Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Publish date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Flat Iron Books/Macmillan

  I'm really curious how Bardugo incorporates fantasy, paranormal, murder, and secret societies at her alma mater.  The book has been getting a lot of press and positive buzz ever since it was announced.
 
 Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.



The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif
Publish date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen

  I'm always on the lookout for diverse thrillers to recommend to my students. When I read the book's description about an all female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world I knew I had to add it to my tbr asap.  
 
 Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.

Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.

Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
Publish date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Delacorte Press

  This own voice and diverse novel covers racism, religion, and self identity. 
 
 Who is Nevaeh Levitz?

Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can't stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It's only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

  Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! I'm taking a slight detour from the upcoming book releases. Today I want to talk about the upcoming book to movie adaptations that I can not wait to see. I will try to add the release date information if it is available.



A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle is one of my childhood favorites. I remember reading it and being blown away by it in fourth grade. I also developed my first book boyfriend crush on Calvin O'Keefe. The cast of the movie is stellar and diverse: Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Zach Galifianakis, and Michael Pena just to name a few. I hope to find some time to reread this classic before the movie comes out. The movie comes out on February 3, 2018.

I would be surprised if you haven't seen the trailer yet, but here is it down below in case you missed it:


Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli was one of my favorite debut novels from 2015. Funny, moving, romantic, and emotionally wise, this book will make you sigh in content and have a huge smile on your face when you are finished reading the last page. Though the movie has changed its title to Love, Simon, it has a wonderful diverse cast: Nick Robinson, Keiynan Lonsdale (aka Wally West from the Flash), Alexandra Shipp, Josh Duhamel, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Though there are aspects of the trailer that have some fans nervous, Becky has told us to trust the film. The movie comes out on March 16, 2018.

I have watched the trailer several times and it just makes me smile. My favorite part is the end. Check out it below:


To All the Boys I Loved Before series by Jenny Han is also one of my favorite YA contemporary romance series. It has wonderful characters, an interesting plot, and the right balance between romance and an coming of age novel. Like Simon, this book will turn your frown upside down. If you have always wanted to try reading any of Jenny Han's books and don't know which book to pick up, I highly recommend this series. The news of this movie adaptation was a complete surprise to me. I had heard nothing of it until the last book in the series, Love Always and Forever, Lara Jean was published. The movie also has a diverse cast and stars: Noah Centineo, John Corbett, Israel Broussard, Janel Parrish, Lana Condor, and Anna Cathcart.

There is no trailer at the moment nor a release date but it will be sometime in 2018 as the movie is in post-production. I can't wait!


The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is the most talked about YA book and debut novel of 2017. I would be shocked if it did not receive any accolades from the book community and does not appear on any of the best book lists. I have not read this book yet due to the big hype machine, but I do need to sit down and read it because I think the topic is timely and incredibly important. The movie has a great cast: Amandla Stenberg, Anthony Mackie, Regina Hall, and Common.

There is no trailer at the moment nor a release date but I will definitely will be looking forward to it when it comes to the theaters.



Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness was one of the few dystopian reads that I actually enjoyed during the dystopian reading trend. I liked the first book, Knife of Never Letting Go, but I didn't finish the other books in the series. The movie is currently in production and it stars: Tom Holland (aka Spiderman/Peter Parker) and Daisy Ridley (Rey from Star Wars). The movie is set to be released on March 1, 2019 so I have plenty of time to read and finish this series.

By the Book by Julia Sonneborn
Publish date: February 6, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books

I am usually wary of Jane Austen retellings, but this one sounds like a promising modern retelling of Persuasion, which is my favorite Austen novel. 
   
   Anne Corey is about to get schooled. An English professor in California, she’s determined to score a position on the coveted tenure track at her college. All she’s got to do is get a book deal, snag a promotion, and boom! She’s in. But then Adam Martinez—her first love and ex-fiancé—shows up as the college’s new president.
   Anne should be able to keep herself distracted. After all, she’s got a book to write, an aging father to take care of, and a new romance developing with the college’s insanely hot writer-in-residence. But no matter where she turns, there’s Adam, as smart and sexy as ever. As the school year advances and her long-buried feelings begin to resurface, Anne begins to wonder whether she just might get a second chance at love.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Publish date: September 12, 2017
Publisher: Penguin

I really enjoyed the author's debut novel Everything I Never Told You and I'm looking forward to her new book. 

