30th August 2016 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Robin Bridges
The Form of Things Unknown
Kensington (US & CA: 30th August 2016)
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Natalie Roman isn’t much for the spotlight. But performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a stately old theatre in Savannah, Georgia, beats sitting alone replaying mistakes made in Athens. Fairy queens and magic on stage, maybe a few scary stories backstage. And no one in the cast knows her backstory. Except for Lucas – he was in the psych ward, too. He won’t even meet her eye. But Nat doesn’t need him. She’s making friends with girls, girls who like horror movies and Ouija boards, who can hide their liquor in Coke bottles and laugh at the theatre’s ghosts. Natalie can keep up. She can adapt. And if she skips her meds once or twice so they don’t interfere with her partying, it won’t be a problem. She just needs to keep her wits about her.

Stefanie Gaither
Into the Abyss (Falls the Shadow, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster (US, UK, CA, & AU: 30th August 2016)
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Violet Benson used to know who she was: a dead girl’s clone, with a dead girl’s memories. But after Huxley’s attempt to take over the government left her memories and personality wiped all she has left is a mission: help the CCA fight back against the rest of Huxley’s deadly clones that are still at large. But when a group of clones infiltrate CCA headquarters, Violet is blamed. Already unsure of where her loyalties should lie, Violet finds herself running away with an unlikely ally: Seth, Jaxon’s unpredictable foster brother. With Seth at her side, Violet begins to learn about a whole new side of her city’s history – and her own. But when she learns the shocking truth about cloning, Violet will have to make a choice – and it may be one that takes her away from everyone she ever loved.

Stacia Kane
Made for Sin
Random House Loveswept (US & CA: 30th August 2016)
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A lot of bad hands get dealt in Vegas, but E. L. Speare may be holding one of the worst: He’s cursed with the need to commit sins, and if he misses his daily quota, there’s hell to pay – literally. Fortunately, his hometown affords him plenty of chances to behave badly. But Speare’s newest case really has him going out on a limb. The right-hand man of a notorious crime boss has been found dead in a Dumpster – minus his right hand, not to mention the rest of his arm. What catches Speare’s attention, however, is that the missing appendage was severed clean by a demon-sword, a frighteningly powerful tool of the underworld. Speare’s out of his element, so he turns to a specialist: Ardeth Coyle, master thief, dealer in occult artefacts, and bona fide temptress. Ardeth’s hotter than a Las Vegas sidewalk on the Fourth of July, but she’s one sin Speare has to resist. The dismembered corpses are piling up, unimaginable evil lurks in the shadows, and if this odd couple hopes to beat the odds, Speare needs to keep his hands off Ardeth, and his head in the game.

Katharine McGee
The Thousandth Floor
HarperCollins (US, UK, & CA: 30th August 2016)
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A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there 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 this 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 for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught 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…

Richelle Mead
Succubus Shadows (Georgina Kincaid, Book 5)
Kensington Zebra (US & CA: 30th August 2016)
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Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals – all child’s play to a succubus like her… Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend’s wedding is a different story. Georgina isn’t sure which is worse – that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina’s roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there’s Simone, the new succubus in town, who’s intent on corrupting Seth. But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that’s visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she’ll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she’ll discover who she can trust, who she can’t – and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity…

August 2016 Releases

Done with July 2016 Releases? Here are August 2016 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

June 2016 Releases

Done with May 2016 Releases? Here are June 2016 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

The Glittering Court – Richelle Mead

NOTE: This is not a review, because I didn’t finish the book. Instead, these are my notes. Thanks to Penguin Teen Australia for providing me with a copy.

Richelle Mead
The Glittering Court
Penguin Razorbill (US, CA, & AU: 5th April 2016)
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I’ve followed Richelle Mead’s career since the days of the Fangs, Fur, & Fey LiveJournal community, which was in action from 2006 through to 2011. (Yes, I’m old.) I bought her books, and they stayed in my TBR piles because I prioritise reading library copies.

When the announcement came of the author’s first, and so far only, official visit to Australia (to promote Blood Promise in 2009 – pics or it didn’t happen), I began catching up. Succubus Blues: 4 stars. Vampire Academy: 5 stars. And after her visit, I also read and enjoyed Gameboard of the Gods (4 stars) and Frostbite (5 stars).

But things took a turn with the author’s stand-alone, Soundless. “It’s diverse – lots of deaf characters,” I heard. So it was disappointing when I actually read the book, which is told from the point of view of a girl…who can HEAR. Which is pretty much the default for fiction, anyway. All these deaf characters, but the story is about the only person in the village who can hear. Think I gave Soundless 3 stars in the end.

Which brings me to the only Richelle Mead book that I’ve started but haven’t finished: The Glittering Court. Fantasy set in made-up lands – not really my thing. Supposedly inspired by Elizabethan times and the “frontier world” (early white days of the USA) – historicals aren’t my thing, either. Then the reviews came in from fellow readers I trust – all about dresses and romance. The dread built, yet I still tried the book.

And on the very first page – yes, Page 1 – of The Glittering Court is…a racial slur. I didn’t expect that; hadn’t been warned about it. And because I’d heard this was inspired by the “New World”, I figured this made-up land’s native people are POC, so calling them that slur…

I was already angry, but when the same slur turned up TWICE on Page 17 (said by the love interest, no less) I skimmed until circa page 40, when my library books arrived. I haven’t picked up the book since.

Not tempted to, either. Natalia and Rose both read much further, and their comprehensive reviews basically confirm all the bad impressions I had: that the novel is pro-colonialism and there’s racism aplenty, towards the native people of the land the white people are invading, and towards a refugee at the finishing school.

Oh, and there are reportedly problems with the world-building, plotting, and characters, too.

