The One Where I'm Waiting On Wednesday (36)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we showcase upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

 Exquisite Captive (Dark Caravan Cycle #1)

by Heather Demetrios

Release date: October 7, 2014

Goodreads Summary:

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?

Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.

Why I'm Waiting

Honestly, I didn't really think this would be something I'd like. Sure it's a fantasy, but it seems a bit romantic for me. Not that I don't like romance, I just don't like it to be solely romance and have angst. Please save me from the angst. 

But this? There's just something soooo exquisite (yes, I just did that) sounding about it. It's sounds like a truly delectable world just waiting to be delved into. And I admit that the men sound intriguing.  And steamy ;) 

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Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined
by Heather Dixon
Pages: 472
Format: ebook
Source: Bought


Rating: Really liked it!


Goodreads Synopsis:


Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . . Lush, romantic, and compelling, this debut novel by Heather Dixon will thrill fans of Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, and Edith Pattou.


Short and Sweet:


What an adorable book! Because it's a re-telling, you know what's going to happen, but that doesn't take away from it's sweet nature. 


My favorite part by far were the characters themselves. With 12 sisters, you'd think it'd be hard to separate each. You'd think they'd start blending together. Not the case here. Each sister had her own distinct personality. Even the ones that were younger and didn't really have much dialogue. Briar was by far my favorite! Her prickly nature and sharp tongue got her in plenty of trouble, but she always put her sisters first. And the romances were simply adorable! 


I know some complained that Entwined wasn't that much different from the original fairytale, that it didn't have enough of it's own flavor. Well, to be honest, I'm only familiar with the general idea of the story, and while perhaps not completely unique, it's almost like a comfortable old blanket. It's familiar, but that doesn't take away from it's warmth. 


Overall:


Entwined is definitely a cute book and one to add to your fairy-tale retelling collection. It's a sweet, warm and all around fun book to read with an adorable dash of romance. 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie 

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Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which we showcase upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Ironskin (Ironskin #1)

by Tina Connolly

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Goodreads Synopsis: 

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.

Why I'm Waiting:

My reaction after seeing the cover:

My reaction after reading the synopsis:

I think that says it all. 

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Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Kill Me Softly
By Sarah Cross
Pages: 314
Source: Netgalley
Format: Ebook


Rating: I Really Liked it


Goodreads Synopsis:


Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.


My Review:


If your looking for Disney princess happily-ever-afters, then stop right now because you won't find it in this book. This book is weird, creepy, and disturbing, yet so incredibly addicting. 


A Melting Pot:


There is no shortage of characters in this book. There are many unique characters with many different traits. While I fell in love with some, there were others that I could do without.  


I had a love/hate relationship with Mira. There were some things I really enjoyed about her, like her kindness and her curiosity and her growth by the end of the novel. However, there were reasons I didn't like her, but I don't know if that is the writing, or her. For example, the book starts off with her planning on running away, yet the author tells us that she's not normally rebellious, but shows us something different. Don't tell me one thing about her but show me the opposite. Also, once she meets Felix, she goes from "little miss innocent" to questioning herself (and going kind of sleazy) around him all the time. Look, I understand he's older (btw, she's total jailbait!) but she shouldn't worry about that. If he's worth it, he'll like her for who she is, immaturity and all. What really bothered me, however ,was the fact that she kept questioning herself, even when he showed her that he cared. She also gave way to many excuses for people's actions for my taste. "Well, he did this so it means that, but it could've meant this, but then again..." and so on, so forth. Annoying! However, although some things she did annoyed me, she grows a lot throughout the novel and learns to accept things about herself and others, even if she doesn't like it and her kindness and compassion really shows through her actions. If you're looking for a kick-butt character, then she's not what your looking for. But, she'll stand up for herself and others, and she grows a lot throughout, so I say give her a chance.


I loved Blue! Okay, not at first. Honestly, the first line out of his mouth is rather creepy, but I knew he was doing it for a reason and I wanted to know why. I like mysterious characters and trying to figure out the reasons behind their actions, but what I liked about him was that he wasn't just mysterious, he was funny and sarcastic and I loved his banter with Mira. But he was also incredibly kind and selfless, and although I can't say anything else without a huge spoiler, I will say that I felt incredibly sorry for him but because of his actions I fell in love with him.


Felix...was hot. No doubt about it. Heck, I'd have a hard time not falling for him! He was sweet and kind, yet mysterious. He's seemed like genuinely sweet guy yet everyone kept saying to stay away. I wanted to know why. In the end, like Blue, I felt bad for him. He just handles it in a completely different way than Blue. 


