The Akamai Reader

It's Monday! What are you reading? (21) October 8, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Not only do I adore this cover, I’m really enjoying this book. I’m incredibly intrigued by the Aglionby boys. They are unbelievably rich and reading about the mindset of how Gansey thinks about money is so interesting! I can’t wait to review this book. I just hope I can do it justice.

Title: Something Strange and Deadly

Author: Susan Dennard

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

I started reading this book for the read along and I became so engrossed in it that instead of just reading chapters one through nine, I read all the way up the eleventh! I haven’t seen too many zombies yet but the ones I have seen are pretty scary. This is nothing like Dearly, Departed.

Title: Flicker

Author: Kaye Thornbrugh

Available at: Amazon – Kindle

From Goodreads:

When sixteen-year-old Lee Capren is spirited away to Faerie, she is forced to serve capricious faeries as a prized portrait artist… and live as their prisoner.

A chance encounter with the charming Nasser grants Lee a chance for freedom—but what felt like mere days in Faerie spanned years in the human world, and Lee no longer has a home to return to.

Nasser is a Seer—a human with magical powers—and Lee is quickly plunged into his world: a sprawling city teeming with magic and mystery, where supernatural creatures walk hidden among humans. With the help of a rag-tag group of teenage Seers, Lee must master her newfound magical talent and outwit a cunning faerie determined to destroy her.

This is a book submission that I’m really looking forward to reading. The premise really appeals to me. I love fairies. The mystery that surrounds them intrigues me. Magic also interests me as I think it would anyone. To have that kind of heady power is appealing on so many levels.

Title: Don’t Be a Hero

Author: Chris Strange

Available at: ARC

From Goodreads:

It’s a bad time to be a superhero.

When the world turned its back on metahumans, the golden age of superheroes came crashing down. But now a mysterious supercriminal is making one final bid for power, and with no one else left to protect the world, ex-hero Spook must risk everything to take him down. There will be no reprieve, no negotiation. War is coming.

Put on the mask. There’s work to be done.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the author and hopefully I can get to this book this week because I’m really looking forward to reading it. Chris Strange wrote The Man Who Crossed Worlds, a book I enjoyed immensely. You can read my review here. The premise is different from anything I’ve ever heard of and I’m really interested in seeing where Strange goes with this.

Those are my picks for this week! What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? (21) October 8, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Not only do I adore this cover, I’m really enjoying this book. I’m incredibly intrigued by the Aglionby boys. They are unbelievably rich and reading about the mindset of how Gansey thinks about money is so interesting! I can’t wait to review this book. I just hope I can do it justice.

Title: Something Strange and Deadly

Author: Susan Dennard

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

I started reading this book for the read along and I became so engrossed in it that instead of just reading chapters one through nine, I read all the way up the eleventh! I haven’t seen too many zombies yet but the ones I have seen are pretty scary. This is nothing like Dearly, Departed.

Title: Flicker

Author: Kaye Thornbrugh

Available at: Amazon – Kindle

From Goodreads:

When sixteen-year-old Lee Capren is spirited away to Faerie, she is forced to serve capricious faeries as a prized portrait artist… and live as their prisoner.

A chance encounter with the charming Nasser grants Lee a chance for freedom—but what felt like mere days in Faerie spanned years in the human world, and Lee no longer has a home to return to.

Nasser is a Seer—a human with magical powers—and Lee is quickly plunged into his world: a sprawling city teeming with magic and mystery, where supernatural creatures walk hidden among humans. With the help of a rag-tag group of teenage Seers, Lee must master her newfound magical talent and outwit a cunning faerie determined to destroy her.

This is a book submission that I’m really looking forward to reading. The premise really appeals to me. I love fairies. The mystery that surrounds them intrigues me. Magic also interests me as I think it would anyone. To have that kind of heady power is appealing on so many levels.

Title: Don’t Be a Hero

Author: Chris Strange

Available at: ARC

From Goodreads:

It’s a bad time to be a superhero.

