12/29/2014

Der Ozean am Ende der Straße von Neil Gaiman

238 Seiten  |  Eichborn  |  18,00 €  |  3847905791

Es war nur ein Ententeich, ein Stück weit unterhalb des Bauernhofs. Und er war nicht besonders groß. Lettie Hempstock behauptete, es sei ein Ozean, aber ich wusste, das war Quatsch. Sie behauptete, man könne durch ihn in eine andere Welt gelangen. Und was dann geschah, hätte sich eigentlich niemals ereignen dürfen … Weise, wundersam und hochpoetisch erzählt Gaiman in seinem neuen Roman von der übergroßen Macht von Freundschaft und Vertrauen in einer Welt, in der nichts ist, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. (luebbe.de/eichborn/)

12/15/2014

Das göttliche Mädchen von Aimée Carter

298 Seiten  |  Mira Taschenbuch  |  9,99 €  |  386278326X

Du kannst das Leben deiner Mutter retten – wenn du als Wintermädchen bestehst! Sie sind nach Eden gekommen, weil es der Wunsch ihrer sterbenskranken Mutter ist. Hier lernt Kate den attraktiven und stillen Henry kennen. Seit der ersten Begegnung fühlt sie sich auf unerklärliche Weise zu ihm hingezogen. Er sieht so gut aus und scheint gleichzeitig so ... unendlich traurig zu sein. Bald erfährt Kate, warum: Er ist Hades, der Gott der Unterwelt! Und er macht ihr ein unglaubliches Angebot: Er wird ihre Mutter heilen, wenn Kate sieben Prüfungen besteht und sein geliebtes Wintermädchen wird. Aber ob ihre Seele für ein Winterleben stark genug ist? Bisher haben alle ihr Scheitern mit dem Tod bezahlt. (goodreads.com)

12/03/2014

Englische Neuerscheinungen: Dezember 2014

 

ALISON CHERRY: FOR REAL

No parents. No limits. No clue what they're in for. Shy, cautious Claire has always been in her confident older sister's shadow. While Miranda's life is jam-packed with exciting people and whirlwind adventures, Claire gets her thrills vicariously by watching people live large on reality TV. When Miranda discovers her boyfriend, Samir, cheating on her just before her college graduation, it's Claire who comes up with the perfect plan. They'll outshine Miranda's fame-obsessed ex while having an amazing summer by competing on Around the World, a race around the globe for a million bucks. Revenge + sisterly bonding = awesome. But the show has a twist, and Claire is stunned to find herself in the middle of a reality-show romance that may or may not be just for the cameras. This summer could end up being the highlight of her life... or an epic fail forever captured on film. In a world where drama is currency and manipulation is standard, how can you tell what's for real? (goodreads.com)

LIZ CZUKAS: TOP TEN CLUES YOU'RE CLUELESS

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day: 5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market. 4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi. 3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm. 2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3). 1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000. Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments. (goodreads.com)

ALEXIS BASS: LOVE & OTHER THEORIES

If you want more, you have to give less. That’s the secret to dating in high school. By giving as little as they expect to get in return, seventeen-year-old Aubrey Housing and her three best friends have made it to the second semester of their senior year heartbreak-free. And it’s all thanks to a few simple rules: don’t commit, don’t be needy, and don’t give away your heart. So when smoking-hot Nathan Diggs transfers to Lincoln High, it shouldn’t be a big deal. At least that’s what Aubrey tells herself. But Nathan’s new-boy charm, his kindness, and his disarming honesty throw Aubrey off her game and put her in danger of breaking the most important rule of all: Don’t fall in love. (goodreads.com)

 JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT: WICKED

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart. Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her. But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul. (goodreads.com)

STACEY JAY: PRINCESS OF THORNS

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago. Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love? (goodreads.com)

ALEXANDRA MONIR: SUSPICION

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor. "There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor. Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess. All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into? (goodreads.com)

