Title: Arcadia Awakens (Arcadia #1)
Author: Kai Meyer
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Format: ARC, 451 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where centuries of family secrets await her.

Once there, Rosa falls head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Hidden caves, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.

Kai Meyer molds such a unique and powerful world in Arcadia Awakens! Every time I cracked this book open, I just couldn’t get enough of it. The mafia aspect is incredibly realistic and weaves these opposing families together in an ancient legend. I really, really loved that it was extremely different than other shape shifting books out there!

Rosa has a troubled past and just needs to be distracted. Setting out to Sicily seemed like the perfect getaway for her. Of course, its not just that simple and anything that can go wrong, does. She’s thrust into a crazy twist of mafia animals (literally) feuding over power and her own feud of feelings for the enemy.

Rosa is a kick-butt kind of girl who isn’t really afraid to be her true self. She’s a character who was hard to grasp at first, but the readers grow with her as the story goes along. She’s smart and serious, and then Alessandro comes in and she gains power and strength with him. Alessandro was one beautiful guy (in my mind at least) and even though he is considered by all to be an enemy of the Alcantara clan, he’s so hard to resist. I loved that his and Rosa’s relationship wasn’t overbearing, or sappy.

Mafia business…crazy! I mean crazy. I can only imagine that things like this happen in real life and reading Arcadia Awakens is so full of action and so realistic that reading it is almost scary! The storyline never once faltered and was as strong as ever straight through the end. The shape shifting was incredible!

Meyer’s writing was different than any I’ve come across. The writing is gender-neutral, so it doesn’t matter who is reading. Its written in a 3rd person format that’s incredibly detailed and in tune with the current character. I really enjoyed the writing and will be looking for more from Meyer.

Overall, this is a MUST read…as in the moment it releases. A fantastic, action-packed, suspenseful book that’s sure to keep you on edge – I think I can safely guarantee that!

Tawni’s Top 3 is a reoccurring posting that displays the top 3 books I’m looking forward to within a certain theme, or genre. This week’s theme is steampunk.

Title: The Peculiars
Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Publisher: Amulet
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Pre-Order: Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

Title: Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles #1)
Author: Suzanne Lazear
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: August 8, 2012
Pre-Order: Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Wish. Love. Desire. Live.

Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock’s hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer’s eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.

Title: The Unnaturalists
Author: Tiffany Trent
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Pre-Order: Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

Feel free to leave your top lists in the comments, I’d love to see them!!

Cover Crazy is a meme created by me that features a cover that I am crazy about! The point of this meme is to admire the art and beauty of a book’s design. Find more information about creating your own here.

What I Love:

The birds are amazing on this cover. Its really what draws me in!

The color is very different, but yet dark and feminine.

I like the F in the title! It’s on the gothic side, but not too much.

I also love that the girl actually looks like she fits in the story.

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before…but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with…or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.

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Title: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland #1)
Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Format: Finished copy
Source: Publisher
Rating:

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

When I had the opportunity to read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, I was so excited, because it reminded me of stories I would’ve read as a kid. I enjoyed it for the most part, but sometimes I was a bit frazzled trying to get through a chapter due to such imaginative descriptions.

The writing and detailed descriptions are beautiful. But, I’m not sure younger readers would understand half of what is going on. So needless to say you need a wonderfully bright imagination to read this book, which is a fantastic thing to bring out in anyone. Just be prepared for very interesting creatures and happenings.

I loved September. She never gave up and she stuck with what she believed in. The Wyvern, named A-through-L, was so sweet and such a great supporting character. He stuck by September and had all the qualities of a true friend.

September and A-through-L’s adventures were so grand and epic. Fairyland was definitely a fascinating place to visit and read about. Valente has wonderful world building talent and I wouldn’t miss book two for the world!

Oh and I can’t forget to mention the beautiful illustrations this book has. They are so great and give you an insight to what each chapter gets into. I really enjoyed them!

See what’s coming in February 2012! These are the YA titles that will be released this month that are currently on my to-read list.

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone, Arthur A. Levine Books (2/1)
The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker, Usborne (2/1)
Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne, G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR (2/2)
The Rivals by Daisy Whitney, Little, Brown (2/6)
Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, Putname Juvenile (2/7)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth, Balzer + Bray (2/7)
Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard, HarperTeen (2/7)
Pure by Julianna Baggott, Grand Central Publishing (2/8)
Above World by Jenn Reese, Candlewick Press (2/14)
Bewitching by Alex Flinn, HarperTeen (2/14)

Brave New Love, Anthology, Running Press Kids (2/14)
The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, Egmont USA (2/14)
The Jade Notebook by Laura Resau, Delacorte Books (2/14)
The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge, Delacorte Books (2/14)
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, Walker & Co (J) (2/14)

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