When the world turned its back on metahumans, the golden age of superheroes came crashing down. But now a mysterious supercriminal is making one final bid for power, and with no one else left to protect the world, ex-hero Spook must risk everything to take him down. There will be no reprieve, no negotiation. War is coming.

Put on the mask. There’s work to be done.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the author and hopefully I can get to this book this week because I’m really looking forward to reading it. Chris Strange wrote The Man Who Crossed Worlds, a book I enjoyed immensely. You can read my review here. The premise is different from anything I’ve ever heard of and I’m really interested in seeing where Strange goes with this.

Those are my picks for this week! What are you reading this week?

It's Monday! What are you reading? October 1, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: Incarnation

Author: Emma Cornwall

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

In the steampunk world of Victorian London, a beautiful vampire seeks out the author of Dracula–to set the record straight . . . If one is to believe Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale, Lucy Weston is Dracula’s most wanton creation, a sexual creature of the night who preys on innocent boys. But the real-life Lucy is nothing like her fictional counterpart—and she demands to know why the Victorian author deliberately lied. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she’s determined to track down the very fiend who transformed her—from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires, to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness, and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme.

Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy must battle her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she must make a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—what it means to be human.

I’m wavering between enjoying this book and being weighed down by the cumbersome prose. I’m not sure if I like all the flowery descriptions and expressions. I kind of waver between thinking “oh pretty!” and simply sighing. Sometimes I have to reread a few passages to really understand what the author is trying to convey. Too much dressing, not enough meat. For all of that I am enjoying the book. There’s still a lot of action and a lot of romance once you get the descriptions out of the way. We’ll see how the end goes before I dole any final judgment though.

Title: The Resonant

Author: Shauna Leone

Available at: Kindle

From Goodreads:

10,500 BC, the end of the Last Ice Age: A young girl flees her drowning land, her people’s efforts at stopping the cataclysm, failed. Now she must face a new life in a hostile world as her grandfather desperately tries to prevent such destruction occurring again.

Present Day: Salvager and Marine Archaeologist, Paige Evans, finds a strange encrusted object at the bottom of the ocean and is certain she has made the discovery of a lifetime. Her boss, however, denies she has found anything of importance.
But then the visions begin.
And so do the murders.
Because others know what Paige has found and are reluctant to share its power. They know it is part of an ancient puzzle which is screaming to be solved.
For the world has grown uneasy, there is an air of foreboding, an expectation of imminent terrors, the latest doomsday book in no small way helping to fuel such beliefs, as its mysterious author’s predictions are beginning to come true.
And only understanding the past will save the future.

The next book I’ll be reading is a book submission by the author Shauna Leone. I read a small sample earlier and I liked it so I have high hopes for this book. Hopefully it’ll live up to them.  It’s a little outside m normal genre, but it’ll be good to stretch my wings.

Title: Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I can’t wait to read this book. First off, it’s in hardcover. I’ve been dying to feel paper and the pages between my fingers again. Second off, I love the cover. I could stare at this cover for hours. I’ve always loved ravens and the raven on this cover is gorgeous. Finally, the premise sounds intriguing. It sounds a little bit tragic and very mysterious. I can’t wait to delve into the book and discover what the mystery is.

So there you have it. My reading for the week. What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? October 1, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: Incarnation

Author: Emma Cornwall

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

In the steampunk world of Victorian London, a beautiful vampire seeks out the author of Dracula–to set the record straight . . . If one is to believe Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale, Lucy Weston is Dracula’s most wanton creation, a sexual creature of the night who preys on innocent boys. But the real-life Lucy is nothing like her fictional counterpart—and she demands to know why the Victorian author deliberately lied. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she’s determined to track down the very fiend who transformed her—from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires, to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness, and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme.

Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy must battle her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she must make a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—what it means to be human.

