WWW (36) and Waiting on Wednesday (April 17th, 2013): CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas and A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY by Susan Dennard

W. W. W. Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading a great blog that I subscribe to. Here's how it works... Each Wednesday I will answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

I've been a really slow reader lately, so I haven't had much to share.  With Spring upon us, I've had loads of work to do in my garden, softball season for my girls, and have had to go to wok on top of it.  Reading has, sadly, not been super-high on the priorities list.  That said, I've recently read some amazing books, so I had to take the time to do this week's WWW...

What are you currently reading?

The Rules by Stacey Kade~ So far, this one's pretty good.  It's intriguing, and there are enough questions that I'm turning the pages at a pretty good clip.  Stay tuned.  It releases next week, so my review will be up soon.

Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden~ This one is shaping up to be quite funny.  I've just started it, so I can't give a solid opinion just yet, but I have a good feeling about it.




What did you recently finish reading?

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo~ OMG, ya'll!  This book is freaking amazing!  If you liked Shadow and Bone, you are in for a serious treat!  If you haven't read Shadow and Bone, well, I just feel sorry for you.

The Program by Suzanne Young~ As a fan of her other books, I was really eager to read this one.  It was good, but not as good as I had hoped it would be.  Look for my review this week or next.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch~ Another win.  I was blown away by the range of emotions this book evoked.  If you are a fan of issue-driven Contemporary YA, this is a must-read.  Check out my review HERE.

Mind Games by Kiersten White~ Again, an author whose prior stuff I've loved.  This one, just okay for me.  It was good enough that I will read book number two, but I wasn't blown away like I had expected to be.  Read my full review HERE.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare~ All I can say is... TEARS!  What a beautiful, unexpected, and bittersweet ending.  As soon as I can think of it without tearing up, I will post my review.

Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald~ A cute, modern retelling of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. An easy, fast day and a half read that was perfect after the tears of Clockwork Princess.  Full review to come.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys~ Um.  This was a book club pick that I would have otherwise never read.  Can I just say?  Effing AMAZING!  Thank you to whomever chose this for April, because I adored it!  Review coming soon.

What do you think you'll read next?

Icons by Margaret Stohl~ I'm so excited to read this.  I can't wait to see what she can do without Beautiful Creatures writing partner, Kami Garcia.  Plus, she's so amazingly nice, and this book seems pretty dark, so I'm intrigued!  It releases May 7th, so look for a review next week or so.

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy~ I've professed my adoration of Terra's writing before, so I'm, of course, excited to read this.  It' a stretch from her standard YA Contemporary fare though, so I'm doubly excited!  Stay tuned.  It also releases May 7th, and I will probably do a signed giveaway with my review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is another fun blog event. Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, this event gives us a chance to talk about the books we anxiously await the release of. Since there is ALWAYS a looooooong list of books I'm waiting on (I actually keep a spreadsheet), I figured this is one that I MUST do.

I'm giving you not one, but two WoW books today.  I will call it The BFFs Edition, since the authors of my two featured books are buds.  I had the opportunity to meet both this past summer at DBF, and they were both so great, and since I loved each of their debuts, I am SO waiting on their book number twos!  So without further ado...

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.

But her heart never wavers. 

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publication Date: August 27th, 2013

My Expected Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I adored the first installment of this series, Throne of Glass, and have eagerly been awaiting the next.  I will undoubtedly be begging someone for an advance copy of Crown of Midnight, because August is far too far away for me.  I need me some more Celaena NOW.  Read my review of Throne of Glass HERE.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Publication Date:  July 23rd, 2013

My Expected Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★  

I really enjoyed book one in this series, Something Strange and Deadly, and expect I will enjoy book number two even more now that all the pesky set-up is done.  You just can't go wrong with steampunk, zombies, and mysterious hotties.  This one releases on my daughter's birthday so I will have to celebrate by buying myself a finished copy (because I fully intend to beg, borrow, or steal an advance copy), because that cover is absolutely to die for, and I need to have it on my shelf.  Read my review of Something Strange and Deadly HERE.

