Waiting on Wednesday – Week 127

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s to spotlight upcoming books that I’m DYING to get my hands on!

This week’s WoW is:

Polaris by Mindee Arnett

**WARNING: may contain spoilers from Avalon**

Following the events of Avalon, Jeth Seagrave and his crew are on the run. Jeth is desperate to find the resources and funding he needs to rescue his mother from an ITA’s research lab and leave this whole galaxy behind for a new life somewhere else. But the ITA is just as desperate, and soon Jeth finds himself pursued by a mysterious figure hell-bent on capturing Jeth and his crew—dead or alive. In a last-ditch effort to save everyone he holds dear, Jeth enters into a bargain with the last person he ever thought he'd see again: Dax Shepherd, the galaxy’s newest and most fearsome crime lord. And he’s not the only one: upon arriving back at Peltraz spaceport for the first time since he witnessed the death of his old employer, Jeth discovers Dax has a new partner: Jeth’s mother, Marian.

This shocking turn of events is only the first in another breathless, action-packed sci-fi adventure rife with danger, love, and betrayal, as Jeth has to once again ask himself how much he’s willing to invest in a morally bankrupt galaxy in the hopes of saving those he cares for.

January 20, 2015 ● Goodreads

I think this one definitely prompts a re-read of Avalon! I really enjoyed the first book in this duology, but I am utterly useless when it comes to remembering events in books that I’d read a while ago. Anyway, I know that I definitely enjoyed the first book so I can’t wait!

What are you waiting on?

Don’t Touch Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson

Release Date: September 2, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository ● B&N ● Kobo ● iTunes
Goodreads ● Website

A powerful story of a girl who is afraid to touch another person’s skin, until the boy auditioning for Hamlet opposite her Ophelia gives her a reason to overcome her fears.

Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Touch another person’s skin, and Dad’s gone for good.

Caddie can’t stop thinking that if she keeps from touching another person’s skin, her parents might get back together... which is why she wears full-length gloves to school and covers every inch of her skin.

It seems harmless at first, but Caddie’s obsession soon threatens her ambitions as an actress. She desperately wants to play Ophelia in her school’s production of Hamlet. But that would mean touching Peter, who’s auditioning for the title role—and kissing him. Part of Caddie would love nothing more than to kiss Peter—but the other part isn't sure she's brave enough to let herself fall.

Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson, this debut novel from Rachel M. Wilson is a moving story of a talented girl who's fighting an increasingly severe anxiety disorder, and the friends and family who stand by her.

To be honest when I first saw the cover I thought this was going to be a paranormal. Probably something along the lines of a girl who can’t touch people because things will happen to them– kind of a Shatter Me-esque vibe. However, when I finally read the premise, I realised that no, it was actually a contemporary and sounded a lot more like Kissing Doorknobs (a book I haven’t read yet but is also about a severe anxiety disorder). I enjoyed Don’t Touch immensely. I’m a theatre geek, love Hamlet and the amazing combination of a serious issue with more than a few instances that were absolutely hilarious, I was completely taken by this book.

While I didn’t exactly get why on earth Caddie wouldn’t let anyone touch her on a rational level, obviously that attributes to the fact that I don’t have any experience whatsoever with anxiety disorder nor do I know anyone with it. It was really an interesting experience to read about though. Especially since Caddie’s character is really passionate about theatre, the lack of physical contact she has with anyone is astounding and becomes quite the focal point for the story. Of course, I fell in love with Peter. How could I not? While I was kind of feeling iffy about Mandy’s character and commitment to friendship with Caddie, Peter was a constant figure throughout Caddie’s struggle despite him not knowing what’s going on. I loved the chemistry they both had, on and off stage, and it’s quite the roller coaster of emotions that this relationship goes through for sure.

I liked how Hamlet was interweaved into the novel. How much the characters reflect the character’s they play in the book (haha! A play within a book... interesting parallel, no?). How much Ophelia there is in Caddie and how much both characters reflect one another is a fascinating aspect you see developing in the book. The intertextuality, from the Acts to the constant repetition of lines from Hamlet to the image of Ophelia falling– beautifully done.

Don’t Touch was gorgeously enthralling. The horrifying reality of how one girl’s problems threaten to take over her life was a wake-up call, and in the end left me feeling numb and struck by how out of control a disorder can become. A powerful debut, Wilson is an author to look out for.

