Waiting on Wednesday–The Bone Season

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine,
which spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon Published by Bloomsbury USA Expected Publication Date – August 20, 2013 Genre – Sci-fi/Fantasy, Dystopian A major event—the first book a seven-part series of dizzying imagination. Welcome to Scion: No Safer Place.   Amazon | Goodreads   It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army. Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives. The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

 

I was so excited about this as soon as I read that summary! I love dystopian fiction but had been getting a little burnt out on the familiar storylines, but this seems like something quite different than what I’ve been reading! I have high hopes for this debut!

What about you? Do you like dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction? Is this one on your wishlist? Which book are you anticipating?

Review–The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna

 

The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna Kindle Edition 304 Pages Published 2013 by Egmont, Hardie Grant, Bookbaby Genre – MG-YA Fantasy, fairy tale, romance Rating 4 of 5 stars

 

 

 

Links:  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Goodreads
Author Links:  Website  |  Twitter

The Summer of Shambles was a riot of quirky fun. Full of energy and vivacious characters, it was everything that I could wish for in a light summertime read. I was first drawn to the book because of the fabulous cover which is such a great reflection of what the reader can expect to find inside.

Ondine is just an average teen off for a summer at psychic summer camp when her life suddenly turns topsy turvy by an impudent talking ferret who just happens to be a boy named Hamish, cursed to live as a ferret by a witch he annoyed. Hamish's antics kept me entertained. The writing highlights his thick Scottish brogue which, in my head, I read his character with Hagrid's voice (from Harry Potter). This made seeing him as a love interest a little difficult, but no less entertaining for me! The author said David Tennant from Dr. Who was the voice that inspired Shambles accent. I'm sure he's more relationship-able than Hagrid, but it was incredible fun to imagine that gruff voice coming from a ferret!

This book was just so entertaining to read! The Summer of Shambles is absolutely original but with a classic fairy tale feel. One of the high points of the writing was the snarky footnotes scattered throughout. While this could have been a distraction, it ended up being an enjoyable element that helped to set the tone and added to the world building.

Of course there was the romance which was sweet and pretty well done. I liked both of these characters so much that I couldn't help but root for them! Hamish kind of steals the show, but Ondine herself is a feisty lass that is every bit a match for that roguish ferret.

Ultimately, The Summer of Shambles is pure brain candy. The dialog is amusing and easy to follow, the pacing is energetic, and the overall tone is lighthearted and playful. There's romance, accents, witchery, magic curses, footnotes, and a nefarious plot to uncover. In short, a perfect summertime read. I think this would appeal particularly to middle grade to younger YA readers. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes to enjoy a feel-good story in between books with heavier themes.

Rating 4 of 5 stars

 

Be sure to stop by The Happy Booker on Monday 7/22 when the author, Ebony McKenna will tell us about her top 10 fictional crushes and you’ll have an opportunity to win a copy of The Summer of Shambles!

I received a Kindle copy of The Summer of Shambles from the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

Review: Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor

by Lucy Christopher

Published May 4th 2009 by Chicken House Ltd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

 

 

There are so many 5 star ratings for Stolen that I'm almost hesitant to write my less than enthusiastic response. The writing was lovely, the characters were dimensional, but I did not connect with them emotionally like this book seemed to require in order to fully enjoy this. The one thing that definitely comes across in Stolen is the emptiness and the hopelessness that Gemma was feeling. It was easy to understand how confused she must have been, yearning for human contact yet not being able to fully trust that he wouldn't cut her into pieces and feed her to his camel. The camel, by the way, was my favorite character in Stolen. I did like that the kidnapper was not shown as some tyrannical monster but that the reader was able to somehow sympathize with his motivations even while knowing his actions were unforgivable.

Mostly I just thought that it would be horrible to be kidnapped to such a barren landscape with no books, internet, or anything to distract from the kidnapper who keeps weeping at me. The kidnapper's emotional vulnerability was a bit much and annoyed me almost as much as the slow pace of the story. I was partly offended on Gemma's behalf and partly amused when she would try to escape and Ty (weepy kidnapper) would sigh in boredom and act like "Really Gemma? Again? Can you leave a good trail this time for when I have to rescue you....again." And he would just let her go without much protest knowing she wasn't getting anywhere.

I will say that Gemma was not completely docile, nor did she quietly come to terms with her fate. The Stockholm Syndrome aspect of Stolen was definitely well done and quite believable. I can see why so many people loved this story and I wish I could have liked it more. Ultimately, it was like the barren landscape it described, it's beauty was only visible to those who were meant to be there. As I said though, I really did like that camel!!

Rating 3 of 5 Stars

Free Audio Books every week this summer by SYNC

Beginning May 30, SYNC will be offering 2 Free audio book downloads a week throughout the summer. If you haven't experienced an audio book before, then I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. There are some amazing reads, from classics like Frankenstein & Oliver Twist, to more recent YA like The Raven Boys and Enchanted. 

If you know me, or my blog, at all - you know that I usually prefer to listen to audio, even over my precious Nook! The reason I'm such a huge fan of audio books is simple, when the right narrator meets the right story, it is a special kind of magic and it can sometimes become an entirely different experience than the one you may have reading the physical book. Well, this is a chance to find out if audio books are for you. Load up your ipod and listen to a classic while laying out on the beach or while out jogging. Or listen with your friends while taking a road trip and discuss your favorite "book boyfriends." But definitely take advantage of this awesome opportunity that SYNC is providing!