Waiting on Wednesday: Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

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

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: 01/19/2018

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race... 

I'm really looking forward to reading this book! It sounds like it's going to be full of adventure.

So this is my pick. What are you waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesday: Pitch by Courtney Alameda

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

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: 02/20/2018

Tuck Durante is a shipraider, combing space for Earth artifacts from a war that ended 500 years ago. When his parents' ship crashes in the dead zone and the crew goes missing, Tuck hires a ragtag rescue team.

Meanwhile, curator Lana Gray is fighting to keep the US PANAM John Muir—and the remnants of its crew—alive. Their space capsule housing Yosemite National Park was hijacked. The hijacking turned ninety-five percent of her crew into nightmarish creatures called mourners who flay, dismember, or decapitate with nothing more than sharp-pitched shrieks.

Now, despite their differences, Lana, Tuck, and their crews must work together to save the John Muir. In space, nobody can hear you scream...but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear.

This sounds right up my alley. Spaceships and aliens - what more could I ask for?!

So this is my pick. What are you waiting for?

Review: Shadow Run by Michael Miller & AdriAnne Strickland

Shadown Run by Michael Miller & AdriAnne Strickland

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Kaitan Chronicles, #1
Publication date: 03/21/2017
Source: Bought

Firefly meets Dune in this action-packed sci-fi adventure about a close-knit, found family of a crew navigating a galaxy of political intrigue and resource-driven power games.

Nev has just joined the crew of the starship Kaitan Heritage as the cargo loader. His captain, Qole, is the youngest-ever person to command her own ship, but she brooks no argument from her crew of orphans, fugitives, and con men. Nev can't resist her, even if her ship is an antique. 

As for Nev, he's a prince, in hiding on the ship. He believes Qole holds the key to changing galactic civilization, and when her cooperation proves difficult to obtain, Nev resolves to get her to his home planet by any means necessary. 

But before they know it, a rival royal family is after Qole too, and they're more interested in stealing her abilities than in keeping her alive. 

Nev's mission to manipulate Qole becomes one to save her, and to survive, she'll have to trust her would-be kidnapper. He may be royalty, but Qole is discovering a deep reservoir of power--and stars have mercy on whoever tries to hurt her ship or her crew.

You had me at Firefly. That mention is what piqued my interest in reading this book. It was a great hook too and I’m thrilled that Shadow Run lived up to my expectations. With its mash-up of interesting and unforgettable characters, Shadow Run lured me deeper into its action-packed galactic universe. I enjoyed this book immensely!

Qole represents all that I love about heroines in books. She’s strong but still has her vulnerable moments. She will fight for her crew no matter what’s at stake. Simply put, she’s a total bad-ass.  But you know what? Nev had to be my favorite character. He embodied everything that I could hope for and more in a hero. He was so unexpected and refreshing. I looked forward to reading his POV.

From its rich descriptions of the Kaitan and the different planets to the constant adrenaline rush of excitement and danger, Shadow Run kept me immersed in its pages. This book is one of those gems that caught me completely by surprise. I’m looking forward to reading the next chapter in this exciting new series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Order SHADOW RUN

Waiting on Wednesday: Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

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

Iron Gold (Iron Gold, #1) by Pierce Brown
Publisher: Del Ray
Publication date: 10/31/2017

Pierce Brown expands the size and scope of his #1 New York Times bestselling Red Rising series with a brand-new adventure of revolution and betrayal among the stars.

If you want to know more about Iron Gold, read this article by Entertainment Weekly. 

Pierce's Red Rising Series was one of my favorites and I can't wait to delve back into the world of Darrow.

So this is my pick. What are you waiting for?

Spotlight: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I have some exciting news about the upcoming series The Illuminae Files which will be releasing October 20, 2015. Random House will be revealing new content about the first book as the release date closes in. I have visited the Illuminae site @ IlluminaeFiles.com and viewed Kady's and Ezra's profiles and I have to tell you guys that I'm awfully thrilled about what's to come. So, go ahead and check it out. Here's some praise:

PRAISE FOR

The Illuminae Files_01

« “Ambitious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world awesome.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“An exuberant mix of space opera, romance, zombies, hackers, and political thrills, told with eccentric aplomb. ILLUMINAE is both the weirdest and most heartfelt thing you'll read this year. ”

—Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and Zeroes

“Absolutely brilliant. This is the sci-fi I've been waiting for!”

