Review: The Water and the Wild by K.E. Ormsbee

Title: The Water and the Wild

Author: K.E. Ormsbee

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publishing Date: April 14, 2015

Pages/Format: 448, ARC
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For as long as Lottie Fiske can remember, the only people who seem to care about her have been her best friend, Eliot, and the mysterious letter-writer who sends her birthday gifts. But now strange things and people are arriving on the island Lottie calls home, and Eliot’s getting sicker, with a disease the doctors have given up trying to cure. Lottie is helpless, useless, powerless.

And then a door opens in the apple tree.

Follow Lottie down through the apple roots to another world—a world of magic both treacherous and beautiful—in pursuit of the impossible: a cure for the incurable, a use for the useless, and protection against the pain of loss.

Book in One Word: Fantasmical.

Waiting on Wednesday (129)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

The more I think about the companionable predecessor to this book, the more I like it. And while I'm bummed we're not returning to those characters' stories per se, I am excited that we'll be getting a book that's not just about a secondary character from that book (which I have yet to review), but that's about a secondary character who's one of the best secondary characters I've ever read. There's a good chance this book is the contemporary most likely to make me lose my shit (in the best ways).

Top Ten Tuesday (129)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Title: Saint Anything

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Publishing Date: May 5, 2015

Pages/Format: 448, ARC
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Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Book in One Word: Hmmm.

Waiting on Wednesday (128)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

This book is told entirely through a series of documents, which I find super duper interesting. Plus there's, like, SPACE STUFF going on, and I heart astronomy. And the romance seems to be filled with a lot of tension (of the usual and sexual variety), so, yeah, Rachel wants this book.

Top Ten Tuesday (128)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

A Three Day Summer at Woodstock with Sarvenaz Tash

What's so lovely about books is that they create fictional worlds we love to immerse ourselves in. Sometimes those worlds are completely brand new and made up, things we never could've thought of even in our wildest imaginations. And then there are books that take things we know and love and retell them again, whether it's a beloved fairy tale or a part of history. That's exactly what Sarvenaz Tash does in her new novel Three Day Summer. Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to Woodstock.

Stand Up to Cancer with Books for a Cause

Whether it be from a fictional character or one who is very much real, I think it's suffice to say that we've all had an interaction with cancer in one way or another. Last year, I lost my cousin to it. And today I have Heather from The Turning Pages on the blog to talk about what she's doing to help raise money for fighting this horrible thing (or, in my words, telling it to fuck off).

Review: Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Title: Things We Know by Heart

Author: Jessi Kirby

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publishing Date: April 21, 2015

Pages/Format: 304, ARC
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When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all. 

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

Book in One Word: Heartfelt.

Waiting on Wednesday (127)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

I'm kind of cheating with this week's pick because I have an ARC. But I've had my eye on this book for a while. It just sounds so deliciously dark--the protagonist escapes a cult and had her hands cut off--and I am so, so excited to read it.

Top Ten Tuesday (127)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

March into April

Another late post, but hey, better late than never!

Fall Down the Apple Tree with K.E. Ormsbee

Once upon a time, I saw this very pretty cover on Twitter, so I looked up the book and added it on Goodreads, eagerly anticipating its release. In the meantime, I wanted to learn more about the book and get you to know about the book, so I asked the author if she'd be up for an interview. And so today, I am pleased to welcome K.E. Ormsbee to the blog to talk about her debut novel The Water and the Wild!

Waiting on Wednesday (126)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

I discovered this book during the YA Scavenger Hunt and was pretty quickly interested. It sounds kind of Eleanor & Park-esque, so I can dig it. Whether or not this book is sweet I WANT IT.

Top Ten Tuesday (126)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

I'm Feelin' 22 Giveaway

I'm not really one to usually be all, "OH, HEY, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY," but--"OH, HEY, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"

And while I am most certainly not a big fan of Taylor Swift--I like some of her music, but cannot stand her--she has one song with a title that is quite fitting since I'm feelin' 22 (years old!). And what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway?

Review: The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Title: The Bitter Kingdom

Author: Rae Carson

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publishing Date: August 27, 2013

Pages/Format: 433, Hardcover
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The champion must not waver.
The champion must not fear.
The gate of darkness closes.

Elisa is a fugitive.

Her enemies have stolen the man she loves, and they await her at the gate of darkness. Her country is on the brink of civil war, with her own soldiers ordered to kill her on sight.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Lucero-Elisa né Riqueza de Vega, bearer of the Godstone, will lead her three loyal companions deep into the enemy's kingdom, a land of ice and snow and brutal magic, to rescue Hector and win back her throne. Her power grows with every step, and the shocking secrets she will uncover on this, her final journey, could change the course of history.

But that is not all. She has a larger destiny. She must become the champion the world has been waiting for.

Even of those who hate her most.

Book in One Word: FANTASMICAL.

Waiting on Wednesday (125)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

I think it can easily be said that 398.2 percent of the world's population is waiting on this book. It all started with a cyborg who lost her, er, shoe and fell for a prince; continued with a not-so-little-girl who wore a red sweatshirt and met a wolfy guy; and left off with a girl who was once stuck in a tower in space and was rescued by a thorny man--oh, and let's not forget about when we learned about the psychoist of them all. And now, this series, filled with fantastic characters and seriously hardcore shipping, fairy tale favorites, and spectacular adventure, is coming to an end. And it's all happening in a book that's a whopping 800 pages of what's sure to be pure fantasmicalness (and hopefully none of the characters I care about dying or else). Ladies and gentlemen, Winter is coming.