"Waiting On" Wednesday: Tris and Izzie

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Published: October 11th 2011

From Goodreads:
A modern retelling of the German legend "Tristan and Isolde", "Tris and Izzy", is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until-- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal: Here It Is!

I’m excited to be one of the blogs helping to reveal the cover to
Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls, #1) by Tera Lynn Childs, which is the first book in her new and captivating trilogy, Medusa Girls.
The book is tentatively scheduled for an October 4, 2011 release.


Isn't the cover gorgeous! I love the way the ringlets of her ponytail form Medusa's snake-like hair.

Goodreads summary
New series, in which triplet descendants of Medusa learn they are destined to guard the door between the world of monsters and the world of men – pitched as a mythological Charmed.

“Character Collages”


The three main characters are Greer, Gretchen, and Grace; the separated-at-birth triplet monster-hunting descendants of Medusa who reunite and discover their destiny.

Also be sure to stop by Facebook and click "Like" for Sweet Venom.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Red Garden

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

His wish was small, as hers had been - merely to be beside her. As for me, I already knew I would never get what I wanted.

~* page 109

Dystopian February: XVI by Julia Karr

Dystopian February Kick-Off 2011 is hosted by Presenting Lenore


XVI by Julia Karr


Summary from Goodreads:
Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

My thoughts:
I give it a 3/5.
The plot simply didn't live up to its description.

The synopsis made it sound like it would be about Nina dealing with her upcoming 16th (or sex-teen) birthday and being tattooed and what that would mean for her by having her choices being forcibly taken away and where men held all the power and women were subjugated to their whims.
I expected to learn more about the consequences of losing her rights along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood but it never really went anywhere with it.

Instead it deals more with her mother's secrets and Nina's struggle with her mother’s abusive ex-boyfriend and his threats.

The story was rather repetitive and I could not fully engage with the main character or her plight.
It didn't end on a cliff-hanger but I was left wanting more.
Hopefully with the sequel, "The Sisterhood" and the spin-off, "Cinderella Girl" - I will find the story I was hoping to read.

Valentine's Day Book Boyfriend Quiz

Find out your ideal boyfriend in time for Valentine's Day by taking TeenReads Book Boyfriend Quiz.

My results:


You win Etienne St. Clair!

He may be short in height, but he's big in love!

Friday56: XVI

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find any sentence that grabs you.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or if you do not have your own blog you can post on Freda's comment section.
* Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Closest Book: XVI

Author: Julia Karr

Page 56: Ginnie'd always said this technology was dangerous, especially in the wrong hands, and should be outlawed. I was glad it hadn't been.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The End of the Line

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The End of the Line by Angela Cerrito
Expected publication: April 14th 2011

From Goodreads:
Gripping and suspenseful, this powerful, no-holds-barred novel by an exciting new talent goes deep inside a young boy's mind. Thirteen-year-old Robbie is locked in a room with nothing but a desk, a chair, a piece of paper, and a pencil. He's starving, but all they'll give him is water. He is sure he's in a nuthouse or a prison. Actually, he's at Great Oaks School, aka the End of the Line. Kept in solitary confinement, Robbie must earn points for food, a bed, even bathroom privileges. He must learn to listen carefully, to follow the rules, and to accept and admit the truth: he is a murderer. Robbie's first-person account of his struggles at the school—at times horrifying, at times hilarious—alternates with flashbacks to the events that led to his incarceration. Ultimately he must confront the question: which is worse—that he wanted to kill his friend Ryan or that he killed him by accident?