Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1)
By Melissa de la Cruz
Published By Disney-Hyperion
expected Release Date: June 21, 2011


Summary: From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches. 

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache. 

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them. 

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

** I haven't started the Blue Blood series yet but this book/series sounds like something I would really enjoy.

Book Review ~ The Scent of Shadows

The Scent of Shadows (Signs of the Zodiac #1)
By Vicki Pettersson
Published By Eos

Summary (Goodreads): When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning—for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own . . .

My Thoughts: I had a difficult time with the first half of this book.  It took some time before I fully got the concept the author was trying to get across.   While I understood that the attack Joanna endured caused her to be a hard, gritty, standoffish type, it also made it difficult to get behind her character. Joanna did start to grow on me as her character started to understand why things were and had happened to her.  I wasn't really comfortable with her new identity but with all the disguises it was easy to overlook.

There are many dark moments in this book and once the action started to pick up I was able to get into the story better.  The battles between the light and shadow were the most interesting parts of the book.  Finding out who Joanna's father was and the discussion/battle between them moved the series forward to the point where I wanted to read the next book. I am also interested in finding out more about her mother and the rest of members of the Zodiac.

Rating: 3

Book Ideas for Him

June ~ This is the month when I have all the problems finding gifts. Not only is Father's Day later this month, M's Birthday is today (June 4th). Trying to find gifts once can be difficult, twice is even worse. I decided to make a post (or more) about some books/authors that always work around our house.

The Book of Useless Information
By Noel Botham
Published by Perigee Trade


If you or someone you're shopping for loves trivia or just general knowledge info this series is great. There are almost ten books in this series. I love the squirrel and the fact that each book is a different color. It's always  a nice surprise (and easier shopping) when I'm in the store and notice a new color.

Another great gift idea is the annual Best Of... books. No matter what genre your guy reads you can find a set for them. Some of M's favorites are the Penn/O'Henry Prize Stories. This series is edited by Laura Furman and Published by Knopf Doubleday and contains the best short stories of the year.

There is also the annual Best American ... series

Book Review ~ Blood Red Road

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)
By Moira Young
Published By Margaret K McElderry
Expected Release date: June 7, 2011
eGalley from Simon & Schuster galley grab

Summary (Goodreads): Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

My Thoughts: I had a hard time getting into this book.  I struggled with the dialect right from the start, all the git's and fers and 'uld (this one was the worst), I ended up putting the book down several times. Once the action in the book picked up I was able to get past the words and get into Saba's story.
I ended up liking several of the other characters more than I liked Saba. Throughout the book we see her growth, from a sheltered twin who relies on her brother for everything to a self reliant individual who is able to get through anything that is thrown at her.  My problem was that even with the growth she was one of those characters that seemed to take one step forward and two steps back. I could easily see her in the next book acting the same way she was at the beginning of this book.  I thought that the little sister, Emmi, had the most growth. She goes from a spoiled, sheltered child to someone who is able stand on her own and fight with everyone else. I also really liked the rest of the people that helped Saba along the way from Jack, who puts up with more than most would, to the Free Hawks, who remind me of an Amazon type group. There are some truly evil characters in this book. From the Pinch's and Cagemaster, who kidnap and force Saba to fight in cage matches, to the King who wants to sacrifice Lugh for his own gains.
It was easy to get lost in this book from the road trip leaving Silverlake right up until the final battle at Freedom Fields with the King and his men. There are some characters like DeMallo (one of the King's men) and Lugh that I wanted to know more about and hope we find out more in future books.

Rating: 3.5 (only because of my issues with Saba and the dialect)

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Blood of the Wicked (Dark Mission #1)
By Karina Cooper
Published By Avon
Released May 31, 2011


Summary: When the world went straight to hell, humanity needed a scapegoat to judge, to blame . . . to burn.

As an independent witch living off the grid, Jessie Leigh has spent her life running, trying to blend in among the faceless drudges in the rebuilt city. She thought she was finally safe, but now she's been found in a New Seattle strip club—by a hard-eyed man on a mission to destroy her kind.

A soldier of the Holy Order, Silas Smith believes in the cause: trawling the fringes of society for the murderous witches who threaten what's left of the world. Forced into a twisting web of half-truths and lies, he has to stay close to the most sensuous and electrifying woman he has ever seen and manipulate her into leading him to the witch he has to kill: her brother. Silas doesn't know that Jessie's his enemy, only that he wants her, needs her, even as he lies to her . . . and must protect her until his final breath.

** This just came out yesterday. It sounds like and interesting book and start to a series.