Waiting on Wednesday #51 + WWW Wednesday #21

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

Drowned

(Drowned #1)

by Nichola Reilly

Publication Date: June 24, 2014

From Goodreads:

Coe is one of the few remaining teenagers on the island of Tides. Deformed and weak, she is constantly reminded that in a world where dry land dwindles at every high tide, she is not welcome. The only bright spot in her harsh and difficult life is the strong, capable Tiam - but love has long ago been forgotten by her society. The only priority is survival.

Until the day their King falls ill, leaving no male heir to take his place. Unrest grows, and for reasons Coe cannot comprehend, she is invited into the privileged circle of royal aides. She soon learns that the dying royal is keeping a secret that will change their world forever.

Is there an escape from the horrific nightmare that their island home has become? Coe must race to find the answers and save the people she cares about, before their world and everything they know is lost to the waters.

Why I'm Excited

Aside from the fact that is just sounds interesting? Does a person need any more of a reason to be excited about a book beyond that? ;-) So, yes, I'm excited because it sounds interesting. Dystopian with a fantasy feel. Always love those.

William Shakespeare's the Jedi Doth Return

(William Shakespeare's Star Wars #3)

by Ian Doescher

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

From Goodreads:

Return to the star-crossed galaxy far, far away as the brooding young hero, a power-mad emperor, and their jesting droids match wits, struggle for power, and soliloquize in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter.

Why I'm Excited

I'm no Star Wars fan, but I love Shakespeare, and I can appreciate satire. I've been waiting to read William Shakespeare's Star Wars and William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back until this third one came out, so I read all three and watch the movies with them! This is just a hilarious set of books; I can't wait to delve in!

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

Seventeen-year-old Violet Dancey is left at home in Mississippi while her father fights in the war against the North - a war that has already claimed her twin brother. Grieving and adjusting to life with a new family - a love-crazed stepsister, laudanum-addicted stepmother, and two cousins she doesn't quite know how to handle - Violet feels like a stranger on Scuppernoug Farm.

When she comes across a severely injured Union soldier lying in an abandoned, vine-shrouded lodge, things begin to change. Thomas is the enemy - one of the men who might have killed her own brother - and yet she's drawn to him; their time together, deep in the wild forest, feels enchanted.

But there's an uneasiness, too: Violet isn't Thomas's only visitor. Someone has been tending to his wounds - keeping him alive - and it becomes chillingly clear that this care hasn't been out of compassion. Against the dangers of war and the ominous powers of voodoo, Violet fights to protect her home, her family, and the man she's begun to love.

This a retelling of Tam Lin, and I'm loving it. Strands of Bronze and Gold may still be my favorite, but this one is super good so far; told with the same grace and beauty and vibrancy as this Author's last novel. And who doesn't love the ballad of Tam Lin?

What have you recently read?

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody. Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice - and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.

I gave this book 2/5 strawberries, though I might bump it up to 3/5. Like Love Letters to the Dead, I need to think about this book a little longer before fully deciding my rating. It's full of teen angst and problems - I knew it would be. There's hardly anyone to like, except Kurt, the resident super intelligent nerd who has had a crush on Alice for forever. And my guess on the "truth about Alice" herself was correct. This book did end with a positive note, and the Author did condemn the behavior of the teens, painting them for the hypocrites that they were. So, in many ways, this book did end up having a lot of redeeming qualities. I just need to decide if they were redeeming enough.

What do you plan on reading next?

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the mast of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction - and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she's fighting for.

The third and final (sniff) book in The Grisha trilogy. I really should read one of my library books next, but I can't wait any longer!! I must read this now!! Now, I say, and not a moment later! Just, yes, I must find out what happens. Enough said.