Freddie, on the other hand, annoyed me beyond belief. Prince Charming my butt. He was pathetic and week and annoying. Look, Prince Charming is supposed to be chivalrous, I get that, but he's also got the perfect amount of man's man in him. He should know how to make a gal feel better, but also be willing to beat the crap out of the person that hurt her. That is Prince Charming. Not "I look like a kicked puppy" Freddie. 


The other characters are all unique and really portray their "fairytale" characters well. While some annoyed me, at least I understood why. 


Happily Ever After? Yeah, right:


Let me give credit to the author for doing an utterly fantastic retelling of the fairy tales. Also, I like that this isn't the fluffy, disney movie types of fairy tales. Nope, this is the classic "what is this happily ever after you speak of" kinda deal. Now, I may have never read the classic Grimm's tales, but now I don't want to. Talk about depressing! Each tale was of misery and destruction! Yet, I enjoyed the fact that she incorporated the classics in. There was a certain...beauty, in it. While she kept the darkness of the originals, she gave the characters hope. Each knew their fate, but many tried to change it. She gave the characters opportunity and choice. Also, taking a look back at the incorporation of the classics in this modern tale, many of the woes the characters faced were due to their own decisions. They didn't have to do any of that, they chose to and the author is giving these characters the chance to choose the better one if only they'll take it. Is it easy? Probably not. But, I firmly believe their are always choices. Some just make different choices and handle things differently. 


What really kept me interested were the questions burning in my mind from the very first page. My thirst for answers was insatiable! And with these questions came a few twists I didn't see! I was shocked! And loved it! 




Overall:


This book is dark and depressing, but also beautiful with the characters learning to rule their own lives. Its a treasure to see how the characters react to their situations. When you know your fate is pre-determined, would you fight it or accept it? While I was iffy on some characters, the plot and the many burning questions that entailed were more than enough to keep me interested. 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie

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Review of Cinder and Review slump (scarlet)

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
by Marissa Meyer
Available Now
Pages: 390
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought from B&N
★★★★★



Goodreads Synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.


My Review: 

Cinder is a compelling re-telling of Cinderella with a sci-fi twist. A re-telling that I absolutely fell in love with.

Cinder is a great character that was determined to get her freedom. You see, Cinder is a cyborg, a person worth nothing in New Beijing. Her adoptive mother despised her as did one of her stepsisters. She didn’t know why she was what she was, she didn't remember anything before her surgery, but she did know that she wanted to get away from her “family”. I admired her heart and her hard-working attitude. She was spunky and sarcastic, yet honorable. 

Iko, her sweet android was a great addition. Her personality chip made her humorous and realistic and I'm glad that Cinder at least had a friend in her.

Prince Kai was absolutely endearing. He would never give up when it came to getting Cinder to notice him. I absolutely adored him and his charming smile. He was modest when he didn’t think he would make a good emperor, but he even proves himself wrong with his wisdom and love for his people.

Although this is a re-telling, it wasn’t what I expected. When I think Cinderella re-telling, I thought that the first half of the book would be about how she is mistreated, then she would go to the ball, meet the prince and live happily ever after with a few differences in there….WRONG! Honestly, If I hadn’t been told that this was a re-telling, I probably never would have even guessed. But don’t get me wrong, that made me love it even more! Meyer kept true to the basics of the story. Cinder is the mistreated daughter who is pretty much a slave and there is a prince, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Marissa Meyer takes the story on a completely new and unique path. There’s a plague, cyborgs, and a crazy queen from the moon. There’s action, adventure, and heart. And although there was one part of the plot I saw coming from the beginning, it didn’t bother me that I knew because I thought the idea was great! This new take makes for an absolutely stunning debut and I can’t believe I must wait an entire year for the next book.

Cinder is an extremely intriguing story of a cyborg Cinderella with more than one twist. It is a prime example of addiction. After reading this, I have come to the conclusion that it is unfair that I must wait a year for the next novel. It should be law that the authors must write and publish all of the books in the series at one time so that we, the readers, don’t have to suffer that awful thing called “anticipation”. 

Review slump:

Ever read a book and start a review and then look at the review and say "this is crap"? Well thats kinda where I'm at with Scarlet. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it! I just can't seem to put that love into words without it sounding all....weird I guess. Normally, I don't have this problem, even with books I love. However, this one has just got me all messed up. I'll be doing something else and all of a sudden I'll start this amazing review in my head, but then I head to the computer to type it and either I can't remember it or it just doesn't come out right. *sigh* Hopefully I'll get a review up soon. 

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