Waiting on Wednesday - Not a Drop to Drink

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Series: Standalone

Expected Publication: September 24 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Post Apocalypse

Pages: 320

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.
Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand. 

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

Why I’m Waiting

First of all, it’s a standalone dystopian/post apoc book! Those NEVER happen. So that alone excites me. I like standalones because they don’t require much commitment. If you know anything about me, I’m a total commitment-phobe. It would be one of my Sim traits (y’know, if I was a Sim). I don’t like being stuck with anything for a long duration. That’s actually why I was so tentative to start this blog – I was afraid that I’d abandon it after a few days like I do most things (I’m actually still kind of freaking out about that possibility).

ANYWAY – back to the book. It sounds like it might be similar to Ashfall by Mike Mullin and Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari, but with more general badassery. It has the potential to be really good or to really suck, so I’ve crossing my fingers and toes in hopes that it will be good.

On a side note, the author’s name reminds me of my all-time favourite Skins character, Mini McGuinness and the goddess who plays her, Freya Mavor. Sigh.

Waiting on Wednesday - Antigoddess

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Series: Goddess War #1

Expected Publication: September 10 2013

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 336

Old Gods never die…Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health. Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
 Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.
 Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath. The Goddess War is about to begin. 

Why I’m Waiting

I really liked Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood, though I still have yet to read Girl of Nightmares. I also really like things that are based on Greek mythology (or any kind of mythology, for that matter), though they are often butchered in the process of modernization. I really hope this one is well done.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

TheColdest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Series: Standalone

Expected Publication: September 3 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 432

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.  

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Why I’m Waiting

I read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown when it was a short story, and I loved it. I’m a big fan of Holly’s writing and have been since I first devoured Tithe in middle school (that was a long time ago). I try not to let her friendship with the she-devil sway my opinion of her as a person or of her writing. It’s harder than I care to admit. I think Holly Black has one of the greatest imaginations in YA right now, alongside the likes of Laini Taylor, Richelle Mead, and Melina Marchetta. I look forward to everything she puts out (though I still haven’t listened to the third Curse Workers book. Shame on me).

Waiting On Wednesday - Untold

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Lynburn Legacy #2

Expected Publication: August 29 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 336

Free from bonds, but not each other.

It’s time to choose sides… On the surface, Sorry-in-the-Vale is a sleepy English town. But Kami Glass knows the truth. Sorry-in-the-Vale is full of magic. In the old days, the Lynburn family ruled with fear, terrifying the people into submission in order to kill for blood and power. Now the Lynburns are back, and Rob Lynburn is gathering sorcerers so that the town can return to the old ways. 

But Rob and his followers aren’t the only sorcerers in town. A decision must be made: pay the blood sacrifice, or fight. For Kami, this means more than just choosing between good and evil. With her link to Jared Lynburn severed, she’s now free to love anyone she chooses. But who should that be?

I loved Unspoken so much that I didn’t want it to end (a problem I very rarely face when I’m reading because of my lack of patience). It was just so cute and fun and had just the right amount of suspense and humour. I particularly loved the solid friendships – the book wasn’t just about the relationship between Kami and Jared. It was about everyone in Kami’s life, from her friends (who are amazing) to her family (her brothers are incredibly endearing). I’m so excited to read the next adventures in Sorry-in-the-Vale, the best named town in YA.

Waiting On Wednesday - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Series: Between #1

Expected Publication: August 15 2013

Publisher: Dial

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Gothic, Horror

Pages: 368

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand… 

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

I tend to be disappointed by YA horror novels, so I’m really hoping this one will be an exception to that. I’ve seen (but haven’t read) positive and negative reviews, but I’m holding out hope. It has a really intriguing premise and come on – would you just look at that cover? That typography is BEAUTIFUL.