Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking The Spine, to show readers what we are anxiously waiting for!

 

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Expected release date is January 22nd 2013 by Hyperion

 

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

-

I'll be honest with you here, today is the first day I've read the actual synopsis of The Archived but it's been on my list of must reads since it was first announced. What caught my eye about the book? The fact that Victoria Schwab wrote it! The Near Witch was so expertly written that I just want to read more of Schwabs writing. But I have to wait until 2013!!!

Book Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Publish Date: June 22, 2010 (First published April 21, 2009)
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 352 -- Paperback edition
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0877-1
Series: Bad Girls Don't Die #1
Source: Bought

Goodreads Synopsis:
When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

My Review:
Bad Girls Don't Die has this totally creepy cover, I love it! From the first time I saw it, I was intruiged then I was send the second (From Bad to Cursed) novel in the series and knew I need to read BGDD.
I think I had high expectation for this book. I wanted it to be creepy and super scary. I mean, antique dolls? - I was expecting doll heads twisting around, dolls walking and talking but I didn't get any of that. I didn't even get the creepy feeling I look forward to when reading these books. It could be that I read most of this book while laying at the beach, not the ideal place to read this type of book - I know. But even the occasional nights I did read some, I wasn't freaked out or all that convinced that I was reading a "scary" book.
I do love the idea of a girl who collects dolls, then gets possesed by one - it's neat and has potential to be great but unfortunately it wasn't executed well in Bad Girls Don't Die, in my opinion. I think the first few chapters were the best, but then the author seemed like she wanted to add a love interest to the story then almost forgot to take it anywhere, but the thought kept popping into the story. I found it a little all over the place to be honest. The writing was alright, I didn't have enough to paint the story or see the characters (or dolls) come to life in my head.
Overall, the foundation of Bad Girls Don't Die is there, but I think it needed to be built up a little more. I will be reading From Bad to Cursed to see where Katie Alender takes us next though.

Book Review - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Publish Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-1-4231-3787-0
Series: None
Source: ARC from publisher

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

My Review:
The Near Witch, by debut author Victoria Schwab was a fantastic read! There is not one negative thing I can say about it, other than - it ended. Seriously, if the only thing that bothered me about The Near Witch was that the author had to stop writing the book at some point, than that's saying something I think!
This book is about a town called Near, it's a small town, houses surrounding the main part of the town, the moor around the houses and everyone knows each other. Near is a peaceful town until a stranger is spotted in town one day, then unfortunate events begin to happen the next day - children start to disappear. The whole idea of the novel is original, unique and frightening. I may be chicken, but I get scared when children are involved whether it's a book, TV or movie - if kids and witches/paranormal events etc are together, then I'm bound to be a chicken. The Near Witch was no exception.
Schwab creates characters that will become so familiar to you. You will get to know these characters such as Lexi, Cole, the Sisters, Otto, Tyler and Wren and you'll get attached  to them in one way or another. Whether it is to feel bad for them, to want to help them or maybe even smack some sense into them - you're attached. Lexi, the main character is a strong young women, who, like her deceased father is a tracker. She is able to pick up clues in nature to find her way around and to feel more connected to her surroundings. She feels she has to be a protector of her family (her mother and her younger sister) as she takes on the role of her father. Cole is a mysterious character who forms a relationship with Lexi that is just so special. And the Sisters, Magda and Dreska play a huge role in The Near Witch and were two of my favourite characters. They have an eerie way to them, and add to the whole creepy feeling of the novel.
The setting in The Near Witch becomes very clear with Victoria Schwab painting it. Down to the ripples in the fields to the wind whispering secrets, you're there and all of your senses will be awake. Victoria Schwab has a writing style unlike any other. The whole novel reads like poetry and you will get lost in her writing and story telling.
The Near Witch was one of the best 2011 books I've had the chance to read and review.And mark my word, this will become a classic. We'll be reading The Near Witch for years to come. I highly recommend this book and I'm eager for more to come from Victoria Schwab!