I’m wavering between enjoying this book and being weighed down by the cumbersome prose. I’m not sure if I like all the flowery descriptions and expressions. I kind of waver between thinking “oh pretty!” and simply sighing. Sometimes I have to reread a few passages to really understand what the author is trying to convey. Too much dressing, not enough meat. For all of that I am enjoying the book. There’s still a lot of action and a lot of romance once you get the descriptions out of the way. We’ll see how the end goes before I dole any final judgment though.

Title: The Resonant

Author: Shauna Leone

Available at: Kindle

From Goodreads:

10,500 BC, the end of the Last Ice Age: A young girl flees her drowning land, her people’s efforts at stopping the cataclysm, failed. Now she must face a new life in a hostile world as her grandfather desperately tries to prevent such destruction occurring again.

Present Day: Salvager and Marine Archaeologist, Paige Evans, finds a strange encrusted object at the bottom of the ocean and is certain she has made the discovery of a lifetime. Her boss, however, denies she has found anything of importance.
But then the visions begin.
And so do the murders.
Because others know what Paige has found and are reluctant to share its power. They know it is part of an ancient puzzle which is screaming to be solved.
For the world has grown uneasy, there is an air of foreboding, an expectation of imminent terrors, the latest doomsday book in no small way helping to fuel such beliefs, as its mysterious author’s predictions are beginning to come true.
And only understanding the past will save the future.

The next book I’ll be reading is a book submission by the author Shauna Leone. I read a small sample earlier and I liked it so I have high hopes for this book. Hopefully it’ll live up to them.  It’s a little outside m normal genre, but it’ll be good to stretch my wings.

Title: Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I can’t wait to read this book. First off, it’s in hardcover. I’ve been dying to feel paper and the pages between my fingers again. Second off, I love the cover. I could stare at this cover for hours. I’ve always loved ravens and the raven on this cover is gorgeous. Finally, the premise sounds intriguing. It sounds a little bit tragic and very mysterious. I can’t wait to delve into the book and discover what the mystery is.

So there you have it. My reading for the week. What are you reading this week?

It's Monday! What are you reading? September 24, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: Stormdancer

Author: Jay Kristoff

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she’s determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

So far I’m really enjoying the adventures of Yukiko. I’m just at the point where she and Buruu have teamed up. It was hard to put it down! The world building is amazing. It’s easy to become immersed within the digital pages of this book. I plan on just reading today. Hopefully I’ll be able to make a big dent in it.

Title: The Crown of Embers

Author: Rae Carson

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

She does not know what awaits her at the enemy’s gate.

Elisa is a hero.

She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trail of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

This will be the next book I read. I’m really excited about it. It’s the second book in the Fire and Thorns series. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is the first book and I loved it. This second book is supposed to be even better then the first as well so you can understand why I’m so anxious to read it. The cover is lovely too!

Title: Journey to Hart’s Halo

Author: Lou Hood

Available at: Kindle

From Goodreads:

The project of eccentric technology billionaire Dr. Oliver Hart, Hart’s Halo is about to be populated by Zero Colony. Space-crazy twelve year old Davey Randolph’s dream is to win two of the twelve spots, for him and his mom, in a global lottery to spend five years aboard the Halo.

Constructed as a puzzle-propelled mystery, Davey needs the help of an international cast of clever and quirky pre-teens, and to conquer his own feelings of being an outsider, to solve the puzzles that will lead to a shocking discovery about the true fate of his missing father.

With new quantum physics from The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, futuristic technology, and space travel and habitation, it is a modern myth of epic scale.

If I finish the other two books which I should, I’ll start in on this book. This was a book submission and it looks good. I read a sample and the writing was engaging. I’ll still reserve judgment until I actually read the book.

That’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? September 24, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: Stormdancer

Author: Jay Kristoff

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she’s determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

So far I’m really enjoying the adventures of Yukiko. I’m just at the point where she and Buruu have teamed up. It was hard to put it down! The world building is amazing. It’s easy to become immersed within the digital pages of this book. I plan on just reading today. Hopefully I’ll be able to make a big dent in it.

