Title: Wicked: Witch and Curse
Author: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
Genre: Paranormal, Witch
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 655 (Legacy: 315, Spellbound: 340)
Copy Origin: Review copy provided by author (Nancy Holder)
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

Holly Cathers is not the same person she was almost a year and a half ago. After discovering her connection to an ancient legacy of witches, Holly has accepted her destiny as a descendant of the House of Cahors. She is determined to end an intergenerational feud that has plagued her family for centuries.

Holly will have to overcome unworldly obstacles as she battles to protect her loved ones — including Jer, a member of the rival House of Deveraux and her one true love. A war of magical proportions is being waged, and Holly is at the center of it all.

Lives will be lost, and sacrifices will have to be made….

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

There are people worth living for. And dying for. And that’s the blessing the Goddess has given us… and the curse. It makes us keep going… and makes us want to give up.

The series Wicked, by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié, is made up of five books; recently though the first four books (Witch and Curse, and Legacy and Spellbound) have been released as double bind-ups. Last week’s teaser came from Legacy the third book in the series (and the first book in bind-up number two), so it only makes sense for this week’s one to come from Spellbound.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme run by The Story Siren which explores the books that have been delivered to our mailbox. Since pretty much all of my are books are ones I have purchased (I rarely receive books for review, unlike many other book bloggers) it’s also my opportunity to showcase books that have been out for a little while or are simply a few steps off the beaten track, one might say.

• Beautiful Creatures and Shiver both came from The Book Depository.
• Everything else came from Whitcoulls while I was picking up Christmas presents (they had a 50% off sale… how could I resist?)
• That is the last of my early birthday money, so books displayed for a while will be much less for a while – well, after my birthday, which is December first.
• I have resolved not to buy any more books for myself until I have made a big dent in the to read pile (I know 16 is tiny compared to many other bloggers, but still).
• I have four (well, three and a half) more books left on my “review on request” list (three from Nancy Holder and one from HarperCollins NZ. These remain at the top of the list, as all “review on request” books do.
• Yes, I know I haven’t read The Hunger Games, but Whitcoulls was very silly and while they have Catching Fire in stock they never had Hunger Games ever¹. I decided to get Catching Fire on special for $15NZ in hardback form (cheaper than most paperbacks!) and get Hunger Games when I could². Thankfully Robbie has proven to be a knight in shining armour Blogger With Shining Duplicates.

1. They have done the same with Fire and Graceling. Fire can be found here, but Graceling? “What’s that?” [↩]
2. If I didn’t like the first one, I could sell both books on, make a small profit and get more books! I am brilliant [↩]

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme run by Book Chick City that allows us to share books we haven’t bought yet but are waiting to be bought and devoured – those books that we really really want and torment us every time we go to the bookshop or go online and look at them.

Title: Skinned
Author: Robin Wasserman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular — until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can’t ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life. Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated…and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime — for which they must pay the ultimate price.

Why Is This On My Wishlist? I’ve been wanting to read more science fiction, since about 95% of my reading at the moment is fantasy/paranormal of some kind, and this looks like it would definitely be a good fit for that. Plus the concept of potential immortality through robotic bodies and downloaded memories is something that really grabbed me.

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Why Is This On My Wishlist? Basically, because everyone reacts with shock when I mention I haven’t read it¹. I’ve also heard people say it’s like Battle Royale, which I love to bits, so it seems like something I should at least give it a go.

Title: Girl In The Arena
Author: Lise Haines
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

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.

Why Is This On My Wishlist? Gladiators – both of the Roman² and modern TV game show kinds – have always fascinated me. Plus the author and I share a surname, so that also caught my attention.

1. Other examples of titles that cause such a reaction would be the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray and Holly Black’s Modern Tales of Faerie [↩]
2. I have a B.A. in classics, and I learned Latin and studied Roman history as well as the myth and literature, and part of this interest stemmed from my first hearing of these gladiators [↩]

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Title: Brightly Woven
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: March 23, 2010
Pre-Order A Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

When Wayland North brings rain to a region that’s been dry for over ten years, he’s promised anything he’d like as a reward. He chooses the village elder’s daughter, sixteen-year-old Sydelle Mirabel, who is a skilled weaver and has an unusual knack for repairing his magical cloaks. Though Sydelle has dreamt of escaping her home, she’s hurt that her parents relinquish her so freely and finds herself awed and afraid of the slightly ragtag wizard who is unlike any of the men of magic in the tales she’s heard. Still, she is drawn to this mysterious man who is fiercely protective of her and so reluctant to share his own past.

