Tag Archive for: new release spotlight

Can’t Wait Wednesday – Spotlight on UNEARTHED by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

 

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.  It is a meme that I have  loved participating in for over a year now, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll just be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.

My selection for this week is Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.  I actually hadn’t heard of this book prior to this week when I happened to see a giveaway for it on Goodreads.  Seeing Amie Kaufman’s name on it, considering how much I loved Illuminae, made this a must-read for me.  Then when I saw the blurb on the giveaway describing it as “Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in space,”  I was even more sold on it!

 

UNEARTHED by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Publication Date:  January 9, 2018

 

From Goodreads:

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study… as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race’s secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race…

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your WoW selection for this week. 🙂

Waiting on Wednesday – Spotlight on Fireblood by Elly Blake

New WoW“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.

My “Waiting On” Wednesday selection for this week is Fireblood by Elly Blake. Even though I had some issues with the first book in this series, Frostblood, I still have high expectations for Fireblood. I like that it sounds like Ruby will be further exploring that dark side we saw towards the end of the first book when she first encounters the Minax. I think that exploration of her own darker nature and all that entails will add that extra something to make Fireblood a real standout in YA Fantasy reads this year.

Fireblood 

by Elly Blake

Publication Date:  September 12, 2017

From Amazon:

In this action-packed sequel to Frostblood, the future of Ruby’s world and a court ruled by the love of her life depends on the uncovered secrets of her past..

Against all odds, Ruby has defeated the villainous Frost King and melted his throne of ice. But the bloodthirsty Minax that was trapped inside is now haunting her kingdom and everyone she loves. The answers to its demise may lie to the south in Sudesia, the land of the Firebloods, and a country that holds the secrets to Ruby’s powers and past….

Despite warnings from her beloved Arcus, Ruby accompanies a roguish Fireblood named Kai to Sudesia, where she must master her control of fire in a series of trials to gain the trust of the suspicious Fireblood queen. Only then can she hope to access the knowledge that could defeat the rampaging Minax–which grows closer every moment. But as sparks fly in her moments alone with Kai, how can Ruby decide whom to trust? The fate of both kingdoms is now in her hands.

Praise for Frostblood, the first book in the series:

“Ruby’s a spitfire who faces her challenges with grit….”―Kirkus

“This strong debut for Blake succeeds in laying down intriguing framework for the books to come.”―Publishers Weekly

“This series opener is perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen and will delight those who love fantasy, adventure, and romance. A strong addition to any YA fantasy collection.”―School Library Journal

“With Arcus and Ruby happy at the end and a kingdom possibly restored, readers will have a contented if not surprised sigh.”―Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This enchanting and fast-paced debut lights up the page with magic, romance, and action, all of which is expertly interwoven throughout the text. Readers will be eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.”―Booklist

“With a fierce and vibrant world, richly-drawn characters, a steamy romance, and page-turning twists, Frostblood has all the elements of a great fantasy.”

Morgan Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen Kingdoms Series

“Compelling characters, a fascinating world, and an exhilarating story beautifully wrought in this must-read debut.”―Eve Silver, author of the Game series

“Fast-paced and brimming with magic and intrigue, Frostblood will keep you frozen in place until the last page and then leave you burning for more.”―Lori M. Lee, author of Gates of Thread and Stone

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your WoW selection for this week. 🙂

Waiting on Wednesday – Spotlight on Rebels Like Us by Liz Reinhardt

New WoW“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.

My “Waiting On” Wednesday selection for this week is Rebels Like Us by Liz Reinhardt.  I’m intrigued by this book because although it sounds like on the surface it’s going to be a contemporary romance, it still tackles some very serious and relevant issues to give the story more weight.

Rebels Like Us

by Liz Reinhardt

Publication Date:  February 28, 2017

From Amazon:

“It’s not like I never thought about being mixed race. I guess it was just that, in Brooklyn, everyone was competing to be exotic or surprising. By comparison, I was boring, seriously. Really boring.”

Culture shock knocks city girl Agnes “Nes” Murphy-Pujols off-kilter when she’s transplanted mid–senior year from Brooklyn to a small Southern town after her mother’s relationship with a coworker self-destructs. On top of the move, Nes is nursing a broken heart and severe homesickness, so her plan is simple: keep her head down, graduate and get out. Too bad that flies out the window on day one, when she opens her smart mouth and pits herself against the school’s reigning belle and the principal.

