What Does the Bookworm Say?: Fall Book Releases

Hello bookworms! This week’s What Does the Bookworm Say is a very exciting discussion! I love talking about books that are coming out and books that I can’t wait to get my hands on! It’s all the anticipation of a new story and a new world to dive into!

This week we are talking about our most anticipated fall reads!

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Release Date: November 04, 2014

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

I haven't had a chance to read the second Mara book but I have definitely read the first one and I know it's a trilogy I am going to want to finish.  I really think that I need to read the first one again and then read the second one right before the third one comes out. It's probably the best way to do it!!!

Title: Exquisite Captive

Author: Heather Demetrios

Release Date: October 07, 2014

Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.

Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.

Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?

A brand new fantasy series that I'm so excited to start because I have never read anything that involved jinnis before.  Everything about it just sounds amazing!

Title: The Vault of Dreamers

Author: Caragh O'Brien

Release Date: September 16, 2014

The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success: every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

I've been a long time fan of O'Brien's so when I heard that she was coming out with a new book I knew I would be on that train immediately! I haven't read a good dystopian in a long time and I hope this is it!

Title: Blood of my Blood

Author: Barry Lyga

Release Date: September 09, 2014

Jazz Dent has been shot and left to die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is the true monster?
The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.

The conclusion to another series that I just absolutely love! The second book left on such a massive cliffhanger I am literally chomping at the bit to get my hands on this book!

That's all I have for you this week bookworms! What are some of your most anticipated releases for this fall? Let me know in the comments! 

Review: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Title: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend

Author: Katie Finn

Series: Broken Hearts & Revenge #1

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: May 13, 2014

Source: Purchased

Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

Hot sun. Blue waves. New romances. Old secrets.

Gemma had her summer all planned out, but it takes a sharp turn when she gets dumped and finds herself back in the Hamptons after a five-year absence.

Being there puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friends (that is, before Gemma ruined her life). But people don't hold grudges forever. Do they?

Gemma intends on making amends, but a small case of mistaken identity causes the people she knew years ago—including Hallie and her dreamy brother, Josh—to believe she's someone else. As though the summer wasn't complicated enough already.

Filled with summer sun, boys, and friendships gone sour, Katie Finn's first novel in the Broken Hearts and Revenge series sizzles and delights.

My thoughts: 

Another Katie Finn/Morgan Matson book to start the summer off sounds like a pretty great way to get my summer of reading going. I was so excited when I found out that Morgan Matson was writing a series under the pseudonym Katie Finn and it just sounded like something that would be really fun to read and something that I would just fly through.

100 page evaluation: I think Hallie knows who Gemma really is and isn't falling for this Sophie act. And I think Hallie is having her revenge on her. Hallie is not stupid. This books reminds me a lot of Second Chance Summer by the same author. It’s a cute and run read so far. I know I’d love it since I love Morgan Matson so much.

It’s not a surprise that I love anything that Morgan Matson writes or in this case, Katie Finn. She always writes the perfect books to read during the summer. Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend is about a girl named Gemma who is visiting the Hamptons for the summer after being away for about five years. She hasn't been back since then because five years ago she did some pretty abhorrent things and hurt a lot of people including her best friend at the time Hallie. But since Gemma doesn't have a choice but to spend the summer with her dad in the Hamptons, she goes but under the guise of “Sophie” and tries to make amends with Hallie. Suddenly all these bad things start happening and she just hopes Hallie will forgive her for all the hurt she caused all those years ago.

Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend is a pretty fun read and I enjoyed all the little pranks that were being played on Gemma. It was pretty predictable and the only thing that took me for a loop was the whole thing with Gemma’s ex-boyfriend. I totally did not see that one coming.

I’m excited for the rest of the series because it seems like it’s going to be really fun and because it’s Morgan Matson…..oh wait, I mean Katie Finn. Same person, awesome books!

Review: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Screaming Staircase
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Series: Lockwood & Co. #1
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Source: Library
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

My Thoughts:

My friend Katie over at The Book Yurt was so excited to get an ARC of The Whispering Skull from ALA so it really sparked my interest in this series and I decided to pick up a copy of The Screaming Staircase from the library (I also picked up The Whispering Skull from ALA). The Screaming Staircase is about Lucy who is part of a small ghost hunting agency in her little town but suddenly decides to move to London and joins another small ghost hunting agency called Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase takes place in a world much like our own except that ghosts are very prominent and the only people who are able to dispatch of these, sometimes, vicious creatures are kids and teenagers because they are the most susceptible to seeing or hearing them. So these kids, who have talents for picking up ghost signatures, are employed with ghost hunting agencies and have actual jobs instead of going to school.

100 page evaluation: For some reason this book was really hard for me to get into. It’s moved a little bit slow and either it didn't specify the year in which The Screaming Staircase takes place or I missed it. It seems that the year is unknown. Before picking it up I thought this book took place sometime in the 1800s but I was completely wrong. I had to use other clues to pin down a time frame. I really like the world building so far and I’m starting to like the story more.

