In My Mailbox (16)

"In My Mailbox" is a weekly Meme hosted by The Story Siren!

 I have not gotten a lot in the mail lately, but it has been nice because it has given me a chance to get a little caught up on my stockpile of books waiting for me on the shelf!  However, things are picking back up and below is what I have received recently...

In My Mailbox:

 For Review

Taken by the Others - Jess Haines
Desires of the Dead - Kimberly Derting

Contest Wins 

Beneath the Thirteen Moons - Kathryne Kennedy

Purchased

Magyk - Angie Sage

Incarceron - Cathrine Fisher

Shimmy to the Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy For Books!

"This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!"

This week's question is:

 "What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011?  Why are you anticipating that book?"

Ok, answering this question is pretty much impossible for me.  There are TOO many books I am really excited about this year.  After much deliberation I chose one, but if you ask me again in about five minutes my answer may be different.  For now I am choosing:


Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.


I chose this book because I really can't wait to find out what happens with Sam and Grace.  I have loved their angst filled romance from the beginning and I am crossing my fingers for a Happily Ever After.  ...But I can't just leave it at that - so here are some other great books that I can't wait to read this year!

Series coming to an end in 2011...
The Death Cure by James Dashner
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan
Goliath  by Scott Westerfeld

Must reads that are continuing in 2011...
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
Red Glove by Holly Black
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Chima Williams
Supernaturally by Kiersten White

 How about you?

Timeless (ARC)

Author: Alexandra Monir
Genre: Young-Adult – Fantasy
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Age Range:  Young-Adult
Pages:  288
Date Scoot Read: January 2011
Source: ARC from Different Area Codes Book Tour

Scoot's Rating:  7- Enjoyed most of it.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

Scoot’s Review:

Michele lives in California, has a great set of friends, and a single mom who she loves.  When an unexpected tragedy occurs she is forced to move away from the only home she has known to live with grandparents she never wanted to meet.  Struggling to understand her grandparents and to make new friends at the elite private school, Michele is pleasantly surprised to learn she can travel through time.  Traveling through time she comes to meet her family from the past and a mysterious, handsome boy Phillip who she has only seen in her dreams.  Despite having seen him many times in a dream, the story has one of the instant romances which often bug me (the kind where they barely speak a word and are in ‘love’).  However, the romance still kept me interested and was well written.  I loved traveling back in time and liked how Michele came to know the strong women in her family line.  She came to love and respect the women of her past.  The plot was complicated enough to keep it interesting and there are plenty of mysteries to solve.  Timeless is a good read, but I was not really happy with the ending (for reasons I can’t say without spoiling).  I really want to know more and I hope that my questions will be answered in a second book. 

Across The Universe (ARC)

Author: Beth Revis
Genre: Young Adult – Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Age Range:  Young Adult
Pages:  398
Date Scoot Read: January 2011
Source: ARC from Book it Forward Tours

Scoot's Rating:  9-  Great read! Couldn’t put it down.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Scoot’s Review:
Amy is pulled away from the world and friends she loves to be cryrogenically frozen (unpleasantly) with her parents, and stowed as cargo on a ship heading to a new planet far in the future.  Elder is the lone teenager on the ship Godspeed and was born to be the future leader of all the people on board; he knows nothing but the ship around him.  Their worlds collide when Amy is unfrozen early.  Amy sees that the ship has changed in the years it has been traveling and not in a good way – on top of that someone is trying to murder the human cargo.  Elder wants to know more about sol-earth, to uncover the secrets of Godspeed, and to get to know Amy herself.  They are thrown together in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of the ship and to save everyone’s future.  The story flips back and forth between Amy and Elder’s point of views and I really enjoyed that.  The story is fast paced and starts out strong with an attention-grabbing start; I was hooked from the first page.  The book was different from what I was expecting, in a good way.  I really enjoyed the characterization; Amy and Elder were very individual and I loved both of the characters for different reasons.  The sub characters, such as Harley, were relatable and you really felt for them and their idiosyncrasies.  I found the mystery of the ship intriguing and the story had plenty of shocking twists to throw you off kilter.  I can’t wait to get my hands on the second one to find out more!

