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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Random House Summer 2013 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the Random House Summer 2013 Catalog:

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Date: July 23, 2013
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In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...
In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favourite fairy tale, as well as favourite Disney movie. I've only read one Beauty and the Beast retelling before (Beastly by Alex Flinn) and I was not the biggest fan, but I am hopeful this retelling will do better because I've heard good things about Stacey Jay's other books!


The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler
Date: August 27, 2013
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A supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.
Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

Eeeek, that cover gives me the creepiest of creeps! I like a good scare even though I am quite wimpy, so I am hoping The Dark Between brings on the fear and horror!


The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman
Date: September 10, 2013
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They called it the killing day. Twelve people dead, all in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn't even know why she killed—or whether she'll do it again.
Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander's, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives in the flat earth and the open sky, in the vengeful hearts of upstanding citizens. As the town begins its descent into blood and madness, five survivors of the killing day are the only ones who can stop Oleander from destroying itself. Jule, the outsider at war with the world; West, the golden boy at war with himself; Daniel, desperate for a different life; Cass, who's not sure she deserves a life at all; and Ellie, who believes in sacrifice, fate, and in evil. Ellie, who always goes too far. They have nothing in common. They have nothing left to lose. And they have no way out. Which means they have no choice but to stand and fight, to face the darkness in their town—and in themselves.

I recall hearing very good things about Robin Wasserman's The Book of Blood and Shadow last year, and so I understand her to be a very talented writer. I am also incredibly intrigued by the premise for The Waking Dark, so I'm thinking I'll really like this one!


More Than This by Patrick Ness
Date: September 10, 2013
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A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

As a Patrick Ness fangirl for life, I feel like I am guaranteed to love everything he writes and will always be impressed by his fantastic writing skills. More Than This sounds original and enigmatic and I can't wait to read it!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Random House Summer 2013 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Random House Summer 2013 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?

30 comments :

  1. I cannot wait for Of Beast and Beauty! And I didn't know Ness was coming out with another book. Awesome!

    Emily @ Counting in Bookcases
    My WOW
    New Bloglovin Follower :)

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  2. Of Beast and Beauty has to be the one that I'm looking forward to the most. I can't wait to see how Stacy Jay interprets this fairy tale :)

    Courtney Ann @ Rondo of a Possible World
    Waiting on Wednesday

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  3. I am definitely looking forward to Dark Between and Of Beasts & Beauty!! Random House has some great looking stuff coming up!

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  4. Ohh, Robin Wasserman's new book sounds so creepy! I didn't know she had it in her.
    But what's with their covers? I don't like a single one. The first is passable, I suppose, but since I don't actually read retellings if I can avoid them, that one is definitely not for me.
    More Than This, however, sounds a-mazing! I can't wait.

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  5. I love Beauty and the Beast, too. I haven't read Beastly, but I really enjoyed the movie. Hoping I'll like Beast and Beauty, it sounds awesome. ^^

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  6. Great picks! More tha this sounds really good.
    Here is My WOW

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  7. Great picks. Hope you get to read it soon!
    Brandi at Blkosiner’s Book BlogI am

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  8. AYLEE!!! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale too! I haven't heard of any of these (what is my problem?), but they are ALL on my list now, especially Of Beast and Beauty. Thanks for sharing these, I can't wait for August/September!

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  9. The waking dark sounds sooo scary, I love it. And of course Of beast & Beauty <3 It's my all time favorite story and Disney movie as well, so I'm super exicted to read this one!

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  10. Ooooh wow, they really do have some great titles coming out!!! Thanks for sharing. I'll definitely have to go put some of these on my TBR list :)

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  11. I cannot wait for The Waking Dark it's one I've really been curious about. Of course your other picks sound great as well. More Than This is new to me. Off to Goodreads to check it out further!

    My WoW

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  12. Great choice! I can't wait for these either : )

    my WOW and giveaway

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  13. I cannot wait for The Waking Dark and the new one by Patrick Ness... but already on my TBR! Thanks for sharing!
    My Wow Pick!

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  14. OOh Of Beast and Beauty sounds amazing!!! And The Dark Between has one creepy cover.. EEKK! Thanks for sharing!
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    Giselle @ Book Nerd Canada
    Waiting on Wednesday

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  15. I tend not to like parnormals, but I'm really drawn by The Waking Dark and the Patrick Ness :)

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  16. Very cool!

    Side note: I always get nervous for people walking on dark streets alone in pictures. Weird.

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  17. The Dark Between looks awesome. I love that eerie cover. Of Beast and Beauty looks really cool, too. I'm a fan of fairytale re-tellings (when done well--I didn't read Beastly). Great picks!
    New follower via GFC. I love your blog. The heading is hilarious. I'd love to have you follow back.
    Natflix&Books' WoW

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  18. I definitely want to read The Waking Dark and More Than This - they're both from such fabulous authors!

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  19. The Waking Dark sounds intense, yet fantastic. Thanks for sharing. I had yet to see this one around. I haven't read anything by Patrick Ness yet; I know, I know, I really need too. This upcoming release sounds pretty intriguing though.

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  20. The Waking Dark looks SO creepy. I get the chills only reading the summary, I probably can't convince myself to read it. But I hope you enjoy it and am looking forward to hear what you think of it!

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  21. I am DYING to read The Waking Dark. I just love Robin Wasserman's writing. I'm also pretty much a fan of whatever Patrick Ness decides to do, so I'm sure I'll be all over More Than This. Great picks!

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  22. Wow, these are all great choices and they're all on my wishlist! Looking forward to The Waking Dark and More Than This the most I think, Ness can do no wrong in my opinion!

    My WoW!

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  23. I've only heard of Beast and Beauty and have that on my wishlist. The others sound like creepy reads; I think I'm most interested More Than This from those.

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  24. Ooh, yes, I'm definitely looking forward to all of this - especially Of Beast and Beauty. It sounds so unique, and I haven't read many retellings, so I'm hoping to change that. :) Great choices, Aylee!

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  25. I'm really looking forward to The Dark Between! Mostly because the book description says it's perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan and Libba Bray, and I'm very easily convinced like that. ;) I also really like the sound of Robin Wasserman's book. I was pleasantly surprised by The Book of Blood and Shadow!

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  26. Of Beast and Beauty looks really good. I didn't like Flinn's retelling either. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

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  27. Omg I just discovered your blog and I am soo in love with your layout/title and EVERYTHING! I'm a recovering Potter addict too What's Hot?

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  28. Of Beast & Beauty sounds awesome - I hope it delivers a worthy Beauty & the Beast retelling :D You've got a lot of new ones for me here too - exciting!! I'm digging The Dark Between (and YES that cover is MEGA creepy!) More Than This sounds really amazing too, I love how mysterious it comes off...ditto for Walking Dark! Fantastic picks, as usual Aylee ♥

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