Waiting on Wednesday: THIS SAVAGE SONG by Victoria Schwab

Welcome to Waiting on Wednesday as hosted by Breaking the Spine. Each week we will be highlighting an upcoming novel that we are excited about. We will include links to add it to your Goodreads “To Be Read” shelf and where to pre-order it! Today’s featured book is…THIS SAVAGE SONG by Victoria Schwab!

THIS SAVAGE SONG

Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: Monsters of Verity #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: July 5, 2016

Summary:
There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books, THIS SAVAGE SONG is a must-have for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor.


Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In THIS SAVAGE SONG, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Why I'm Waiting On It

My favourite author is coming out with another book that will start a new series. And I am hyperventilating already. I have this one pre-ordered from Books of Wonder so I could get it signed and personalized and also get temporary tattoos. I am so in love with anything and everything that Victoria Schwab writes that I have a personal investment in her life. I can't wait to read this one and see what new methods of heart break she has created for me.

ARC #Review: THE CITY'S SON by Tom Pollock

THE CITY'S SON

Summary:
Running from her traitorous best friend and her estranged father, graffiti artist Beth Bradley is looking for sanctuary. What she finds is Urchin, the ragged and cocky crown prince of London’s mystical underworld. Urchin opens Beth’s eyes to the city she’s never truly seen-where vast spiders crawl telephone wires seeking voices to steal, railwraiths escape their tethers, and statues conceal an ancient priesthood robed in bronze.

But it all teeters on the brink of destruction. Amid rumors that Urchin’s goddess mother will soon return from her 15-year exile, Reach, a malign god of urban decay, wants the young prince dead. Helping Urchin raise an alleyway army to reclaim his skyscraper throne, Beth soon forgets her old life. But when her best friend is captured, Beth must choose between this wondrous existence and the life she left behind.

Title: THE CITY'S SON

Author: Tom Pollock

Series: The Skyscraper Throne #1

Source: eARC via the Publisher

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

Publication Date: April 5, 2016

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

"War's coming, Filius. The King of The Cranes and the Lady of the Streets will not share the city"

I was a bit skeptical when I first started this one because not only did it switch perspectives, but it also switched how these perspectives were told, and it was also about electric creature things that I'm still not sure what to call. But I am really glad I picked this one up because it was actually really good and a lot of fun for me to read.

Paperbacks: Why They Rock!

In a previous discussion post, I talked about how paperbacks will help you keep your budget down. Today I'm going to tell you all about the merits of paperbacks! Even though we own both hardcovers and paperbacks, bookworms seem to buy hardcovers more but why? Because that is what comes out first? Pish posh! I say no more! Here are my top reasons for loving paperback novels...

1. Less money!
2. If it is a series, the paperbacks will have the same cover schemes if they get changed after book one!
3. Smaller so more fit on your bookshelf
4. More flexible to fit in your bag
5. Not as heavy when you carry them around
6. Sometimes they have extra bonus stuff at the end that the hardcovers don't
7. Did I mention that if it is a series they all have the same covers?
8. They come out after all the hype for a book has died down so you can actually enjoy the story
9. Make the phrrrrp noise
10. Usually have cool spines

Do you like paperbacks or hardcovers better?

8 Most Anticipated July 2016 Releases!

CRYSTAL CROWNED
Author: Elise Kova
Series: Air Awakens #5
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Publication Date: July 12, 2016

Summary:
Long live Solaris.

One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped. She fights as the champion of peace, but when the night is darkest will she be able to pay the price of a new dawn?

Preorder:

Amazon

--

THE KILLER IN ME
Author: Margot Harrison
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: July 12, 2016

Summary:
Hasn't he lived long enough? Why not? I could take him like a thief in the night.

This is how the Thief thinks. He serves death, the vacuum, the unknown. He’s always waiting. Always there.

Seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows knows all about the Thief. She’s intimately familiar with his hunting methods: how he stalks and kills at random, how he disposes of his victims’ bodies in an abandoned mine in the deepest, most desolate part of a desert.

Now, for the first time, Nina has the chance to do something about the serial killer that no one else knows exists. With the help of her former best friend, Warren, she tracks the Thief two thousand miles, to his home turf—the deserts of New Mexico.

But the man she meets there seems nothing like the brutal sociopath with whom she’s had a disturbing connection her whole life. To anyone else, Dylan Shadwell is exactly what he appears to be: a young veteran committed to his girlfriend and her young daughter. As Nina spends more time with him, she begins to doubt the truth she once held as certain: Dylan Shadwell is the Thief. She even starts to wonder . . . what if there is no Thief?

From debut author Margot Harrison comes a brilliantly twisted psychological thriller that asks which is more terrifying: the possibility that your nightmares are real
. . . or the possibility that they begin and end with you?

Preorder:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

--

#Review: EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR by E.K. Johnston

EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR

Summary:
“I love you,” Polly says suddenly when I’m almost to the door.

“I know,” I say.

Hermione Winters has been a flyer. She’s been captain of her cheerleading team. The envied girlfriend and the undisputed queen of her school. Now it’s her last year and those days and those labels are fading fast. In a few months she’ll be a different person. She thinks she’s ready for whatever comes next.

