Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choices are:

Title: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a savage. He’s also her only hope. Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Title: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Title: Slide by Jill Hathaway
Publisher: Blazer + Bray for HarperCollins
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Genre: Thriller, Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

HarperCollins released their Winter 2012 children’s catalog with some amazing books, these are just a few of them. Hallowed is the sequel to Unearthly, the only angel book that I have absolutely loved. Under the Never Sky and Slide sound and look awesome, can’t wait to read them. What books are you waiting on?

Winner of the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway!

The winner of the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop, chosen by Random.org, is Keri Payton!

Thank you to everyone who participated. I am still giving away a copy of Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz and will be doing another giveaway starting on July 1 so stay tuned and make sure you enter.

Cover Reveal: Everneath

Title and Author: Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Release Date: Jan. 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins/Blazer+Bray
Genre: Paranormal

17-year old Nikki Beckett has just returned from the Underworld to a family who doesn’t know where she’s been, a boyfriend who doesn’t know why she left, and old friends who think she’s an addict. But Nikki won’t have time to make everyone understand what she's been through. She only has six months at Park City High before the tunnels of the Underworld come for her again. Six months for goodbyes she’ll never be able to say out loud. Six months to find redemption, if it even exists. She didn't plan on her former boyfriend's reaction to her return. Jack doesn't care why she left him, or why she's returned, as long as he doesn't lose her again. When Nikki discovers she didn’t return to the surface alone, being near Jack becomes dangerous – for both of them. Cole, an Everliving, followed her back from the Underworld, and he needs Nikki in order to make his push for the throne. He’ll do anything to make it happen, even if it means going back to high school. Together, Nikki and Jack search for answers in ancient myths and from mysterious characters, hoping to find a loophole for Nikki to escape her fate, but in the end, the choice will be Nikki’s: serve the Underworld, or rule it.

Look at this gorgeous cover of Everneath! I absolutely love Greek mythology and this sounds a bit like a take on the myth of Hades and Persephone. Can’t wait for this one to come out!

Follow My Blog Friday – 6/24/11

Happy Friday everyone! Follow My Book Blog Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.  Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz and Evernight by Claudia Gray.

This week's question is: In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

I liked Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange Trilogy a lot but my all time favorite is Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fae Series. If you haven’t started it yet, I highly recommend it!

Waiting on Wednesday – Shadows on the Moon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott
Publisher: Walker Books
Publish Date: July 7, 2011
Genre: Fairytale Retellings, Paranormal

"On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before." Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself. Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity. Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her. Not even love.

A Cinderella retelling set in feudal Japan where the main character has paranormal abilities? Yes please! Love the cover, setting and description of this book. What books are you waiting on?

Mid Summer’s Eve Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Mid Summer’s Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. For this hop, I am giving away a copy of Evernight by Claudia Gray and a Dark Days of the Supernatural bookmark.  Good luck, thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the other participating blogs!

Contest Rules:

• Must be 13+ years old to enter
• Fill out the form below
• You must be a follower through Google Friend Connect (GFC) to enter
• Have a US shipping address
• Giveaway ends on June 24, 2011 (Truly Bookish is not responsible for any products lost or damaged during shipping)

Book Review: Radiant Darkness

Title and Author: Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 247 pages
Genre: Mythology
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Library

Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arri/+ves. A stranger who promises something more—something dangerous and exciting—something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself. In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who—and what—she really is.

What if Persephone was not kidnapped and dragged to the underworld by Hades and forced to become his wife? How much different would the myth be if she went with him willingly? This is the story that Emily Whitman tells in Radiant Darkness.

Persephone is a teenage goddess who lives in a beautiful vale that is completely inaccessible to anyone. Her mother, Demeter, is the only one who comes and goes from the vale. Persephone's friends are female mythological creatures and the message is clear: no boys allowed. Persephone and Demeter do not have a good mother/daughter relationship. Persephone wants freedom and Demeter wants complete control over her daughter’s life. It’s no surprise that when Demeter leaves the vale and the handsome, charismatic stranger flies in on his chariot and begins to court Persephone, she can’t say no to his offer of romance and freedom.

Persephone is a naïve and sheltered teenager who does not think about the consequences to her actions or what Hades’ true motives are in inviting her to be queen of the underworld. Hades may be charismatic but he is also a user and a bit of a jerk. I did not like him but that does not take away from the story. He is Hades, after all.

Radiant Darkness is a good, quick read for all those interested in Greek myth and happy retellings. Persephone’s feelings will resonate with a teenage audience and the story will appeal to YA readers in general. How does it compare to more recent titles based on the myth of Persephone like The Goddess Test, Falling Under or Abandon? Radiant Darkness does not have as much action as those books, but naturally it is a closer retelling because it has the actual characters. If you liked any of those books, I think you will like Radiant Darkness as well.

Content: Kissing, Persephone and Hades marry and sex is implied