Waiting on Wednesday

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Marina has everything. She’s got money, popularity, and a bright future. Plus, she’s best friends with the boy next door, who happens to be a gorgeous prodigy from one of America’s most famous families.

Em has nothing. Imprisoned in a small white cell in the heart of a secret military base, all she has is the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

But Marina and Em have one big thing in common: they’re the same person.

Now Em must travel back four years in time in order to avert the terrible future from which she’s fled, and there’s only one way to do it. She must kill the person who invented the time machine in the first place: someone from her past. A person she loved.

But Marina won’t let them go without a fight.

How absolutely amazing does this sound? Pretty amazing right? I'm super curious as to what the cover will look like and TIME TRAVEL. AND KILLING THE PERSON SHE LOVES. And the different names? I'm just super curious about that too. Almost everything about this book makes me want to buy it! I already have it on my Xmas wishlist! ;D 

Ironskin by Tina Conolly

Goodreads Blurb

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. 
It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin. 
When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. 
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey. 
Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

This was definitely a twist on the classic story of Jane Eyre mixed with just a bit of Beauty and the Beast, and I did love that, but Ironskin seemed very...alternative, I guess you could say. At one moment, the dialogue would sound old-fashioned as it should, and other times it seemed to have a bit of modern slang and that got old real fast. And while it is classified as steampunk (and it is, it's just that there aren't any cool machines or anything 100% steampunk-y), it seemed to be more...well, a bit more paranormal-ish because of the fey.

I actually really liked the world building, despite its non-steampunkness since I'm not a very big fan, honestly. And a VERY big fan of the fey. So the world was definitely perfect for me. The fey are, obviously, evil, but in Ironskin, the Great War (from what I gather, a war between the fey and humans) has ended and the fey haven't been seen in 5 years. But that doesn't me that they aren't still there, waiting and lurking. And they've got a few more tricks up their sleeve...

As for plot, I seriously loved the plot. For me, it wasn't really too fast or too slow and I LOVED Dorie. Even if she was a brat. But I admit, there was a "big twist" that I could predict at least 10 chapters earlier, but the  biggest twist? I was sooo not expecting that. And the twist after that? I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT EITHER. And the rest was...definitely surprising to me.Once in a while there's a twist that I knew I should've expected, but just didn't because...well, it's a twist. There's no way to expect it, and there was definitely one of those in Ironskin

The romance was...iffy, mainly good for me. While it was sweet and a bit Frankenstein (which is good!) it did seem...sudden. When Jane realized she liked loved Mr. Rochart, he was suddenly all the more interested like he knew what she felt, which he couldn't...wait...no. Wait...well, you'll have to read it. I'm not sure if he could or couldn't! But I did mostly like the romance, I guess. The ending was definitely satisfying, both plot-wise and romance-wise, so I can't wait to see what happens in book 2 and whether their feelings will develop more!

The one thing that stood out to me was its originality! A curse that makes others feel an emotion? Where socialites are shrinking back from fey-tainted people, but scrambling to get fey-tech at the same time? A love interest who's a father in YA? I doubt anyone's really done that successfully (in YA at least!)but it all seemed to flow naturally, still being Young Adult. I especially loved the parts that mentioned the curses. They were all different and I wanted to learn more about them immediately and I still want to learn more! The more you dive deeper, the more you want to learn. And I doubt there's a book that deals with these elements and is as engaging as Ironskin was!

If you're looking for a steampunk, this isn't the book for you. If you're reading this because it's a retelling of Jane Eyre, don't pick this up! Now, if it sounds interesting then DEFINITELY PICK THIS UP! It was definitely an enchanting story and the world is as stunning as the plot. Original and outstanding, this is definitely a debut that'll make a bang in the YA world!

Pages: 304

Series: Ironskin #1

Genre: Steampunk/Romance/Retelling

Publisher: Tor 

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Rating: 3.5--->4

Rua by Miranda Kavi

Goodreads Blurb

A girl with an unknown destiny. 
A boy from a hidden world. 
When Celeste starts at a new school in a small, Kansas town, she hears whispering voices, has vivid nightmares, and swarms of blackbirds follow her every move. She is oddly drawn to aloof Rylan, the other new student who has his own secrets. 
The exact moment she turns seventeen, she wakes to a bedroom full of strange creatures, purple light emanating from her hands, and Rylan breaking in through her bedroom window.
He knows what she is . . .

