Waiting on Wednesday: THE NINE by Tracy Townsend

So, which book am I dying to read? This one:

The Nine (Thieves of Fate #1)

by Tracy Townsend

A book that some would kill for . . .

Black market courier Rowena Downshire is doing everything she can to stay off the streets and earn enough to pay her mother’s way to freedom. But an urgent and unexpected delivery leads her face to face with a creature out of nightmares.

The Alchemist knows things few men have lived to tell about, but when a frightened and empty-handed courier shows up on his doorstep he knows better than to turn her away. What he discovers leads him to ask for help from the last man he wants to see—the former mercenary, Anselm Meteron.

Reverend Phillip Chalmers awakes in a cell, bloodied and bruised, facing a creature twice his size. Translating a stolen book that writes itself may be his only hope for survival; however, he soon learns the text may have been written by the Creator himself, tracking the nine human subjects of his Grand Experiment. In the wrong hands, it could mean the end of humanity.

This unlikely team must try to keep the book from those who would misuse it. But how can they be sure who the enemy is when they can barely trust each other? And what will happen to them when it reveals a secret no human was meant to know?

And how long do I have to wait? November. NOVEMBER! 

So y'all tell me what I should be reading right now to get me through the wait. What are you waiting for? What was the last amazing-can't-stop-talking-about-it book you read?

I want all the book recommendations. 

*bangs fist on desk* 

*rubs ouchy fist* 

ALL OF THEM!

So leave me all of your book recs in my comments. Oh, yeah, and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike

PAPER AND FIRE by Rachel Caine/ODD & TRUE by Cat Winters/LITTLE MONSTERS by Kara Thomas

Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2)

by Rachel Caine

Let the world burn.

With an iron fist, the Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion and, in the name of the greater good, forbidding the personal ownership of books.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower, doomed to a life apart from everything she knows.

After embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, and the Library, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…

What I thought:

First, since this is the second book in The Great Library series, here's my review of INK & BONE: My Review of INK AND BONE

Suffice it to say I loved PAPER AND FIRE, but really, love isn't a strong enough word. 

PAPER AND FIRE builds on all the things I loved in INK AND BONE and then takes it to the next level. This story, y'all! These characters! 

Jess is the MC, and I could follow him for days and days, because he's so complex and I love his voice, but there's an ensemble cast, and they're all so fleshed out and alive on the page. (Ahem. Dear Author, Please don't kill anyone.)

There is so much attention to detail here, and the world-building is spectacular, but it's perfectly balanced so the story never lags. The action keeps coming and the pacing feels effortless. I couldn't put it down. 

Rachel Caine is a master at storytelling and I can't get enough of this series. So, yes, I highly recommend it. Read this! Read this! Read this! 

Rating: ****** (5 stars and I need more stars)

________________________________

Odd & True

by Cat Winters

Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio.

In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all. 

What I thought: 

I loved the atmosphere in this book. I loved the sisters. And, I loved that there was always that bit of mystery going on as to what was real and what wasn't. 

The story switches POV back and forth between the two sisters, Odette and Trudchen, and, not only did that work to keep me on the edge of my seat, but it also kept the story barreling forward. The pace was super quick and the story was compelling. 

I really enjoyed this and definitely recommend it. 

Rating: ***** (4 1/2 stars)

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

________________________________

Little Monsters

by Kara Thomas

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone. 

What I thought: 

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. I loved how flawed she is. The story is  well told and I was flying along, flipping pages, desperate to find out what happened next. 

It's hard to delve too deep here without giving anything away, and NO SPOILERS. The only thing that detracted from the story, for me, what that the ending felt rushed. Not that the end wasn't compelling, because it was, but I thought that maybe it could've been laid out in a way that felt more immediate. 

Overall, a really great read and I can't wait to read what Kara Thomas writes next.

Rating: ***** (4.5 stars)

*I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

_______________________________

RATING SCALE: 

 5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you. 

 4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book. 

 3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

 2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect. Here, have a book.

 1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

GODSGRAVE by Jay Kristoff

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2)

by Jay Kristoff

A ruthless young assassin continues her journey for revenge in this new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

What I thought: 

Holy shit! This book! THIS BOOK! 

Okay, first things first. If you haven't read NEVERNIGHT, here's my review: MY REVIEW OF NEVERNIGHT. 

Go ahead, read it. Then read the book. I'll wait... Well, maybe I won't wait. I'm sure you'll catch up. 

So what did I think about GODSGRAVE?

Jay Kristoff is... IDK. I can't judge him personally but his writing is brilliant. Mia is the most kick-ass character to ever bleed on the sand and WTF just happened? I was worried that GODSGRAVE would be a pale imitation of NEVERNIGHT and I could not have been more wrong. Sass and sarcasm. Check. Sex. Check. Blood and guts and gore. #stabstabstab. 

There is violence and then there is violence and Mr. Kristoff has elevated hacking off limbs and severing heads to fucking poetry. It's like a brutal ballet and I couldn't stop watching the blood splash across the page. The story is all twisty and turny (yes, that's a word now) and... and... and... I need the next book. 

What the fuck just happened! Jay Kristoff is a monster. He's my favorite monster. 

*screams incoherently for hours* *stares at mailbox waiting for my special editions to arrive* *makes room on bookshelf next to 3 versions of NEVERNIGHT*

Rating: ****** (6 bloody stars)

*I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly loved it! Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press! Getting this ARC made me so happy.