Waiting On Wednesday #78: The Watcher In The Shadows, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This is a weekly event hosted by

Jill @ Breaking the Spine!!

It showcases future releases which

we book bloggers are

eagerly anticipating!!

Here's my choice for this week!

 The Watcher In The Shadows

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Hardcover, 256 pages

Weidenfeld & Nicolson

May 9, 2013, U.K.

(To be published in the U.S.  6/18/13)

Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Fiction 

Purchase Links

Amazon U.K.

Fishpond

Amazon Synopsis

When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves with her family to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she's immediately taken by the beauty of the place--its expansive cliffs, coasts, and harbors. There, she meets a local boy named Ishmael, and the two soon fall in love. But a dark mystery is about to unfold, involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a gigantic mansion filled with mechanical beings and shadows of the past.

As strange lights shine through the fog surrounding a small, barren island, Irene's younger brother dreams of a dark creature hidden deep in the forest. And when a young girl is found murdered, her body at the end of a path torn through the woods by a monstrous, inhuman force, Irene and Ishmael wonder--has a demonic presence been unleashed on the inhabitants of Cape House? Together, they'll have to survive the most terrifying summer of their lives, as they try to piece together the many mysteries and secrets hidden in a town torn apart by tragedy, amidst a labyrinth of lights and shadows.

Book Review: Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse
Stephenie Meyer
Trade Paperback, 629 pages
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
August 4, 2009
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA

The romance intensifies, becoming very poignant and bittersweet, in this third installment of The Twilight Saga, which I have read for the third time, because I simply can't get enough of it!  In fact, I have embarked upon a third re-reading of the entire Saga.

Edward has returned to Bella's life, so Jacob informs her that he can no longer be her friend...

Initially, Edward forbids Bella from trying to go to La Push to visit Jacob so as to heal their friendship.  He even 'bribes' Alice to 'kidnap' her, which ultimately doesn't work.  Edward finally decides that trying to prevent Bella from seeing her friend will only make her suffer, as she cares deeply for Jacob.  Just how deeply, however, she herself is not aware of....until very dramatic events ensue toward the last third of the book, and Bella has to admit, at last, that she's in love with Jacob, as well, although she does love Edward more.

Conflict is slowly brewing in this novel, and not just because of the love triangle.  It seems that someone is rapidly creating a small army of newborn vampires that have begun to ravage Seattle.  The Cullens decide they must intervene, fearing that the Volturi will step in.  They don't do so right away, however, as other, more ordinary human events, prevent them from leaving Forks unnoticed.

This novel gives the reader more background on the two groups that have become open antagonists -- the Cullens and the Quileutes.  I was fascinated by the stories of Rosalie's and Jasper's transformations into vampires, although the acts of violence in their individual stories did make me quite uncomfortable.  These were, thankfully, glossed over in the movie version of the novel.  The stories did serve to flesh out these two characters, though.  (Besides, they finally came across the Cullens, and embraced a non-violent lifestyle, refraining from killing humans.)  I wonder why Meyer didn't include a background history for the other members of the Cullen family, but then, perhaps the book would have become too cumbersome.

Moonli Blog Tour: Interview with author Jadie Jones, plus Giveaway!!

Welcome to this stop on the 

Moonlit Blog Tour,

sponsored by Kathy @

I Am A Reader Not A Writer!

Please join me in welcoming Jadie Jones,

author of this exciting novel,

to

A Night's Dream of Books!!

Jadie Jones

And now for the interview!

Maria: How did you start out as a writer?

Jadie:  I wrote my first book in a Mead notebook in seventh grade.  It was a "scary story", my best attempt to write something like R.L. Stine.  From there, I joined my high school newspaper for a year, and was also editor-in-chief of the literary magazine.

Maria:  What or who inspired you to write fantasy, instead of some other genre?

Jadie:  Growing up, I lived and died for "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer".  Okay, maybe I still do.  I love a strong, flawed, female lead and a premise that can stretch from vampires to witches to demons and back again.  There's such freedom in writing fantasy.

Maria:  How important do you think research is in the writing of a fantasy novel?  Or do you think everything should come from the writer's imagination?

Jadie:  I think research is critical 99% of the time.  If you incorporate any elements that are based on fact or history (including mythology, lore, religion, etc.), it's so important to do your research.  You'll find so many pieces of powerful inspiration, information that will strengthen your story, setting, characters, etc.

Maria:  How have your love for and knowledge of horses helped you to write a believable novel?

Jadie:  Moonlit opens on a working horse farm.  The rhythm of a barn is important, and as someone who has worked on a farm for over 15 years, I can tell when a writer has real experience with horses versus an unexplored passion for them.  It was important for me to communicate horses' instincts and reactions as true-to-life as possible.   Those instincts are a very important part of the book, and even more so in the sequel. 

Maria:  Would you like to be considered exclusively a fantasy writer, or are you planning to write for other genres, as well?

Jadie:  Definitely not an exclusive fantasy writer.  I'm drawn to fantasy because of the possibilities -- if you can think it, you can create it.  But once the Moonlit series is finished (I've planned it as a trilogy), I will finish a New Adult fiction manuscript I started last year, and then set aside once my publisher picked up Moonlit.

Shelf Candy Saturday #71: Primary Inversion, by Catherine Asaro

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This weekly feature

showcases beautiful book covers,

and provides information,

if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information

about Shelf Candy Saturday,

just click HERE.

This is my choice for this week!

Primary Inversion

(Saga of the Skolian Empire  #1)

Catherine Asaro

Trade Paperback, 384 pages

Tor Books

May 15, 1996

Science Fiction

Why do I love this cover?

Everything about this image is fascinating!  The color blue is all over the composition, in shining streams of light of an otherworldly origin.  These are coming from the strange globe in the center of the cover.   This scene is set in space, and the globe probably represents an alien space docking station, which could be the reason all the spaceships are darting around it.  Or perhaps it's some sort of alien outpost, undergoing attack by an invading space fleet. 

All the exciting action reminds me of Star Trek and Star Wars!  There are two rival empires involved here, and that means there's war afoot...

The spaceships themselves are obviously built for speed and easy maneuverability.  The way they're placed creates very dynamic movement, thus creating the illusion that they are, in fact, slicing through space. 

The fonts used for this cover are very stark and plain, which is perfect, since the viewer's eyes are thus focused on the globe and the spaceships.

Since this book is not in my collection (yet!), I have no way of knowing who the cover artist and/or designer is.  However, there's no doubt that person is very talented!

What do you think of my choice?

Leave me a comment

and let me know!

Stacking The Shelves #17

This is a weekly event hosted by Jennifer, Lili,

Stephanie, Helen, and Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews!

As the title implies, this is all about

sharing the books you're adding

to your shelves, be they physical or virtual.

For the complete rules, and to sign up,

just click on the link above.

This week's haul!!

 Books Purchased

I've been wanting to get this series,

and now I have!

Angels are so fascinating to read about...

The plots of these novels are all

so very intriguing, and

those covers just appeal to

the bibliophile in me!!

So I knew it was just a matter of time

before I got all three of these.

Now I need the fourth book,

Endless, which will be out in October!!

Embrace

(The Violet Eden Chapters #1)

Jessica Shirvington

Hardcover, 369 pages

Goodreads

Amazon US

The Book Depository UK

Fishpond

Entice

(The Violet Eden Chapters #2)

Jessica Shirvington

Hardcover, 438 pages

Goodreads

Amazon US

The Book Depository UK

Fishpond

Emblaze

(The Violet Eden Chapters #3)

Jessica Shirvington

Hardcover, 464 pages

Goodreads

Amazon US

The Book Depository UK

Fishpond