- eventuelle Spoiler enthalten - 

SKYLAR DORSET: THE BOY WITH THE HIDDEN NAME

Selkie Stewart has just saved her quasi-boyfriend, Ben, from a fairy prison run by the Seelie Court. If they weren't the two most-wanted individuals in the Otherworld before, they definitely are now. Along with Ben and the rest of their ragtag group of allies-Selkie's ogre aunts; a wizard named Will; Ben's cousin Safford; and Kelsey, Selkie's best friend-Selkie is ready to embrace her destiny and bring the Court down. Until she hears the rest of her prophecy: Benedict le Fay will betray you, and then he will die. (goodreads.com)

AMIE KAUFMAN & MEAGAN SPOONER: THIS SHATTERED WORLD

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met. Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents. Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion. Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war. (goodreads.com)

JAMES PATTERSON: THE LOST

Whit and Wisty Allgood have fought and defeated their world's most pernicious threats: the evil dictator, The One Who Is The One, as well as his wicked father and son. But just as the heroic witch and wizard start to settle into their new roles in governance, a deadly crime wave grips their city, with all signs pointing to a magical mastermind every bit as powerful and heartless as The One. Now the siblings find themselves persecuted as the city turns against all magic users, and questioning everything, including each other--and, for the first time, their abilities. Can they confront the citizens' growing hostility and their own doubts in time to face the new enemy barreling toward their gates? (goodreads.com)

11/28/2014

Magisterium 01 - The Iron Trial von Holly Black und Cassandra Clare

Titel: The Iron Trial
Autor: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Reihe: Magisterium - Teil 1
Seiten: 299 Seiten
Verlag: Scholastic Press
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Magie 

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for Call the biggest test is still to come... (goodreads.com)

11/14/2014

Die Auserwählten 01 - Im Labyrinth von James Dashner

Titel: Die Auserwählten - Im Labyrinth
Autor: James Dashner
Reihe: Maze Runner - Teil 1
Seiten: 496 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy

Sein Name ist Thomas. An mehr kann er sich nicht erinnern. Und er ist an einem bizarren Ort gelandet – einer Lichtung, umgeben von einem riesigen Labyrinth. Zusammen mit fünfzig Jungen, denen es genauso geht wie ihm, sucht Thomas einen Weg in die Freiheit. Der führt durch das Labyrinth, dessen gewaltige Mauern sich Nacht für Nacht verschieben, und in dem mörderische Kreaturen lauern. Doch gibt es wirklich einen Weg hinaus? Und wer hat sich dieses grauenvolle Szenario ausgedacht? Den Jungen bleibt nicht viel Zeit, um es herauszufinden...(goodreads.com)

10/31/2014

Englische Neuerscheinungen: November 2014

 

NICK HORNBY: FUNNY GIRL

Funny Girl takes place in a swinging 60s where the nation is mesmerized by unlikely comedy star Sophie Straw, the former Blackpool beauty queen who just wants to make people laugh, like her heroine Lucille Ball. Behind the scenes, the cast and crew are having the time of their lives. But when the script begins to get a bit too close to home, and life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. The writers, Tony and Bill, comedy obsessives, each harbour a secret. The Oxbridge-educated director, Dennis, loves his job but hates his marriage. The male star Clive, feels he’s destined for better things. And Sophie Straw, who’s changed her name and abandoned her old life, must decide whether to keep going, or change the channel… (goodreads.com)

LINDSAY HUNTER: UGLY GIRLS

"A powerful, voice-driven novel with the breakneck pace that people have come to expect from Lindsay Hunter."
Ugly Girls, at its core, is about the friendship between two girls, Perry and Baby Girl, and how that friendship descends into chaos, taking their world and the identities they hold dear with it. Their friendship is woven from the threads of never-ending dares and the struggle with power, their loyalty something they attend to like a pet but forget to feed. Ugliness is something they trade between themselves, one ugly on the outside and one on the inside. While the girls spend their nights sneaking out, stealing cars for joyrides, and eating French fries at the twenty-four-hour Denny’s, danger lurks. Jamey is pining after Perry from behind the computer screen inside his mother’s trailer. He’s been watching the girls for a while, on Facebook and in person (though they’ve never seen him in the flesh), posing as a boy from a high school a couple of neighborhoods over. When they finally meet Jamey face-to-face, they quickly realize he’s far from a nice high-school boy, and the girls will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves. (goodreads.com)

