Diary Of The Book Dragon

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. The point is to spotlight one upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating...

I read Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder in spring of 2012 and enjoyed it very much. As the release date for the sequel approached, I was squirming in my seat, eagerly waiting to find out what would happen next to Avry and Kerrick.

So this Wednesday I am waiting on a scent of magic. :)


Scent of Magic (Healer #2) by Maria V. Snyder
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication Date: December 18, 2012
Goodreads

Summary:

Hunted, Killed—Survived?

As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon's opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon's most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

~ taken from Goodreads

Why Am I Waiting On Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder?

1. I read Touch of Power in spring 2012 and loved it.
2. As the sequel's release date got closer, I couldn't stop wondering what would happen next to Avry and Kerrick.

So, those are my reasons why I am waiting on Scent of Magic. What are yours? Did you read Touch of Power? Are you also waiting for this one — or did you get an ARC?

Feel free to leave links in comments.

The Hoard Grows is where I show off whatever new treasure joined my collection this week — bought, borrowed, gifted, or won. Credit where it's due: this meme was inspired by 'In My Mailbox,' created by The Story Siren, and 'Stacking the Shelves,' hosted by Tynga's Reviews — thank you both for the inspiration!

This week's haul is refreshingly small — just three books, all from NetGalley. Most of these were actually old requests that only just got approved, so it's not quite the restraint it looks like, but I'll take it.

Offered by Allies

• Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm by Philip Pullman — NetGalley — Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales was one of my favorite books as a child, so I had to grab this one when I saw the retelling was by one of my all-time favorite authors, Philip Pullman — I adore his His Dark Materials series.
• Pilgrim of the Sky by Natania Barron — NetGalley — I'd never heard of Natania Barron before, but the cover caught my eye, and the summary hooked me — especially the part where the heroine discovers her supposedly dead boyfriend might not only be alive, but part god.
• Lichgates by S. M. Boyce — NetGalley — This YA fantasy sounds great — a magical Grimoire gives a young girl incredible powers and teleports her to Ourea, a beautiful world full of terrifying things that want the Grimoire's secrets back.

I'm trying to be good and clear out my to-read pile before it clears me out first. Fingers crossed this streak of small hauls continues — though I wouldn't bet on it.

What do you think I should read first? Did you already read something from this pile? What did you get this week?

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. The point is to spotlight one upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating...

I don't think I'd be much of a fantasy fan if my first answer here weren't...

The Winds of Winter by George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #6
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: TBA

Summary:

No official summary available yet — at the time of this post, there was no cover, description, or publication date to speak of either.

Why Am I Waiting On The Winds of Winter by George R. R. Martin?

1. I've been a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire from the very start — I bought every paperback as it came out in my country.
2. I already survived the famous six-year wait for A Dance with Dragons — and now here we are again.
3. There are plenty of predictions about when the next book will actually arrive, and most of them are pretty pessimistic. Rather than rant about it, I'll join these fellows in a song instead:

And here are some funnies related to the subject:


Comic by FoxTrot.


Comic by Virtual Shackles.

So, those are my reasons why I am waiting on The Winds of Winter. Are you eagerly waiting for it to blow, or have you abandoned all hope? Do you know some other joke or pic related to this book?

Feel free to leave links in comments.

The Hoard Grows is where I show off whatever new treasure joined my collection this week — bought, borrowed, gifted, or won. Credit where it's due: this meme was inspired by 'In My Mailbox,' created by The Story Siren, and 'Stacking the Shelves,' hosted by Tynga's Reviews — thank you both for the inspiration!

This week's haul came entirely from NetGalley approvals and a few Kindle freebies — eight review copies and three freebies. Everything just sounded so good I couldn't say no. Now I have a new problem: I have no idea where to start.