I’m all for authors starting new series in new worlds. But I think I’ll catch up on Richelle Mead’s backlist, rather than continue with The Glittering Court and its companion novels.

5th April 2016 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Jenna Black
Nightstruck
Macmillan Tor Teen (US: 5th April 2016)
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Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents’ divorce. A studious high school senior, her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents’ ambitious expectations for her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. But that all changes on the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong. Unbeknownst to her, Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds, allowing a dark magic into the mortal world. As the magic trickles in, the city begins to change at night. Strange creatures roam the streets, and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises in the morning, and no one can capture the strange changes – such as potholes turning into toothy mouths and wires turning into strangling vines – on film, which prompts the government to declare that the city has been infected with some kind of madness and must be quarantined. Meanwhile, venturing out of one’s house at night has become a dangerous proposition, and the moment the sun sets, most of the citizens of the city shut themselves up in their houses and stay there even in the case of dire emergencies. The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some individuals it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off all her responsibilities and join them. Joining the night world means being free of not just responsibility, but conscience, and it means no longer caring about the fate of others.

Sylvia Day
One with You (Crossfire, Book 5)
Macmillan St. Martin’s Griffin (US: 5th April 2016); Penguin (UK & AU: 5th April 2016)
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Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably. Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one. We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws…and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us. But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free…or break us apart.

Richelle Mead
The Glittering Court
Penguin Razorbill (US, CA, & AU: 5th April 2016)
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For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea. After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself – even though she’s falling in love with him. Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else’s property. But nothing is as daunting – or as wonderful – as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.

Danielle Rollins
Burning
Bloomsbury (US: 5th April 2016)
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Tucked away, deep in the woods, Brunesfield Correctional Facility’s cold walls and empty hallways keep dangerous girls away from the world…girls like Angela Davis, whose fate was determined by one bad decision. After a few years in juvie, Angela is finally close to her release, but everything changes the day a new warden with dark plans takes over. Angela knows evil when she sees it, and as strange disappearances and frightening incidents happen more and more frequently, it becomes clear that Brunesfield could be the end of them. Angela and her friends must find a way to get out, but how can they save themselves from very place keeping them locked away?”

April 2016 Releases

Done with March 2016 Releases? Here are April 2016 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

10th November 2015 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Becca Fitzpatrick
Dangerous Lies
Simon & Schuster (US, UK, CA, & AU: 10th November 2015)
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Stella Gordon’s life is a lie. She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the star witness in a murder trial against a drug dealer, Stella is now in the Witness Protection Program. The small town locals can never know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, the one boy who makes her want to reveal her true self. She knows that telling the truth will only bring violence to this safe haven. Despite how hard Stella tries to stay under the radar, danger is fast-approaching. Criminals have a way of getting rid of witnesses, and Stella may have made the one mistake that could lead the cold-blooded men hunting for her right to her doorstep.

Stefanie Gaither
Falls the Shadow
Simon & Schuster (US, UK, CA, & AU: 10th November 2015)
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When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality by cloning them at birth – which means this new Violet has the same face. The same perfect smile. She even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced. She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school. At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

Richelle Mead
Soundless
Penguin (US & CA: 10th November 2015)
Review
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For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible to leave the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei’s home and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation. Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon. She sets out to uncover what’s happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives forever… And unlocks a power that will save her people.

Marissa Meyer
Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, Book 4)
Macmillan Feiwel & Friends (US: 10th November 2015); Penguin Puffin (AU: 10th November 2015)
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Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend – the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long. Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever after?

[REVIEW] Soundless – Richelle Mead

Richelle Mead
Soundless
Penguin (US, UK, CA: 10th November 2015; AU: 12th November 2015)
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NOTE: Throughout the book, the word is presented as “deaf”. In real life, I’ve also seen it as “Deaf” and “d/Deaf”. This review goes along with the novel, because that’s what I discuss.

Soundless is a standalone, and has a beautiful cover – the best art of any of the author’s books. It’s fewer than 300 pages, a quick read. Though I’ve seen mention of an embargo, Amazon Vine reviews were up before the novel’s publication, so the publisher gave a good push. The story involves Chinese folklore and deaf characters. Everything in this paragraph is a drawcard.

We begin at the top of a mountain, in a village full of people who’ve been deaf for generations, though ancestors were once hearing. Fei has been deaf all her life – until now.

It’s in the blurb (Australian edition), so it’s not a spoiler: Sound becomes her weapon.

And so one of the novel’s drawcards…withdraws. This is not a story with a heroine who’s deaf. This is a story with a heroine who’s originally deaf, but then mysteriously acquires full hearing overnight without any science or technology involved. She remains hearing without aids for the rest of the book.

So what does this mean? Would this story be possible if Fei had remained deaf forever? Hearing rocks fall saves her life, as does hearing other danger before it arrives. Had she not been able to hear, what would it have taken for Fei to investigate how to save her fellow villagers?

This isn’t as much of a story about a deaf person as it is about a hearing person.

Maybe I expected a feel-good story about a deaf person having adventures and saving the future. That could explain my somewhat disappointment that the novel’s about a hearing person having adventures and saving the future.

I look forward to reading marginalised people’s (deaf and/or Chinese) views on Soundless. Maybe I need further context to fully understand the novel, because as it is I’m kind of side-eying the story.

But even before I truly considered the book’s concept, my interest was fading. If you’re already skimming by Chapter 2, instead of properly reading, things aren’t great. It only really grabbed me from about page 200, so a case of too little too late. The scenery is breathtaking, and I’d love to learn more about the Chinese folklore that inspired Soundless. But I couldn’t stay focused and interested the entire time.

November 2015 Releases

Done with October 2015 Releases? Here are November 2015 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

5 New Covers (Alcott, Andrews, Kenner, Mead)