Waiting on Wednesday (151) - Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you are looking forward to!

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini coming September 4th 2012 by Simon Pulse

Life altering mistakes are meant to alter lives…

When Elliot dies for the third time, she knows this is her last shot. There are no fourth-timers in this afterlife, so one more chance is all she has to get things right. But before she can move on to her next life, Elliot will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed.

As she pieces together the mistakes of her past, Elliot must earn the forgiveness of her best friend and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

This book sounds awesome and I quite adore the cover. The concept of this one sounds brilliant.

What are you guys waiting on?

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue
Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Pages: 576

Rating: 5 stars

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I liked Graceling a lot, but didn't love it. I loved Fire and thought it was amazing. Neither of these prepared me for the absolutely mindblowing book Kristin Cashore delivered with Bitterblue. This book stole my heart on page one and even after I turned the last page, it didn't let go. Everything Cashore builds in this novel was so intricately done. I sat there in awe after I finished the book, and it lingered on my mind for many days to come. This is her best book to date.

The writing in Bitterblue is absolutely gorgeous. That has always been one of my favorite things about her books - her beautiful prose and her detailed world. The world that was established in Graceling has been built upon, and I just loved it. It's a world that I could happily read book after book in, and never tire of it. The concept of it Graces just fascinates me.

Bitterblue was a character that I liked in Graceling, and I loved seeing how she'd changed since we last saw her. Bitterblue was strong, had spunk, and an curiosity that couldn't be smothered. I loved the other characters met in Graceling who make appearances in Bitterblue have really grown as well. My biggest issue with Graceling was some characteristics about Katsa, but by this point in the story, she has matured and moved on. Kristin Cashore always has an amazing boy in her books, and while I don't know if Saf has quite lived up to my love for Brigan and Po, he comes pretty darn close. Saf was such a complex character and he was not going to let anyone tell him what to do.

Bitterblue weaves a tale that was so complicated and intense. There was this constant sense of intrigue as I was reading. The plot was ever-building, and the different storylines of the book began to intersect. I never knew what Kristin Cashore was going to throw at readers next. Yet, there were also so many moments when I had to step back and just admire the little things going on, like the compassion between characters. The relationships between the characters are all so deep and learning all their back was one of the best parts of the book. The ending was phenomenal - the thought had crossed my mind at several points throughout the book, but I was not sure what Cashore would do about that event. I loved how she tied up the story, it was perfect: full of hope.

I did not want this book to end. Bitterblue was simply a masterpiece, and was everything I had hoped for and more in the years of waiting since Fire. Kristin Cashore is simply a master of fantasy, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Waiting on Wednesday (149) - Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs

Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you are looking forward to!

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs coming June 5, 2012 from Walker Childrens

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

The first book, Tempest Rising, was quite awesome, so I'm so intrigued to see how the story will pan out in this one!

What are you guys waiting on?

Fantasy Five Friday: Interview with Dan Haring

I am super excited to have Dan Haring by the blog today for another Fantasy Five Friday! Welcome Dan!

Dan Haring is the author of Oldsoul, which debuts April 24th. He has a degree in animation and has worked on movies like Tangled (Ummm coolest thing ever!) You can find him on the web at his website, blog, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Could you give us the one sentence pitch of your book?

Jason must harness the skills of the souls within him in order to
combat the immortals bent on destroying humanity.

Since you have a fantasy novel coming out, the next question I obviously have to ask is: If you were a fantastical creature, which would you be?

I've honestly never thought about that. I'd love to be something that
could fly. Dragons are cool, but usually they're jerks. Maybe a
griffin.

Do you have a favorite fantasy read?

That's a tough one. I'd have to say it's a tie between The Hobbit/Lord
of the Rings and Harry Potter. Both worlds are incredible.

Generally speaking, which comes first: the world, the characters, or the plot?

With OLDSOUL it was the character, with my current WIP it was the
plot. It just depends on the project I guess.

They are always coming out with new editions of board games. If your
book could be a special edition of any board game, which would you
choose?

I love the Lord of the Rings edition of Risk I have, so that would be
awesome. I don't know that my book is epic enough for that though.

Here's a bit about Oldsoul:

Jason Gouvas doesn’t want to believe he has special abilities or that he's an Oldsoul-- a vessel for the souls of people who have passed away, but the dead girl in his mind can be very persuasive.

Her name is Erin, and through her Jason is able to access the knowledge and skills of the souls within him. And with a group of power-hungry immortals bent on destroying the Oldsouls and overthrowing humanity, he's going to need them all.

Buy Oldsoul