReads: WHEN KAYLEE CAVANAUGH SCREAMS, SOMEONE DIES

AND KAYLEE IS ABOUT TO SCREAM HER HEAD OFF...
Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.
Until something does.
Demon’s breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow, the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.
And when the epidemic hits too close to home, Kaylee will have to risk everything to save those she loves.

This is the third book in the Soul Screamers series and, in my opinion, is the best one of the series thus far.  Though I enjoyed the first two books, I found that this one had more of everything, more action, more suspense, more emotion, and more twists.  I wish I could tell you more about this book, but I feel that to elaborate more would give too much away.  I will end with this... I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE REST OF THIS SERIES!!!!!

In My Mailbox

So this week's In My Mailbox is brought to you buy The Fort Dodge Public Library! lol As you know, I am a librarian at two libraries.  Unfortunately, both libraries are small town libraries with EXTREMELY limited budgets. So to "try before I buy" books for these libraries, I go to a nearby bigger city and get new releases from their library.  The Fort Dodge Public Library has been lucky enough to have several foundations that fundraise and purchase books for them, giving them an OVERWHELMING book collection.  This week in particular, I SCORED, getting not one, not two, but ELEVEN newly released books from my TBR list!  By the time I post this weeks WoW on Sunday, some may have already been read and reviewed, but I am going to list them here anyway!

So needless to say, this week will be spent with a book in my hands every spare moment I get!!

Claire De Lune by Christine Johnson

From GoodReads: Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.
As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

I was a little disappointed with this book.  I expected it to be more somehow, and instead found myself being really annoyed with her mom, annoyed with the whining of her best friend, annoyed with Claire's internal whining, annoyed with who the bad guy turned out to be, and almost expecting more than what I got in the end.  So while this was a book that I didn't enjoy, I will read the second book that is coming in this series.  I think that Christine Johnson has a lot of potential to be an amazing writer that I will love and I hope she takes the next book and turns it into something awesome.  But for now, I am left wanting from this story.

Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent

So this week I started the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  I finished the first two, My Soul To Take and My Soul To Save, and am in the process of reading the third, My Soul To Keep.

From GoodReads: She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.
Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

From GoodReads: “If she were going to die, I’d already be screaming. I’m a banshee. That’s what we do.”

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld — a consequence they can’t possibly understand. Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk....
I have to start off by saying that I loved the fact that Rachel wrote an original, interesting story.  I mean come on, who else has wrote a book about banshees? Excuse me, I meant bean sidhes. lol
This story was new and fun with a sprinkling of emotional tear-jerkers.  I enjoyed it a lot.  My favorite character through both books was Tod.  He was annoying, endearing, and loveable.  I can't wait to finish the third book and look forward to the release of the fourth.

Waiting on Wednesday

ARG! I am late on myWaiting On Wednesday post! Sorry!!!!  Yesterday was kind of a day from Hades, so forgive me! 
But without further wait, here is my Waiting On Wednesday pick!

Entice by Carrie Jones is the third book in the Need series.  I LOVE LOVE LOVED the first two books and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Entice in December!

From GoodReads: Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that’s not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he’s been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it’s taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?
And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there’s that other small problem: Zara’s been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn’t just turned… She’s Astley’s queen.

Carrie Jones writes a thrilling take on pixies in this series, leaving you shell-shocked at the end of each book.  The characters suck you into their story until you are twisted up inside about who is the good guy and who isn't.  I, for one, am DYING to know what happens next! If you haven't checked out the Need series yet, I suggest you get on it!!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

So just this very minute I finished Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  I honestly couldn't wait a second to jump on here and rave about this book.  It has taken me a week to read it, only because I was not allowed to call in to work. Seriously. I was so wrapped up in this book from the moment I opened it that I very well could have called in to work so that I wouldn't have to put it down.  However, hubby put a quick stop to that idea.

