Book Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
432 Pages

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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One thing that I love about Leigh Bardugo's writing is her style and immense imagination. The Grisha Trilogy takes place in a world like none other. There's magic and wonder, there's wars and blood, tehre's love and friendship. Everything is so vivid; it wasn't hard for me to fall back into Ravka without a second though.

Siege and Storm is the second in the Grisha Trilogy. Alina and Mal are on the run from the Darkling and the terrible forces he commands after a showdown in the Shadow Fold that left them shaking. Trying to hide her true calling as the Sun Summoner, Alina aligns herself with allies that she could have never forseen and also faces off against some terrible foes, including the Darkling himself.

Even though this is a world based in magic and myth, it's an extremely character based story. Alina definitely grew from the first book...although into what remains to be seen. Her power is rapidly growing and as it does, her connection to the Darkling amplifies. She's scared and unsure of herself most of the time. She wants to protect those around her but she doesn't quite know how. As the book progressed, so did Alina's drive to finally take a stand against the Darkling. She comes up with a plan, she takes lead of an army...she gets tougher skin. But what does she lose along the way?

Then there's the love triangle that's not a love triangle...more like an emotionally destructive triangle. Alina, Mal, and the Darkling. Mal, whom I adored from the first book, is just as strong and loyal here. He loves Alina and has sacraficed everything for her. But when they arrive back in Os Alta, he finds his place isn't next to Alina anymore. He's pushed aside and my heart broke for him as he struggled to deal with being a solider in the Sun Summoner's army as opposed to her lover. The other side of the triangle belongs to the Darkling, with whom I have an unhealthy love for. He's just so dark and mysterious that I can't help but be drawn to him - even when he's killing half the population of Ravka (and probably laughing while doing it). Every chapter I found that I craved more of him - more knowledge of who he is, more raw feelings he sheds so easily, anything. For me, it is so obvious that Alina should stay with Mal. He's safe and they love each other and, most importantly, Mal doesn't want her for his own evil purposes. But on the other hand, I can see the intrigue of the Darkling and why Alina is so drawn to him despite her hatred of him.

There is a new character introduced in this book: Sturmhond. Just pure and amused love for this man. He's deceiving, dishonest, cocky, arrogant, but hell bent on fighting the Darkling. He joins forces with Alina and Mal and what follows is full of secrets and lies that really threw me for a loop. Sturmhond is not who everyone thinks he is and I look forward to more with him.

This book didn't pack quite the same punch as the first one did for me, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I did. Immensely. The story was solid but the pacing was a little off at times and I found parts dragging as Alina, Mal, and Sturmhond planned and waited. The last 3/4 of the book, however, really flew by in a mess of OMG. The ending solidified my belief that this is one of the best fantasy book series I've ever read and guaranteed that I will be one of the first in line for the final book.

Teaser Tuesday: Siege and Storm & Brother, Brother

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate, all you have to do is:

• 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 what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can ad the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

--------------------

"A servant had lit the lamps in the Darkling's chamber. I surveyed the room and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding."
Chapter 13, Page 237
Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo

"Brother really shrank from the old man then. He realized how poorly the senator had known Mem, how little he understood about her deepest heart."

Chapter 16, ARC Page 182

Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael

What are you reading this week?

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ARC Review: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
448 Pages

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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Goodreads.Amazon.Barnes & Noble

Leigh Bardugo has to be one of my favorite authors. She may only have one (almost two) books released, but based on the fantastic tales she's written thus far, I'd say she breathes perfection. With characters that are easy to connect with, prose that fits the plot, and a detailed storyline that has its audience on the edge of  their seats, Leigh gives us the second installment of The Grisha Trilogy, Siege and Storm, which I felt was even better than the first (and I love, love, loved the first one).

It's hard to really describe the plot of Siege and Storm without spoiling the entire story because the bulk of the main events happen in the first third of the novel. What I can say is that Alina goes through hell in this book. She battles with more than just the leftover conflicts from the first book. She also must face the people of her country, her love for Mal and come to terms with what she wants for herself, all while straddling the line of reality and fantasy. Watching everything unfold was… magnificent. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, I shouted my feelings. At one point or another, I felt every emotion ever.

