Doubleheader!! Waiting on Wednesday: Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon AND Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon

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.

This week we've got a rarity! Since I've been MIA while recovering from surgery, you get two books featured on this week's Waiting on Wednesday. Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon & Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon are both scheduled for a shelf date of April 9, 2013. I thought these two complimented one another quite well as they are opposites of one another. Strangelets seems to be a stand alone novel with a paranormal twist while Inferno is the next installment in a continuing series set in the urban fantasy world. Check out either or both!

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…
 
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.  
 
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.

From Goodreads

The heat is on, and a new threat to humanity has risen…

Nick has his driver’s license and he’s not afraid to use it. But turning sixteen isn’t what he thought it would be. While other boys his age are worried about prom dates and applying for college, Nick is neck deep in enemies out to stop him from living another day. No longer sure if he can trust anyone, his only ally seems to be the one person he’s been told will ultimately kill him.

But life spent serving the undead is anything except ordinary. And those out to get him have summoned an ancient force so powerful even the gods fear it. As Nick learns to command and control the elements, the one he must master in order to combat his latest foe is the one most likely to destroy him. As the old proverb goes, fire knows nothing of mercy, and if Nick is to survive this latest round, he will have to sacrifice a part of himself. However, the best sacrifice is seldom the sanest move. Sometimes it’s the one that leaves your enemies confused, and you even more so.

And sometimes, you have to trust your enemy to save your friends. But what do you do when that enemy is you?

From Goodreads

My library is undergoing a MAJOR system update, so they're currently down and it is excruciating that I can't place either of these on hold! My wait will be over soon though. Anyone thinking about picking up either of these? What are you waiting on this week?

Infamous (Chronicles of Nick #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon review

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself.

From Goodreads

Nick is back in trouble...again. This time he has no clue who really to trust. For the most part everyone seems to be on his side, but everyone has their secrets. It begins innocuously enough, someone disseminates crude photos of an innocent classmate all over the school. Not thinking much of the obviously human cruelty, Nick continues his after-school studies with Grim (aka Death himself), Caleb (a man of questionable loyalties) & his not-known-to-his-mother girlfriend Kody (a very pretty girl hiding some very nasty secrets). With their help he tends to stay out of trouble.

But the cruelty at his school is escalating. Now there is an entire blog outing people for all sorts of things & naming sources of the information. Half of it is true to a point, but most of the sources as bogus. Soon enough though Nick finds himself on the wrong end of a beat down causing him all sorts of issues. Worst of all, he ends up in Azmodea (home of the Malachai's master) fighting to regain consciousness in the real world. As if that's not bad enough something more sinister is at work in the school & if it's not stopped soon, there may be only one Malachai in this realm & it won't be Nick.


Oh how I've missed the snarkiness & teenage angst of Nick & his companions! I genuinely enjoy watching Nick grow into his powers and take on all sorts of big bads. He reminds me a lot of Buffy & the Scooby gang in that while he may be fighting big, nasty monsters, a) he's never alone (maybe physically, but not spiritually or emotionally) & b) he makes mistakes just like any other person trying to find their place in a paranormally-filled world. Infinity & Invincible set us up quite well for all the madness that occurs in Infamous.


All your favorite characters make their return, but tend to keep to the shadows. This book was a chance for us to really get to know Nick, his relationship with his mother & his past/future very well. There is quite a bit of plot development that takes place & I can only see things getting more heated from here on out. A big battle is brewing in which Nick will play a starring role. In order to fulfill that duty he must be able to stand on his own. This book was all about him learning what that means & what he's going to have to do to accomplish his goal.


I really can't say much more because I'm afraid I'll give some of the good stuff away. This book is more demon-based than supernatural based & I really enjoyed that. Sherrilyn Kenyon does a fabulous job giving us glimpses into her Dark-Hunter & Were-Hunter worlds without bring the adult content. It's just teasing enough to convince you to check them out. I recommend them for older readers because they are written for an adult crowd if you get my drift. My favorite part of her Chronicles of Nick series though are the life lessons she instills in her characters. Many of them are wise beyond their current form's years, but the lessons they teach are still accessible & pertinent for the target audience.


Enjoy!

Infamous: another Chronicles of Nick book is out!

I know I featured it last week on Waiting On Wednesday, but now there's a trailer for the 3rd installment in the Nick Gautier series. Check it out!




Blurb:
The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters. Now Nick's saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume...

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That's the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn't the average teenager. He's a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He's learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn't the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or...

And if you're really interested: the first two chapters! (Completely legal, from the author's website)

Waiting on Wednesday: Infamous (Chronicles of Nick #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

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.

