Looking Ahead: Cover Reveals

Can I say this week has been an AMAZING cover reveal week? All of the covers are absolutely stunning and I cannot wait to get my hands on following books to see the beautiful covers in person. Of course the books won't be released for awhile but I can't contain my excitement!

Image from twitter.com/josieangelini

Title: Fire Walker
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:  September 1, 2015

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.

"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

These covers are pretty amazing. The Trial by Fire cover has been redesigned. As of now, I am not sure if it's just for the paperback or if it's for the paperback and the hardcover versions. I love the redesign and I love the Fire Walker cover design. They are electrifying and gorgeous!

Title: The Rose Society
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication date:  October 6, 2015

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

From New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes the second book in the exhilarating Young Elites series

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.
Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

I love this cover design more than The Young Elites cover. It's more mysterious and I love how the wolf is on the cover. Very Adelina-like!

Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date:  November 17, 2015
Pages: 368

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...

The cover design to this book is STRIKING! I am very intrigued and I cannot wait to read this standalone!

Title: Wandering Star
Author: Romina Russell
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date:  December 2015

Synopsis and exact date are not provided by Goodreads at this time but how gorgeous is this cover? 

I love the gradient of vibrant colors. I assume the horoscopes like Taurus will play a big part in the plot of the novel.

The Mortal Instruments UK books will have new covers! I love the new cover redesigns for all six of the books in the series. I need to get my hands on them when they hit the shelves in the UK! Thank goodness for Book Depository. 

The release date is scheduled for July 2015.

For more information about the new covers, check out the Female First website. 

The website mentioned how "each of the six titles in the series features gorgeous cover illustrations by Mila Furstova, the artist who created the album artwork for Coldplay's Ghost Stories." 

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Title: Trial by Fire
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:  September 2, 2014
Pages: 374
Source/format: Library/hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never 
expected.

My Thoughts:

So I am obsessed with books that have to do with Salem. Maybe it's because I went to college in Salem and I currently live a town away from Salem. I found this book interesting with the parallel worlds. One of my favorite passages is the following:

You are sick in this world.

Lily wondered if she was talking to herself.

Come to me and be the most powerful person in the world.

But...I don't want to go, Lily thought. The faint voice went away, and Lily fell back into her body.

- Page 31 

I find it fascinating that Lily is strong yet weak in her world of Salem. In the alternate new Salem, she is powerful. The fact that her alternate self, Lillian, is able to call Lily into this alternate Salem, proves that Lily is strong even though she may severe life threatening allergies. She is able to walk right into a parallel universe.

I find it interesting that the parallel Salem is medieval like yet modern at the same time. The fact that Rowan doesn't exist in Lily's world is interesting since you would think that in a parallel world, everyone and everything has a counterpart. Lily doesn't believe in magic. Well she didn't until she met Rowan. The look on her face when Rowan's eyes were on fire and when she was able to mend her broken ankle with Rowan's help made her a believer of magic. The magic and thermodynamics in the book definitely kept me interested. I love how magic and science are interwoven in the the Trial by Fire.

Lily learns she is a crucible and she needs to learn to earn the title of a witch and yet she earns the title without proper training or a willstone. I find the willstones intriguing probably because they are intimate, super powerful and mysterious at the same time.

Lily's relationship with Rowan is quite intriguing. At first they don't get along but eventually they warm up to each other and work as a team to survive. They were able to trust each other in order to fend off the Woven. Lily and Rowan are perfect for each other and eventually fall in love. On the other hand, Gideon is just vile. He is power hungry and is selfish. He will do whatever in order to get what he wants. Everyone wants to use Lily for their own purpose. Can Lily trust anyone?

I find it interesting how the roles of the witch and the accuser have swapped. The witch is now the accuser of those who practice science. Those who are logical are hanged.  And the pyre scene is so compelling. I seriously couldn't put the book down. I cannot wait to read the next installment of the Worldwalker trilogy.

If you're a big fan of a magical fantasy with a bit of sci-fi and a bit of historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.