Waiting on Wednesday (111): Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Sweet Ruin (Immortals After Dark #12)
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: December 1,2015
A foundling raised in a world of humans
Growing up, orphaned Josephine didn’t know who or what she was—just that she was “bad,” an outcast with strange powers. Her baby brother Thaddeus was as perfect as she was flawed; protecting him became her entire life. The day he was taken away began Jo’s transition from angry girl . . . to would-be superhero . . . to enchanting, ruthless villain.

A lethally sensual enforcer on a mission
Whether by bow or in bed, archer Rune the Baneblood never fails to eliminate his target. In his sights: the oldest living Valkyrie. Yet before he can strike, he encounters a vampiric creature whose beauty mesmerizes him. With one bite, she pierces him with aching pleasure, stealing his forbidden blood—and jeopardizing the secrets of his brethren.

A boundless passion that will lead to sweet ruin...
Could this exquisite female be a spy sent by the very Valkyrie he hunts? Rune knows he must not trust Josephine, yet he’s unable to turn her away. When Jo betrays the identity of the one man she will die to protect, she and Rune become locked in a treacherous battle of wills that pits ultimate loyalty against unbridled lust.


On the paranormal romance to urban fantasy spectrum, I'm firmly on the urban fantasy side, but this series is dirty dirty book crack, and I LOVE it. The first couple aren't as great, but by book 4 or so, I had to restrain myself from devouring them all in one binge-reading weekend.

First, Cole's humor is spot on sarcasm that is laugh out loud funny for me. Also, while the males are the normal Neanderthal me-Tarzan-you-mate variety, the women don't take any bull. And, there are quite a few more gender stereotypes thrown on their head (like men virgins).

I also like the way the series is set up. There's this huge apocalypse coming, but the first couple of books are like paranormal Amazing Race. It's quite entertaining. Cole also sets up the storyline in sets of books, so that multiple books run the same storyline concurrently. It has to take a ton of outlines, research and just hard work on her part.

The cover to Sweet Ruin is a complete diversion from the rest of the series, and I am so so glad. The other covers were so cheesy, but this one is just classic and simple. Though, I'm sure other die-hard readers were upset about the drastic change. Those covers screamed paranormal romance, where this one doesn't.

What are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour (Excerpt & Giveaway): Powerless by @TeraLynnChilds & Tracy Deebs @heroagenda @SourcebooksFire #yalit

Title: Powerless (The Hero Agenda #1)
Author: Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Kenna is tired of being "normal."

The only thing special about her is that she isn't special at all. Which is frustrating when you're constantly surrounded by superheroes. Her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, practically everyone she knows has some talent or power. Sure, Kenna's smart and independent, but as an ordinary girl in an extraordinary world, it's hard not to feel inferior.

So when three villains break into the lab where she interns, Kenna refuses to be a victim. She's not about to let criminals steal the research that will make her extraordinary too.

But in the heat of battle, secrets are spilled and one of the villains saves her life. Twice. Suddenly, everything Kenna thought she knew about good and evil, heroes and villains is upended. And to protect her life and those she loves, she must team up with her sworn enemies on a mission that will redefine what it means to be powerful and powerless...


Excerpt

“You never answered my question. What are you doing down here so late?”

Those bright blue eyes sear into me as he takes a step back. “I have to go.”

His sudden evasiveness makes me suspicious, so when he starts to move past me, I sidestep into his path. “Excuse me,” I say, “but this is a secure level. Are you even authorized to be down here?”

Review: Tunnel Vision by Susan Adrian

Title: Tunnel Vision
Author: Susan Adrian
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (Macmillan)
Release Date: January 20, 2015
Acquired Via: Publisher
Romance and action come crashing together in Susan Adrian's Tunnel Vision in which a teenage boy with incredible powers is brought to the attention of the government.

Jake Lukin just turned 18. He's decent at tennis and Halo, and waiting to hear on his app to Stanford. But he's also being followed by a creep with a gun, and there's a DARPA agent waiting in his bedroom. His secret is blown.