But then someone puts something in her drink at a party, and in an instant she finds herself wearing new labels, ones she never imagined:

Victim. Survivor. That raped girl.

Even though this was never the future she imagined, one essential thing remains unchanged: Hermione can still call herself Polly Olivier’s best friend, and that may be the truest label of all.

Heartbreaking and empowering, Exit, Pursued by a Bear is the story of transcendent friendship in the face of trauma.

“I love you,” I say, because I really, really do.

“I know,” says Polly. 

Title: EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR

Author: E.K. Johnston

Source: Purchased from Chapters

Publisher: Dutton Books For Young Reader

Publication Date: March 15, 2016

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

"Today, everything is ours if we want it."
"Yes," I tell her. "It is."

Warning: This book deals with rape. In a VERY EXCELLENT WAY, but it is still there. So please be careful if you are triggered by this before reading this book and my review.

Top 5 Beach Reads!

Everyone loves a light contemporary novel that you can read and not think too much while doing so. That way you can soak up the sun while reading. We label these as "Beach Reads" and I love them, even though I typically read them in the winter. #CanadianProbz

But for those of you getting ready to hit the sand and the surf in the near future (or maybe even right now!), here are some of my top choices for books you should bring along...

SUMMER OF SLOANE

Author: Erin L. Schneider
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Summary:
Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Waiting on Wednesday: STEEPLEJACK by A.J. Hartley

I am making my friend Dani from Dani Reviews Things read this because she is from South Africa and I feel like if she says it is a good book, it will be a good book. Say hello to...

STEEPLEJACK by A.J. Hartley

Title: STEEPLEJACK

Author: A.J. Hartley

Series #Review: The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

SHIVER

Summary:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Title: SHIVER

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Source: Purchased from Lakeside Books and Art

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

I really really liked this one. I think I almost liked this one more than The Raven Boys but shhh don't tell it that. I thought this was as magical and wonderful as every other Stiefvater book but the romance was weird and awkward at the beginning and at some points throughout. As well, the secondary characters were meh. But the mythology was so good and, as I've said before, what Stiefvater does best is take what is "common knowledge" and twist it to be her own story.

Discussion: Blogging on a Budget!

We're not millionaires (but if you are, hmu); we all love reading and staying current on new releases, so how do we do it on minimal funds? I'm going to give you some tips for how to stay in budget and still be able to buy some books! Take these with a grain of salt, they may not work for everyone and I am definitely NOT a financial advisor so if you need help with budgeting for reals ask someone who actually does it for a living.

Unhaul Unwanted Books

A lot of used bookstores will buy books off of you either for cash money or for store credit! It is basically trading books you have already read in for shiny new books! I would recommend checking out a couple different places before you do this to make sure the bookstore has books you would actually want to purchase if they only do store credit! You don’t want to have $50 to a place that you may only spend $5 at! You can also sell your books on Ebay and Amazon, but remember ARCs ARE NOT FOR SALE.

Library!

Your library should become your new best friend. A lot of libraries will order in titles if you request them, so if you have an upcoming release you want to read but can't shell out the cash for, request your library to get a copy in! If you want to be the FIRST to read a new release, make sure you put your name on the hold list. This will allow you to read the book soon after it releases so you can chat with all your friends about the title!

Discount Book Stores

One of the biggest ones is BookOutlet which has a physical store if you are in the Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada or has an online store if you are everywhere else! They have some fairly new releases in stock and a lot of great backlist titles! I think the most expensive book I've purchased from them was $15 -- and it was signed! Thriftbooks is also a good site to use as well as Books A Million. Just be careful with shipping costs -- you want to make sure you are getting enough books that the shipping is justified but you don't want to spend $40 on shipping! Think of all the books you could buy with $40!

Watch For Sales

A lot of major retailers will have sales for new releases or have them a bit discounted when they are first released. Wait for this! There may be a time when they have a coupon for double points or an extra 10% off YA titles, so spend your money at this time when you can get more for less. Amazon and Kobo both do pre-order guarantee where they charge you the lowest price for your pre-orders so if you do pre-order a book, do it early! You never know how much you may save!

Waiting on Wednesday: UNPLUGGED by Donna Freitas

Did you know I love Science Fiction? I think it's pretty clear based on the majority of my reading choices. So it should come as no surprise that this book is on my anticipated reads for this year...

UNPLUGGED by Donna Freitas

Title: UNPLUGGED

Author: Donna Freitas

#Review: BOOKS OF FAERIES SERIES by Maggie Stiefvater

LAMENT

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

Title: LAMENT

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Books of Faeries #1

Source: Purchased from TBD

Publisher: Flux

Publication Date: October 8, 2008

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

I am both enthralled with this book and extremely confused with this book. I feel like there was something I was missing while reading it but I also couldn't put it down. This wasn't Stiefvater's best book, but it was still really interesting and definitely a new and invigorating take on fae mythology.

Top 10 Releases I'm Excited For In The Second Half of 2016!

