As you may have already noticed, I haven't been doing Big, Fat TBR Pile posts for a bit, and that's mostly because I've decided to do it as a monthly thing. As it turns out, I LIKE DOING THINGS WITH MY WEDNESDAYS. And I don't like having to scramble for a pick every week. INSTEAD, I can kind of store up and then BOOM, have a bigger post with all my newest additions to my wishlist for the month. SO. I have FIVE picks this week. CHECK out them apples.
Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Putnam/Penguin,
Nov 13th 2012
A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.
Why I Want to Read It: Do you remember when EVERYBODY was talking about this book? Was that so long ago? Anyway, mad peeps did AWESOME cover reveals for this delectable-looking book, and with it, they also posted a sample of the first chapter. AND I LOVED THAT FIRST CHAPTER. I loved it SO HARD. At first, I was all, Whaaa? Then, I was like, WOW. So I'm super to the triple power excited for this book!
The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Greenwillow/HarperTeen,
Sept 18 2012
In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.
Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.
Why I Want to Read It: Can we just... DISCUSS the amazeball covers in THIS SERIES? Hot darn, they are so EFFING PRETTY. The kinds of covers you want to lean over a guardrail, facing impending doom, to touch. They are dazzling, and I need to own the first book. BECAUSE I SO BADLY ADORED THAT FIRST BOOK. It's so... thorough, exciting, and vivid, this fantasy is. The world-building is exceptional, the characters lovable, and I WANT TO SEE WHAT CARSON IS TAKING US TO SHOP FOR IN THE ROMANCE DEPARTMENT. Because after TGoFaT, I'm wary of buying into the next trend so to speak.
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Dial/Penguin, June 14 2012
A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another...
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.
Why I Want to Read It: Nowadays, I'm really digging the contemporary romance genre. A lot of author peeps have got it GOING ON THIS YEAR, and, in particular, this summer. I just want to hug some of them. And I'm sensing Fitzpatrick will be my next huggable addition to my bookshelf. MLND looks so sweet and deep and heartfelt and wrenching. And I've heard such fab things about the Garrett family! Plus, gorgeous guy, new friendships, true love... I mean, REALLY, what's
not to like, I ask you?
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes/Michelle Rowen
Razorbill/Penguin,
Dec 11 2012
In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:
Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.
Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.
Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...
The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
Why I Want to Read It: Betcha ya can't say EPIC FANTASY as fast, or as enthusiastically, as I can! I'm serious. But, gosh, I can't tell you how badly I want to read THIS BOOK IN PARTICULAR. I love all the ones here, already, but there's a certain special something here with Falling Kingdoms that I can't wait to devour. I love the characters' names and all their descriptions up in the summary! We're questing, there's power struggles, and THERE HAD BETTER BE ROMANCE. So it just landed triple check marks, make that quadruple with it being fantasy, on my MUST READ/PERFECT BOOK CHECKLIST.
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
Simon Pulse/Simon & Scuster, May 24 2012
Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of the first-ever teen series from #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.
Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days.
Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.
Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.
The first in a series, this epic and richly detailed drama is grounded in historical communities and their mythic beliefs. It includes a medieval map of Europe that will track their journey; and the interior will include relevant decorative elements as well as an interior line illustration. And look for a QR code that links to a note from the author with additional, detailed information about the setting and the history that informed the writing. With Philippa Gregory’s trademark touch, this novel deftly brings the past—and its salacious scandals—vividly and disturbingly to life.
Why I Want to Read It: EEP! EEEEEEP! HISTORICAL FANTASY. Gosh, it's been FOREVA since I've read one. And not by choice, I assure you. It's just I haven't manage to track down any good ones lately. And I'M CRAVING ONE. With Greggory's renowned-ness and the awesome year in ITALY WITH A BOY NAMED LUCA - ringing any of River of Time bells, anyone? - it's like a sign from the universe that I was meant to read this book.
*The following aren't necessarily books that I own, but just ones I hope to get to soon.
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
Bloomsbury/Walker,
June 19, 2012
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan,
June 19, 2012
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Disney-Hyperion,
May 2012
The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
Candlewick,
May 2012
And that's it for this week's glimpse into my TBR pile.
I look forward to showing you more of what's in
My Big, Fat TBR Pile.
What's lingering in your to-read pile?
Ah, when was the last time I did a WoW post? I used to love doing these every week, before I complicated matters here and tried to tweak things. Whatever happened to just having fun with this? Well, that's just what I'm going to try to get back to.
Now try as I might, it has never been the perfect time to start Jenny Han's previous triogy. Every summer I start to reach for it and then lose the urge on the way. I guess it's because the premise never really captured me, and the only reason I want to read it is due to the amount of love there is for the books.