When Jake holds a personal object, like a pet rock or a ring, he has the ability to "tunnel" into the owner. He can sense where they are, like a human GPS, and can see, hear, and feel what they do. It's an ability the government would do anything to possess: a perfect surveillance unit who could locate fugitives, spies, or terrorists with a single touch.

Jake promised his dad he’d never tell anyone about his ability. But his dad died two years ago, and Jake slipped. If he doesn't agree to help the government, his mother and sister may be in danger. Suddenly he's juggling high school, tennis tryouts, flirting with Rachel Watkins, and work as a government asset, complete with 24-hour bodyguards.

Forced to lie to his friends and family, and then to choose whether to give up everything for their safety, Jake hopes the good he's doing—finding kidnap victims and hostages, and tracking down terrorists—is worth it. But he starts to suspect the good guys may not be so good after all. With Rachel's help, Jake has to try to escape both good guys and bad guys and find a way to live his own life instead of tunneling through others.

My Review

Susan Adrian's Tunnel Vision was a surprise and a breath of fresh air compared to the YA thrillers that I've read in the past. I was grabbed in the very beginning, as the action started almost immediately, and the story held me until the end. There were no lulls, no skimming, and definitely no putting down of the book for me.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Heart Does Not Grow Back by Fred Venturini

Title: The Heart Does Not Grow Back
Author: Fred Venturini
Publisher: Picador (Macmillan)
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS TO START SOMEWHERE...

Dale Sampson is used to being a nonperson at his small-town Midwestern high school, picking up the scraps of his charismatic lothario of a best friend, Mack. He comforts himself with the certainty that his stellar academic record and brains will bring him the adulation that has evaded him in high school. But when an unthinkable catastrophe tears away the one girl he ever had a chance with, his life takes a bizarre turn as he discovers an inexplicable power: He can regenerate his organs and limbs.

When a chance encounter brings him face to face with a girl from his past, he decides that he must use his gift to save her from a violent husband and dismal future. His quest takes him to the glitz and greed of Hollywood, and into the crosshairs of shadowy forces bent on using and abusing his gift. Can Dale use his power to redeem himself and those he loves, or will the one thing that finally makes him special be his demise? The Heart Does Not Grow Back is a darkly comic, starkly original take on the superhero tale, introducing an exceptional new literary voice in Fred Venturini.

My Review

I don't read too many "superhero" books, but I have always liked the idea of those that are not really traditional. The Heart Does Not Grow Back sounded like Spider-man, but more realistic, so I jumped at the chance to read it.

I jumped way too quickly.

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin)
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Acquired Via: Publisher
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

My Review

You can read Kayla's review of the book HERE.

I have very mixed feelings about The Young Elites. On one hand I loved the world, but on the other I thought that there was a distinct lack of plot.

In an Italian-based society, fever has destroyed a nation and left behind either death or marked children called malfettos. Some of the marked children have manifested powers, and some of them have banded together and are known as the Young Elites. The other citizens fear and hate the malfettos, and a government group called the Inquisition is tasked with destroying the Young Elites.

Review: Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: Chasing Power
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind-things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers-and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both.

When she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel-a boy with the ability to teleport-he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family-and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive.

My Review

You can read Kayla's review HERE.

After reading the synopsis and with my previous experience with Durst's The Lost, I expected an Indiana Jones-type adventure with some special powers thrown in and possibly more than a little magical realism. And that's exactly what I got. There were a few small issues, but for the most part, I was thoroughly entertained by Chasing Power.

Author Interview: Sarah Beth Durst, Chasing Power

Title: Chasing Power
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind-things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers-and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both.

When she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel-a boy with the ability to teleport-he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family-and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive.

Interview

Amber: Hi Sarah, thank you so much for stopping by Bibliophilia, Please! Please tell us a little bit about your new book, Chasing Power.

