Waiting on Wednesday: The White Cat

"Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen." -Blackholly.com

I love Holly Black's books, and it feels like forever since she's put one out that isn't either a graphic novel or part of an anthology. This sounds very differnet from the dark faeries that I've come to associate her with, and I'm so excited to see how it turns out!

This title will be released May 4, 2010

Where did it go? Part 2

In this post, I noticed the disappearance of a new book by Melissa de la Cruz called Angels Lie. Now there's another one (actually there's probably tons, but this is just the second one that I've found).

Several online booksites agree that there was a fifth book in the Dark Secrets series by Elizabeth Chandler called The Backdoor of Midnight. I've been a fan of Elizabeth Chandler and her Dark Secret books since I first read them a few years ago, and this fifth one has been sitting on my TBR list for a while since I could never seem to get my hands on it. Well, here's why: beyond a title, this book seems not to exist. There's no cover, no synopsis, and no reviews. None of the afore mentioned sites seem to even be able to agree on a date for when it supposedly came out. One says 2004, another says 2006, and one even has it posted to came out in 2030 (though, in all fairness, this could easily have been a typo that was really supposed to say 2003).

So what has happened to this book? Any chance it will be re-published (or just plain published, depending on how you look at it) anew like the first four Dark Secrets books?:

In My Mailbox (6)

Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren for hosting In My Mailbox every week!

While I don't have the money to actually buy all the books that I read, here's what I managed to snag from the library this week (and what a great haul!):

"There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story."

"Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul."



"'If she were going to die, I’d already be screaming. I’m a banshee. That’s what we do.'

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld — a consequence they can’t possibly understand. Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.... "

"It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena.
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine."

"Are Alyzon’s new abilities a blessing . . . or a curse?

Alyzon Whitestarr doesn't take after her musically talented father or her nocturnal, artistic mother. In fact, she’s the most normal member of a very eccentric family . . . until the day that an accident leaves her more unique than she ever could have dreamed.

Suddenly colors are more vibrant to Alyzon; her memory is flawless; but strangest of all is Alyzon’s sense of smell. Her best friend smells of a comforting sea breeze. She registers her father’s contentment as the sweet scent of caramelized sugar. But why does the cutest guy in school smell so rancid?

With Alyzon’s extrasensory perception comes intrigue and danger, as she becomes aware of the dark secrets and hidden ambitions that threaten her family. In the end, being different might be less of a blessing than a curse. . . . "

Undead Much? by Stacey Jay

"Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues...

A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.

Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still…things could be worse…

Oh yeah, right:
1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.
2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocolypse. Check.
3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.
4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.

I’m going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I’m learning that’s not something Zombie Queens can take for granted." -from Goodreads.com

Overall: 4/5

This was exactly the kind of book I needed to read after some heavy-duty reading for class. It was light and funny and full of zombies. What more can you ask for?

But it was different form the first one, You Are So Undead to Me (in a good way, though I adored the first one). UASUtM was mostly fluff with some zombies thrown in, and I expected this one to be no different. As I'm sure you've guess by now, this was not the case. A number of things were revealed in this book that I'm still kind of in shock over. The plot has visibly thickened, and I'm loving it!

There was a lead-in to the next book in the series at the end of this one and I can't help wondering where Stacey Jay is going to take this. But I guess that's the fun part, right?

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 5/5

Writing: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Cover: 4/5

Other books by Stacey Jay: You Are So Undead to Me, My So-Called Death

UK Covers

The US versions of the Generation Dead series by Daniel Waters look like these:

I actually really like these covers. I think they've got a good mix of light-hearted high school life and dead zombie to perfectly give off the kind of vibe that the story itself gives.


And then I saw the UK covers:

They're so pretty! They remind me a lot of the cover for Stephenie Meyer's New Moon, which I thought was gorgeous and also a little bit genius. I think I like them better than the US covers, but I can't be sure.

Here's the US cover of the third book, coming out in June of this year:

I couldn't find the UK version of this one, and it's entirely possible that they haven't finished designing it yet. I can't wait to see it though!

Which covers do you like better?

Waiting on Wednesday: Spells

"Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?"

I completely fell in love with the world that Aprilynne Pike put together in the first book in this series, Wings. Her take on faeries and what they are was so different from any other and it was like a breath of fresh air in a genre that's being taken on by so many other authors.

I have high expectations for Spells and can't wait for it to come out!

Spells will be released on May 4, 2010.

Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

"She’s no angel . . .

Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)

Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England School for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem— she’s the only girl in the place. A school full of cute boys wouldn’t be so bad, but Dru’s killer instinct says that one of them wants her dead. And with all eyes on her, discovering a traitor within the Order could mean a lot more than social suicide. . .

Can Dru survive long enough to find out who has betrayed her trust—and maybe even her heart?" -Goodreads.com

Overall: 5/5

So good! This series has become one of my favorites. It's got tons of action, mystery and intrigue, and hot guys. What more can you ask for? I read this 304 page book in one day with very few stops for menial things such as meals. There was just too much going on to put it down! There are so many new twists presented in this one and you find yourself questioning just about everyone, trying to determine who the traitor is.

And the other nice thing about this series is that it's not obvious which guy she's going to end up with. There are a couple of them that are definite possibilities, but it's so refreshing to have to guess. I can't even decide which one I actually want it to be.

Just one more reason to look forward to the release of the third book in the series, Jealousy, which comes out July 29, 2010.

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Cover: 5/5

Other books by Lili St. Crow: Strange Angels, Night Shift, Working for the Devil