The pair rushes toward the capital, intent to stop an imminent war, pursued by Reuel Dorwan (a dark wizard who has taken a keen interest in Sydelle) and plagued by unusually wild weather. But the sudden earthquakes and freak snowstorms may not be a coincidence. As Sydelle discovers North’s dark secret and the reason for his interest in her and learns to master her own mysterious power, it becomes increasingly clear that the fate of the kingdom rests in her fingertips. She will either be a savior, weaving together the frayed bonds between Saldorra and Auster, or the disastrous force that destroys both kingdoms forever.

Why Am I Excited For This Release? It sounds very fantastical, and very much like a fairy tale in some ways too. Plus I read the first chapter over on the author’s website and it left me wanting more.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

Title: Wicked: Witch and Curse
Author: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 653 (Witch: 362, Curse: 291)
Copy Origin: Review copy provided by author (Nancy Holder)
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

Holly Cathers’s world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.

In her new home, Holly’s sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there’s the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.

Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launched into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations…and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

In each succeeding generation, Jean and Isabeau had attempted to possess members of their own families, through whom they could free themselves from love and hate, and sink into the earth for one lart time… hopefully to find peace in the arms of angels, or in each other…

Each generation had failed them.

The series Wicked, by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié, is made up of five books; recently though the first four books (Witch and Curse, and Legacy and Spellbound) have been released as double bind-ups. The above teaser is from the beginning of Legacy, book number three in the series. I finished the first double book last night, and will be writing a review later today. In the meantime, have a teaser.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme run by The Story Siren which explores the books that have been delivered to our mailbox. Since pretty much all of my are books are ones I have purchased (I rarely receive books for review, unlike many other book bloggers) it’s also my opportunity to showcase books that have been out for a little while or are simply a few steps off the beaten track, one might say.

Wings, by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words. Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

 
Wings was kindly provided by HarperCollins New Zealand for review.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

Title: Possessions
Author: Nancy Holder
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 320
Copy Origin: Received for review from the author
Get Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository

New-girl Lindsay discovers all is not right at the prestigious Marlwood Academy for Girls. Ethereal, popular Mandy and her clique are plotting something dangerous. Lindsay overhears them performing strange rituals, and sees their eyes turn black. It doesn’t help that the school itself is totally eerie, with ancient, dilapidated buildings tucked into the Northern California woods, a thick white fog swirling through campus. There are hidden passageways, odd reflections in the windows at night, and scariest of all is the vast lake rumored to have captured the ghost of a girl who drowned many years ago.

What Lindsay doesn’t yet realize is that Mandy and her cohorts are becoming possessed by spirits who have haunted the school for two hundred years. Spirits who want someone dead…

And that someone is Lindsay.

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.

What do you do when you have received and read an ARC, but the book itself isn’t due out for several months? The answer: while you wait until closer to the release date for the proper review, and in the meantime it’s review preview time!

Title: Guardian of the Dead
Author: Karen Healey
Genre: Urban fantasy, New Zealand
Publisher: Little, Brown, Allen and Unwin
Pages: 352
Release Date: April 1, 2010
Copy Origin: ARC provided by the author
Pre-Order Your Own Copy From: Amazon.com, The Book Depository (not available yet)

New Zealander Ellie Spencer just wants to spend her last year of high school in peace, even if she does have to spend it at boarding school and not in her hometown. But the moment her secret crush enchants her – literally – Ellie is drawn into a supernatural crisis that threatens everything she loves.

The creatures of Māori mythology aren’t so mythological – and some of them are murderous. Once her eyes are open, there’s no peace for Ellie; only a magical war the right side must win. Ellie must do what she can with her rusty tae kwon do skills and her newfound magical abilities to save her friends, her country, and millions of lives.

A few thoughts and comments:

• Smart, funny narrator with great strengths, but with balancing weaknesses ensuring she is well-rounded
• Very Kiwi, but not so to the point where non-New Zealanders will be lost – where explanations are needed for words and concepts they are provided, in such a way that non-New Zealanders will understand but the Kiwis won’t have to spend ages slogging through stuff they already know.
• There’s an asexual character! My eyebrows popped up and I went, “Whoa!” But it was a good whoa – I was really pleased to see that in there, even if I was not expecting it.
• Amazing blend of modern New Zealand and its older mythoi – amazingly well-done
• And one ending that packs a punch – a fitting way to finish a well-thought out, well-written emotional rollercoaster of a plot.

All in all I really really enjoyed Guardian of the Dead. Look for the full review towards the start of March!

Mirrored from On The Nightstand.