“Waiting On” Wednesdays: Rebel of the Sands and The Great Hunt

Waiting on Wednesdays is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we are excited for.

---

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Hardcover, 400 pages

Publication Date: Mar. 8th, 2016
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780451477538
Add it: To your TBR Pile or your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads.

“You will cheer for Amani the whole way as she escapes the bonds of oppression and finds her own power, and you will mark your calendar for the sequel.”—Rae Carson, bestselling author of the Fire & Thorns trilogy

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic.  For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.

Amani Al’Hiza is all three.  She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.

Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.

Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.

Mythical beasts, djinn, gunslingers, and a rebellion? Sign me up please! I’m really excited to find out more about the heroine, Amani. A girl embracing her power… and the setting sounds fantastic. I’m such a sucker for great world-building and I really hope this story can deliver the way it sounds.

And now, since there are so many wonderful books out there, here’s a second book I’m waiting for…

---

 

The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Hardcover, 416 pages

Publication Date: Mar. 8th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780062381330
Add it: To your TBR Pile or your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads.

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.

I’m deeply interested in this story, especially the fact that it’s inspired by a fairy tale (my favorite!) And I like the fact that this seems to be a lesser-known one, instead of one of the biggies. It sounds so dramatic and full of magic and I’m already a fan.

 ***

What are you waiting for this week?

***

Teaser Tuesdays: Once Upon a Winter’s Night

It’s time for another “Teaser Tuesday!”

This feature (or meme)  is one I originally discovered on my friend Kim’s site Book Munchies, and is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. For those of you who would like to play along at home (or more specifically on your homepage), here is how Teaser Tuesdays work.

– Grab (one of) your current read(s) and open it to a random page
– Share a couple “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
– BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

—> Now on to the main event!

Once Upon a Winter’s Night (Faery Series, #1) by Dennis L. McKiernan

Hardcover, 416 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: July 1st, 2002
ISBN# 9780451458544
Page: 5

 

Glancing back at Camille and receiving a nod, he placed a shoulder against the rattling planks to brace against the wind and lifted the clattering latch and eased the door on its leather-strap hinges open a crack, putting his eye to the narrow space as a snow-bearing sheet of wind swirled in. “Ai!” he wailed and slammed the door to and crashed the bar down into its brackets.

“What is it Papa?” cried the children at the fire as they leapt to their feet and clustered, all clutching one another for support, the mother standing and shrinking back against the trembling knot of girls.

“Waiting On” Wednesdays: Spinning Starlight

Waiting on Wednesdays is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we are excited for.

---

Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

Hardcover, 336 pages
Publication Date: Oct. 6th, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423185154
Add it: To your TBR Pile or your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads.

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it’s hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it’s just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi’s vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers’ survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?

Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow.

The Wild Swans (and all it’s variants) has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. I’m really intrigued and excited to see how the author treats the material, and how it all gets adapted. I really enjoyed Stitching Snow and I’m excited to see whether any of those characters make an appearance, or if this is a complete stand-alone set in the same world. Either way, I think I’m going to like it. Lewis creates some really interesting characters and scenarios, and it’s been a while since I’ve read any sci-fi. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

 ***

What are you waiting for this week?

***

Fictional Bucket List #44

 

 

Associated Book/Series: Princess series by Jim Hines

“Waiting On” Wednesdays: Princess of Thorns

Waiting on Wednesdays is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we are excited for.

---

 

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Hardcover, 400 pages

Publication Date: Dec. 9th 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN:  9780385743228

Add it: To your TBR Pile or your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads.

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm’s fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora’s throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it’s too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

I loved Sleeping Beauty since I first saw the Disney version with the three fairies and the dragon and the magic, and *sigh.* I could go on and on. I also really love the original version(s) — there’s a lot of intense debate in academia as to which is the technical “first” version of this fairy tale — and the many retellings that have taken place over the years. I think what is drawing me to this particular version of the story is the adventurous aspects, and the fact that it focuses, not on Sleeping Beauty, but her daughter. First I like this because it gives the author the potential to keep the original story fairly intact, but also inject some much needed activism on the part of the story’s heroine. Because let’s face it. Any feminist worth her salt is going to notice how Sleeping Beauty, more than pretty much any other fairy tale princess/heroine, sits around and waits to be rescued by a dude. And that’s not really such a great message in this day and age. So I like the approach that Jay is taking, because now her daughter has the chance to do some rescuing herself. This time around, it’s a prince with a curse, and hopefully there will be significant a**-kicking on the part of our female lead. My fingers are crossed for some high adventure!!

 ***

What are you waiting for this week?

***

“Waiting On” Wednesdays: Camelot

Waiting on Wednesdays is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming book releases that we are excited for.

---

 

Fables, Vol. 20: Camelot, created by Bill Willingham

Paperback, 256 pages
Publication Date: August 27, 2014
Publisher: Vertigo
ISBN: 9781401245160
Add it: To your TBR Pile or your “Want to Read” list on Goodreads.

Rose Red takes the mantle of Paladin of Hope to rally the Fables in the tragic aftermath of “Snow White.” A new dark age calls for a new Round Table, with modern knights willing to take on a sacred quest to reassemble the shattered pieces of Fabletown. This new volume collects issues #131-136 of this multiple Eisner-Award-winning series.

Gaaaah! After reading volume 3 of the Fairest spinoff series, I’m even more excited to get my hands on this latest Fables volume. It doesn’t help that I thought it would have come out already. But since the series is counting down its final issues, I suppose I should anticipate, well, waiting. I want to know what will happen with Bigby, and I’m really curious to know what this “Paladin of Hope” role is that Rose Red will be filling. I have yet to be disappointed with anything that this series’ team comes up with, though, so I’m sure it will be amazing!