YA content warning: attempted rape scene, non-graphic scenes where sex is implied

Warped

Author: Maurissa Guibord
Genre: Young Adult - Fantasy
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Date Scoot Read: January 2011
Source: Nook Book
Scoot's Rating: 10 – Amazing! Loved it. Read it now!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

Scoot’s Review:
Sometimes you run across a book that just works perfectly for you. Warped is one of them. I loved it from start to finish; the witty dialogue, the characterization, the romance, the plot elements. ALL OF IT. So great! Warped follows Tessa, a girl in modern times learning how to navigate life with her single father. When they bring home an unexpected surprise from an auction Tessa’s life gets all tangled up. For someone who doesn’t believe in fate, it sure seems to be knocking on her door! Warped read just like a movie to me and I could easily picture every scene in my head. Even with all of the plot twists everything flowed well and the pacing was perfect. Tessa and William’s interaction with one another felt genuine, as were all the character interactions. I was very happy with the ending. It does not leave things hanging wide open for you, so it doesn’t necessarily need a sequel but I would LOVE it if there was one. I want more! When you have a chance grab a copy for yourself and sit down for a brilliant read.

The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy/Horror
Publication Date: September 21, 2010
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 343
Date Scoot Read: December 2010
Source: Hardcover Library Book
Scoot's Rating: 8- Really good!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Scoot’s Review:Can a book be creepy and sweet at the same time? Apparently it can. The Replacement follows Mackie Doyle, a replacement for a human child who was stolen by the Others as a baby. Mackie grows up to be a sweet misfit teen who really just wishes he was like everyone else, and was the REAL Mackie Doyle. Instead Mackie ends up having to face a part of his life he never wanted to admit to. The darker side. Learning to navigate between a potential love interest (who is pissed at him), the slow poison of iron all around him, and creepy monsters that go bump at all times of day, Mackie learns what is really important in life. The book kept a steady pace and had me enthralled from the first page. It is often bittersweet, occasionally a little disturbing, but also very heartwarming. I loved Mackie’s relationship with his sister and his closest friend. Mackie himself was a great character and he was easy to connect with. The character and world building was great. There is a romance in the story, but the main plot goes deeper. I would love the story to continue, but as of right now this book is a stand alone. Go check it out!

Waiting On Wednesday (21)

Time for the"Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

To be Published: June 1st 2011 by Scholastic

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

---------------

I love a good Dystopian and this book sounds really intriguing; few survivors, a mysterious boy, and danger lurking around every corner sounds like a good read to me!

What book are YOU waiting on?

 

Behemoth: Leviathan 2

Author: Scott Westerfeld, Artist Keith Thompson
Genre: Young-Adult - Steampunk
Publication Date: October 5, 2010
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 485
Date Scoot Read: December 2010
Source: Hardcover Library Book

Scoot's Rating: 10 – Amazing! Loved it. Read it now!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

Scoot’s Review:
I loved this book. It didn’t want to put it down and was sad when it ended! Picking up right where Leviathan left off we rejoin Alek & Deryn on their alternate-WWI adventures. Alek is still trying to save his kingdom and stop the war he feels responsible for, with the little remaining influence he has. Deryn is struggling with her loyalties to Britain and her feelings for Alek; who she really wants to tell the truth to (aka – she’s a girl) but is afraid of losing. With lots of creative Darwinist-beasties, Clanker machines and new alliances around every corner the action keeps a steady pace from start to finish. Alek & Deryn each grow and develop as they make some tough choices, and rely more on one another. The ‘minor’ characters don’t feel minor and you come to know them even better. The book has a blend of love and loss in it and if you enjoyed Leviathan then you will be happy with this continuation of the story. There was only one scene that felt off for me, but I won’t spoil it for you – overall an excellent read. The story is not yet complete and I look forward to reading Goliath when it comes out in September of 2011. I am still crossing my fingers that the story ends the way I am hoping!