I’m so glad I pushed through my initial concerns of The Screaming Staircase. The story definitely gets way better from here on out. I thought one hundred pages would be enough for me to get a firm hold on the story and what was going on but it took a little longer than that. The Screaming Staircase is full of dangerous adventures and the characters are able to keep their sense of humor about them but not in an annoying way. I really love the fact that they’re glorified ghost hunters. It’s a very clever premise and Stroud pulls it off very well. I also like that it’s a book about semi-older teenager (16,17) but I has that middle grade feel but not in a cheesy way. It falls somewhere in between middle grade and YA. It has a nice even balance.

The Screaming Staircase was definitely fun and a series I want to continue (I already read The Whispering Skull). I haven’t heard much about it before now and I would definitely recommend it to those who love YA mystery.

Waiting on Wednesday (128)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: The Walled City
Author: Ryan Graudin
Hitting the Shelves: November 04, 2014

There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run.

Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by crime lords and overrun by street gangs. Teens there run drugs or work in brothels—or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the clock to escape the Walled City itself.

Why I want this: 1. YA dystopian. 2. Sounds full of adventure. 3. Awesome cover! I like that the cover doesn't give anything away.  Just the big typography and what looks like a labyrinth of walls. 4. Possible Asian influence and diverse characters. 5. Maybe a new series? We'll see.  But it all sounds really awesome! 

Review: The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe

Title: The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant
Author: Joanna Wiebe
Series: The V Trilogy #1
Publisher: BenBella Books
Release Date: January 14, 2014
Source: E-book Purchase
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads

So many secrets for such a small island. From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the world’s wealthiest teens, the hushed truths of this strange, unfamiliar land begin calling to her—sometimes as lulling drumbeats in the night, sometimes as piercing shrieks.

One by one, unanswered questions rise. No one will tell her why a line is painted across the island or why she is forbidden to cross it. Her every move—even her performance at the school dance—is graded as part of a competition to become valedictorian, a title that brings rewards no one will talk about. And Anne discovers that the parents of her peers surrender million-dollar possessions to enroll their kids in Cania Christy, leaving her to wonder what her lowly funeral director father could have paid to get her in… and why.

As a beautiful senior struggles to help Anne make sense of this cloak-and-dagger world without breaking the rules that bind him, she must summon the courage to face the impossible truth—and change it—before she and everyone she loves is destroyed by it.

My thoughts: 

Anne Merchant lives with her dad in a rich town in California where he owns a funeral home. Sometime after Anne's mom dies, her dad sends her to a boarding school for rich kids.  Turns out the boarding school is really weird where they sign things in blood, they're all competing against each other for the "Big V" which is valedictorian and they all seem to know something that Anne doesn't.  

100 Page Evaluation: Very mysterious.  I'm not sure what's going on here. The school is very weird.  It's like everyone is in on a secret that Anne is not.  The island is constantly covered in a haze and the fog makes for a creepy setting.  And what is up with the village.  Very weird so far. 

So clearly from my 100 page evaluation, I was pretty excited to figure out this mystery. It had so much promise at just one hundred pages that I thought that getting down to what was really going on would be fun.  But I was wrong.  

When it got down to around two hundred pages I just wanted to figure it out.  It's not even that it got boring, it just that all the characters were acting weird the whole time and I just wanted Anne to figure it out or for one of her classmates to just tell her! It was getting to the point of frustration.  I definitely thought that this book could be at least seventy-five pages shorter.  I started speed reading just to get to the end.  

After a while I kind of figured it out so I was basically waiting for my hunch to be justified.  I was also just so annoyed by the characters at the end. I was so frustrated by this book that I'm not sure if I'm going to read the second one.  The ending was almost worth it all because a lot of other stuff happened but again it was all just so weird.  So I'm not sure if I will read the next one.  

July Book Haul!!

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

Another month has gone by so that means another book haul! I actually didn't buy very much this month so I decided that I wanted to show you the hardbacks that I got at ALA! So here we go:

Purchased: 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead (currently reading!)

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

ALA:

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Inland by Kat Rosenfield

What I Though was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal

Library: 

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

What Does the Bookworm Say?: Books and Music

Hey readers! Welcome to this week's edition of What Does the Bookworm Say! This week we will be discussing books and music. Don't forget to hop over to my fellow bookworm's blogs: Thuy @ Nite Lite Reviews and Kimberly @ The Windy Pages.

Do you listen to music when reading? What kind? Or is silence better? Bonus points if you make a playlist for your current book (if you have one).

Back when I was in high school and college, I used to be able to study, read, do homework, write a paper or anything while there was any kind of music playing. On my super old iPod I used to have playlists that were just for studying or writing a paper.  But now that I'm older, I prefer music without any words or just silence.  

When I was in college, I thought that the only music that didn't have words or lyrics was classical. Then my friend introduced me to Explosions in the Sky. And they are awesome! There is just something about instrumental music that is just so powerful.  It can pretty much become whatever you want it to be because there are no lyrics to define it.  To me, it become much more personal. 

As much as I always wanted to be a music person, I've just never been one.  And now I really don't care.  I've always preferred talk radio over any music station and I would much rather listen to podcasts than a playlist.  So if I'm not listening to country music, I'm listening to talk radio, instrumental music or podcasts. I'm also definitely not someone who makes playlists for books, but I think for those who do that it's really awesome!