    In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
    Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
   When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Publish date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins


I found this book while attending a library webinar and after reading its description I knew I had to read it. 

“Where are you, Madison Culver? Flying with the angels, a silver speck on a wing? Are you dreaming, buried under snow? Or—is it possible—you are still alive?”

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old by now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as “the Child Finder,” Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative girl, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Publish date: May 19, 2017
Publisher: Orion Books


I first saw this book while attending a library webinar and I knew I had to read it. It sounds perfect for any bibliophile on a breezy summer day.  

Everyone has a story . . . but will they get the happy ending they deserve?

Emilia has just returned to her idyllic Cotswold hometown to rescue the family business. Nightingale Books is a dream come true for book-lovers, but the best stories aren't just within the pages of the books she sells - Emilia's customers have their own tales to tell.

There's the lady of the manor who is hiding a secret close to her heart; the single dad looking for books to share with his son but who isn't quite what he seems; and the desperately shy chef trying to find the courage to talk to her crush.

And as for Emilia's story, can she keep the promise she made to her father and save Nightingale Books?



When Mariah and her young brother Zeke are suddenly freed from slavery, they set out on Sherman’s long march through Georgia during the Civil War. Mariah wants to believe that the brutalities of slavery are behind them forever and that freedom lies ahead. When she meets Caleb, an enigmatic young black man also on the march, Mariah soon finds herself dreaming not only of a new life, but of true love as well. But even hope comes at a cost, and as the treacherous march continues toward the churning waters of Ebenezer Creek, Mariah’s dreams are as vulnerable as ever.

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Publish date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt


I first saw this book in a library journal and I knew I had to read it. I know it won't be an easy read, but I can definitely tell that it will be enlightening. 

On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s  future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.   Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children.

When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities.   Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.




How much can you tell about a person just by looking at them?

Janna Yusuf knows a lot of people can’t figure out what to make of her…an Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager who is a Flannery O’Connor obsessed book nerd, aspiring photographer, and sometime graphic novelist is not exactly easy to put into a box.

And Janna suddenly finds herself caring what people think. Or at least what a certain boy named Jeremy thinks. Not that she would ever date him—Muslim girls don’t date. Or they shouldn’t date. Or won’t? Janna is still working all this out.

While her heart might be leading her in one direction, her mind is spinning in others. She is trying to decide what kind of person she wants to be, and what it means to be a saint, a misfit, or a monster. Except she knows a monster…one who happens to be parading around as a saint…Will she be the one to call him out on it? What will people in her tight knit Muslim community think of her then?

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Publish date: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Del Rey


I have been reading some great reviews for The Bear and the Nightingale. From the book's description it seems to have elements of fantasy and historical fiction woven into the story. I believe it was inspired by Russian fairy tales and the first book in a trilogy. 

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I am waiting for the release of The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.




The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Publish date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press


 Even though I had some issues with Yoon's debut novel, Everything Everything, I did like her writing style. Her latest book has been getting glowing reviews including one of 2017 National Book Award Finalist for Young Adults. 

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
Publish date: November 29, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Random House


I am a huge fan of Gilmore Girls. In order to prepare for the Gilmore Girl revival on Netflix, I'm currently re-watching the entire series. I've just started season four where Rory starts college. I love Lauren Graham's sense of humor and also enjoyed her debut novel Someday, Someday, Maybe which is about an actress starting her film career.

This book contains some stories from my life: the awkward growing up years, the confusing dating years, the fulfilling working years, and what it was like to be asked to play one of my favorite characters again. You probably think I’m talking about my incredible achievement as Dolly in Hello, Dolly! as a Langley High School junior, a performance my dad called “you’re so much taller than the other kids.” But no! I’m talking about Lorelai Gilmore, who, back in 2008, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see again. Also included: tales of living on a houseboat, meeting guys at awards shows, and that time I was asked to be a butt model. A hint: all three made me seasick.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I am waiting for the release of My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier.