While I am still growing to like her style of writing for adults, Sherrilyn Kenyon has definitely won me over with her YA series the Chronicles of Nick. It all started with Infinity & continued in Invincible. Now we're on to Infamous (obviously the 3rd installment) to be released March 13th. I love when I can say that a blurb ISN'T spoilery at all!! This one gives a glimpse into what Nick has learned in the first two novels without telling you much, just enough to leave you wanting to know more! Check it out.

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself.

From Goodreads

Getting rather excited over here! These are such breezy reads that I can enjoy in a weekend. Her writing style is mostly upbeat with some quirky characters adding hilarity to the story. All in all I'm ready to see what our boy is up to now.

What are you waiting on this week?

Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon review

SPOILER ALERT: This is the 18th book in the Dark Hunter series & while the author says that the books can be read in any order, I like to give fair warning anyway. Just FYI.

Fang Kattalakis is far from a lone wolf. He is a member of a pack, with his brother, his father & several other folks. But he has never desired a female as much as that of Aimee Peltier. Too bad she's not a wolf, she's actually the owner of Sanctuary's daughter. Oh, and a bear too.

Fang wasn't looking for a mate, heck he wasn't even looking for a date when he & some pack members wandered into Sanctuary for a meal. Of course nothing can ever be that simple & when Aimee's life is threatened by roving jackals, Fang protects & defends her, winning eternal gratification from the bears.

As it turns out, that "gratification" comes in very handy when things go sour faster than he ever thought possible. When his own father hands down the execution order for Fang & his brother, the bears are there to nurse them both back to health. Unfortunately the damage to Fang is extensive & he finds himself actually locked in a hellish purgatory with Aimee as his only way out. The unwilling couple form a bond that nothing seems to shake & she manages to save, in more way than one. Their bond, although tenuous, comes in handy sooner than they would have liked when the different lycanthrope groups decide to stage an all-out war. Will Sanctuary survive the battle or will it become a casualty of the young couple's budding romance?

Bad Moon Rising is one of the plethora of books from the wonderfully enchanting Sherrilyn Kenyon. I pick and choose which books of her's I want to read because while they are all loosely affiliated, you do not have to read the previous books to understand the main storyline of the current book you're reading. The first book I read was No Mercy , which comes after this book in sequence, so I understood certain things with more clarity after reading Bad Moon Rising, but nothing that completely altered the book for me. Any way...

Aimee & Fang are a fun couple to watch develop. They really have no intention of being attracted to one another & actively try to dissuade & distract themselves from the other, but they just have no luck. As cursed beings their lives are kind of determined by the gods & the gods have a sick sense of humor when it comes to messing with people's love lives. Aimee is a strong-willed woman who is the only female of the bear clan & is doing everything in her power to keep the family name clear & pure to continue their legacy. Fang is a little haggard, but his rough-and-tumble life is as good as he could expect it to be. Bringing these two smart-mouthed, wise-cracking, hard-headed fools together is one of the most explosive & fun things I've seen Ms. Kenyon do in her books.

The writing is spot on with some great quotes & active story building. The Dark Hunter/Were Hunter worlds are very diverse with a lot of history & details that I can't even begin to imagine trying to keep up with, so I appreciate the effort she puts in to make the story so engrossing. This one was turned turn in steamy romance compared to the first book I read, but there is still definitely some lovin' (of multiple acts) going on between these two characters. As I've continued to say, I'm not the biggest fan of misplaced romance. It has to actually add something to the story in order for me to get behind it. That was definitely the case in this book, so I didn't mind so much.

I'm looking forward to the next book I plan to read from Ms. Kenyon, although I'm not sure if it will be a Dark Hunter/Were Hunter book or if I'll wait for the next Chronicles of Nick book that's due out in February of 2012. I'm stuck. What do you think?

Trailer & Giveaway!: Sherrilyn Kenyon's new Dark Hunters book Retribution

Sherrilyn Kenyon has a new Dark Hunter book coming out TOMORROW! To celebrate this wonderful new addition (technically book 20 in the series) St. Martin's Press has released a trailer & is allowing me to giveaway 1 copy of Retribution. Rules:

1. You must be 13 or older.
2. You must reside in the US or Canada (publisher's rules)
3. Closes August 13th.
   

Please fill out the form.

In the mean time, read the blurb & enjoy the trailer!

"...Harm no human…

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters..."

Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Invincible is the second book in the Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. As such, there may be spoilers in this review for the first book Infinity.

