WOW: What I'm waiting on this week

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

From Goodreads:

The Crown's Game

by Evelyn Skye (Goodreads Author)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: May 17th 2016 by Balzer + Bray

4.07 of 5 stars

Vika Andreyev can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

From Goodreads:

Ollie and the Wind

by Ronojoy Ghosh

Hardcover, 32 pages

Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by Random House Australia

4.0 of 5 stars

A beautifully told story about ingenuity and friendship from a wonderful new author-illustrator talent

Ollie and the Wind is about a small boy who lives—seemingly alone—on an island. The wind keeps stealing away Ollie’s hat and his scarf—but is the wind naughty, or does it just want to play?

WOW: This week I'm waiting on Ruined by Amy Tintera and The Dragon's Toothache by Annie Besant

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


I've decided to make a slight change to my WOW. Since I review children's books on here as well I'll be doing two WOWs each week. One book for me and one book for what I'm waiting to read to my son.

From Goodreads:A revenge that will consume her.

A love that will ruin her.
     Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.
     But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.
     In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.
     Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: May 3rd 2016 by HarperTeen

From Goodreads: What could be stranger than a dragon's toothache? A motley crew comes to the rescue of the dragon in pain, but do they manage to help him? Annie Besant's quirky humor and Rayika Sen's imaginative illustrations make this book a joy to read over and over again. (less)

Hardcover, 36 pages

Expected publication: February 9th 2016 by Karadi Tales Picturebooks

WOW: I'm waiting on The Steep & Thorny Way

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


Ok I just stumbled upon this one on Goodreads this very morning. I started doing the pee pee dance. A retelling of Hamlet set in the 1920's where the main character is mixed race.....oh yes please bring on to me!

From Goodreads:

A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night. (less)

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: March 8th 2016 by Amulet Books

Waiting on Wednesday: I'm waiting on The Cresswell Plot

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

Ok I'm a sucker for reading/finding out about weird twisted cults. I always wonder how someone gets so thoroughly sucked into one. When I saw this book on Goodreads I was like ooooh this sounds interesting.

From Goodreads: Hardcover, 272 pages

Expected publication: June 7th 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

The woods were insane in the dark, terrifying and magical at the same time. But best of all were the stars, which trumpeted their light into the misty dark. 

Castella Cresswell and her five siblings—Hannan, Caspar, Mortimer, Delvive, and Jerusalem—know what it’s like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father.

Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they’re still the freaks they’ve always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.

Castley’s world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father’s grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all of their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father’s lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation.

Waiting on Wednesday:

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

I'm having some serious cover love happening for this book. I love the color tones and the pictures. It reminds me of older classic books for some reason. Also how can you go wrong with a Sherlock/Watson themed book?

From Goodreads: The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense. (less)

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

Waiting On Wednesday: The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

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

This week I chose The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury. 


Release Date: February 23, 2016 by Razorbill

From Goodreads:

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Arabian Nights from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

Waiting On Wednesday: Death's Leash by J.D. Stroube

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

This week I chose Death's Leash By J.D. Stroube.
Expected publication: December 1st 2015 by Euphoric Publishing & Design

From goodreads: 

The myth is wrong…

Death is only a man, but one who has control over all living beings. He chooses who will live or die. He commands the fates and gives the order to cut the thread of life. However, Death isn’t alone.

In the beginning of time, he realized that it would be impossible for a single figure to wield power over life and death, while still having time to punish the wicked. Death summoned the tainted souls of the dead and from them created a race of females. They would be the takers of souls, the guardians of the afterlife, and the harbingers of death.

They are Death’s Hellhounds. Wild, impulsive, and terrifying, these sisters have a solitary goal: to hunt down unspeakable evils. When Death calls his Hellhounds to embark on the Wild Hunt, they must forsake their humanity to consume the most depraved souls in existence. Six remain in the veil between life and death, but step through the threshold when Death calls.

Kali has spent her immortal life avoiding attachment. She hides her true self from all but her sisters. When Death gives her an assignment to hunt a rogue angel, she must confront the one man who places her heart in danger. Alone, she must face an enemy too powerful for a solitary Hellhound and find a way to break Death’s leash.

When wicked souls turn from the light,
And baying calls ring through the night.
Face your end or turn to flee,
For Death’s Hellhounds have come for thee!