My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier
Publish date: November 15, 2016
Publisher: Soho Teen


 The premise of this book promises for a disturbing psychological thriller. It reminds me a lot of the Jasper Dent series by Barry Lyga except for the ultra-creepy father we have a ten year old sister. If you haven't read the Jasper Dent series, I highly recommend it though it gave me really weird dreams while reading it. I'm hoping for a similar reaction with this one. 

What if the most terrifying person you know is your ten-year-old sister?
Seventeen-year-old Aussie Che Taylor loves his younger sister, Rosa. But he’s also certain that she’s a diagnosable psychopath—clinically, threateningly, dangerously. Recently Rosa has been making trouble, hurting things. Che is the only one who knows; he’s the only one his sister trusts. Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and very good at hiding what she is and the violence she’s capable of.

Their parents, whose business takes the family from place to place, brush off the warning signs as Rosa’s “acting out.” Now that they have moved again—from Bangkok to New York City—their new hometown provides far too many opportunities for Rosa to play her increasingly complex and disturbing games. Alone, Che must balance his desire to protect Rosa from the world with the desperate need to protect the world from her.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I am waiting for the release of The Midnight Star, the third and final book in the Young Elites series.




The Midnight Star by Marie Lu
Publish date: October 11, 2016
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (subdivision of Penguin Random House)

 For some reason Marie Lu's Legend series didn't click for me, but her Young Elites series surprised me and won me over. In the Young Elites series, we are going on a journey of an anti-heroine. This series is dark, gripping, and full of twists and turns. You can read my review for The Young Elites and The Rose Society. 

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.

Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the very world they live in. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I am waiting for the release of Magic Binds, the ninth book in the Kate Daniels series.




Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
Publish date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Ace

The Kate Daniels series is one my favorite urban fantasy series. It has a great combination of wonderful characters, a complex world, humor, romance, and fantasy. If you haven't read this series yet you are missing out! 

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I am waiting on two books: an adult historical fiction and a YA companion novel.





The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
Publish date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark


 This is another biographical historical fiction book in the same vein as The Paris Wife. I don't know much about the personal life of Albert Einstein so I'm really curious about this book. 

A vivid and mesmerizing novel about the extraordinary woman who married and worked with one of the greatest scientists in history.

What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Marić, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century.

In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zürich. There, she falls for charismatic fellow student Albert Einstein, who promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science. But as Albert’s fame grows, so too does Mileva’s worry that her light will be lost in her husband’s shadow forever.








The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Publish date: April 11th, 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins


 I absolutely adored Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertali and this companion novel features of one his best friends Molly Peskin-Suso. Molly was a hard character to like at first glance, but she grew on me as I learned more about her. I also hope we see what Simon has been up to!

“I don’t entirely understand how anyone gets a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. It just seems like the most impossible odds. You have to have a crush on the exact right person at the exact right moment. And they have to like you back.”

What does a sixteen-year-old girl have to do to kiss a boy? Molly Peskin-Suso wishes she knew. She’s crushed on twenty-six guys…but has kissed exactly none. Her twin sister Cassie’s advice to “just go for it” and “take a risk” isn’t that helpful. It’s easy for her to say: she’s had flings with lots of girls. She’s fearless and effortlessly svelte, while Molly is introverted and what their grandma calls zaftig.

Then Cassie meets Mina, and for the first time ever, Cassie is falling in love. While Molly is happy for her twin, she can’t help but feel lonelier than ever. But Cassie and Mina are determined to end Molly’s string of unrequited crushes once and for all. They decide to set her up with Mina’s friend Will, who is ridiculously good-looking, flirty, and seems to be into Molly. Perfect, right? But as Molly spends more time with Reid, her cute, nerdy co-worker, her feelings get all kinds of complicated. Now she has to decide whether to follow everyone’s advice…or follow her own heart.