From GoodReads: Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.
As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

So, how do I review a book that has left me speechless and gasping for air?  I am sitting here right now with just a flash of words running through my head. Brilliant, beautiful, stunning, awesome, amazing, gut-wrenching, and heartache are but a few.
The story itself was beautifully told, it played out like a movie in my head with every scene scripted perfectly.  The characters were mesmorizing and brought to life so well that I felt every gut-wrenching twist and turn right along with them.  The plot thickened and twisted until I was being stunned into silence. 
I cannot say enough great things about this book to even begin to give you an idea of how brilliant it was.  Cassandra Clare is masterful in her detail and in this world that she brings to life .  I can only bow before her awesomeness.  If you have not read this book yet, RUN, DON'T WALK to the nearest store and BUY IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Lately I have had the good fortune of reading the most wonderful, scrumptious books, and Jessica Verday didn't let me down with the second book in The Hollow Trilogy. 

From GoodReads: After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with by the bridge where her best friend drowned - the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead - Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, determined to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into schoolwork, perfume-making and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be able to help her get over Caspian once and for all. But Abbey is never going to truly be able to move on from Caspian and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side: for Caspian is a Shade and Abbey is his destiny. The two are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow and the famous legend that binds their fates - a legend whose true ending and dark truths they are only just beginning to guess...

The first book, The Hollow, left me tear-streaked and gasping for air.  I loved it, it was beautiful and captivating.  So when I picked up The Haunted (I hunted EVERYWHERE for it on release day! Wal-Mart didn't have it, Target didn't have it, and I live in a small town! Finally, a near-by library had just gotten it in! Thank you Rita for giving me this book before it was even in your system! I LOVE LOVE LOVE you for it!!) I had immensely high standards.  I expected it to move me in the same way The Hollow had....

While it didn't bring me to tears like The Hollow did, The Haunted did make me smile, laugh, blush, and gasp.  The twists and turns in this book, while sometimes expected in The Hollow, were exciting and unforseen in The Haunted.  All in all I would say that Jessica Verday turned up the heat in The Haunted and added a heaping spoonful of darkness, making this sequel a delicious success. 

Waiting on Wednesday

So I thought long and hard this week about my Waiting on Wednesday post.  What book am I absolutely, 100% thinking about non-stop right now.  Well, until yesterday, it was Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and The Haunted by Jessica Verday.  But as both came out yesterday and I ran out first thing yesterday morning to get them, that left me in a quandry.  So I sat back down to put some more thought into it and came up with one that is really starting to creep into the back of my mind a lot......

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, the first and HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 1st book in the new Heroes of Olympus series.  I have LOVED the Percy Jackson series and ADORED the new Kane Chronicles series, so with the upcoming release date (October 12th!!!), I figured now was a good time to allow myself to start obsessing.

From Goodreads: Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

So my AWESOME boss, Rachel Caine, sent me an ARC of Ghost Town, the 9th book in the Morganville Vampires series.  I finished the book over the weekend, but due to an EXTREMELY hectic schedule I have been unable to post a review on it until now.

FORGIVE ME!!!  So, without further delay, I give you GHOST TOWN!!!!

From GoodReads:  The fragile peace between humans and vampires in Morganville is in trouble, and when Claire takes drastic action, she's put under serious pressure to re-establish the barriers that keep the town residents inside, and wipe the memories of those who leave. But working with her half-crazy vampire boss Myrnin means that things don't always turn out as planned ... and as the people of Morganville begin acting strangely, Claire and her friends must solve the mystery and try to put things right. But one by one, her allies are turning on her ... even the ones she trusts most.

I must start out by saying that I devoured this book in mere hours. Rachel has pumped up the creepy factor in Morganville to 1000 in Ghost Town!  If you thought the vampires in Morganville were devious, evil, kill-all-humans before, just wait until you see them now!  This book has twice the random attacks, twice the RUN FOR YOUR LIFE moments, and best of all TWICE THE MYRNIN!!!!

For those of you out there with an undying love of Claire's super crazy boss, Myrnin, you will be excited to know that Myrnin is once again front and center for Ghost Town!  But sorry guys, that's all the spoilery info I'm giving out today!  Just trust me when I say that October 26th you need to RUN, not walk, to your nearest bookstore and get the newest addition to the Morganville Vampires! Rachel has,once again,out-done herself!  Ghost Town was exciting, creepy, riveting, and,most of all, filled with Myrnin!!! My only complaint about the book, not enough Bob. lol