Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

Release Date:
July 17th, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Justine's Thoughts: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen
[The Iron Fey - book 3]
By Julie Kagawa

Source: Borrowed from Sarah at Read Away the Day
Pages:  358
A quote:

I wished that, for once, faery tales – real faery tales, not Disney fairy tales – would have a happy ending.

Thoughts (Vague Spoilers):

Expectations: GREATNESS. Wow. I expected this to be as good as the first two books in the series, but this caught me by surprise. It’s even BETTER. WOW.

About Setting: Ohhh, the lovely world of fey. More parts of the kingdom of the Iron Fey are explored. The clock tower? I imagined it rusty and ancient and full of ticking clocks. It looked like a scene from a movie!

About Characters: There was major change in all the characters, which meant I fell in love with them more and more. Meghan’s strength changes (for the better of course) and she grows into this strong, adoring heroine that I didn’t see coming from the very beginning of this series. She was clumsy and gentle and also screamish before. She still is -- I think there’s a part of her that always will be -- but she’s grown to take better control of that. Ash and Puck are still so adorably amazing, yet I’ll forever be Team Ash. He’s changed in a way that reveals him so more of him is shown. He’s more comfortable. Through Meghan, that’s only possible. As for Puck, I still love him and his sense of humour, but he’s changed as well. He isn’t as wild and free as a bird like before, but he continues to become the comic relief of the series which I’m glad of. GRIM! I will cry with joy at the mention of him every time. His entrances are always the best and you can’t get enough of him. There were also new characters introduced such as Glitch, Razor, and the Clockmaker.

About Plot: Nevernever is in ruins while the war is in the works. Both the Summer Court and the Winter Courts must prepare for the oncoming attacks. Everyone is in battle mode so there is bound to be some epic action scenes. And the new fighter in the crowd? Meghan Chase, who’s learned how to fight! Man, is she the awesome heroine or what?!

And the ending = heartbreaking!!! I’m just hoping that this series ends nicely! Oh my gosh, The Iron Knight...I’ll be waiting for you!

Overall Rating: Y Y Y Y Y
Five stars, guys. Obviously. I mean, who wouldn’t love this series? It’s the bomb! You will love it! Please, please, please try this series if you haven’t already! It’s my only suggestion at the moment.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult

Release Date:
June 26th, 2012

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

I've always been a fan of Jodi Picoult's other books. I've only read a few but they have a deep spot in my heart and they always make me cry. Jodi Picoult is famously known for her book, My Sister's Keeper. This book seems different from her other works and I'm looking forward to reading it!

Friday's Finest

Friday's Finest is a new meme hosted by Justine from A Bookful of Thoughts.
Rules:
~Post a quote that really stuck to you after reading it in a book.
~Make sure it isn't a spoiler!
~If you'd like, expand on what you think it means and why you chose it.

Paper Towns
by John Green

I'm starting to realize that people lack good mirrors. It's so hard for anyone to show us how we look, & so hard for us to show anyone how we feel.

Justine's Thoughts: Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Summer at Willow Lake
[Lakeshore Chronicles - book 2]
By Susan Wiggs

Source: Borrowed from Sarah at Read Away the Day
Pages:  534
Book Description:

Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis—a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people…a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

A quote:

If you're drowning for real, and nobody believes you, then you sure as hell better figure out how to swim.

Thoughts:

Expectations: The first thing I saw was the cover, which I was much too hesitant about. I admit to be an extreme judge of book covers *shame*, but I really dislike it. However, Sarah was also much too insistent that I read it. And if she wants me to read this book so much, then it must good! In the end, she was right. Summer at Willow Lake is refreshing and lovely.

About Setting: It alternates between the city and Camp Kioga, which I had no trouble with whatsoever. The descriptions are written easily but engrossingly. You just can’t help but close your eyes and feel like transporting into the novel. For me it made me wish that I went to camp as a young teen! It sounds like a new and exciting experience.

About Characters: Olivia “Lolly” Bellamy comes from a big, wealthy family who owns Camp Kioga. She’s now a smoking, fit, professional real estate stager who used to be the lonely fat kid at camp. I found her character very appealing; she’s funny and real and serious with the right amount of strength in mind. Connor Davis is the good looking bad boy from Olivia’s past. And boy, how I love him. Together, they’re the ‘it’ couple, which makes me so, so happy. There are also many other characters who I look forward to read about in the other novels in this series. Such characters include Daisy and Julian, Max, Uncle Greg, and more.

About Plot: Olivia is in charge of reconstructing Camp Kioga for her grandparents’ 50^th wedding celebration but her contractor is Connor Davis, who she shares a past with. Together, they must work to make the place look extravagant. That takes them back to old times and memories they shared with each other. As a child every summer, Olivia goes to Camp Kioga and spends time with Connor Davis. As the story switches from present day to their pasts and back and forth, we get to see how their relationship forms and develops. The story also touches upon other characters and their main backgrounds, making it overall enjoyable as well as satisfying.

Overall Rating: Y Y Y Y Y
Summer at Willow Lake is the perfect read if you’re looking for some way of escapism. It’s even more perfect in the summer, with the fresh feelings of the sun and the sky. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it will always be one of my pleasure reads.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Release Date:
June 5th, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.