—Beth Revis, bestselling author of Across The Universe on Amie Kaufman’s These Broken Stars

Illuminae (Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October  20, 2015

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis

Pub. Date: January 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Format: Hardcover , 416pp

Age Range: Young Adult
Source: Publisher

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Revis's debut is an addiction that will leave readers begging for more!

Across the Universe is a refreshing addition to the YA market which is currently saturated with paranormal creatures. I'm a huge paranormal fan but even I want something different every now and then. Across the Universe shipped me into a whole new world filled with the complexities of mankind and what we would do for survival. This Sci-Fi novel wrapped me up and held on tight. I did not want to put it down!

Revis created some complex and exciting characters. I love the characters in this book! And I mean every last one of them, even the frightening leader. I can't imagine being Amy. She has to deal with a whole new way of life while aboard a ship in space at that. The alternating point of views between Amy and Elder really captured the emotions and struggle of what the characters faced on the ship, Godspeed. Revis did an amazing job. I couldn’t get enough of these characters!

While reading this novel, there were times when I was in awe of the details, world building, and politics that Revis created. She truly amazed me with her creativity of life & the complexities of Godspeed. Not everything is black and white and Revis truly captured the burdens of what leaders must face during crises. All I can say is this is one series you don't want to miss! I'm ready for the next installment (I wish I could fast forward to next year)!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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Check out the book trailer!

Sensational 7 Q & A with Beth Revis (Author of Across the Universe)!

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to hang out with your favorite author(s)? In an attempt to get a better understanding of authors, my Sensational Seven Q & A takes a closer or more personal look at these authors to give you a glimpse of the personalities behind the writing of your favorite books.

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Beth Revis grew up in western North Carolina reading the classics of CS Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle and devouring YA fantasy and science fiction by Robin McKinley, Patricia Wrede, and Orson Scott Card. Her debut novel, a sci fi novel for teens who don't like sci fi, is coming from Penguin/Razorbill in January 11, 2011 (TODAY!!!).

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, the first of a trilogy, tells the story of a girl born of Earth but cryogenically frozen for a centuries-long trip across the universe and the boy born on the ship who she meets when she's woken up fifty years too early.

If you were given a chance to travel back in time, what year or place would you go / Why?

Hmmm. I'm not sure. I used to want to travel to the Middle Ages just because I thought it was cool, but when I studied history and realized that it was nothing like fairy tales (i.e. less soap and more oppression). Still, I would like to observe that time. Connie Willis's DOOMSDAY BOOK left a great impression on me.

Describe your novel in seven words or less?

A murder mystery...in SPACE!!!

Please share with us about your favorite book and fictional crush to date?

My favorite books are the Chronicles of Narnia, but as for a literary crush...hmmm.....perhaps Luthe from THE HERO AND THE CROWN, which is the height of ironic since that name is the name of a bad guy in my own book...

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be / Why?

Aerin from THE HERO AND THE CROWN. She's just so darn noble, and defines bravery to me--fighting even when you're scared stiff, fighting even after you're mortally wounded.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play thelead role as you/ Why?

Drew Barrymore! She's one of my absolute favorite actresses and I think our hair is similar and I wish I could be pretty like her...

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be – please explain?

Oh, I doubt anyone would write a biography of me. My life is extraordinarily boring to everyone except me.

How would you describe yourself/life in seven words?

I only need two words: relentlessly happy. As in, I'm always striving--fighting sometimes--to be happy.

Bonus:

**Is there any additional info you would like to share with your readers about what’s next for you and your books?**

Well, currently I'm working on the second book in the trilogy, so I hope that readers like Amy and Elder enough to keep reading their tale. I also hope everyone knows that the book jacket for the book is reversible (eeee!!!!) and that the website, http://acrosstheuniversebook.com is getting overhauled as I type this (and will probably be done by the time this posts).

Thanks for stopping by Beth!

For more information about Beth Revis and her books, please visit her website here.