ROBERT DUGONI: MY SISTER'S GRAVE 

Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers. When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger. (goodreads.com)


RYAN GRAUDIN: THE WALLED CITY

"In this innovative and adrenaline-fueled novel, they all come together in a desperate attempt to escape a lawless labyrinth before the clock runs out."
730. That's how many days I've been trapped. 18. That's how many days I have left to find a way out. DAI, trying to escape a haunting past, traffics drugs for the most ruthless kingpin in the Walled City. But in order to find the key to his freedom, he needs help from someone with the power to be invisible.... JIN hides under the radar, afraid the wild street gangs will discover her biggest secret: Jin passes as a boy to stay safe. Still, every chance she gets, she searches for her lost sister.... MEI YEE has been trapped in a brothel for the past two years, dreaming of getting out while watching the girls who try fail one by one. She's about to give up, when one day she sees an unexpected face at her window..... (goodreads.com)

CLAUDIA GRAY: A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU

"A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure."
 Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined. (goodreads.com)

CASSANDRA CLARE: THE BANE CHRONICLES

Ever wondered about the enigmatic, mysterious warlock Magnus Bane? The only character to appear in every Shadowhunter book, Magnus has a past even more shrouded in mystery than his present. I’ve teamed up with acclaimed YA writers Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan to create the Bane Chronicles, the back (and front) story of Magnus told in ten linked tales. Look for short stories like Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale; The Rise and Fall of the Hotel Dumort; Saving Raphael Santiago and What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway). Each story will be available as an ebook on a monthly basis starting April 16 with the tale of What Happened In Peru. (goodreads.com)

 

- eventuelle Spoiler enthalten -

MICHELLE HODKIN: THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER

"Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story. Retribution has arrived."
Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told. There is. She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead. She should. She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance. She will now. (goodreads.com)

ROBIN LAFEVERS: MORTAL HEART

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own. She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has... (goodreads.com)

BEN AARONOVITCH: FOXGLOVE SUMMER

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London - to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can't take the London out of the copper. Travelling west with Beverley Brook Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what's more all the shops are closed by 4pm... (goodreads.com)

10/09/2014

80 Days - Die Farbe der Lust von Vina Jackson

Titel: Die Farbe der Lust
Autor: Vina Jackson
Reihe: 80 Days - Teil 1
Seiten: 368 Seiten
Verlag: carl's books
Genre: Erwachsenenliteratur, Erotik,

Frustriert von einer unbefriedigenden Beziehung findet die leidenschaftliche Violinistin Summer Erfüllung in der Musik. Sie spielt nachmittags in der Londoner U-Bahn auf ihrer ramponierten Violine Vivaldi. Als ihre Geige sich nicht mehr reparieren lässt, bekommt sie von Dominik, einem Uniprofessor mit ausschweifenden Fantasien, ein erstaunliches Angebot: Er möchte ihr eine wertvolle Violine schenken, wenn sie ihm ein privates Konzert gibt. Also spielt sie für ihn in der Krypta einer Kirche – doch muss sie dabei nackt sein, während Dominik den anderen Musikern die Augen verbunden hat. Summer spürt, wie sehr Dominik sie anzieht und in ihr bisher unbekannte Saiten zum Schwingen bringt: Sie beginnt eine intensive erotische Liaison mit ihm, in der sie ihre lange verleugnete dunkle Seite ausleben kann. Doch hat eine alles verschlingende Beziehung ohne Tabus Bestand? (goodreads.com)

10/01/2014

Englische Neuerscheinungen: Oktober 2014

 

