Waiting on Wednesday #32 + WWW Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.
It's a weekly meme about upcoming books we're excited about!

The Reviled

(Grim's Soldiers #1)

by Kait Wall

Publication Date: 24, 2014

From Goodreads:

On a particularly unpleasant early November morning, January Ingrom dies violently by the hand of her employer. Lucky for her, this wasn't the end. Death himself offers her a deal: he'd give her back her life, if she'd agree to participate in his "experiment." Become one of his Soldiers, charged with helping or hindering the balance of life, and she'd have powers beyond her imagination. She just had to take the deal and leave her eternal peace. So she took it. Of course she did. She was dead, she wasn't insane.

However, getting her life back wasn't quite the blessing it was supposed to be. January has discovered the dangers of cultivating her powers in the form of the Reviled, people who will do anything to rid the earth of those who took Death's deal.

Things are further complicated with the arrival of the handsome Noah Franklin, a mysterious bounty hunter sent to retrieve her by her murderous employer. But when the Reviled send one of their monsters on a violent rampage through her hometown, January has no choice but to work with Noah and other Soldiers like her to find a way to stop it before it destroys her and everyone she loves.

Why I'm Excited

This just sounds like a totally bizarre and unique bit of literature. Besides, the cover art is just plain creepy - and intriguing at the same time. But mostly creepy. Not surprised to hear that there's a "mysterious handsome young man," (there always is), and as always, I hope that maybe it won't be as bad as it sounds. (On a side note, I really hope that this isn't just in ebook form, since I don't have an ereader.)

Red Rising

(Red Rising Trilogy #1)

by Pierce Brown

Publication Date January 28, 2014)

From Goodreads:

Darrow is a miner and a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he digs all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of the planet livable for future generations. Darrow has never seen the sky.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better future for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow joins a resistance group in order to infiltrate the ruling class and destroy society from within. He will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Why I'm Excited

Like most people who have heard about it, I noticed the tons of buzz - both positive and negative - surrounding this book, and it intrigued me. What caught my attention the most is the number of people who said that this book, unlike so many dystopian novels out there, is actually believable (minus the fact that it takes place on Mars). I've been questing for just such a dystopian novel, and yes, I am running a risk with it. But I'm willing to try. Another thing that also caught my attention: Darrow, at sixteen, is already married in this book, and everyone has said that there is no shallow romance. No love triangle? Really?! Well . . . that's new. :)

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the price, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

I'm a little over 100 pages in, and I am enjoying this book quite a bit. Not 4-strawberry enjoying, but 3-strawberry enjoying, which isn't a bad thing. I'm actually quite fond of both Rylan and Damian. So far, the prince isn't the classic bad boy I was expecting, but rather just a royal who doesn't like being a royal. Not sure why Alexa thought he was arrogant, because he doesn't seem like that. I wish Alexa's brother was in it more, but oh well. Hopefully this book doesn't turn south; we'll see.

What have you recently read?

Heidi has the perfect solution to her popularity problems - a fake boyfriend. She's even made him an Internet profile that makes him look like a motorcycle-riding, poetry reading bad boy. *swoon* Heidi's friends are so impressed they start emailing Heidi's fake boyfriend with their problems . . . including their problems with Heidi.

As if that weren't bad enough, a delicious and possibly single person called "A Real Boy" emails Heidi to say he knows the truth. Can Heidi escape from her world wide web of lies? Or will her chance at romance disappear faster than you can type gtg?

I gave this 3 strawberries. I'm not a chick-lit Reader, but a coworker had told me that I would find this book amusing. And I did. It helped that it took place in England, with British characters. And the moments with Heidi's invisible boyfriend were funny. Still not a chick-lit Reader, but I did enjoy My Invisible Boyfriend.

What do you plan on reading next?

Richard Walker decides to better himself and his position in life. All he wants is to provide his family with a secure future, but his reinvention takes him on a journey that he could never have foreseen - to the less-than-hallowed corridors of Church House, the London headquarters of the Church of England.

Like its Catholic counterpart, the Church of England is not without its failings. But for a chancer like Richard, who now finds himself a part of this august institution, the possibilities are endless. But he soon learns that everything comes with a price . . . and that God really does help those who help themselves.

The Author sent me an electronic copy of this book, and it's time I buckled down and read it. I want to - it sounds interesting - but I'm so bad about reading electronic books. Hard copies are much better.

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders - seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party - and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil that Callie could ever have imagined . . . .

I have to re-read this book before I start its sequel - Enders. Which I'm really excited about!! This is a fun duology that I'm surprisingly crazy about (though still only a 3 strawberry book). And because I can't take electronic books with me (since I don't have an eReader), I need to a physical book to read as well.