The characters frustrated the hell out of me, but I loved them with my entire being. Even Mal, who I felt very meh about in book one, tugged at my heartstrings and made me fall in love with him. Alina, though she grew stronger in this book, did not always make the most agreeable decisions. Both she and Mal will have readers gnashing their teeth to keep from uselessly shouting at them as they make mistakes. (Which they are prone to do.) We are introduced to several new characters,  including the hilarious, Sturmhond, who adds much needed comedic relief as the reader drowns in drama and tension. This book also delves further into the ones who we grew to love (or hate) in the Shadow and Bone. The Darkling's role in this book is not as large as it was in the previous book. This has been an issue from some of my friends, but in my opinion, the book was perfect the way it was and the focus on Alina's struggles was fit right in with what has been built up in the story. Huge fans of The Darkling and the romance in this series may not be as receptive to the turn Leigh takes this novel, but I believe everyone can find something to love in this installment.

What I really love about Leigh's work is she has this fantastic way of taking complex ideas and simplifying them so the reader can understand and enjoy them without making it seem condescending. Normally, fantasy is not my favorite genre because of the extreme details, but I did not have that problem in Siege and Storm. In fact, every little detail only drew me further into the story. The author has created an absolutely fascinating world for this series. Not only did the setting enchant me, but the plot moved steadily and almost seamlessly. It's a bit slower than Shadow and Bone, but it really sets up for a phenomenal finish to the series.

The final book in this trilogy will be released next year. I cannot wait to read it, but I'm also sad that it is coming to an end. Siege and Storm is a beautiful addition to a glorious series. If you enjoyed the first book, I believe you will be blown away by book two. And then, you'll be stuck waiting with me until next year. If you haven't read Shadow and Bone, go forth and do so now. You won't regret it! 

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

Teaser Tuesday: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•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 what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------

"'Of course I'm jealous. I thought I was going to get to punch him.'"
Chapter 9, ARC Page 145
Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

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Book Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co. (BYR)
358 Pages

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

VISIT THE AUTHOR:

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FIND THE BOOK:

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Review:

I've come to find when you really, really love a book, it's hard to write a review for it. It's hard to do that book justice. Shadow and Bone is one of those book for me. I have had this document, with a half-finished review, sitting in my "Reviews to Finish" folder for months. I finally decided to finish it after having a huge book talk about it with a good friend of mine. And here it is:

All I heard about from the beginning of this year until months after its release was how amazing Shadow and Bone was. Any time I logged on to Goodreads or Twitter, someone was chatting about the book and how much they loved it. They were saying things like, "This book is so good. You'll love it because it's awesome and perfect and has sexy men in it." (And really… Those are some damn sexy men, guys.) So I bought it for my kindle, sat down and started the adventure. And boy, is it one adventure that I won't soon forget!

Alina Starkov and her childhood friend, Mal, are a part of the Ravka's army. Ravka is a torn country, literally split in two by the darkness that lies in the Shadow Fold, a place where the most dangerous monsters lurk, ready to kill. After a brutal attack that kills many of her comrades and severely injures Mal, Alina releases a power that no one, including Alina herself, had any idea that she held. It is a power that could save the world and bring it back into the light. Of course, it's not that easy. With enemies and liars left and right in the new world of the royal court, Alina must trust herself to find how to save the world, so she won't be used to destroy it.

Alina wasn't always the easiest character to read about, only because I didn't always agree with her decisions and I wanted to snap her out of her constant confusion. She took her sweet time figuring everything out. I loved the Darkling. He was my favorite character and probably will remain my favorite character until the very end. He's just so hot and powerful and… dark. (You see what I did there?) All of the characters in Shadow and Bone only added to the story. There was no character that seemed misplaced. Leigh made sure that everyone had a purpose and I cannot wait to see all of them, and the new ones, in book two. Can it please be released sooner?!

The world the Leigh creates in Shadow and Bone was absolutely beautiful. Even months after finishing it, when I close my eyes, I still can see the setting, the people, and the gorgeous land. Everything about Ravka is so vivid. I wish I lived in that land. Ya know… Without the constant death and evildoers… I've always had a fascination with Russian history, so as I read I was absolutely captivated by the details and background that Ravka shared with Russia. It made me love the story all the more.

The writing is absolutely addictive. I had to slow myself down so that I could take the time, process everything and really enjoy it. If I had read at the pace I started at, I would've finished in mere hours because its ridiculous hard to put down. Leigh has seriously beautiful storytelling skills. I can't wait to see what she does, not only with the rest of the Grisha series, but afterwards as well. She writes wonderfully and I hope she continues. I want to see her write more fantasy, because I haven't read a fantasy novel this brilliant in so long. She's excellent at creating a new world, a new culture and characters that you truly want to succeed and win.