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. The school year will be ending in less than three weeks and I am trying my best to handle it all. Unfortunately, that means blogging has been on the back burner, but I hope to have more posts up next week. *Fingers crossed*

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I found some really interesting adult reads that I'm really curious about. Let me know in the comments what book(s) you can't wait to read.





A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install 
Publish date: May 10, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark


 This book was originally published in the U.K. last year, but it will be released soon in the U.S. It has the whimsical, charming feel that reminded me a lot of The Rosie Project. I also like that it crosses a lot of different genres. 

What would you do if you found a robot in your back garden? For 34-year-old Ben Chambers the answer is obvious: find out where it came from and return it home, even if it means losing his wife in the process. Determined to achieve something for once in his life, Ben embarks on a journey that takes him and the endearing robot, Tang, to the far side of the globe...and back again. Along the way Ben begins to change, subtly at first, and then in ways that only become clear on his return to the house he's always lived in.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Sarah J. Maas's second book in A Court of Thorns and Roses series, The Court of Fury and Mist. A Court of Thorns and Roses is a series that retells the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale along with fae folklore. While I enjoyed the first book, I was not too thrilled with the love interests, but I am curious to see where Maas takes her series next. 





A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 
Publish date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury


 Now that Feyre is part of the High Fae, I'm very curious to see how her new role plays out in the political landscape. I also wonder if my opinions of Tamlin and Rhysand will change in this book.  


Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

 I apologize for the lack of posts this week. The end of the school year craze is in full gear and I am trying my best to handle it all. Unfortunately, that means blogging has been on the back burner, but I hope to be in full swing next week. *Fingers crossed*

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Roshani Choksi's debut novel The Star-Touched Queen. This book has been all over the blogosphere and has received a lot of hype, which makes me a bit nervous to pick it up. 






The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi 
Publish date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Macmillian


 The main reasons why I am excited for this book:

• Standalone fantasy
• Mystery with the protagonist's self-discovery
• Romance 
• Indian mythology and folklore 

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire.

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most . . . including herself.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I'm eagerly awaiting the release of two books, the middle grade book Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo and The Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett.





Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo 
Publish date: April 12, 2016
Publisher: Candlewick Press


  After reading the book's description, I have a strong feeling it will make me cry. I will need to have tissues on hand just in case. While I wasn't the biggest fan of Winn-Dixie, I have liked DiCamillo's other works. This one sounds like another winner.  

Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways. Colt Jenson and his younger brother, Bastian, have moved to a new, working-class suburb. The Jensons are different. Their father, Rex, showers them with gifts — toys, bikes, all that glitters most — and makes them the envy of the neighborhood. To the local kids, the Jensons are a family out of a movie, and Rex a hero — successful, attentive, attractive, always there to lend a hand. But to Colt he's an impossible figure: unbearable, suffocating. Has Colt got Rex wrong, or has he seen something in his father that will destroy their fragile new lives?

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine! This week I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Frances Hardinge's The Lie Tree. The book was first released in the U.K. on May 7th, 2015 but it will be released in the U.S. on April 19, 2016.



The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge 
Publish date: April 19, 2016
Publisher: Amulet Books


 This is one of those genre bending books. It seems to have a bit of mystery, historical fiction, and paranormal undertones with a dark Victorian setting. I have read numerous glowing reviews for this book so I am really looking forward to it. 

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is reliable, dull, trustworthy—a proper young lady who knows her place as inferior to men. But inside, Faith is full of questions and curiosity, and she cannot resist mysteries: an unattended envelope, an unlocked door. She knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing. She knows that her family moved to the close-knit island of Vane because her famous scientist father was fleeing a reputation-destroying scandal. And she knows, when her father is discovered dead shortly thereafter, that he was murdered.

In pursuit of justice and revenge, Faith hunts through her father’s possessions and discovers a strange tree. The tree only bears fruit when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder—or it may lure the murderer directly to Faith herself.