If you like this, try...

• Clean by Amy Reed ● Goodreads
• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ● Goodreads

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RACHEL M. WILSON

Rachel M. Wilson is the author of the contemporary YA, DON'T TOUCH, forthcoming from HarperTeen, Sep. 2, 2014. 

She graduated from Northwestern University and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Rachel grew up in Birmingham, AL, and she currently writes, acts, and teaches in Chicago, IL.

Website ● Goodreads ● Twitter ● Facebook ● Tumblr ● Instagram

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Giveaway time!

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Win (1) signed hardback of Don't Touch + Caddie's evening gloves

US ONLY

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Click on the tour banner at the top of the post or on the button below to follow the rest of the tour!

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Thank you so much to FFBC Blog Tours for having me along on the tour!

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 126

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It’s to spotlight on upcoming books that I’m DYING to get my hands on!

This week’s WoW is:

Love & Other Theories by Alexis Bass

If you want more, you have to give less.

That’s the secret to dating in high school. By giving as little as they expect to get in return, seventeen-year-old Aubrey Housing and her three best friends have made it to the second semester of their senior year heartbreak-free. And it’s all thanks to a few simple rules: don’t commit, don’t be needy, and don’t give away your heart.

So when smoking-hot Nathan Diggs transfers to Lincoln High, it shouldn’t be a big deal. At least that’s what Aubrey tells herself. But Nathan’s new-boy charm, his kindness, and his disarming honesty throw Aubrey off her game and put her in danger of breaking the most important rule of all: Don’t fall in love.

December 31, 2014 ● Goodreads

This one sounds like a cute contemporary. Definitely looking forward to the blooming romance between the two characters as well as the personal conflict that I’m sure will develop.

What are you waiting on?

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

Release Date: June 2, 2010
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Pansing
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Evie's not sure why she started lying to the girls at school about her friendship with Jonah, her fellow paper route employee. Jonah is older, a college dropout with broad shoulders, a streak of scarlet in his hair, and mystery in his eyes. More than anything, Evie just wants something to happen, so she invents a nonexistent romance out of a crush. But when Jonah discovers a body in the woods—a girl Evie knew when she was little—Evie's lies grow more complicated. As Evie hunts down the killer, she comes to find that her lies are the only things she can trust. Readers will churn through the pages of Katie Williams's suspenseful debut novel and feel the chill of goosebumps in its wake.

First off, I’m kind of jealous, because I saw the hardcover, and it looks absolutely GORGEOUS. The trees covering the title page? I NEED to get my hands on it soon. Anyway... this one took a little bit of time getting into, but when I did, I couldn’t stop. The Space Between Trees, other than the slow beginning and the somewhat anticlimactic end, was an interesting exploration of death and friendship, how one event can change a person’s life. I’d heard of Katie Williams’ books before, but I’d never read any of them until now. Absent sounds a little bit like this one, and should have the same brilliant creepy atmosphere, so now I’m dying to read it!

I hate to say this, but I found Evie’s character really annoying. I know, I wish I didn’t. It would have made this book a lot more enjoyable. I think it’s also why it took me a while to get into this one: her character’s voice stuck out so much during the first ten pages or so, and it sounded SO childish for a sixteen year old, so I was kind of put-off by the narrative voice. I really liked Hadley’s character though. Even though normally I don’t take a liking to the overly-confident-acting-older-than-the-actually-are-in-the-most-annoying-way type of people, I could actually stand her character because she seemed REAL.

What I enjoyed was the different relationships that grow in this novel, and I particularly liked the interaction between Evie and Mr. McCabe. Instead of a book that solely focused on the death of Zabet, I was pleasantly surprised that the plot actually looked at other things, with the murder running as an undercurrent to the novel. Obviously, the main plot is trying to find out who murdered Zabet, but the events throughout the book didn’t actually have much to do directly with it. However, as I mentioned before, I didn’t like the ending. It felt a little flat after the build up and suspense that I felt when reading the book. I was really hoping for a lot more!

Katie Williams’ is an author I’m definitely going to be on the look out for. Her debut is a moving story not only about murder and the death of a friend, but about friendship, truth and growing up. The Space Between Trees was fresh, real and beautifully written.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Sasha from Pansing for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer ● Goodreads
• Find Me by Romily Bernard ● Goodreads