Everything about this book was just extraordinary. It was suspenseful and you never really knew what was going to happen. It was great to finally read a seriously shocking surprise. The plot twist? Did not see that coming. At all. In fact, that is probably the last thing I would've come thought to happen. And can we just talk about how heartbroken I am over it? I still curse Leigh's name whenever I think about it. …Freaking Leigh… She's lucky that she is so personable. Or she would've had to face my wrath when I met her during the Fierce Reads fall tour. See a recap HERE. She's a awesomely nice person, with a great writing technique and a phenomenal story. Obviously, to write an awesome book, you, yourself, must be awesome.

I am so looking forward to the next book! Hopefully, Leigh won't destroy my soul again, but really… Who knows with her.

Fierce Reads Signing Recap + Giveaway

I'm baaaaaaaaaack. Okay, the blog has been slow lately. It has been busy, busy, busy over here. We sincerely apologize. BUT HARK, we come back to you with a huge giveaway sponsored by the lovely, lovely people at Macmillan.

Since I, Emily, am so cool and have fabulous interview questions and am a genuinely awesome human being (this is me being humble and gracious), I received a request from Macmillan to do another recap of a Fierce Reads signing. This one was at the coolest children's bookstore that I have ever been to, Cover-to-Cover Children's Bookstore. They have authors who do discussions and signing there sign the walls! Isn't that cool?

Image Credit: Cover to Cover's Website

One wall signed by visiting authors

The authors apart of this tour were Gennifer Albin, author of Crewel, book one in the Crewel World series, Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone, book one in the Grisha series, Caragh M O'Brien, author of Promised, book three in the Birthmarked series and Marie Rutkoski, author of The Shadow Society.

So... let's move forward:

Interview with the Authors

Clockwise: Caragh O'Brien, Gennifer Albin, Me, Marie Rutkoski, Leigh Bardugo

1. How would you describe your books?

Gennifer Albin: Everything is woven, in Crewel. Time is goes through a loom. Everything is part of the fabric of life. My series took that phrase to the extreme. All 16-year-olds have to go be tested to see if they can work at the loom. My main character's parents have trained her her whole life to fail the test. But she didn't fail and has woven a moment. She is swept away to join the spinsters where they weave the world from a tower. The guild, an all male government controls them. Crewel is fierce because it sounds like a fantasy novel, but is actually science fiction.

Leigh Bardugo: Darkness is usually metaphorical. Darkness in Shadow and Bone is a place that is crawling with monsters that feed on human flesh. The country of Ravka, which is where the novel is set, is being left behind and their trade route is cut off because of the darkness. The main character is a loner, a refugee, and not good at her job. During an attack, Alina, the main character, reveals a power and wisked away to join the Darkling and the other Grisha. Shadow and Bone is fierce because of the setting - it  was inspired by Tsarist Russia.

Caragh M O'Brien: Birthmarked is about a teen midwife, who has to turn in babies to authorities into the other side of the wall. It is set in the future. Those inside the wall have technology. Outsiders are impoverish. The main character's parents are arrested. Gaia, the main character, spends the book trying to save them. It gets quite dark. In Prized, book two, Gaia goes to another society, where men outnumber women nine-to-one, but the women are the ones in control. In that society, you aren't supposed to touch the other sex, and kissing is a crime. No girl babies being born there and anyone that leaves dies. In Promised, Gaia returns to other society, where the people have been experimenting on mothers. Gaia brings refugees from the other society. It's very gnarly and dark.

Marie Rutkoski: The Shadow Society is about a girl who doesn't know she's not human. She discovers that she belongs in an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn't happen and her people weren't wiped out. Shades, her people, are dangerous - they can become incorporeal at will. Darcy is a fierce character because she allows herself to be touched, when shades don't and she also allows herself to open up emotionally to others.

The author panel and some of the audience

2. Do you prefer to use a pen(cil) and paper or a computer to write?
GA: I use a computer for drafting, but I have notes everywhere, that are just scattered.
LB: Mostly computer for drafting.
CB: Computer.
MR: I sketch out scenes and fragments on paper, but I write on my computer.