Sarah Beth Durst: Thanks for having me here! My new book is about Kayla, a sixteen-year-old girl who can move things with her mind, and Daniel, a boy who can teleport across continents and who lies as easily as he travels. Together, they embark on an Indiana-Jones-style adventure to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millenia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family, and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive.

Amber: Where did you get the idea for Chasing Power?

Review: Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: Chasing Power
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Kayla was born with the ability to move things with her mind-things like credit cards and buttons on cash registers-and she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again . . . which would mean grave danger for them both.

When she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel-a boy with the ability to teleport-he needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family-and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive . . . or survive.

My Review

I've only read one book by Sarah Beth Durst in the past, and I didn't really like it. (You can find my review HERE.) However, it did show me enough to know that Durst can throw some twists around, and how can I resist a book with a main character named Kayla?

Seriously though, I really had nothing pushing me to read Chasing Power - I didn't like Conjured, I haven't had much luck with super powers books, and I'm a book grouch of late. But I had a lot of fun reading Chasing Power because I love a good treasure hunt, and Kayla never lost herself to her hormones. *gives Durst a literary high five*

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: October 7, 2014
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

My Review

The Young Elites isn't my first Marie Lu book (I read and enjoyed Legend, but this is my favorite of the two. The book is a fantasy novel that reads like historical fiction - except for the part about the "superheroes", AKA "The Young Elites". The main character, Adelina, wasn't someone I fell in love with, but the atmosphere of the novel was more than enough to carry the book.

Cover Reveal: Night Sky by Suzanne & Melanie Brockmann

Today, I'm sharing the cover of Night Sky here on Bibliophilia, Please! If you're anything like my family members and library patrons, you better sit down, because your excitement for Suzanne Brockmann's new novel with her daughter, Melanie, might just knock you over!



Title: Night Sky (Night Sky #1)
Author: Melanie Brockmann and Suzanne Brockmann
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Skylar Reid is thrown into a strange world when she discovers that she has unique telekinetic and telepathic powers. After Sasha, the child she babysits, is kidnapped and believed to be murdered, Sky and her best friend Calvin are approached by Dana, a mysterious girl who has super-abilities similar to Sky’s. With the help of Dana and her sidekick Milo, the four teens embark on a quest to discover who killed Sasha, and to bring the killers to justice.

With Dana as Skylar’s surly and life-toughened mentor, Sky attempts to harness her powers to aid them in their quest. Complicating an already complex relationship with the older girl, Sky starts to fall for the dangerously handsome and enigmatic Milo – and begins to suspect that the attraction is mutual. But then Sky realizes that Sasha might still be alive, and the unlikely foursome’s mission becomes one of search and rescue, pitting the heroic teens against a very deadly enemy.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond


About the Author

Waiting on Wednesday (62): Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Chasing Power
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Lies, secrets, and magic — three things that define Kayla's life.

Sixteen-year-old Kayla plans to spend her summer hanging out on the beach in Santa Barbara and stealing whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Born with the ability to move things with her mind — things like credit cards, diamond rings, and buttons on cash registers — she has become a master shoplifter. She steals to build up a safety net, enough money for her and her mom to be able to flee if her dad finds them again. Well, that, and the thrill of using her secret talents.

But her summer plans change when she's caught stealing by a boy named Daniel — a boy who needs her help and is willing to blackmail her to get it. Daniel has a talent of his own. He can teleport, appearing anywhere in the world in an instant, but he lies as easily as he travels. Together, they embark on a quest to find and steal an ancient incantation, written on three indestructible stones and hidden millennia ago, all to rescue Daniel's kidnapped mother. But Kayla has no idea that this rescue mission will lead back to her own family — and to betrayals that she may not be able to forgive... or survive.


I read my first Durst novel, The Lost, earlier this year and loved it. You can read my review HERE. I haven't yet had time to read through the rest of Durst's backlist, but hopefully I can get through some of them before Chasing Power comes out. I enjoyed her take on magical realism and I really like that Chasing Power has normal people with special powers. Plus, teleportation is just a really cool special power to have.

