Waiting on Wednesday: Struck & Tangled Tides

I was supposed to post this earlier today. But guess what? I went home with my best friend. We had a hard time commuting. It was raining hard and the buses were full (maybe because everyone else went paranoid and didn’t want t get wet.) I got home late. And now here I am, 10 minutes before midnight. I have two luscious 2012 books for you.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

LA has been devastated by a massive earthquake and the city is full of chaos and shattered lives. Mia Price has a connection to the storm that caused the earthquake but doesn't know why - who should she turn to for answers? The religious Followers prophesise the end of the world and claim to have the answers that Mia is seeking. The mysterious and beautiful Jeremy warns her away from them but he's hiding a more sinister truth. In the end, Mia is to discover that she is part of a power much larger than she could ever have imagined. When the final disaster strikes, she must unleash the full horror of her strength to save them all.

Why I Chose This:

Macmillan got great dystopians for 2012. I can feel it. Struck is one of them. Dystopian with a hint of…paranormal? I’m not 100% sure but that’s what I think it is. Ever since reading this amazing scene from Wildefire with lightning and three girls, I’ve been fascinated with it. Hoping to get my hands on this one!

Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs #1) by Karen Amanda Cooper

Publication Date: 2012 (no set date yet)

Published by: Rhemalda Publishing

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one.

On her eighteenth birthday a hurricane hits Yara’s small island and with it blows in Treygan, a cocky blue-haired merman who claims he saved her life by turning her mer, but he could also take her life with his ability to turn things to stone, with just a touch… or kiss.

All Yara wants is to return home to her terminally sick uncle and her cool new boyfriend, Rownan. But she quickly learns that she can’t go back because her new existence—and new crush—complicate things beyond belief. Yara must open a sealed gateway between Earth and the sea creature realm, and that can only be achieved with a great sacrifice including friendship, love, and possibly even her soul. Or maybe, she hopes, that sacrifice will open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than she could ever imagine.

Young Adult fans of Mermaids, Selkies, Sirens and Gorgons will love this tale of the sacrifice one makes for genuine love. Love that lasts forever…love that could be lost at any moment to the ever-changing tides.

Why I Chose This:

Rhemalda Publishing gave me Witch Song – a good witch book for YA paranormal readers. When I discovered Tangled Tides, I knew I needed to read it. I love the abundance of mermaids in YA (I seriously need to read them. *Ripple*) And I’m a sucker for sirens and selkies since two of my favorite novels have these creatures in them. Romance, fantasy, love and sacrifice? Definitely my kind of read.

Review: Kane Richards Must Die by Shanice Williams

Book Description from the Back of the ARC:

After an unexpected transfer to the States for her senior year, Suranne’s new friends give her just one instruction: stay away from Kane Richards. According to everyone, he’s a heartless playboy concerned only for himself.

With one glance, it’s easy to see why he gets away with it. But things aren’t always what they seem – especially when he sets his sights on her and whispers that she’s ‘different.’

Despite all the red flags, Suranne considers whether or not his intentions are genuine or if she’s simply another name on his list. In the process, she may just uncover the real Kane Richards. But, when it comes down to it, the real Kane Richards may not want to be found.

Filled with raw emotion, Kane Richards Must Die, explores relationships, trust, love, and what can happen when life takes an unexpected turn.

Source: Paul at Lands Atlantic Publishing (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis, I was curious as to how the author will make a simple concept, of the player falling for the new girl, into something that will be remembered. After reading chapter one, I knew that I would breeze through the novel. Kane Richards Must Die was one of those novels that were never hard to read. The quick pace made it easy for me too.

Suranne was the new girl, the new face, the new target of Kane. She was sent to US to live with her aunt for three months. At school, her first two friends: Lawrence and Kate had warned her not to fall for Kane Richards. He was bad for her. Kane was too charming, seductive and good-looking for any girl to resist. Suranne was the first one to do so. But something happened that made Kane change. There was something about Suranne that led him to his metamorphosis. As the story progressed, the tension, doubt and issues of the couple exploded one by one, testing their relationship and their faith on one another. It was quite fun to read.

Kane Richards Must Die had secrets that were revealed from time to time. I got to know Kane well, on why he had the reputation and what the cause of all the issues was. I was surprised at some of his revelations but I was able to predict the ending. The story was focused on these two lovers. I wished that they had more interaction with other people. I would have wanted to see that. The language, especially Kane’s, was quite modern. It was good since it reflected the ‘modern teen’ but sometimes I found myself distracted with it. But that didn’t stop me from breezing through this novel.

Kane Richards Must Die is a hot, sensual, realistic and enjoyable contemporary. Filled with pain and relief, doubt and trust, hate and love, this novel may appeal to (older) readers of contemporary and of relationship-themed novels.

Rating:

Review: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 362 pages

September 2, 2011, Pan Macmillan UK

Four teenagers on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found. THE DARK INSIDE is a stunning, cinematic thriller: 28 DAYS LATER meets THE ROAD.

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.

Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.

Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.

Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?

Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?

Source: Hattie from Pan Macmillan (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Dark Inside was one of the strongest, creepiest books I’ve ever read. It had a strange charm. Even though I was freaking out, even though I was scared, I still wanted to read it. It was unputdownable.

After an earth-shattering earthquake, lots of places went up in flames, fell down and crumbled to the ground. Some people got injured, some people died. The others who survived the quake have been divided into two: the normal ones and the monsters. When I say ‘monsters,’ I don’t really mean zombies. I mean people who have become evil to the point that they combed the face of the earth making sure that no normal person lived. They were dedicated to blood, death and destruction. What was scary about that was that they were people – living, breathing humans with different brains.

There were a lot of characters in this novel: Mason, Michael, Clementine, Aries and Nothing. Dark Inside followed the stories of these five teens as they struggled in the new world and tried to survive one day at a time. Mason was mourning for his mom’s death. Michael was alone in his apartment. Clementine got away from a town meeting massacre. Aries survived a bus accident. Nothing was the most mysterious of them all. They all have lost their loved ones, witnessed the wildness and the violence of the monsters as the number of the normal humans depleted. Their individual struggles and experiences were fascinating. Throughout the novel, relationships between the survivors were weakened and strengthened. Some survivors preferred to live alone but others banded together, seeing strength in numbers.

There was an air of mystery that came with the ‘change.’ Up to this moment, I still haven’t fully grasped what had happened. Right up to the end of the novel, I still had unanswered questions but that didn’t stop me from loving Dark Inside. Roberts spun a good story connecting all the decline of several empires and civilizations in the past to her version of ‘the apocalypse.’ I have to say, I was impressed with it. Dark Inside was also a reflection of the human psyche and human soul, revealing the darkest parts of ourselves.

Dark Inside delivers heart-pounding suspense, action and creepiness with a touch of romance. Violent and bloody, this is reserved to strong readers. I highly recommend this to dystopian fans.

Rating: