Stacking the Shelves {10}

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a way to showcase the books we've received for review or purchased, borrowed, etc. If you'd like to participate please check out Tynga's website for more information.

For Review:

What Happens Next, Colleen Clayton

Source: ARC from publisher

Release Date: 10/9/2012, Poppy

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

The Liar, The Bitch, & the Wardrobe, Allie Kingsley

Source: ARC from publisher

Release Date: 9/4/2012, Berkley Trade

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

The Hiding Place, David Bell

Source: ARC from publisher

Release Date: 10/2/2012, NAL Trade

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


The Hallowed Ones, Laura Bickle
Source: ARC from publisher
Release Date: 9/25/2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


The Ruins of Lace, Iris Anthony
Source: ARC from publisher
Release Date: 10/1/2012, Sourcebooks Landmark
Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

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A giant thank you to Poppy, Sourcebooks, HMH, NAL, Berkley, and Netgalley. That's it for me this week. Leave me a link to your mailbox post and I'll be sure to check it out!!

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Waiting on Wednesday {23}: Level 2

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Today I'm featuring Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans.

Synopsis from Goodreads: In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning. Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

Level 2 will be released by Simon & Schuster BYR on January 15th, 2013!

Okay, so that's mine. What's your WOW pick this week? Also, if you want to participate, head on over to Breaking the Spine and link up!!

ARC Review: Through to You

Through to You, Emily Hainsworth

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Genre: Science Fiction Thriller, Young Adult

Publication: 10/2/2012, Balzer + Bray

# of Pages: 272 (Hardcover)

Source: I received an advanced reader's copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

My Review:  I'd been waiting for this book's release for a long time so when I got an ARC from the publisher, I couldn't help but tear into it right away. Everything about it, from the gorgeous cover to the intriguing synopsis, screams READ ME. Not to mention that it has two of my favorite elements: a singular male POV and a science fiction twist.

The problem I usually run in to when I've anticipated a book is that it fails to meet my expectations. Through to You is one of those rare exceptions. I really liked it. Cam is a great character. Sympathetic and strong with just enough broken parts to make him believable and relatable. A former popular athlete who suffered a career-ending injury, his world has since revolved around his girlfriend Viv. When she dies in a car accident that Cam believes was his fault, he becomes angry, depressed, and lonely. He visits the site of the accident every day and this is where he meets Nina, a girl from a parallel universe, a universe where Viv is still alive.

In this universe Cam was the star quarterback, overcoming his injury, and beloved by all, including Nina. What I found interesting about this is that Cam got to glimpse another version of himself. A life he could have had if he'd made different choices and I liked that he was often jealous of his other self. It's relatable. Who wouldn't be envious of a you that got all the things you thought were out of your reach.

Through to You is intriguing, thought-provoking, and reads like a contemporary novel that just so happens to include a parallel world, which works for me. The only reason this is not a 5 star review is because I often found the plot to be a tad predictable and because I felt the romance was a little lacking. Not that a book has to have heavy romance for me to enjoy it. It's just that the back of the book promoted it as a romantic sci-fi thriller. I thought I was going to get some gut wrenching romance. You know star-crossed lovers, two different worlds. I don't know, I just didn't feel it and I'd wanted something extraordinary. Something that would break my heart.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

Waiting on Wednesday {22}: Dark Star

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

Today I'm featuring Dark Star by Bethany Frenette.

 

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it’s hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she’s lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human—something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn’t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers—livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.

To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person’s memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers’ next move. But Leon, her mother’s bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won’t let Audrey out of his sight.

When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything—and everyone—she loves.

 

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

 

 

 

Dark Star will be released by Disney-Hyperion on October 23rd, 2012!

 

Okay, so that's mine. What's your WOW pick this week? Also, if you want to participate, head on over to Breaking the Spine and link up!!