Title: The Crown of Embers

Author: Rae Carson

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

She does not know what awaits her at the enemy’s gate.

Elisa is a hero.

She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country’s ruler should be secure. But it isn’t.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from foreign realms and even from within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears, once and for all, Elisa must follow a trail of long-forgotten—and forbidden—clues, from the deep, hidden catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her go a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man whom—despite everything—she is falling in love with.

If she’s lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

This will be the next book I read. I’m really excited about it. It’s the second book in the Fire and Thorns series. The Girl of Fire and Thorns is the first book and I loved it. This second book is supposed to be even better then the first as well so you can understand why I’m so anxious to read it. The cover is lovely too!

Title: Journey to Hart’s Halo

Author: Lou Hood

Available at: Kindle

From Goodreads:

The project of eccentric technology billionaire Dr. Oliver Hart, Hart’s Halo is about to be populated by Zero Colony. Space-crazy twelve year old Davey Randolph’s dream is to win two of the twelve spots, for him and his mom, in a global lottery to spend five years aboard the Halo.

Constructed as a puzzle-propelled mystery, Davey needs the help of an international cast of clever and quirky pre-teens, and to conquer his own feelings of being an outsider, to solve the puzzles that will lead to a shocking discovery about the true fate of his missing father.

With new quantum physics from The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, futuristic technology, and space travel and habitation, it is a modern myth of epic scale.

If I finish the other two books which I should, I’ll start in on this book. This was a book submission and it looks good. I read a sample and the writing was engaging. I’ll still reserve judgment until I actually read the book.

That’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? (18) September 17, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: The Blinding Knife

Author: Brent Weeks

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

Gavin Guile is dying.

He’d thought he had five years left—now he has less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a bastard son, and an ex-fiancée who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin has problems on every side. All magic in the world is running wild and threatens to destroy the Seven Satrapies.

Worst of all, the old gods are being reborn, and their army of color wights is unstoppable. The only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole sixteen years ago.

This is the second book in the Lightbringer series. (The Black Prism is the first book.) Just like the first book, the beginning of the second book is a slog. I’m starting to get into it though and it’s happening sooner then it did with the first. I think that’s because I have so much more background then I did the first time around. The story and the world is so complex you need a lot of buildup.

Title: Vessel

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

I’m really excited about reading this book. I found it on Amazon and I not only fell  in love with the gorgeous cover, I thought the premise sounded great. I mean trickster gods? How fun is that?

I’m eager to finish Blinding Knife so I can move on to Vessel. I’m setting aside reading time today to do just that.

What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? (18) September 17, 2012

This Monday meme is held by the The Book Journey. Feel free to join in and tell us what you’re reading!

Title: The Blinding Knife

Author: Brent Weeks

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

Gavin Guile is dying.

He’d thought he had five years left—now he has less than one. With fifty thousand refugees, a bastard son, and an ex-fiancée who may have learned his darkest secret, Gavin has problems on every side. All magic in the world is running wild and threatens to destroy the Seven Satrapies.

Worst of all, the old gods are being reborn, and their army of color wights is unstoppable. The only salvation may be the brother whose freedom and life Gavin stole sixteen years ago.

This is the second book in the Lightbringer series. (The Black Prism is the first book.) Just like the first book, the beginning of the second book is a slog. I’m starting to get into it though and it’s happening sooner then it did with the first. I think that’s because I have so much more background then I did the first time around. The story and the world is so complex you need a lot of buildup.

Title: Vessel

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

I’m really excited about reading this book. I found it on Amazon and I not only fell  in love with the gorgeous cover, I thought the premise sounded great. I mean trickster gods? How fun is that?

I’m eager to finish Blinding Knife so I can move on to Vessel. I’m setting aside reading time today to do just that.

What are you reading?