I am sure this is a Top Ten Tuesday topic at some point, but I am writing this in March and will not have time for Top Ten Tuesday during June and July so I am doing this prompt now! Here are the books that are releasing in the second half of the year (July to December) that I am really excited about! You can look at my Goodreads page to see others and I will still have my monthly release feature on here that you can check out, but these are ten that I think you should put on your radar right now.

CRYSTAL STORM

Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #5
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: December 13, 2016
Summary:
An epic clash between gods and mortals threatens to tear Mytica apart . . . and prove that not even the purest of love stands a chance against the strongest of magic.

MAGNUS and CLEO are forced to test the strength of their love when Gaius returns to Mytica claiming he's no longer the King of Blood but a changed man seeking redemption.

LUCIA, pregnant with the child of a Watcher, has escaped the clutches of the unhinged fire god. Her powers are dwindling as she goes forth to fulfill a prophecy that will keep her baby safe . . . but could mean her demise.

JONAS treks back to Mytica with a plan to overtake Amara, but fate takes hold when he runs into the beautiful Princess Lucia and joins her on her perilous journey.

AMARA has taken the Mytican throne, but with no way to unleash the water magic trapped within her stolen crystal, she'll never be able to seize glory and get sweet revenge.

And what kind of darkness will descend--and who will be safe--after Prince Ashur reveals the dangerous price he paid to cheat death?

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

GAP LIFE

Author: John Coy
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: November 22, 2016
Summary:
Cray got into the same college his father attended and is expected to go. And to go pre-med. And to get started right away. His parents are paying the tuition. It should be an easy decision.

But it's not.

All Cray knows is that what's expected of him doesn't feel right. The pressure to make a decision—from his family, his friends—is huge. Until he meets Rayne, a girl who is taking a gap year, and who helps him find his first real job, at a home of four adults with developmental disabilities. What he learns about himself and others will turn out to be more than any university could teach him—and twice as difficult. 

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

BEAST

Author: Brie Spangler
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
Summary:
A witty, wise, and heart-wrenching novel that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan.

Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn’t look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken leg—and a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers.

Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapy—until he meets Jamie. She’s funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She’s also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and superficiality. As Jamie’s humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan doesn’t know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he wasn’t listening. Something that shouldn’t change a thing. She is who she’s always been—an amazing photographer and devoted friend, who also happens to be transgender. But will Dylan see it that way?

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

CLANLESS

Author: Jennifer Jenkins
Series: Nameless #2
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: October 4, 2016

WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS

Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Summary:
When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town.

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

THE GRACES

Author: Laure Eve
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Summary:
In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.

Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.

This fabulously addictive fantasy combines sophisticated and haunting prose with a gut-punching twist that readers will be dying to discuss. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars as well as nostalgic classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 1996 movie The Craft, The Graces marks the beginning of a new wave of teen witches. 

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

THE BOY WHO KILLED GRANT PARKER

Author: Kat Spears
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: September 13, 2016
Summary:
Luke Grayson's life might as well be over when he's forced to go live in rural Tennessee with his Baptist pastor father. His reputation as a troublemaker has followed him there, and as an outsider, Luke is automatically under suspicion by everyone from the principal at his new school to the local police chief. His social life is no better. The new kid in town is an easy target for Grant Parker, the local golden boy with a violent streak who has the entire community of Ashland under his thumb.

But things go topsy-turvy when a freak accident removes Grant from the top of the social pyramid, replacing him with Luke. This fish out of water has suddenly gone from social outcast to hero in a matter of twenty-four hours. For the students who have lived in fear of Grant all their lives, this is a welcome change. But Luke’s new found fame comes with a price. Nobody knows the truth about what really happened to Grant Parker except for Luke, and the longer he keeps living the lie, the more like Grant Parker he becomes.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

THIS SAVAGE SONG

Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: Monsters of Verity #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: July 5, 2016
Summary:
There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books, This Savage Song is a must-have for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, and Laini Taylor.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

CRYSTAL CROWNED

Author: Elise Kova
Series: Air Awakens #5
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Publication Date: July 2016
Summary:
Long live Solaris.

One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped. She fights as the champion of peace, but when the night is darkest will she be able to pay the price of a new dawn?

Purchase:

Amazon

EVERYONE WE'VE BEEN

Author: Sarah Everett
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Summary:
For fans of Jandy Nelson and Jenny Han comes a new novel that asks, can you possibly know the person you’re becoming if you don’t know the person you’ve been?

Addison Sullivan has been in an accident. In its aftermath, she has memory lapses and starts talking to a boy that no one else can see. It gets so bad that she’s worried she’s going crazy.

Addie takes drastic measures to fill in the blanks and visits a shadowy medical facility that promises to “help with your memory.” But at the clinic, Addie unwittingly discovers it is not her first visit. And when she presses, she finds out that she had certain memories erased. She had a boy erased.

But why? Who was that boy, and what happened that was too devastating to live with? And even if she gets the answers she’s looking for, will she ever be able to feel like a whole person again? 

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Have you heard of any of these? 

Which July to December 2016 releases are you looking forward to?