Hey everyone! We want to welcome you back to another WWW where we talk about the three Ws: What we’re read recently, what we’re currently reading, and what we’re planning on reading next. It is currently hosted by Taking on a World of Words.
This week is weird since Emily is working on final exams and Haley is on Spring Break, a break which will be extended now until April 13th- the vibe around here is feeling increasingly more and more apocalyptic. Despite how busy we both are, we have been reading some great books that we cannot wait to tell you about.
What We’ve Finished Recently
The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera CassPublished by HarperTeen on April 24, 2012
Pages: 336
Goodreads
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
Well I finally read The Selection by Kiera Cass. I figured since the author has a new book coming out this year I would see what all the hype is about surrounding an intensely loved YA series. I liked it well enough and will probably read the other books in the series. I’m interested to see what Cass’ upcoming novel is like when its finally out in the world.
The Deep by Alma Katsuon March 10, 2020
Goodreads
Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.
This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner's illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers - including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher - are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.
Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not - could not - have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . . Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding.
We will be sharing a Q&A with Alma Katsu about her most recently novel: The Deep, which revisits the sinking of the Titanic and the tragedy of the Britannic with a twist of horror and mystery. We are doing a three post series on Katsu and her latest release next week so keep an eye out for that, which will include a full, albeit spoiler-free, review.
What We’re Currently Reading
Defy the Sun (The Offering Series, #2) by Jessika FleckPublished by Swoon Reads on March 10, 2020
Pages: 304
Goodreads
Civil war has come to the island of Bellona. Veda Adeline believes in the Night. She’s joined the underground revolutionaries, led by Dorian Winters, and they're determined to overthrow the ruling Imperi and find justice for her people.
Nico Denali, Veda’s childhood friend and maybe-something-more, is one of those ruling Imperi, and he’s just been named heir to the most powerful man above ground.
As the war intensifies, Veda and Nico are leveraged against each other: Veda is above as a hostage of the Imperi and Nico is below, taken by the Night. There's no way Dorian is letting such a valuable hostage go.
The island will burn unless Veda and Nico can come together to rip everything apart. But Nico and Dorian will never trust each other, and Veda's heart might be the biggest casualty.
The stakes are all or nothing in this second and final book in the BEWARE THE NIGHT duology.
So I (Haley) signed up for the tour for Defy the Sun, conveniently forgetting that Beware the Night was rather disappointing to me. However, I am powering through the sequel and wish that had read it sooner because now I’m rushing. But its a fine read and I am planning on finishing it by tomorrow night. The good news is, I am liking it more than the first one so that’s some thing. Stay tuned for my full review on Friday!
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) by Sarah J. MaasPublished by Bloomsbury Publishing on March 3, 2020
Pages: 803
Goodreads
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.
Okay I admit it, every once in a while I get caught up on a hype train and it should surprise no one that I started the incredibly long audiobook of House of Earth and Blood today. I got a physical copy from my local library thinking it would be my read for this week but life happened (more like field exams for grad school happened) so I have resorted to listening to it on audio because I need to know what the hype is about! I’m literally listening to it while I put this post together and I’m enjoying it.
What We’re Reading Next
Sparrow by Mary Cecilia JacksonPublished by Tor Teen on March 17, 2020
Pages: 320
Goodreads
In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, a devastating but hopeful YA debut about a ballerina who finds the courage to confront the abuse that haunts her past and threatens her future.
There are two kinds of people on the planet. Hunters and preyI thought I would be safe after my mother died. I thought I could stop searching for new places to hide. But you can’t escape what you are, what you’ve always been.My name is Savannah Darcy Rose.And I am still prey.
Though Savannah Rose―Sparrow to her friends and family―is a gifted ballerina, her real talent is keeping secrets. Schooled in silence by her long-dead mother, Sparrow has always believed that her lifelong creed―“I’m not the kind of girl who tells”―will make her just like everyone else: Normal. Happy. Safe. But in the aftermath of a brutal assault by her seemingly perfect boyfriend Tristan, Sparrow must finally find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past, or lose herself forever….
As you know from previous posts, I am all about social issue contemporaries and Sparrow definitely fits that criteria. When our MC is sexually assaulted by her seemingly perfect and doting boyfriends things become incredibly dark and difficult while Savannah “Sparrow” tries to find her voice to stand up and be heard. All the trigger warnings! But I am so excited to participate in the blog tour for this very important YA novel.
Not If I Save You First by Ally CarterPublished by Scholastic Press on March 27, 2018
Pages: 297
Goodreads
Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.
No phone.No Internet.And not a single word from Logan.
Maddie tells herself it's okay. After all, she's the most popular girl for twenty miles in any direction. (She’s also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.Until Logan shows up six years later . . .And Maddie wants to kill him.
But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back- and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.
Maddie still really wants to kill Logan.But she has to save him first.
I have always loved survival novels but especially recently I have enjoyed them even more. Maybe because the survivalist mode some are taking to the present pandemic make me think about how one would survive if the infrastructure of our society crumbles to nothing… not that I think it will but one can never be too prepared. Not If I Save You First sounds fantastic and a great follow up after reading McGinnis’ Be Not Far From Me.
What About You?
What have you read recently? Which books are sitting at the top of your TBR pile! Let us know in the comments!
Sorry but… I truly HATE the cover for The Selection. Blech! I hope what’s inside is better than what’s on the outside.