So that was my BFFs Edition of Waiting On Wednesday!  What are you Waiting On?  Leave your link, so I can check it out!

ARC Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Publication Date:  July 24th, 2012

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I finished this book yesterday and am still trying to decide if it's a four-star book or a five-star book.  There were a couple of minor problems for me, but overall, I felt like it was a spectacularly entertaining read, and since that's the reason I read, I am in a bit of a conundrum.  Perhaps I will make up my mind by the time I finish my review...

I guess I'll start with something that I both loved AND hated about this book- the cover.  The cover is stunning!  Once again, I have to hand it to HarperTeen for a gorgeous, eye-catching cover, but here's the thing... The stunning girl on the cover does not reflect the description of Eleanor Fitt, our kick-ass protagonist, AT ALL!  Eleanor is supposed to be somewhat plain and a bit on the chubby side; a girl who can be made to look moderately pretty, with a lot of help.  The girl on the cover is a knockout, and I'm assuming that she is supposed to be Eleanor, given the fact that Eleanor is really the only young female character of consequence in the entire book.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to the story... I had read a few early reviews of Something Strange and Deadly, so I knew not expect the standard zombie novel.  Because I had that heads-up, I was able to go into this novel with different expectations, and I wasn't disappointed like I would have been.  In fact, I found this book to be really good, and exceptionally different.  When I say "different", I mean that I can't really classify it into a single genre- I would call it a "Historical Paranormal Mystery Romance", because it really pulls off every one of those elements well. 

It takes place in post-Civil War era Philadelphia, during the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 (which was the 1st official World's Fair to take place in the United States).  I felt like Susan Dennard really did a nice job with her descriptions of the exhibition and the city itself, as well as the mannerisms, speech, and dress of the people of the era.  I also really enjoyed the characters, and while I wish the author had spent more time developing some of them (Joseph and Jie, in particular), I think she did a great job with the ones she chose to focus on.  Everyone had good and bad qualities, and each character's personality was revealed gradually, as you got to know him/her better.  I find that type of character development very real, and honest.  Eleanor was frustrating at times because she rarely gave much thought before she acted, but she was dedicated and courageous, and I really enjoyed watching her grow as the story progressed.  Clarence was one of my favorite characters, which surprised me as her gradually grew on me.  I found myself rooting for him to end up with Eleanor, even at the times that I wasn't sure I could really trust him.  I think my favorite character was Daniel, though.  He was secretive, brash,  and rather rude at times, but all for good reasons, which come out before the book ends.  As for the plot itself?  Very good.  It was well paced to the point where it never felt like a 400 page novel, and when the end came, I was wanting more.  Because the zombies were such because of a necromancer, and because zombie-ism wasn't infectious like most of the recent zombie-related books I've read, there was an originality to it that was refreshing.  Add to that the fact that there were several other elements of mystery, including that of Elijah, Eleanor's brother, and his disappearance, the fall of the Fitt family business, and the Wilcox family's sudden interest in the Fitt family, and you have a complex and riveting story.  My only problem with the story was that I knew who the villain was before the fact that there WAS a villain had even been established.  Much of the plot was spent of this big reveal at the end, and that kind of fell flat because I knew all along who it was.  Fortunately, the other elements were there to make this book amazing anyway! 

Overall, I think this was a more-than-solid first book for Susan Dennard, and I have a gut feeling that the issues I had with this book will be resolved in the next.  That said, I have to mention that Susan did something that very few authors of series books have competently done; she has written a first-in-series book that could stand alone, which is so refreshing.  Of course, I WILL read the next book in the series, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, but I'm not left frustrated with a horrible gut-wrenching cliffhanger.

So, have I decided if this book gets four stars or five?  Nope.  I guess, it will have to fall in the middle...

My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  This book was pretty clean.  No sex. No major cursing.  There is some graphic violence, but it's pretty tame considering much of the other YA out there.  I would say this is fine for grades 5 and up (ages 10+).