Waiting on Wednesday (118)

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

My picks this week are:

Belles by Jen Calonita

Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her less-than-charmed life by the boardwalk on the wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina, but when a social worker must place her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family, she's taken away from everything she's ever known.

Unfortunately, inserting Isabelle into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, she is ready to pull her hair out of her head over all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm about her new family member. Like each other or not, Izzie and Mira are going to learn to get along, especially when they learn a life-changing secret that will turn both their worlds upside down.

Jen Calonita is one of my favorite YA authors so when I first heard about this one I knew I had to read it. Not only because the premise sounds wickedly awesome but also because the cover is stunning!

Belles will be released April 10, 2012! 

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

This one sounds like just my kind of read. Magic, princes, dangers...what's not to like?! Plus, after reading Maria V. Snyder's amazing Outside In and Inside Out, I've been looking forward to reading more by her!

Touch of Power will be released December 20, 2011!  

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

Me?? A Leader??

Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion-between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again-while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In.

Review:

After reading the spectacular Inside Out, I've been eager to read the sequel Outside In. Thankfully enough Outside In is yet another incredible and thrilling book by Maria V. Snyder. One that definitely lives up to the amazing-ness that its prequel had an abundance of!

When everything ended in the rebellion and the scrubs and the uppers got what they wanted-freedom and the ability to make their own choices without the Pop Cops eyes watching their every move- Trella truly thought everything was over, and that the best was yet to come. Though, as it turns out rebellion is stirring in the the lower levels over the what the committee is and isn't doing, the uppers are feeling the same ways the lowers used to, and worst of all Trella is starting to loose the thing most important to her- Riley. And when a new guy comes into her life, everything begins to change yet again. So, will Trella be able to take control of everything (including her relationship with Riley) before everything starts to tumble out of control? And when she learns that something outside wants in, will she be able to save her people's lives before it's too late? Only time can tell in this fascinating new tale of love, strength, and trust in a dystopian world I've come to love.

One of my favorite parts of the prequel was the characters and the same applied to this. Like usual Trella was my favorite character, no doubt it. And while I sometimes wanted to shake her on the shoulders a bit over her silliness over Riley and everything, I could understand why she was that way and it made her even more relatable, in my opinion, because everyone has those times where they let their fears get a hold of them. Furthermore, I really enjoyed how Jacy got a bigger role in this one, because if there's one character I like nearly as much as Trella and Riley, it's Jacy.

Adding to this, just like in Inside Out, the plot in Outside In was thrilling, suspenseful, and unique, something that constantly provided new twists and turns I could never see coming, which is one of the things I love most about Maria's books. I also loved how she always had me guessing about whether certain characters were bad or good, because even though it made me want to pull my hair in frustration at times, it certainly was another part that kept me hooked.

Lastly, I loved how Maria put more development into Trella's world in this one, because it was fun to find out more about Inside and its many secrets.

In all, if you read one series this February let it be Outside In, because this is one series that proves to be enchanting and captivating time and time again. I can only hope their will be more books about Trella and her friends and foes in the future.

Grade: A+

Outside In will be released February 15, 2011!

Source: Netgalley

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Keep Your Head Down.

Don't Get Noticed.

Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Review:

I've had Inside Out in my TBR pile for nearly a year now, but a couple of days ago I finally decided to give it a chance, and I have to say, I'm so glad I did because this book is one of the most spellbinding and imaginative dystopians I've read in ages. I'll even go so far to say this is one of my favorite books ever!

Inside Out tells the story of Trella, a lowly scrub who spends her days as the Queen of the Pipes and talking to Cog, her only friend. Sure, her life isn't the best thing ever, especially with the Pop Cops always around but it's as good as it's gonna get. Though, one day everything changes when she meets Broken Man, a man who tells the other scrubs that there is a way to end the torture they face at the hands of the uppers, that there is an outside to where they live. Soon enough, her whole life is set up in sparks, as she agrees to assist the Broken Man in a plan that may not only start a revolution but change everyone's lives on board. But are the scrubs ready for the secrets and the challenges they are soon to face? And what about that upper Trella meet? Is he as nearly as nice as he appears? Only time will tell in this incredible story of a world deep, deep in the future.

Trella- there's so much to say about this one main character. For one, Trella's one of those unassuming hero types, one who does so much for people even though she thinks she's not doing nearly anything to help. Trella's strong, smart, and and convening in the best ways possible. She truly is the queen of the pipes, and I can't imagine having a better person lead such an amazing story. Adding to this, I loved how she managed to grow as a person as Inside Out progressed. In the beginning, she's quick to show and tell the reader that she doesn't get close to people, though as time progress this changes in instant, as she begins to form friendships with the Broken Man, Logan, Riley, and many more characters.

Adding to this, I loved the world of Inside Out. One of the things I loved most about it is that Maria didn't wash the reader away with a ton of information. Instead she told the parts most important to have the reader be able to imagine it in perfect detail, as well as add their own aspects to it.

I also loved the plot of this novel because there was always a twist or turn to everything that I never saw coming. This happened to the point where I never truly knew how everything was going to end. Sure, I had my ideas but usually they were proved wrong, and I liked that because I love having an author manage to surprise me time and time again.

Going with the above, Maria V. Snyder is an incredible author. Her ability to spin such an imaginative, breathtaking story in such great detail deserves serious props, and it also has me excited to read more about Trella and the scrubs in the future, as well as her other series.

In all, don't be like me and take forever to read this novel. Instead go out and pick it up ASAP. It's one of the best dystopian novels out there, no doubt about it.

Grade: A+

Inside Out is now out!

Source: Netgalley