What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (37): Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 4, 2014
One day I might break
One day I might break free

Nothing will ever be the same.

The fate of Omega Point is unknown. Everyone Juliette has ever cared about could be dead. The war could be over before it ever really began.

Juliette is the only one standing in The Reestablishment's way. She knows that if she's going to survive, The Reestablishment cannot.

But to take down The Reestablishment and the man who very nearly killed her, Juliette will need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together to bring down their enemy, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew—about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam—was wrong.


I am in equal parts eagerly awaiting and dreading this release. I love Mafi's writing and really want to get back into this unique world, but I'm scared of another terrible dystopian trilogy ending. I don't really have an opinion on whether Juliette should end up with Warner or Adam, but I do want everyone I care about to live through the end and for all of my questions to be answered.

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Steelheart (Reckoners #1)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Acquired Via: Library
Release Date: September 24, 2013
There are no heroes.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

My Review

"I know, better than anyone else, that there are no heroes coming to save us. There are no good Epics. None of them protect us. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I loved the premise and beginning of Steelheart. The protagonist is just a regular kid caught in a supernatural world. I love that he wasn’t a mary-sue type character, wasn’t perfect, and didn’t have some grand destiny because he was the smartest, best, strongest, etc. He is mostly who and where he is because of a tragic incident, a lot of determination (bordering on obsession), and intelligence. I also love that while there are people with super powers, all of them are bad. The author even makes several philosophical statements which I thought were great. At one point the protagonist wonders if only bad people were given the powers, or if the powers somehow eventually turned all of them bad.

Early Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Rebel Belle
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (Penguin)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more.

My Review

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins is my favorite novel to have a protagonist with superpowers in a long time. Let that sink in a little. Now, let me know you that lately all superhero/superpower novels have earned the glorious "DNF" badge from me, so much so that I was starting to believe that I did not like either of those as a plot device. Thankfully, Rebel Belle exists and showed me that superpowers books can be smart, sassy, and utterly entertaining.

I am so tired of having a heroine that has this mediocre life, meh self-esteem, and ends up being this dazzling diamond-in-the-rough. Harper Jane Price is just the opposite of that - she is a special snowflake, but only because she's worked her ass off for it her entire life. She's the Homecoming Queen-overachiever who heads various clubs and committees, is the president of SGA (student government association), and is in the running for valedictorian. Do I fault her for any of that? Nope, because we're shown her dedication to all of those things. I also like how she's rounded out into a realistic being by the depth added to her regarding her sister, Leigh-Anne (which thankfully was not overdone), and how she navigates her relationships with Ryan and Bee without revealing the truth behind her strange behavior. (Face it - if your best friend told YOU that s/he suddenly had superpowers and was a Paladin, you'd think they had boarded the crazy train.) Harper's response to her new powers is also hilarious.

First of all, I had gotten totally screwed on the "origin story" front. All superheroes have origin stories, like how Bruce Wayne's parents get killed and he goes to Tibet or whatever, and Superman is an alien, and Spiderman had that radioactive spider. Me? I kissed a janitor in the school bathroom. — p. 56, ARC

Also, how could I not like a character who says "no thank you" to a lifelong epic quest. Personally, I'd have just run when faced with the same.

The mythology/fantasy aspect of Rebel Belle was a refreshing change in a young adult novel. I haven't seen many (if any) mentions of Charlemange or Paladins - especially in an Alabama high school. I won't lie, if I had been told only "Paladin YA novel", the first thing on my mind would not have been a novel centered on a Cotillion-ready cheerleader. I know it's wrong to think it, but it's usually the boys who get to be the magical knight defenders. Want an even better gender twist? Too bad, read the book.

Rebel Belle was a fun book that colored outside the lines of YA. If you like your heroines level-headed and outside of the YA-heroine box, give Rebel Belle a try. You won't be disappointed.

- 4/5 Stars -

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond


To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.