Monday, January 13, 2014

Motley Monday the second!

Welcome back to another Motley Monday! Sorry for the late post, I had my first day back at college and well, we all know how that can go!

I'm very excited for this batch of misfits, so lets get started!

First up is….

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne


Expected publication: July 8, 2014

Oh, come on. You can't tell me you didn't see that one coming if you read my last post!
Summary:
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs. 
But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

After reading the novella and falling in love with James myself, how can I not continue?! For those who don't know (because it's not mentioned above) James is the leader of the Assassins Guild. Also "bloodthirsty wildcats"? Uh, yes please!

Next is …. 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge



Expected publication: January 28, 2014      IT'S SO CLOSE!

The summary:
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.


Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite, and Belle is my favorite princess, closely followed by Rapunzel! They're brave, kick-ass, and they READ! What is not to like love? Back to Cruel Beauty though. Any retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a good book in my book. Yes, even Beastly. Movie? eh. Book? I enjoyed it.

Our next title is 

Half Bad by Sally Green


Expected publication: March 25, 2014

Summary:
In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

So another love of mine is male narrations. Has anyone read Witchlanders? The Maze Runner? Seriously, I love me some strong male leads and I can not wait for Nathan! Especially for the confrontation with his father that I am hoping happens in this book and is not dragged out as a trilogy.

Coming up next we have… 

A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller 


Expected publication: January 23, 2014

Summary:
Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
            
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?


Okay, this book I am extremely excited for. I mean historical fiction with a woman incredibly ahead of her time as the MC and she poses naked?!?! Give it, give it to me now! Thank goodness I found out about it when it's only a week and a half away from hitting my local bookstore. 

The last of my motley crew includes…

Gilded by Christina L. Farley


Expected publication: March 1, 2014

The summary:
Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.


I want you to stop for a second, and reread that first sentence. That's right. Did you read it? Black belt, steel-tipped arrows, Korea. I think I just peed in my excitement. Just kidding. But really, I think I might of been sold with just the first line. But a little further down you'll find what hooked me. Korean. demigod. My, oh my, aren't you guys just learning so much about me today. I love mythology. I don't care what it is. Greek, Indian, Chinese, it's alllllll good. An introduction to Korean mythology sounds fantastic so I can't wait to read it.

Thanks for joining me this fine Motley Monday! Let me know your thoughts, your feels, and what you're excited for! 

No comments:

Post a Comment