“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
Release Date: June 2012
Add it on Goodreads

June 2012?! Eeeeks! Everything from the summary to the title to the cover makes me really want this book. It sounds crazy awesome and intense. I suspect this will be a read that won’t let me go until the last page is turned…and probably not even after.

What are you waiting on? Leave your link so that I can stop by!

Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Release Date: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased Copy
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons’ plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king. – Goodreads

Review:
Despite the huge pile of books I have waiting to be read, I’ve been in a reading funk for about a week now with nothing being what I was in the mood for. Possess arrived in my mailbox, and it stood out from everything else I currently had, so I decided to give it a go. I ended up loving it!

Creepy and suspenseful would be two words to describe it. Prior to reading it myself, I had read a few reviews that warned that there were some spooky moments in the book. I obviously didn’t take them too seriously since I decided to start reading this late at night… I soon found myself feeling paranoid in my own room, afraid that something/someone was lurking in the shadows. While no moments were terrifying, there was definitely enough to get some goosebumps on my arms. Needless to say, Gretchen McNeil created a haunting atmosphere (in San Francisco! AKA one of my favorite places ever!) that made me feel that I was right there along with the main character, Bridget Liu.

I really loved Bridget. She was the right amount of snarky, prickly, tough, vulnerable, and loyal. Her dynamic with her family was interesting; she’s still grieving over her father’s murder, trying to figure out how to deal with her mom dating, and watching over her younger brother, Sammy. Her scenes with her best friend, Hector, were a highlight for me and I wish we had gotten more of them. And then there’s Matt. What a sweet little romance! Their relationship never took over the story, but there was enough to get attached to them together. I thought Bridget dealt with her abilities in a believable way: uncertain, nervous, and all sorts of freaked out. It was great to see her grow more confident, though, and that, too, felt natural for her character.

There was only one issue I had with Possess and it was how it glossed over one event that I don’t even want to hint at for fear of spoiling it somehow. While it was meant to move the mystery along, I think it lost some of its impact when the characters — as well as myself — seemed to forget all about it. Still, I can’t say that the book suffered too much because of this. As I said, I did forget about it and that’s due to the fact that McNeil kept her story going at such an excellent pace.

From what I understand, a sequel to Possess is in the works, but here’s an awesome bit of info: this could easily be a standalone. Yay! There’s a very clear beginning, middle, and end, with enough resolution that I wasn’t left wanting to yank my hair out. However, I’m left wanting more! There’s still a lot left to explore and I eagerly look forward to it.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren that allows us to share the books we’ve received during the week via our purchases, review copies, library checkouts, borrowing from friends, etc.

This week I got:

• Possess by Gretchen McNeil (purchased) – I’m reading this right now and it is C-R-E-E-P-Y. Love it! The cover is really gorgeous in person, too.
• Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (purchased) – This one has come up a lot recently, but I’ve been curious about it for a while — even moreso now. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon.

There haven’t been too many books in these last IMMs, but that’s okay because my TBR pile is big enough as it is and September is going to be CRAZY with its releases. Eeeek, can’t wait!

What did you get this week? Share your link and I’ll stop by!

Variant by Robison Wells
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Benson Fisher thought a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible – Goodreads

Review:
This was an interesting read for me. Up until the point where we begin the story, Benson had been a part of the foster care system and, as can be expected, transferred from home to home. Maxfield Academy was his way out of the situation and he looked forward to finding a semblance of stability through the school. Of course we can’t have that and he very quickly discovers that the school has its secrets. For starters, no one can escape.

There was a disconnect for me from the first half of the book. I felt that we moved too quickly from Benson’s arrival to the school to his urgency to leave it. I get wanting to have a fast pace, but it was difficult for me to care about him finding a way out when 1) he had only just gotten there and 2) I didn’t even know him as a character. True, the idea of possibly being confined there wouldn’t be appealing to anyone, but he didn’t even try to find out any other details about the school. He hadn’t seen anything really crazy yet! The cameras and security were creepy, of course, but I can’t think of many kids that wouldn’t at least be intrigued by the idea of no adult supervision. Benson is an exception to this and he quickly begins to try to form plans to get out. His determination, while admirable, came across as whiny at times and, unfortunately, didn’t allow much room for other character development. He lacked a certain depth and emotional range to make me truly care about his desperation to leave.

Somewhere in the middle of the book there’s a twist that I didn’t see coming. I immediately sat up and, from then on, I was glued to the pages until the very end. My detachment to Benson remained to a degree, but suddenly there was a reason to really want him to escape — I needed answers! The cliffhanger didn’t leave me with much but now, trying to put the pieces together, I’m beginning to think that the disconnect I felt from Benson makes perfect sense… *insert dramatic music here*

I’m excited to see where the next book picks up from here! While the book didn’t pack as much emotional punch as I usually want from my reads, Robison Wells has a very interesting story taking place and I’m anxious to find out more.

Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
Release Date: September 1, 2011
Publisher: David C. Cook
Pages: 388
Source: ARC from publicist
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times. But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death. – Goodreads

Review:
NOTE: In an attempt to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, this review will probably be short and in no way do the book justice. PICK UP THIS SERIES!!!

Torrent is out today so there’s no better time than now to dive into the River of Time! It’s truly amazing how Lisa Bergren can write books packed with so much adventure and intensity while, at the same time, presenting us with so much emotion and heart. This book had my heart racing, swooning, and crying, and Lisa seamlessly takes us from one point to the next.

Lisa really knows how to write incredible journeys for her characters and, as she wraps up Gabi’s story with this installment, I leave completely satisfied with how Gabi evolved throughout the course of the series. While I still loved Marcello and his relationship with her, I know I’m not alone in saying that there was another character who managed to overshadow him in some ways in this one. He brought an interesting twist to the dynamic and I loved the inner conflict that Gabi experienced because of him. Plus, that chemistry? WOWZA. Out of control! That said, while I enjoyed the situations that arose because of him, I loved that they only further cemented Gabi’s love for Marcello. Lisa perfectly displayed the moments of doubt and insecurity that we all experience and had Gabi learn from them.

Maybe I was just super needy and wasn’t ready for the book to end, but I felt it all ended a bit too abruptly. One minute I was right in the action with the characters and the next…it was over. Don’t get me wrong, the final moments were lovely, and I very much enjoyed the events that transpired earlier on, but I thought there would be more closure. Instead I was left going, “Wait, what happens next?!” In a way I do like that it was open ended, as it would allow Lisa to revisit these characters and fill us in on the details, but since this is the last book for now, I do think there should have been more resolution.

Overall, I don’t think fans of the series will be disappointed with Torrent. It has all the action, excitement, romance, and heart that the first two books had and it still left me wanting more. I really hope it won’t be too long before Lisa allows us another visit with these characters!