Waiting on Wednesday #37 + WWW Wednesday #7

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

It's a weekly meme about upcoming books we're excited about!

Under the Egg

by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Publication Date: March 18, 2014

From Goodreads:

When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather's painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That's great news for Theo, who's struggling to hang onto her family's two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather's legacy of $463. There's just one problem: Theo's grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

With the help of some unusual friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhatten, and introduces her to a side of the city - and her grandfather - that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hand-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.

Why I'm Excited

It sounds kind of like an odd little book. Whimsical and heartwarming, but a good kind of heartwarming. And I do really like the cover. It's what caught my initial attention. But it sounds like the perfect relaxing read; not too long, not too short.

Dorothy Must Die

(Dorothy Must Die #1)

by Danielle Paige

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

From Goodreads:

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up in a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though - but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. Then and only then - Dorothy must die!

Why I'm Excited

I hate the Oz books; I absolutely hate them. I read all 15 of the originals in 2012, and I never want to see another Oz book again! There is nothing charming about them. So a book about Dorothy being the villain and the villains being the good guys? More importantly - a book where Dorothy must die?! Oh, please give it to me now! I'll enjoy this immensely.

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading

What are you reading right now?

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker - unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

I'm less than halfway through Cress, and I am loving it. Scarlet is still my favorite out of the three books, but this one isn't disappointing at all, and I'm actually starting to really like Captain Thorne! Cress, perhaps, is my least favorite of the three girls - but I still like her! She's adorably naive. I can't wait to see what happens next!

What have you recently read?

Nadia, Mateo, and Verlaine have saved Captive's Sound from the dark Sorceress Elizabeth . . . . or so they thought. Despite their best efforts, a crack opened and a new, greater evil seeped through. With Mateo as her Steadfast, Nadia's magic is magnified and she is more powerful than ever. But there is still so much she doesn't know about the craft, leaving her open and vulnerable to a darker magic . . . . which has begun to call Nadia's name.

The sequel to Spellcaster, I gave this book 3 strawberries, just like the first book. If I had to choose, Book #1 is my favorite out of the two, but this didn't disappoint as a sequel. The romance is focused on more than I liked, but not too much. It still had a very dark and sinister feel to it, which is what I like about the books.

What do you plan on reading next?

Knights errant aren't supposed to let the bad guy escape. But Sir Michael and his squire Fisk were up to their necks in mayhem (as usual) and Fisk's old mentor, Jack Bannister, quietly slithered away. Now Michael has tracked Jack to the notorious city of Tallowsport - and it turns out Jack wasn't exaggerating when he said that the crime boss he works for runs the town. With the judicars and the sheriff working for the bad guys, a lone knight errant aided only by his trusty squire and a pack of ragtag orphans shouldn't stand a chance. But the thing that really gets in Michael's way is that Fisk refuses to see his old teacher hang.

The Author sent me an ARC of this 4th book in the Knight & Rogue series. I'm so excited! I love this series so much; it's fun and has great characters. It's been too long since I've read about Michael and Fisk's adventures!