So after saving the world from the nerd-induced, zombie-apocalypse Nick Gautier was really hoping that his life could go back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as a mostly human teenager's life can be. With all the new abilities he's learning, Nick is finding it harder & harder to determine who to trust. His mysterious Uncle Ambrose is a little too close for comfort, his life-defending demon Caleb has a nasty temper & even Death himself is teaching Nick new tricks, at a cost unknown to Nick.

Despite all these new preternatural events going on in his life, including the discovery of just how many of his classmates are "unique", Nick still has his real life mess to deal with. His overly-protective mother just started a new job at the local preternatural bar Sanctuary & decides to move them out of their crummy condo & into a nicer place. Also, Nick finally gets to go on a date with new girl Kody. The most mundane thing that happens to Nick is the new football coach picks him to rejoin the team. Or at least, Nick thought it was mundane. The new coach is weird in a different way. He wants Nick to steal personal items for him or else. And with teenage boys from his school dying left & right, Nick is tempted to do as he's told. But this Cajun's got a fightin' streak in him that a UFC fighter would envy.

This book picks up exactly where Infinity left off & hits the ground running. Since there isn't much back story to rehash, we can step right back into the action with Nick. He's learning to harness his powers & rein them in because they seem to be getting him in trouble everywhere he goes. I have to say that I liked watching Nick grow in both his human & preternatural forms. He got to experience some very human firsts (first date, first kiss, first torn-between-to-things, etc) that I think are key in teenage development. I would have worried had he gone much longer without those experiences. He is also learning to channel his powers & control them rather than the other way around. He also learns a lot about himself, like his potentials & his weaknesses, that I think will become a greater part of the story as we move forward.

The writing style continues to be very fluid & amusing with just the right amount of humor & wit. While it seemed a bit predictable (not in what necessarily was going to happen, but in how it would all play out) I still enjoyed the ride & I think that is what makes this such a wonderfully pleasant read.

Pick it up & take a peak (after you read Infinity of course) & let me know your thoughts!

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Nick Gautier is one of the cockiest, most smart mouthed 14 year old in all of New Orleans. Or at least he thinks he is. The son of a teen mother & death-row inmate, Nick hasn't hasn't had the easiest of lives, but that doesn't change this Cajun's fiery attitude. He would lay his life down to defend his mother & wants nothing more than to become the man worthy of her praises.

Unfortunately there are things lurking in New Orleans that have always been on the periphery, that are now attracted to Nick like bees to honey. Every crazy creature from every horror movie ever created, and some new ones to boot, are coming after him & his friends. Some of them have been sent for nefarious reasons & others are renegade agents accidentally created by a nerd trying to avoid being bullied.

As Nick sinks deeper into the new New Orleans, he's learning more about himself & his friends than he ever expected. Those closest to you are your most dangerous enemies & strangers' kindness always comes with strings attached. Can Nick hold his ground or will he have to give an inch to gain a mile?

While I must admit that overall I did like this story, there is absolutely no denying that this book was written by someone accustomed to writing adult, romance novels. Nick Gautier is one of the more intriguing "human" characters in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters series. As such, he was created in an adult world. Despite the fact that she is now going back & writing his back story for teens, she can't very well change his lineage as it already exists. Therefore, Nick's mom is a Bourbon Street stripper & his father is a homicidal death row inmate. There are also some phrasing choices & references that some more reserved readers may cringe at, but nothing overly imposing.

All that being said, I really loved the feeling of New Orleans in this book. Sherrilyn really captures the city's majesty & essence while also managing to capture the more struggling side of life. There is something about a "Cinderella" story, rising to greatness from the lowest depths, that I find truly compelling & masterful. Sherrilyn manages to combine all of these elements together in a truly astounding way that is still so very relative.

My absolute favorite character in this story is Bubba. A backwater, zombie-hunting, Oprah-watching redneck who owns a computer repair/gun shop, he is a main source of information on the preternatural & Nick's unofficial guide while he's learning to navigate in this new dark world.

A fun read, with creative flair, Infinity is the beginning of a series I intend to keep an eye on.

One last thing, if you've never checked out Sherrilyn's website, you really should. She has so much information on all her series & characters. Be forewarned though, since there is some crossover between the adult & teen series, there are spoilers in the adult profiles. The niftiest part I found on Nicky's profile was his 10 Things to Know About Me:

1. I was born standing standing up and talking back
2. Cajun born and bred
3. My fave haunts are Mulates and Cafe Du Monde where my mom takes me after work.
4. I live for Zydeco and good gumbo.
5. I really want a gaming system, but we can't afford it.
6. I don't like authority and it doesn't like me.
7. Bubba is one of my best friends.
8. Rich man's gumbo is when the meat is actually bought in a store.
9. Schools and prisons. Both are institutions with people who want to abuse you where you're confined to little rooms.
10. Manga. The new drug.