The Healer’s Apprentice

Author: Melanie Dickerson
Genre: Young Adult – Romance/Fantasy
Publication Date: September 14, 2010
Age Range:  Young-Adult
Pages:  261
Date Scoot Read: December 2010
Source:  Paperback from GoodReads giveaways

Scoot's Rating:  6- Good read with small flaws.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Two Hearts. One Hope. Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her---a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill. When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

Scoot’s Review:A rare stand alone novel in the world of teen trilogies, The Healer’s Apprentice is a sweet fairytale romance with dashing lords, innocent maidens, and evil-doers.  Rose is a peasant girl raised in a small village who was chosen by the castle healer to be her apprentice.  Rose’s life gets a little turned around when the two young lords return home from abroad and she is called in to assist in healing one of them.  The story felt like a typical fairytale romance, with a few good plot twists.  I was not a huge fan of the heroine (Rose); she was so flighty! She couldn’t decide who she loved and waffling back and forth like that always bugs me.  If you aren’t SURE you love someone, then it probably means you don’t.  The writing flowed well, although at first it was a little confusing because one of the main characters is called by two different names (however, if you read in the back this is historically accurate for that time period).  The story had Christian elements and occasionally seemed a little over dramatic in that way, but otherwise was an enjoyable read.  

Harry Potter Challenge 2011

Marcie @ 2 Read or Not 2 Read is hosting a Harry Potter Challenge 2011! I *heart* all things Harry Potter and thought it would be fun to join up.  The challenge sounds like a perfect way to prep for the last movie that comes out this fall.  Marcie is planning to read all books by July (one a month)... but I am going to spread it out a little.  I am just hoping to have all the books read before November.  I love this series and have read each book more than once already, but it has been a while.  I am looking forward to refreshing my memory on the story! Click here if you are interested in joining this challenge too!

Storm Front: The Dresden Files 1

Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Adult – Fiction/Mystery/Fantasy
Publication Date: April 1, 2000
Age Range: Adult
Pages:  322
Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Audiobook

Scoot's Rating: 8- Really good!

Synopsis (via Goodreads):
Harry Dresden--Wizard
Lost items found. Paranormal investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things--and most of them don't play too well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a--well, whatever.

There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get... interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed.

Scoot’s Review:

I really enjoyed this story.  It was a change of pace from my norm – I don’t read a lot of detective style novels.  However, this isn’t just your normal murder mystery; it is a fantasy mystery. Harry Dresden is a wizard.  He is listed in the phone book under ‘Wizard’ and helps solves paranormal crimes or whatever else comes his way.  The story is set in present day Chicago, but in a world where magic exists.  Fairies, demons, vampires, wizards... right along side the mobsters and cops.  In this first novel you are thrown right into Harry’s tangled up world as he is enlisted to solve an unexplainable (in human terms) murder.  Pretty soon Harry is in over his head and his own life is in danger.  The story was humorous, fast paced, and full of action.  The character building and world building is great.  Each character feels individual and has depth, and it is interesting learning more about them; Harry especially as you come to learn more of his past.   I listened to the audiobook and Harry is voiced by James Marsters who is spot on.  Perfect for the role!  Storm Front is a good start to a series that definitely has me interested in reading more. If you are looking for something new give it a try.

YA content warning: This is an adult novel, so expect more detail than a YA novel (obviously) when it comes to the violence & intimate moments.  However, nothing felt too explicit or over the top. Mild swearing.

Red Moon Rising (ARC)

Author: Peter Moore
Genre: Young-Adult - Paranormal

Publication Date: February 8, 2011
Age Range: Young-Adult
Pages: 336
Date Scoot Read: January 2011
Source: ARC from Different Area Codes Book Tour

Scoot's Rating: 6- Good read with small flaws.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Being only half-vamp in a high school like Carpathia Night makes you a whole loser. But Danny Gray manages to escape the worst of the specists at his school. Thanks to genetic treatments he had as an infant, most people assume Danny's other half is human. Which is a good thing.

Ever since the development of synthetic blood – SynHeme – vamps have become society’s elite, while wulves like his father work menial jobs and live in bad neighborhoods. Wulves are less than second class citizens; once a month they become inmates, forced to undergo their Change in dangerous government compounds.

For Danny, living with his vamp mother and going to a school with a nearly all-vamp student body, it’s best to pretend his wulf half doesn’t even exist. But lately Danny's been having some weird symptoms -- fantastic night vision; a keener-than-usual sense of smell; and headaches, right around the full moon.

Even though it's easy to be in denial, it's hard to ignore evidence. There's only a month until the next few moon, and Danny's time is running out.

Peter Moore speaks to adolescents in a voice that will have them laughing, set in a world that will get them thinking.

