Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine and is where we can talk about books we are looking forward to being released!
Here are my picks for the week:
Summary:
A captivating, atmospheric return to historical fiction that is every bit as convincing and engrossing as Martin's landmark Mary Reilly.
In 1872 the American merchant vessel Mary Celeste was discovered adrift off the coast of Spain. Her cargo was intact and there was no sign of struggle, but the crew was gone. They were never found.
This maritime mystery lies at the center of an intricate narrative branching through the highest levels of late-nineteenth-century literary society. While on a voyage to Africa, a rather hard-up and unproven young writer named Arthur Conan Doyle hears of the Mary Celeste and decides to write an outlandish short story about what took place. This story causes quite a sensation back in the United States, particularly between sought-after Philadelphia spiritualist medium Violet Petra and a rational-minded journalist named Phoebe Grant, who is seeking to expose Petra as a fraud. Then there is the family of the Mary Celeste's captain, a family linked to the sea for generations and marked repeatedly by tragedy. Each member of this ensemble cast holds a critical piece to the puzzle of the Mary Celeste.
These three elements—a ship found sailing without a crew, a famous writer on the verge of enormous success, and the rise of an unorthodox and heretical religious fervor—converge in unexpected ways, in diaries, in letters, in safe harbors and rough seas. In a haunted, death-obsessed age, a ghost ship appearing in the mist is by turns a provocative mystery, an inspiration to creativity, and a tragic story of the disappearance of a family and of a bond between husband and wife that, for one moment, transcends the impenetrable barrier of death.
In 1872 the American merchant vessel Mary Celeste was discovered adrift off the coast of Spain. Her cargo was intact and there was no sign of struggle, but the crew was gone. They were never found.
This maritime mystery lies at the center of an intricate narrative branching through the highest levels of late-nineteenth-century literary society. While on a voyage to Africa, a rather hard-up and unproven young writer named Arthur Conan Doyle hears of the Mary Celeste and decides to write an outlandish short story about what took place. This story causes quite a sensation back in the United States, particularly between sought-after Philadelphia spiritualist medium Violet Petra and a rational-minded journalist named Phoebe Grant, who is seeking to expose Petra as a fraud. Then there is the family of the Mary Celeste's captain, a family linked to the sea for generations and marked repeatedly by tragedy. Each member of this ensemble cast holds a critical piece to the puzzle of the Mary Celeste.
These three elements—a ship found sailing without a crew, a famous writer on the verge of enormous success, and the rise of an unorthodox and heretical religious fervor—converge in unexpected ways, in diaries, in letters, in safe harbors and rough seas. In a haunted, death-obsessed age, a ghost ship appearing in the mist is by turns a provocative mystery, an inspiration to creativity, and a tragic story of the disappearance of a family and of a bond between husband and wife that, for one moment, transcends the impenetrable barrier of death.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 320 pages (Hardcover)
Expected Publication Date: January 28th 2014 by Nan A. Talese
Why I'm Waiting:
I love darker historical fiction novels and I love the Arthur Conan Doyle aspect of the novel as well and the spooky cover is just awesome!
Summary:
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 336 pages (Hardcover)
Expected Publication Date: January 28th 2014 by Balzer & Bray
Why I'm Waiting:
I'm a huge Beauty & the Beast fan and when I saw that Cruel Beauty was due out in January 2014 I knew I had to feature it on my list!
What are YOU waiting for this Wednesday?
Super excited for Cruel Beauty! That was my pick last week! Such a great cover and good twist on Beauty and the Beast.
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I am SO SO excited about Cruel Beauty! Great choice :)
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Jess @ Such A Novel Idea
I've been seeing a lot of Cruel Beauty and am really curious about it :) Great picks!
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My WW!
Damn, but Mary Celeste sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip . . . adding it to Goodreads now. :)
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The Ghost of the Mary Celeste sounds awesome. Definitely a Historical Fiction worth reading. Cruel Beauty is also another book I can't wait to read.
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Cruel Beauty is my pick, too! Leeanna @ Leeanna.me: My WoW
ReplyDeleteCruel Beauty looks amazing. I love that cover. I've never heard of The Ghost, but it sounds awesome, too. I love that it follows different people in the story and is told with letters and diaries. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteNatflix&Books' WoW
Cruel Beauty has the most amazing, beautiful cover I've seen all year! Maybe it'll be my WoW for next week :)
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Wow I love a good ghost story so a ghost ship is even more interesting. Have fun reading!
ReplyDeleteBoth books sound good, though very different. A shipwrecked ghost story would be a perfect read for late at night. The other, Cruel Beauty, looks like a very good choice. I've never read Graceling so the comparison is lost on me, but I love the original Belle (a smart, mentally strong young woman). I wonder how much fun this female, now called Nyx, will be.
ReplyDeleteThe Ghost of the Mary Celeste sounds like an amazing read. I am adding it to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteThese are both excellent choices!
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