Waiting on Wednesday: Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon is due to come out on October 4th. I am positively salivating to read this book. I love books set in Ireland & this oozes of a powerful mystery that I revel in. Read on:

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

From Goodreads

I know you're probably thinking that this sounds a lot like Angelfire and Falling Under that I was only lukewarm about. While I think they have some characteristics in common, I think that this one might be more up my alley. I seem to have become more particular in my reading tastes lately & Carrier of the Mark just seems to fit the bill a little better than these others. What do you think? What are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Angelfire

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am so stoked for the official release date of Courtney Allison Moulton's extraordinary debut novel Angelfire on February 15! This book has it all: romance, intrigue, bravado & kickass action! Read on to learn more.

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever.

Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

From Goodreads

So like I said, extraordinary right? I truly believe that this will be one of the big books of 2011. You can find my review here & be sure to keep a lookout for the future books in this series, set for 2012 & 2013 publications.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Ellie wanted a huge party for her 17th birthday; too bad all she got were some seriously messed up magical abilities. The ever hunky, and handy, Will shows up practically on her doorstep to inform her that she isn't just Ellie Monroe. She is actually a centuries-old, reaper-slaying warrior, who continues to be reincarnated after each of her deaths. This recent incarnation, Ellie's life, took longer than usual, so her memory isn't coming back to her as quickly as usual.

Unfortunately that doesn't stop all sorts of nasties from trying to stop her reincarnation cycle permanently. Bastian, a very powerful reaper, has come forward to formally challenge her abilities & put her out of her misery, for there is no way she can defeat her enemies without her memories. The only one capable of wielding the angelfire swords, Ellie must make a choice between stepping away from the fight & watching the world end or trusting Will to guide her as she steps back into her old self & lays siege to those who dare to threaten her world.

Angelfire was certainly a different kind of story. As promised, there were definitely elements of mystery, thrilling battle scenes & undeniable attraction. I truly enjoyed this debut author's take on the urban fantasy world. The writing was very accessible & easy flowing. It would be very interesting to see this book written from different points of view because I felt like I really knew Ellie, but that the rest of the cast was kind of blurry. That's not to say that it's a bad thing. I honestly expect them to become clearer in the next book or two since this will be a series.

The mysteriousness of Ellie's history was a very mesmerizing part of the story. There was certainly some amusement to be had since Will (as her protective warrior) knew about her past, but refused to share it. Their interactions were some of the most charismatic I have seen recently. It kind of reminded me of the Buffy & Giles/Angel relationships that bewitched me during the show's 7 season run. Will has elements of both Giles & Angel all wrapped up in one; like a really hot tutor. :)

Anyway, I digress. For those urban fantasy folks, this is right up your alley and for those who enjoy a good action novel, try this too. Good luck!