Scoot’s Review:
Imagine the US Civil Rights Movement era (post integration).  Now replace skin color/race for species prejudice and you have the world of Red Moon Rising.  Along with a half vamp-half wulf teen coming of age story, the resounding theme of this novel is prejudice.  Vampires are the elite; smart, rich, and beautiful. Wulves are the bottom of the barrel; “deformed”, grungy and poor. Humans are somewhere in between the two; usually attempting to emulate the Vamps.  The schools, despite their different schedules between day and night, are integrated, but no one is too happy about it and there are obvious clicks.  The story follows Dante (aka – Danny) Gray who is half Vamp and half Wulf.  Danny is getting older and his world flips upside down when his Wulf side starts to show in unexpected ways.  Terrified of changing on the next full moon it is a race against time to discover just how much of a Wulf he really is.  On top of all that, Danny is dealing with prejudice at school and his first real crush starting to notice him.  What is an overwhelmed teen to do?  The story was interesting and a quick read, but at times it dragged and I got a little tired of hearing about the speciest problems.  I enjoyed Danny’s banter and attempts at humor even in stressful situations.   I also liked the realistic action and ‘grittiness’ of the Wulf traits, but I would have been happier if it focused more on that than going off on other tangents.  There is some romance, but it is not the main storyline. From the ending this story looks to be the first in a series.  

The Exiled Queen: Seven Realms 2

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Genre: Young Adult - Fantasy

Publication Date: September 28th 2010

Age Range: Young Adult

Pages: 586

Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Hardback Library Book

Scoot's Rating: 10 – Amazing! Loved it. Read it now!

Synopsis (via Goodreads): You can't always run from danger...
Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

The Exiled Queen is an epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

Scoot’s Review:
I loved this book! The Exiled Queen picks up right where The Demon King left off and we rejoin the adventures of Han Alister and Raisa ana’Marianna. Each traveling on separate paths to basically the same ending point across the realm Han and Raisa are followed by danger at every turn. Han is struggling with his new found magical abilities while Raisa is learning how to live a rough soldier’s life away from the palace. Full of intrigue, magic and romance The Exiled Queen is a brilliant read. I really enjoyed getting back into the world of the Seven Realms. The story flowed very well; a great balance of action and suspense while switching between multiple points of view. I was thrilled when certain plot elements (which I won’t spoil for you) happened... and worried when things I didn’t foresee where thrown in our favorite characters path. Fast paced with a never-ending-knot of plot twists The Exiled Queen is a great read that I highly recommend. I can’t wait to read the third in this series The Gray Wolf Throne that comes out in fall 2011!

Awaken (ARC)

Author: Katie Kacvinsky
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Publication Date: May 23rd 2011
Age Range:  Young Adult
Pages:  352Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Galley via netGalley  & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Scoot's Rating:  4- Mixed feelings.
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

Scoot’s Review:

Hmm, well I was not all that impressed with this book. I feel like the author had a great concept, but didn’t really do much with it. At times the adventure was great and the digitally minded dystopian world seemed pretty believable.  However, I feel this book was all a build-up to ... nothing.  Or the second novel if there is going to be one.  The main character Maddie did go through a lot of development as she learned that life in a digital world is not a real life.  Yet, I still had the feeling of something missing.  The story is told from Maddie’s perspective and is at times interspaced with her hand-written journal entries.  The journal entries felt out of place, they didn’t flow well with the story.  On the plus side I liked Justin, and his slowly building romance with Maddie didn’t seem forced.  It was really sweet, and some of their scenes together were perfectly placed and written.  I also love the cover art for this book!  Awaken is an interesting read, but not one that I would be in any rush to purchase.

Waiting On Wednesday (20)

Time for the"Waiting On Wednesday" weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Gray Wolf Throne
(Seven Realms 3)

by Cinda Williams Chima
To be Published: September 20th 2011 by Hyperion Book

The Gray Wolf Throne does not currently have a cover image or a synopsis... but I still can't wait to get my hands on it! I have read the first two books in the series and love them.  For those who have not heard of this series yet, check out The Demon King's synopsis below.  You can also go here to read the first chapter.  September sounds like such a long wait to find out what happens next...

The Demon King (Synopsis via Amazon)

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell. For as long as Han can remember, he’s worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai camp – riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima

---------------

What book are YOU waiting on?