3. What does your writing (typing) space look like?
GA: I have a lovely office with a rug, desk, two armchairs, but I never write there. I usually write at a table for four at Starbucks.
LB: I draft in cafés. I like the noise, but I write stories and books in my grandfather's old leather chair. (As Leigh explained this, the other authors and I found this romantic. Leigh laughed about that.)
CO: I write on my couch and then in the afternoon, I write on my other couch. As the day progresses, I follow the couches.
MR: I can't write in public. I must be able to close a door. I usually write in the corner of my bedroom with my desk against the wall, though at the moment, I'm living in Paris and writing in a beautiful office.

4. What is the most memorable line that you've ever written?
GA: Mine is from a book that's in progress. The line is describing a building covered cast-iron meeting with the heavens. I keep thinking, someday I'll come back to this!
LB: "The woods were silent in their grief."
CO: My favorite line is always the next line that I'm going to write. (We all thought this was a really profound sentence. I still do!)
MR: My favorite line is in my next project, that I'm not allowed to share.

Caragh O'Brien, author of Promised

5. When you first found out that you were being published, what was your reaction?
GA: I came home and told my husband. I got the call in the car in Kansas, in the middle of nowhere. I was very detached. It just felt so surreal.
LB: I made a "bleet"-ing noise in Whole Foods. I found out about my first offer while I was Thanksgiving shopping. The noise was somewhere between a shriek and a yelp.
CO: I danced around my kitchen and screamed. I couldn't believe it!
MR: I gave myself a gift. I bought the whole series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and watched every episode.

Leigh Bardugo, author of Shadow and Bone

6. What are you working on now book-wise?
GA: The Crewel World Trilogy, though others are marinating.
LB: Ruin and Rising, which the the third and final installment in the Grisha Trilogy.
CO: I'm working on a new Young Adult sci-fi series.
MR: I'm working on a new book called The Winner's Curse. It's about an aristocratic member, who is the main character. It has duels  balls and a brewing rebellion. (I asked about attractive men and she assured me that they were included.)

7. If you could choose a character from one of your novels to be friends with, who would you choose and why?
GA: Loricel. She's my kind of lady - strong, tough, says what's on her mind. I admire older ladies who kick ass.
LB: Stermhand. He's from the second book. (I thought she would say Darkling - but only because she had this evil look on her face! Her reply, "No, no, no. That friendship would be like, 'Someone stole my parking spot, cut him in half!'")
CO: Gaia, because I want to be like her when I grow up. She's a great friend - loyal, smart and brave.
MR: I'd like to be friends with the whole gang of friends in The Shadow Society: Jims, Darcy, Lily and Raphael.

8. What's a book that you think is underrated?
GA: Maria by Mary Wollstonecraft
LB: Fleur by Louise Eldrich or Love Medicine by Louise Eldrich
CO: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
MR: I am going to say books that more people need to read: Chime by Franny Billingsly and The Returning by Christine Hinwood

9. Is there a book that you would unread, so that you could experience it again for the first time?
GA: Harry Potter by JK Rowling, or Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
LB: The Country Life by Rachel Cusk
CO: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
MR: The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (Then we discussed how freaking awesome Megan Whalen Turner is and how she lives in Columbus, OH somewhere. I WANT TO MEET HER, GUYS.)

Marie Rutkoski, author of The Shadow Society

10. If you could meet any author dead or alive, who would it be and what would you do?
GA: JK Rowling. We'd have a sleepover where we braid our hair and become best friends.
LB: (She had a lot of trouble with this one.) Dianna Wynne Jones, we'd go to a bookstore together. Or a young Hemingway because he's hot. (Gennifer said that's he's completely crazy and Leigh replied, "But I don't have to marry him!")
CO: Jack London. We'd walk around his old home in California.
MR: I wanna pick somebody dead. (We all laughed at that.) Probably Shakespeare because I'm a professor and a Shakespearean. We'd go to the tavern with all of the writers.