Special Annoucement: Invincible: Book 2 of the Chronicles of Nick

A special sneak, peek for my bookish friends. Invincible is the next book in the Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. For fans of her adult Dark Hunters series, this will sound familiar because this is Nick Gautier's actual life story, it's just marketed to teens. I really like this series & feel like a dork that I haven't reviewed the first book (Infinity) yet, but I promise to rectify that situation post haste! Without further adieu, I give you the sneak peek!

"Nick Gautier's day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he?s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can?t even mention and the girl he?s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he?s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn't learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them..."

The New York Times-bestselling with over 19 million books in print, Sherrilyn Kenyon is renowned the world over as "the reigning queen of the paranormal genre that she pioneered long before the world had heard of Twilight."

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

SPOILER ALERT: This is the 19th book in the Dark Hunter series & while the author says that the books can be read in any order, the beginning of this one leads me to believe it would give away the ending of a previous novel. Just FYI.

Devereaux Peltier (Dev) has always stayed close to his family's New Orleans-based paranormal night club, Sanctuary, to help his mother & keep a watchful eye on his younger sister. After the gigantic battle to defend their nightclub & the loss of both his parents during that fight, Dev is a shapeshifting bear adrift. As the night bouncer for the club, he sees all sorts of characters. Unfortunately the one who took his breath away is off-limits.

Samia (Sam) is an Amazonian dark-hunter. She is an immortal who sold her soul to Artemis in order to avenge the murder of her family. Eons later she is still roaming the Earth by night to protect the human race from all manner of foul creatures. The night that she returns to Sanctuary for business is a night that will change everything she has taken as fact for the last 5,000 years.

When Sam & Dev have to join together to keep Sam alive & out of the hands of the bad guys, the two find that they have a lot more in common than they originally thought & that their mutual attraction is something they really can't seem to fight.

Let me just preface this review with a personal note. I am not a prude when it comes to sexual situations. I consider myself to be very liberal in my acceptance of all manner & expression of all relationships. That being said, I am not a fan of gratuitous sex scenes in film or print. Honestly, if there is no real plot point behind the deed, then I don't need a play-by-play, let alone several.

Overall I must say I really liked this book. Sherrilyn Kenyon has an amazing ability to capture not only the action, but the essence of a situation, without getting too bogged down in the details or word count. I could picture almost every action & sequence as I read the book, including some that were just a bit too much for my reading tastes.

As I just stated, I don't enjoy reading gratuitous sex scenes, and I feel like this was one of those books where every 75 pages someone was getting it on, or had just finished getting it on. It irked me, but I decided to ignore that and focus on the story. When I did that, I found I enjoyed the story in general.

The characters were certainly engaging & had some depth to them, while still managing to be accessible to someone who has never read the series. The dialogue was witty & amusing & really helped move the story along. My favorite part of her writing though, was her inclusion of the Greek dieties. The mythology added another layer of intrigue to the story that I think bound it together well. While by the end of the book I felt I needed a character index, I was still able to grasp the whole story.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book for more mature young adults. If you enjoy urban fantasy novels, and can get past or even enjoy the extra sex scenes, then I would recommend this book & series. I think I may go back & pick through the series since it doesn't have to necessarily be read in order. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sherrilyn Kenyon's No Mercy coming soon!

Sherrilyn Kenyon's latest release in her widely loved Dark-Hunter series, 'No Mercy' comes out September 7th. It's a fabulous shapeshifter series that I've recently stumbled upon. Read the synopsis below and be sure to check out her website with series info and the trailer at the bottom is pretty cool!

"Live fast, fight hard and if you have to die then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there's a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she's ever faced before....."'

Book Trailer & Song Download for Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

There are SO many good books that I want to feature on Waiting on Wednesday, but of course there's never enough time. I may start doubling up my books because some how I missed this one! (Shocker, I know)

Inifinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the first book in a new vampire series called "The Chronicles of Nick." Summary from Goodreads:

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

Sounds great right? Well it gets even better; the fine folks over at St. Martin's Press have graciously created and provided us with a book trailer and a FREE download of the song used in the trailer. Trailer:




Song download here AND chapter excerpts with an author interview here. That's a lot of really fun stuff! I'm quite excited for Infinity's release tomorrow and since St. Martin's Press was so kind to provide these links, I thought I would pass them along. So either go buy your copy tomorrow or check your local library's catalog.