ANDREA HANNAH: OF SCARS AND STARDUST

After her little sister mysteriously vanishes, seventeen-year-old Claire Graham has a choice to make: stay snug in her little corner of Manhattan with her dropout boyfriend, or go back to Ohio to face the hometown tragedy she's been dying to leave behind. But the memories of that night still haunt her in the city, and as hard as she tries to forget what her psychiatrist calls her "delusions," Claire can't seem to escape the wolf's eyes or the blood-speckled snow. Delusion or reality, Claire knows she has to hold true to the most important promise she's ever made: to keep Ella safe. She must return to her sleepy hometown in order to find Ella and keep her hallucinations at bay before they strike again. But time is quickly running out, and as Ella's trail grows fainter, the wolves are becoming startlingly real. Now Claire must deal with her attraction to Grant, the soft-spoken boy from her past that may hold the secret to solving her sister's disappearance, while following the clues that Ella left for only her to find. Through a series of cryptic diary entries, Claire must unlock the keys to Ella's past—and her own—in order to stop another tragedy in the making, while realizing that not all things that are lost are meant to be found. (goodreads.com)

A.S. KING: GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

"In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more."
Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities—but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying. A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn’t come to pass. (goodreads.com)

K.A. TUCKER: BURYING WATER

"The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away."
Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him? Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried. The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface. (goodreads.com)



JULIE KAGAWA: TALON

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons. (goodreads.com)

MARIE LU: THE YOUNG ELITES

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.  Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.  Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her. (goodreads.com)

ALLY CONDIE: ATLANTIA

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose. Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths. (goodreads.com)


   
- eventuelle Spoiler enthalten - 

RICK RIORDAN: THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake. The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps. The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over. (goodreads.com)

ALEXANDRA BRACKEN: IN THE AFTERLIGHT 

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.  They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids. Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire. (goodreads.com)

MAGGIE STIEFVATER: BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE 

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up. Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost. Friends can betray. Mothers can disappear. Visions can mislead. Certainties can unravel. (goodreads.com)

9/24/2014

Neuzugänge August + September

 
Endlich wieder neue Bücher! Obwohl ich ja in den vergangenen zwei Monaten ziemlich "brav" geblieben bin, was den Bücherkauf angeht. Nur die Hälfte der Bücher - also 4 - habe ich mir selbst gekauft. 
Eins davon ist zum Beispiel "Die Frau von Shearwater Island". Das habe ich mir bestellt, weil ich schon immer mal so etwas in der Richtung lesen wollte und die Thematik auch wirklich geheimnisvoll, interessant und ein wenig außergewöhnlich klingt. "Corpus Delicti" ist meine derzeitige Schullektüre, die ich mir auch selbst kaufen musste. Auf den dritten Teil im Paperback der Ashes Trilogie "Monsters" habe ich ewig gewartet. Nun habe ich die Reihe komplett und einheitlich im Regal stehen und ich muss sagen - sie ist so toll - optisch und hoffentlich auch von der Story her! Bald werde ich hoffentlich die Zeit finden und sie in einem Rutsch lesen. "The Cabinet of Curiosities" hat mir genau genommen meine Mama gekauft. Das stand schon ewig auf meine Wunschliste und da es derzeit bei Amazon recht billig war, durfte ich gleich mal zuschlagen und nun wohnt auch dieses schön gestaltete Stück bei mir. Von "Die Berufene" wollte ich mir eigentlich schon fast die englische Version kaufen, doch dann habe ich mich bei vorablesen.de für die deutsche Übersetzung beworben und habe Glück gehabt! Ich bin schon sehr gespannt! "Zertrennlich" und "Schmetterling im Sturm" konnte ich auch bei vorablesen.de ergattern. "Magisterium - The Iron Trial" darf ich für Blogg dein Buch lesen und rezensieren. Von dieser Geschichte schwärmen ja so einige englische Buchblogger.

Habt ihr in den letzten zwei Monaten spannende Neuzugänge bekommen und welche Bücher stehen ganz oben auf eurer Wunschliste? Wie viele neue Bücher sind bei euch pro Monat normal bzw. für euch okay? Und was ist zu viel?