11. What are you reading right now, or what will you be reading when you have the time next?
GA: The Diviners by Libba Bray
LB: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
CO: The Shadow Society, then The Children of Men by PD James (We discussed the movie and book then - I have not read it, but now I've been told I must read it and watch the movie.)
MR: Persuasion by Jane Austen

12. What 2013 book release are you most looking forward to?
GA: Landry Park by Bethany Hagan
LB: Prophecy by Ellen Oh
CO: Passed on this question - she couldn't think of one.
MR: Whatever Holly Black is releasing and Dracomachia, the Seraphina sequel

13. What's your favorite Halloween creature?
GA: Dr. Frank-N-Furter (From The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
LB: A dire wolf
CO: A bat
MR: A witch

Gennifer Albin, author of Crewel

14. What's a place you haven't been to, but have always wanted to go?
GA: Everywhere - all over the world
LB: Russia
CO: The Dawson Trail in the Yukon (She's a big Jack London fan! She finds him extremely fascinating.)
MR: Angkor Wat, Cambodia

15. Name a celebrity that has your undying affection.
GA: JK Rowling
LB: Joss Whedon
CO: Billy Collins
MR: JK Rowling

Tidbits from the discussion:

*Gennifer's favorite character to write was also the hardest: Cormac Patton, who is the villain of the story. Some people say, "he's vile," and others say "DOES HE HAVE TO BE BAD?" because he respects the main character. He's compulsively clad in a tux - Leigh mentioned a scene from 30 Rock with Alec Baldwin about tuxedos: "WHAT ARE WE, PEASANTS?" Tux jokes never get old.

*Gennifer has a masters in english literature.

*Gennifer went to grad school because she wanted to learn more.

*Gennifer and Leigh "murder trees together" with all of the paper they use. Worst gang of all time because they *JUST KILL TREES*!

*The arc of character development is Leigh's favorite part.

*If Leigh could be an animal, she'd be a dire wolf.

*Leigh's beta readers were a tv writer and a academic writer.

*Leigh didn't go to grad school, and doesn't consider herself an academic. She was an English major. If she hadn't been an English major, she would've been a History major.

*Leigh's best advice read out of genre.

*The Darkling was the hardest character to write for Leigh because he is so unknown to others, and so controlled that it was difficult to write. Her favorite is Stermhand, who is privateer from book two and is so fun. He has a way of taking things over.

*Caragh REALLY likes Wolverine from X-Men.

*Leon, was the hardest character from Caragh to write. There was one scene where he just walked away from her because he was so mad with Gaia at one point in book two. "How do I get him to have an argument when he walked away?" She said she had to get as angry as the characters.

*Caragh didn't write Birthmarked as a trilogy original because she didn't plan to publish. She didn't know it would be a trilogy until Macmillan offered her a three book deal. Her agent always tells her, "If everyone else has faith in you, why don't you have faith in yourself?"

*Marie was closest to Darcy. They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She drew on her own experience from growing up in Chicago while writing. 

*Marie says The Shadow Society is not just a love story between Darcy and Conn, but also love for a city and love of friends.

*Maries's favorite character to write was a secondary character, Jims, who is a friend of Darcy. He likes roleplaying games and is super confident.

*Marie is outlining for her new series. She says that outlining is liberating and inspiration, which is suprising because you have to keep a timeline. She didn't know you could keep inspiration while writing that way.

*Marie finds it helpful to read her book in a different formats - on kindle, different font. Something about seeing it in a different form helps her see parts to edit easier.

Giveaway Details:
- One winner will receive all signed copies of Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Birthmarked, Prized and Promised by Caragh M O'Brien and The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
- Open US/CAN
- One enterant per household
- Cheating results in immediate disqualification
- Ends 11/15/2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Teaser Tuesday: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•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 what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!) 

 Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---------------------------

"I grabbed my coat and crept out of the barracks as quietly as I could. As I opened the door I heard a giggle, and a female voice called from somewhere in the dark room, 'If it's that tracker, tell him to come inside and keep me warm.'"
Chapter 1, 6%
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

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Desperately Wanting Wednesday (4)

Desperately Wanting Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. It is based off of the meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday. Since the "On My Wishlist" meme is no longer active, Ed and I have decided to switch to this meme so we can talk about books (and movies) that we want - both released and to-be-released.

This week's theme is:

Hot Books I Missed

Our Young-Adult Pick:

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
358 Pages

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. 

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. 

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

I've wanted to read this since I heard of it! And now that it's released, I'm only buying my time. If I stopped finding books I want to read on Netgalley, it would be a faster process. Grr!

Our Adult Pick:

Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: July 26, 2005

Publisher: Dell

629 Pages

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

*gasp* I know, I know! It's on my list! Very high up there, I swear. I've heard only awesome things, plus the residence hall Ed and I will be living in next year is named for the author. (She attended my school! a;sdjnfal;sdkfna;lsdkfhgfds SO FREAKING AWESOME)