Waiting on Wednesday #41 + WWW Wednesday #11

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

Plus One

by Elizabeth Fama

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

From Goodreads:

Divided by day and night and on the run from authorities, star-crossed young lovers unearth a sinister conspiracy in this compelling romantic thriller.

Seventeen-year-old Soleil Le Coeur is a Smudge - a night dweller prohibited by law from going out during the day. When she fakes an injury in order to get access to and kidnap her newborn niece - a day dweller, or Ray - she sets in motion a fast-paced adventure that will bring her into conflict with the powerful lawmakers who order her world, and draw her together with the boy she was destined to fall in love with, but who is also a Ray.

Why I'm Excited

On further contemplation, maybe I shouldn't be. The cover is . . . . um . . . . well, mushy. Not sure why I even took an interest in the book in the first place. But setting the romance aside for a minute (and who knows, maybe the romance will be all right . . . . Maybe not), the concept of a society divided by day and night sounds really interesting. I hope there's lots of world building to offset the romance; then I won't mind it as much.

The Forbidden Library

by Django Wexler

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

From Goodreads:

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That - along with everything else - changed the day she met her first fairy.

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon - an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

Why I'm Excited

This book is being advertised a the perfect read for fans of Inkheart, Coraline, and The Book of Elsewhere. Sorry to say I haven't read the latter (yet), but I have read the other two, and liked both of them - Inkheart especailly. This book sounds AWESOME! Just too awesome to pass up even for a second.

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

These pages are your link to the story of Ti'ana - known among humans as Anna - the first woman from the outside world to enter the domain of the D'Ni. She wandered into a place she never should have seen, and her intelligence and wisdom surprised some. And terrified others. When one young lord befriends her, then marries her, all layers of D'Ni society are shaken. But no one realizes just how deeply.

It has been ages (ha, no pun intended, Myst fans) since I've read this book! Oh my gosh, it's bringing back so many old memories! I've missed this world!!!! The villains, the heroes, the gorgeous and alien worlds . . . . Ah, Myst, I love you. Okay, enough from the Myst fangirl. Chronologically, this is Book #1 in the Myst Trilogy, though it was published second - after The Book of Atrus (chronologically Book #2). And it's terrific. Loving exploring new worlds, learning about ancient societies, reading about betrayals and hidden agendas and assassinations? This is the book for you!

What have you finished reading recently?

Devid doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley. When his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city. Once there, among the stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him, living alone on the streets. They tell him rumors of a place for abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family. But only the luckiest get there.

An act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it's soon clear that it's no paradise. As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers the home's horrific true mission. The only real hope is escape, but the place is as secure as a fortress.

I gave this book 5/5 strawberries - it was just amazing. Ignore the zombie-like bit, because it has nothing to do with zombies. This book is creepy, it is haunting, it is engaging, and it is ideal for fans of dystopian like The Giver. It wasn't at all what I was expecting.

What are you going to read next?

In the early 1980s, Ada and Stefan are young, would-be lovers living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall - Ada lives with her mother and grandmother and paints graffiti on the Wall, and Stefan lives with his grandmother in the East and dreams of escaping to the West.

I'm hoping it'll focus more on the escaping East Berlin and less on the "would be lovers." This could be very a interesting and scary look at the differences between life in East and West Berlin, or it could be really boring. We'll see.