9/01/2014

Monatsrückblick August 2014

Ihr seht einen bunt gemischten Bücherhaufen. Ich bin glücklich, dass ich "Haufen" schreiben kann, denn in den letzten Tagen sah es ja mit den gelesenen Büchern eher mau aus. Für meine Verhältnisse war der August aber sehr gut. Immerhin war ich auch im Urlaub und konnte dort eine ganze Menge lesen. Mit insgesamt 2102 Seiten liegt der August in meiner persönlichen Statistik schon weit vorn. Leider wird es die nächsten Monate wohl nicht so locker weiter gehen. Denn die Schule hat wieder angefangen und - jetzt wird es wirklich ernst. Doch hier ist nun die Kurzfassung:

 
Maxime Chattam: Alterra 01 - Die Gemeinschaft der Drei [Reihenrezension folgt]
Jack Ketchum: Versteckt [Rezension folgt]

 
R.L. Stine: Fear Street - Höllisches Vermächtnis
Y-Titty: Das Buch Yolo [Kurzrezension folgt]
Francois Lelord: Hector and the search for happiness [Rezension folgt]
Francois Lelord: Hector and the secrets of love [Rezension folgt]
Albert Borris: Zehn Gründe, die todsicher fürs Leben sprechen [Kurzrezension folgt]

 
Edeet Ravel: Du liebst mich nicht [Rezension]

Was sind bei euch so die Monate, in denen ihr die meisten Bücher lest? Eher im Sommer oder im Winter? Und woran - glaubt ihr - könnte das liegen? Was waren eure Sommerhighlights?

8/28/2014

Du liebst mich nicht von Edeet Ravel

Titel: Du liebst mich nicht
Autor: Edeet Ravel
Reihe: keine
Seiten: 320 Seiten
Verlag: CBT
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Während eines Sommeraufenthaltes in Griechenland wird die Amerikanerin Chloe gekidnappt. Tag für Tag steht das einst selbstbewusste, lebensfrohe Mädchen nun Todesängste aus. Ihre Hilflosigkeit, die körperlichen Qualen durch einen der Entführer und die Einsamkeit treiben sie an den Rand des Wahnsinns. Zu Hause kämpft man für ihre Freilassung, doch hier gibt es nur einen, auf den sie sich verlassen kann. Nur einen, der ihr Überleben sichert. Einen, den sie wirklich liebt ... ihr Peiniger. (goodreads.com)

8/27/2014

Wo immer du bist von Cylin Busby

Titel: Wo immer du bist
Autor: Cylin Busby
Reihe: keine
Seiten: 240 Seiten
Verlag: Boje
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Mystery

Nach einem Mountainbike-Unfall landet der 17-jährige West im Krankenhaus – er kann nicht sprechen, sich nicht bewegen und muss befürchten, für immer gelähmt zu bleiben. Ans Bett gefesselt bekommt er nachts Besuch von Olivia, die im Zimmer nebenan liegt. Das Mädchen fasziniert und verunsichert ihn gleichermaßen, Nacht für Nacht wartet er auf sie. Als es West besser geht, zeigt Olivia ihm im Internet, wer sie früher war: eine leichtfüßig tanzende Ballerina. Warum sie nun schon so lange im Krankenhaus ist, will sie ihm allerdings nicht erzählen. Schließlich hat West die Chance, nach einer riskanten Operation wieder ganz der Alte zu werden. Olivia hat Angst, dass West sie danach vergessen wird. Doch er verspricht ihr, sich um sie zu kümmern. Als West sein Versprechen nach der erfolgreichen Operation einlösen will, muss er jedoch eine grausame Wahrheit erkennen. Das Mädchen Olivia liegt seit drei Jahren im Koma und die Begegnungen mit ihr hat West in einem Zwischenreich erlebt. Doch es gibt einen letzten Liebesbeweis, den West für sie erbringen kann... (goodreads.com)

Englische Neuerscheinungen: September 2014


CARAGH M. O'BRIEN: THE VAULT OF DREAMERS

"From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own."
The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there. (goodreads.com)