Offered by Allies

• UnEarthed by Rebecca Bloomer — NetGalley — The story of a Mars colonization and a young girl fighting for her freedom — it gripped me from just the short summary.
• A Coming of Age by Timothy Zahn — NetGalley — Again, a YA sci-fi about humans on a new planet, but this time with superpowers.
• Future Games by Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, Louise Marley, George R. R. Martin, John Shirley, Howard Waldrop & Scott Westerfeld — NetGalley — Some heavy, famous names in this anthology — intriguing, and I can't wait.
• Moscow But Dreaming by Ekaterina Sedia — NetGalley — The title alone sounds dreamy (no pun intended), plus the author is Russian-born and draws on Slavic folklore.
• Inkarna by Nerine Dorman — NetGalley — An ancient Egyptian cult, reincarnation, a great plot.
• Pathfinder Tales: Blood of the City by Robin D. Laws — NetGalley — I hope this doesn't need to be read in order, since it's book 10 in the Pathfinder series — but it sounded like classic fantasy adventure, and I couldn't resist.
• Pathfinder Tales: Queen of Thorns by Dave Gross — NetGalley — And this is the next one in the Pathfinder series, book 11 — so at least I have those two.
• The Worker Prince by Bryan Thomas Schmidt — NetGalley — The tagline in the first sentence was so catchy, plus — a prince as the MC? Who can resist that?

Kindle Freebies

• The Girls From Alcyone by Cary Caffrey — Two girls sold into slavery, futuristic setting.
• A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara) by Sarah Wynde — "Akira Malone believes in the scientific method..." — we were instant soulmates, and I had to read her story.
• Word and Breath (Wordless Chronicles) by Susannah Noel — Again, I liked the MC from the summary — a rule-follower who reads for a living. I wanted to know more.

I'm officially out of control at this point — but in my defense, none of this cost me a dime, so my bank account is unbothered. Now I just need to figure out where to start with this pile.

What do you think I should read first? Have you already read anything from this pile? What did you get this week?

The Hoard Grows is where I show off whatever new treasure joined my collection this week — bought, borrowed, gifted, or won. Credit where it's due: this meme was inspired by 'In My Mailbox,' created by The Story Siren, and 'Stacking the Shelves,' hosted by Tynga's Reviews — thank you both for the inspiration!

This week's haul came entirely from NetGalley approvals and a couple of free Kindle grabs — five review copies and two freebies, and not a single dollar spent. Since I don't keep an ordered to-read list and mostly pick my next read based on my mood, this is as good a way as any to preview what might eventually show up on the blog.

Offered by Allies

• Stranded by Anne Bishop, Anthony Francis & James Alan Gardner — NetGalley — Stranded caught my attention because I adore the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop, but this one is science fiction — one of my favorite genres — so I'm looking forward to all of it.
• Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine — NetGalley — Just the title gripped me, and I'm curious what kind of bargain the MC had to make.
• Knife Sworn by Mazarkis Williams — NetGalley — I already own The Emperor's Knife, the first book in this series, so when I saw the sequel offered for review, I grabbed it. I haven't read the first book yet, but I will soon — so expect a review soon.
• The Dead of Winter by Lee Collins — NetGalley — Again, the title gripped me — plus I don't read many westerns with paranormal elements, or westerns in general.
• Nexus by Ramez Naam — NetGalley — Intriguing premise, can't wait to read it.

Kindle Freebies

• A Matter of Circumstance and Celludrones by Claire Robyns — Blame the pretty cover.
• Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen — Post-apocalyptic future with vampires as predators and a kick-ass heroine — sign me up.

Since I have over 100 unread paper books and I-don't-want-to-know-how-many ebooks on my Kindle, I'm trying to stop hoarding any more books until I make a dent in Mount TBR. So far, it's not working — but hey, at least I didn't spend any money this week, since these were all free. We take comfort where we can find it. ;)

What did you get this week? Did you already read any of these?

I first planned to start writing this blog on November the first and to use the time until then to finalize the layout and add some general pages. But that stuff is boring, and knowing me, I will only procrastinate, so here it is. The lamest blog ever. :D