So here's another one of those indie books that was recommended to me! (By Lisseth at Read-a-holicz this time) And then, of course, majoy cover love! I love the purple and the designs and how wonderfully it portrays the book! 

Something I've noticed in indie books is that...well, I'll write a Random Musings post for that! Expect it sometime in Nov!

Anyways, what I did like: Plot and creep factor!

What I didn't like: The romance.

What was iffy: Characters and world building.

The characters were definitely amusing and I loved each their personalities! Especially Tink's. He was just hilarious and I loved how supportive he was, but it irritated me how quickly he became friends with Celeste. Within a day he was already doing all this stuff for her, protecting her and it was just...oh so very unrealistic. And then there was also that stereotypical vibe each character gave off. I mean, they each had different awesome personalities...but they acted like stereotypes. Tink was gay and he was so extremely girly and was literally acting like a girl in a guy's body. And then Rylan had that whole mysterious/know-it-all love interest who was instantly attracted to Celeste...and it...wasn't...good.

The world-building, while it dived more in depth in world-building than most indie books I've read, it still didn't explain WHERE it came from. Why are there only five Tuatha? Why did they have a nature connection? Why only one? But there were a few explanations; just not enough to completely satisfy my curiosity. But the world was definitely interesting and had a lot of potential! I just wish we could've dived deeper into it rather than grazing the surface.

The romance was very insta-lovey and that annoyed me to no end. Rylan wanted to kiss her "ever since he laid eyes on her" and Celeste was attracted (VERY attracted) to Rylan within the first day. And it was just...really really annoying for a girl who likes slow and steady. So...romance...not for me. 

Now the PLOT was amazing! At least,  near the end it was. There were a few plot twists, but nothing very major or anything that completely shocked me. In the beginning there were so many creepy things that happened and I absolutely loved that! The Sidhe in Rua aren't exactly...fae/fey...more...Otherwordly. You'll see what I mean! But the plot was really the only thing I actually liked, I'm sad to say. 

Pages: 265

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Indie published

Release Date: August 28, 2012

Rating: 2.5--->2 stars

Book Haul + Weekly Recap

So I'm expecting 4 packages which haven't come yet, so I'm anxiously awaiting them. Like, ANXIOUSLY. But I did get some awesome stuff this week!

I have pictures of some and none for the other stuff. ANYWAYS

Given

Giveaway










So, Montana from Book Belles sent me Rockohlic and Amber House! Amber House was from ARCycling and Rockoholic was a just-because present, I guess! )Well, she also got an extra copy lol!) I ALSO got two finished copies of Touching the Surface for review and from Kim Sabatini, TONS of swag to...GIVEAWAY! So expect that soon!
I won a Touching the Surface shirt from a giveaway on Kimberly Sabatini's blog so WOOT! TONS of Touching the Surface stuff! 

Weekly Recap
Blog Tour: Time Between Us (character guest post)
Blog Tour: Crewel (letter to the author)
Some Updates
Joint Review: Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
Review: Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks
Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

Goodreads Blurb

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

So when you read the synopsis, what's the first thing that pops into your mind? If you're an Iron Fey fan like me, the THE IRON FEY.  And it does sound like it, doesn't it? A lost brother, manipulative fey, fey who consider her a threat, a fey love interest who may or may not be helping her...yeah,. the Iron Fey definitely popped into my head. I was worried that I would be comparing this to my absolute favorite series, and while I did, Treachery is completely different, I'm glad to say! It had it's own story that had no relation, so no worries to any giant fans like me!

The world-building. Was. Amazing. Ruth Frances Long wrote Treachery beautifully and the descriptions were...surreal. The title, I can safely say, fits this book to the core. There were so many stunning creatures and fey, but all of them dangerous in their own way. It was wonderful to discover all these fey lurking in the book, waiting to be discovered and waiting for their secrets to be revealed. I mean, all fey readers, we know how dangerous it can be, and just how beautiful it can be. And Treachery is no exception. But the difference is that, instead of simply Oberon, Titania, and Mab ruling over courts, we're introduced to the May Queen, Jacks, and so much more faery lore then I know, which was wonderful since I was starting to predict a lot of happenings in faery books.

Character wise, I was a little iffy with Jenny. She was so...naive to the world and honestly, you can't blame her. She was thrust into this world, but like I said, I'm a giant faery fan so I always think that everyone should know the dangers of the world, but obviously they don't. So while giant faery fans may find Jenny irritating a bit, she'll get better later as she slowly learns the cautions. To any non-giant fan, you'll love Jenny from page 1! She's stubborn in that good way, she's passionate, kind, smart, all those things you love in a good character! Jenny was a lovable heroine who would rarely give up, unless she was completely crushed (I'm thinking of a certain time here...)

