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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

"Waiting on Wednesday"  is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's WoW is . . .  



Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, all she’s ever been able to rely on is her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’ve been sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.
 
When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. She is torn from everything she knows and whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes that she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the Sun Summoner. Only her power can destroy the Fold.
 
Overwhelmed by luxury, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to keep her wits about her without Mal by her side. But nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her mastery of her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha—and the secrets of her heart.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On the 24th of February, the cover to Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was revealed; now, almost two weeks later, I still hear people talking about it.  I'm not surprised.  This cover may be my favorite of 2012.  Everything about it is lovely.  The color scheme; the shadowy tendrils; the dark, scrolling font; the beautiful castle, black and blood red, with a distinct Russian influence.  Everything works perfectly, and it manages to do so without the typical staple of YA covers today: a girl. In a dress.


But the cover lust is not why I want this so very badly.  I want it because I fully expect it be utterly incredible.


The pitch sounds absolutely marvelous.  Dark, magical, and utterly fantastical.  I have mixed feelings on the fantasy genre, so the fact that this pulled me in so completely is testament to its sheer awesomeness.  I'd be expecting great things from the pitch and the cover alone, but that's not it; of every person that I know of who's read this book, not a single one has given it less than five stars. Not a single one.  Even some notorious for their strictness have fallen utterly in love with this.  


And, as if that's not already reason enough . . . there's going to be a map in the finished copy.  A gorgeous, beautifully crafted map that I enjoy staring at almost as much as the cover.  I'm going to be straight with you guys, I'm a sucker for maps in fantasy books.  Not only can they be more than a little bit helpful, I've always found them so very fascinating to look at.  I've probably spent many hours of my life gazing at maps in my favorite books.


In summary, this book seems like it will be everything I wish for and more and I absolutely cannot wait for it to be released.  (I may or may not be camping out at B&N on June 4th . . . )


What's your WoW this week?

17 comments:

Gwen Cole

That sounds goood!! >:D and there's too many for me to name, lol.

TheBookGirl

Wow, that does sound good -- and that's from someone who doesn't read alot in this genre, but the description of this one sounds wonderfult :) I will add this to my list to look for.

Sam (Realm of Fiction)

I understand that! And not just with maps...any sort of cool extra information or diagrams at the start of a book excites me. ;)

Great WOW pick!

Lindsay Cummings author

it's sooo good so far!!!

stop by my post? I'm hosting an exclusive cover reveal for a fall 2012 YA from Paper Lantern Lit and Philomel/Penguin!

http://lindsaycummingsblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/exclusive-cover-reveal-venom-by-fiona.html

Bellas Shelf

this book sounds fab! i was checking it out a few days ago on goodreads. it went on my tbr promptly!
new visitor <3
my WOW

Anonymous

The more you talk about this book, the more excited /I/ get for it, haha! MAPS ARE THE BEST.

Coranne

I just got accepted for this one from Net Galley- I can't wait to start reading it!

Excellent choice!

Rachel

Fantastic reason for why your waiting for this book. :0
My WoW
I a nerdfighter too. :) new follower!

Kristin @ Beneath Shining Stars

I completely agree with you! And I seriously hope that Shadow and Bone lives up to your expectations! :D (And I'm also definitely going to have to pick up a finished copy.)

Giselle

I've seen the cover but only reading the blurb now and wow. It just sounds so cool! I think this is on Netgalley too if I'm not mistaken!

Giselle
Xpresso Reads

Nicole

THIS FABULOUS BOOK :D

Yes, I am going to buy this. Definitely >:D It sounds so exciting and that cover is positively brilliant!

Amy

This book sounds really good. I almost got it from NetGalley, but I already have so many books to read. I am auto approved by Macmillan though, so if I have time I can get to it. I can't wait to see the finished copies with the map though. That is really cool!!

Meagan

I know so many people who are so stoked about this book! The cover has drawn in so many people alone -- I love the Adobe Illustrator type-look, it's always clean and interesting .

Anna @ Literary Exploration

Ohhhh I got an ARC of this at a tea party last weekend! HA yes, at a tea party :) The author's going to be here so I'm excited to be able to get it signed! It definitely sounds AWESOME!

Traci @ The Reading Geek

Great pick! This sounds so awesome and I love the cover! I am definitely looking forward to this one as well!

Wendy Darling

I'm reading this soon--can't wait! The finished copy comes with a map, though? Sounds like I have to check that out. :)

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Kristin A.

I definitely keep hearing good things about this. I think it will be a book to look out for.

My WoW
@BloodSweatandBooks

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