Her rebellious streak attracts the attention of local golden boy Doyle Rahn, who teaches Nes the ropes at Ebenezer. As her friendship with Doyle sizzles into something more, Nes discovers the town she’s learning to like has an insidious undercurrent of racism. The color of her skin was never something she thought about in Brooklyn, but after a frightening traffic stop on an isolated road, Nes starts to see signs everywhere—including at her own high school where, she learns, they hold proms. Two of them. One black, one white.

Nes and Doyle band together with a ragtag team of classmates to plan an alternate prom. But when a lit cross is left burning in Nes’s yard, the alterna-prommers realize that bucking tradition comes at a price. Maybe, though, that makes taking a stand more important than anything.

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your WoW selection for this week. 🙂

Waiting on Wednesday- Spotlight on The Leavers by Lisa Ko

New WoW“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.

My “Waiting On” Wednesday selection for this week is The Leavers by Lisa Ko. Based on the description and the advance reviews I’ve read so far, The Leavers sounds like it’s going to be an incredibly moving read and one whose subject matter is quite timely. I’m also a huge fan of Barbara Kingsolver so seeing her praise for this book has me that much more excited, as does seeing that it was the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for fiction, which is awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues of social justice.

The Leavers

by Lisa Ko

Publication Date:  May 2, 2017

From Amazon:

An emotionally harrowing debut novel that explores assimilation and loss, immigration and homeland, independence and connection.

One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her job at the nail salon and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her.

With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left with no one to care for him. He is eventually adopted by two white college professors who move him from the Bronx to a small town upstate. They rename him Daniel Wilkinson in their efforts to make him over into their version of an “all-American boy.” But far away from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his new life with his mother’s disappearance and the memories of the family and community he left behind.

Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid and moving examination of borders and belonging. It’s the story of how one boy comes into his own when everything he’s loved has been taken away–and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.

This powerful debut is the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues of social justice.

Check out this advance praise for The Leavers

 “Courageous, sensitive, and perfectly of this moment.” —Barbara Kingsolver, author of Flight Behavior

“A rich and sensitive portrait of lives lived across borders, cultures, and languages. The Leavers is one of the most engaging, deeply probing, and beautiful books I have read this year.” —Laila Lalami, author of The Moor’s Account

“A moving mother/son story and welcome contribution to immigrant literature. In writing about Polly and her son Deming, Ko captures one family’s unique experience of becoming American while also exposing the loss of status, economic desperation, physical endangerment, and psychological grit of the undocumented worker as well as the alienation, double consciousness, mobility, and comparative access of the first generation.”  –Emily Raboteau, author of Searching for Zion

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your WoW selection for this week. 🙂

Waiting on Wednesday – Spotlight on We Are Still Tornadoes

New WoW“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about.

My “Waiting On” Wednesday selection for this week is We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen.  Okay, so I have to confess that what first piqued my interest in this book was learning that both of the authors graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. Being a Virginia girl myself, I couldn’t help but be a bit curious.  Once I read the synopsis and the advanced praise though, I knew that beyond the initial Virginia connection, this book would be a must-read for me because it is a story of friendship and I’m a sucker for a good story about friends. Also, “set to an awesome 80’s soundtrack”?  Heck yeah!

We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen

We Are Still Tornadoes th

Publication Date: November 1, 2016

From Amazon:

Growing up across the street from each other, Scott and Cath have been best friends for most of their lives. Now they’ve graduated high school and Cath is off to college while Scott stays at home trying to get his band off the ground. Neither of them realized that their first year after high school would be so hard.

Fortunately, Scott and Cath still have each other, and it’s through their letters to each other that they survive heartache, annoying roommates, family dramas and the pressure to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. And through it all, they realize that the only person they’ve ever wanted to turn to is each other. But does that mean they should think about being more than friends? One thing is clear: change is an inescapable part of growing up, and we share an unbreakable bond with the friends who help us navigate it…

This funny, extraordinary and deeply moving book―set to an awesome 80’s soundtrack―captures all the beautiful confusion and emotional intensity we find on the verge of adulthood…and first love.

Check out this advanced praise for We Are Still Tornadoes!

“Sweet, funny, & heartfelt!” ― Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Scott and Cath’s letters perfectly capture the richness of their relationship. Their unflinchingly honest voices as they navigate the transition to adulthood create the book’s emotional resonance. A love story to best friends everywhere. Smart, charming, and delightful.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Cath has a rare combination of self-confidence, spunk, and sarcasm. I love, love, love her character! A realistic look at a teen friendship and growing pains. Go out and get this fun book!” ― Generation G Books

 

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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your WoW selection for this week. 🙂