Waiting on Wednesday: Don't Expect Magic & A Cover Reveal!

 Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Don't Expect Magic
by Kathy McCulliough
Release: November 8, 2011
Delaney Collins doesn't believe in fairy tales. And why should she? Her mom is dead, her best friend is across the country, and she's stuck in California with "Dr. Hank," her famous life-coach father—a man she barely knows. Happily ever after? Yeah, right.

Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he's a fairy godmother—an f.g.—and he can prove it. And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary. Meaning there's a good chance that New Jersey tough girl Delaney is someone's fairy godmother.
But what happens when a fairy godmother needs a wish of her own?

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Click image to enlarge :)

 I'm not sure if this cover was just recently revealed or if today was just the first time I saw it. Anyhow, the cover for Twisted, the latest book in the Pretty Little Liars Series, by Sarah Shepherd is on the right!

Review: Wasteland by Francesca Lia Block

Title: Wasteland

Author: Franseca Lia Block

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pub. Date: November 1, 2003

Length: 160 Pages

Summary (from goodreads):

 When you were a baby I sat very still to hold you. I could see the veins through your skin like a map to inside you. I stopped breathing so you wouldn't ... 

You were just a boy on a bed in a room, like a kaleidoscope is a tube full of bits of broken glass. But the way I saw you was pieces refracting the light, shifting into an infinite universe of flowers and rainbows and insects and planets, magical dividing cells, pictures no one else knew ... 

Your whole life you can be told something is wrong and so you believe it.

My Thoughts: "The garden was combing her hair and putting on her earrings. The house was full of dancing creatures, not male not female but both, two lovers in one body. The books downstairs were reciting their poetry to each other, rubbing together, whispering through the leather covers." - from Wasteland

I'm heads over heals in love with Francesca Lia Block's writing. She just has this way with words; her writing flows smoothly and poetically, and in such a way that the characters live both on the pages and off. A story of the dark and light sides of love, Wasteland will pull your heartstrings and stay with you for a long time. It's captivating, realistic, and beautiful; a story impossible to put down no matter how hard you try.

Despite how much I loved this book, it's not for everyone. In fact, some say that this book is disgusting, because it deals with incest. I completely understand where these people are coming from, however, I didn't mind it. I think that Block is a lovely author, and I praise her, because she can take any subject head on and write a beautiful story of it, no matter if some people don't approve.  

This is a hauntingly beautiful story, told from three points of view, and written in lyrical, dreamy paragraphs. Block describes her characters with such compassion and emotion, it just blows me away. If you're not very familiar with her writing style you may be a bit confused at the beginning, but it will be worth it.

Review: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Okay, so I actually posted this review twice before, but both times it was to test, because the format was odd and kept putting the review outside the review box and into the margines. Anyways, here is the real review, finally!

Title: Cryer's Cross
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub. Date: February 8, 2011
Length: 240 Pages
Summary (from author's website): Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer’s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind. 
But when Cryer’s Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico. 
Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....  

My Thoughts: I expected Cryer's Cross to really freak me out. To be the can't-sleep-at-night crazy type of book, one that would make me think, What if this happened to me? And yes, I did think that, but only for a moment before dismissing the thought. Because, and I'm being completely honest here, while I did read the whole book without skimming, it didn't really feel like I did. I kept reading and waiting, expecting something to happen that would draw me in completely, but the book ended without anything like that ever happening.

In Cryer's Cross we have a small town with a creepy name and kids disappearing. The perfect plot for a horror story. It wasn't exactly scary, but it was addicting and very unique compared to most books out there now. It's a creepy read, thrilling with a touch of paranormal (the physiological, ghost-y, spirit-y kind). This was the best part of the story, because it kept me guessing and wondering; though I wish it was a bit longer, because the mystery started almost right away and didn't leave development for the character who went missing.

Cryer's Cross is the type of book I would normally love. I did love the plot, but there were quite a lot of flaws in the rest of the novel. First off, the story is written in third person, the narrative of most horror novels. This doesn't usually bother me, but the third person in Cryer's Cross felt rather boring and unemotional, almost like text book writing. That being said, it was hard to relate to any of the characters because it didn't really feel like I got to know them much. However, like I've said before, the plot was amazing. I think that if they got the right people on it, this would make the perfect horror movie.

Overall, Cryer's Cross was an okay read. If you're not exactly a fan of these types of books, I suggest you give it a try because it's a lighter version of the genre.

In My Mailbox #11

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

  Ask Elizabeth | Wither

 Echo | Zen & Xander Undone 

 Dark Song 

I got these books from B&N::  Ask Elizabeth and Wither: both of which I am very excited to read.
I got Echo and Zen & Xander Undone from Bookman's.What's cool about my edition of this book is that it's an arc with a different cover than the ones shown on goodreads, which, I believe, means my edition is a discontinued cover.
I also got an ARC of Dark Song through Reading Teen's Second Hand Saturday. Thanks you guys!

 I'd love to see what's in your mailbox. Leave a link and I'll check it out :)

Review: Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby

Title: Lost in the River of Grass

Author: Ginny Rorby

Publisher: Carolrhoda

Pub. Date: March 28, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Length: 264 Pages

Summary (from goodreads):
A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an airboat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.
Lost in the River of Grass takes on the classic survival genre using one of the country's most unique wild places as a backdrop. In this tense, character-driven thriller, Sarah must overcome prejudice and the unforgiving wilderness in a struggle to survive.

My Thoughts: Lost in the River of Grass is the kind of book I would have loved if I were a few years younger than I am. It was a good read with a beautiful cover, but it didn't really do anything for me. It was like this: I started the book, I finished the book, and then I had to review the book. And I didn't know what to say. Nothing really seemed to grab me, except for the fact that the story was unique in how it was set in the Everglades.

I think it was sweet that the author wrote this story based on her husband's experiance (as quoted from her website): “Lost in the River of Grass is based on the true story of my husband’s ill-fated trip to the Everglades with his then girlfriend in his airboat. While they were ‘visiting’ one of the hunting camps in the Everglades, the airboat sank. It took them three days to walk out.”

Not every author can write a good survival story, but Ginny Rorby did. It was realistic, and there were no crazy, unbelievable things happening to Sarah and Adam out there in the Everglades. It was nice reading and learning about all the different plants and animals in the wild as well as the survival skills used to survive out there.

Looking back on it, I think I enjoyed this book more than I've let on. I would recommend Lost in the River of Grass to anyone looking for a good survival story, but I don't think you should expect it to be absolutely amazing.