JACK. JACK. JACK. I LOVE JACK. but then, I love most love interests, hee hee. But Jack was just so sweet! He never realized how in love he was with Jenny and when he did...the things he said...it almost made me cry, it was so sweet! He was always thinking how he didn't deserve anything, to be recognized, to be known, and I just wanted to SQUASH HIM IN A HUG. He was so sacrificial and he was willing to give up more than everything just for Jenny. Thank God she didn't take that lightly!

The romance was as sweet as Jack! Jenny and Jack sitting in a tree...or rather, Jenny and Jack running from the trees. Somehow, along this quest, Jack got his queen (metaphorically...) and Jenny fell in love and...well, did she get her HEA? Maybe. But the romance wasn't insta-love, which was the one thing I wanted to say about it!

The plot was as amazing as the rest of the book! While it started out a little slow in the beginning (besides that prologue. Wow!) it quickly sped up so that eventually you'd be flipping through the pages, frantically wondering what would happen next. As the plot unfolded, you could feel the tension thickening until the ending where it basically...exploded, for lack of a better word! The ending was just wow. Let's just say nothing was thrown in just for the sake of it.

The Treachery of Beautiful Things will capture your interest from page 1 and string you along throughout the book. It's as devious and manipulative as the fey themselves and it may sound familiar, but Treachery  is original and fresh, a definite twist on fey lore. This is definitely one to buy if you're a fan of faeries or fantasy! 

Pages: 384

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: August 16, 2012

Rating: 4.5--->5

Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

Goodreads Blurb

Time is running out & the Dark that's been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her.

Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.

Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves & bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can't stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn't remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything including her very own life?

Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself.

Okay, when a bloggy friend of mine recommends a book, I WILL read it! So when Shreya (Chocolate Coated Reviews) recommended this, I absolutely HAD to read it! The premise sounds interesting and dark and the cover had that creepy vibe to it...
but sadly, Bone Dressing just wasn't for me.

I'm not sure why, but I've actually been in a reading slump, so that may have something to do with this, but the things that I had a problem with was mainly the writing part. There were so many metaphors and while I'm not saying that's necessarily BAD, the metaphors were played on for an entire paragraph and after a while, it kind of got irritating. There were also a lot of description that was just too much sometimes and too little in other cases. It was kind of choppy in a few places, but that can be forgiven! Near the end, I also got a bit confused as to where the plot was going, but then again, that COULD be my fault lol.

Another thing was actually the romance. It was pretty insta-lovey in the beginning (even SYD realizes it!) and that kind of bothered me since they met in a graveyard, and not 4 chapters in she was confessing love.And that...that just really didn't seem right at the time. Later though? Sort of. i'm still trying to figure out that Jesse/Beau part!

What I DID love though, was Syd's sarcasm and how much voice there was! Syd was just a laugh out loud kind of character who just infected you with her emotions, positive or negative. And she was so, so, SO snarky and sarcastic! I absolutely loved it! She had these perfect responses and was so tough! she rarely backed down from anything and while her stubborness was a bit annoying at first, it quickly became endearing and something we'd fall in love with. 

The world-building...wasn't very thorough either. I had no idea where these powers came from, the history behind it, what Sarah an Beau really did, and how they knew about their destiny. It was just a lot of things thrown in in my opinion, so I think that the world-building could use a little work and have more xplanation as to why Syd could do this, why Beau knew that, why Sarah was SO DANG SMART.

Plot wise...I actually enjoyed it, but there was really no sign of the antagonist until the last 100 pages or so, and it felt like the book should've been a bit longer. But considering there are 7 books in this series, I can't really blame her! I just would've liked it to have a bit more current action and a lot less remembering-the-past. 

So while there were many great reviews for this, Bone Dressing just wasn't my type of book and I think I'll give it another chance one day, but we'll see. While the book had a lot of things going for it, I think it just needed an editor and would've been a great book that would've blown me away! But currently, I just didn't like it very much, I'm afraid.

Pages: 360
Series: Bone Dressing #1
Genre: Dark YA/Romance
Publisher: Savaage Enterprises
Release Date: April 20, 2011
Rating: 1.5 ---->  stars