KATE A. BOORMAN: WINTERKILL

Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent. When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next. (goodreads.com)

SCOTT WESTERFELD: AFTERWORLDS

 "Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack."
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most. (goodreads.com)



GRETCHEN McNEIL: GET EVEN

"The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process."
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers. When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose. (goodreads.com)

ANDREA PORTES: ANATOMY OF A MISFIT

"This emotional, hilarious, devastating, and ultimately triumphant YA debut, based on actual events, recounts one girl’s rejection of her high school’s hierarchy—and her discovery of her true self in the face of tragedy."
Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who? (goodreads.com)

ANDREW SMITH: 100 SIDEWAYS MILES 

Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved. Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny. (goodreads.com)


- eventuelle Spoiler enthalten -

RICK YANCEY: THE INFINITE SEA

"The riveting follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The 5th Wave, hailed by Justin Cronin as 'wildly entertaining.' "
How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity. Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race. Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate. (goodreads.com)

MINDY McGINNIS: IN A HANDFUL OF DUST

"In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier."
The only thing bigger than the world is fear. Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach. When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust. (goodreads.com)

KAT ZHANG: ECHOES OF US

To change the world, I may lose everything All Eva ever wanted was the chance to be herself. But in the Americas, to be hybrid—to share your body with a second soul—is not tolerated past childhood. Now Eva and Addie, her sister soul, are constantly on the move, hiding from the officials who seek to capture them. But the tide is changing. A revolution is brewing, and people are starting to question the hybrids' mistreatment. Then Marion, an ambitious reporter, offers Eva and Addie a daring proposal: If they go undercover and film the wretched conditions of a hybrid institution, she will not only rescue them, she'll find a way to free Jackson, the boy Addie loves. It's risky, and Eva will have to leave Ryan and her friends behind, but if she succeeds, it could also tip the scales forever and lead to hybrid freedom. As Eva and Addie walk into danger, they cling to each other and the hope of a better future. But the price they might pay is higher than they ever could have imagined. (goodreads.com)

7/30/2014

Monatsrückblick Juli 2014

Im Juni lief es für meine Verhältnisse richtig gut. Da ist es klar, dass der Juli wieder schlechter ausfallen wird. Schlecht im Sinne von der gelesenen Seitanzahl. Diesmal waren es nur 1169 Seiten. Manche werden darüber lachen, aber ich kann leider nicht mehr lesen, weil mir dazu in letzter Zeit oft Zeit und Lust fehlen. Trotzdem bin ich in diesem Monat von den Büchern, die ich gelesen habe, sehr begeistert. Zu "Blind Walk" gab es sogar eine Blogtour. Aber hier nun alles in allem in meiner kleinen Statistik zusammengefasst:

 
Ursula Poznanski: Erebos [Rezension folgt]
Patricia Schröder: Blind Walk [Rezension]

 
Cylin Busby: Wo immer du bist [Rezension folgt]

 

Habt ihr dieses Jahr schon überwiegend Bücher gelesen, die euch gefallen haben oder eher nicht? Wie viel habt ihr diesen Monat gelesen? Was war euer Monatshighlight?

7/28/2014

Blogtour: Gewinnspiel Auslosung

Hallo ihr Lieben! Leider ist nun unsere tolle Blogtour vorbei. Ich hatte wirklich Spaß und die Beiträge waren wirklich alle informativ und einfallsreich und vor allem schön gestaltet. Am Ende haben wir ein Gewinnspiel veranstaltet, von dem heute die Gewinner feststehen. Ich will euch nicht länger auf die Folter spannen. Hier sind die drei glücklichen Gewinner:
Platz 3
Stephie
Platz 2
Yvonne Rauchbach

Platz 1
Claudia M. Kraml

Herzlichen Glückwunsch euch dreien! Ihr werdet morgen per Mail benachrichtigt und danach werden eure Adressen an den Coppenrath Verlag weitergesendet, von dem direkt die Gewinne an euch verschickt werden! Ich hoffe ihr hattet alle Spaß bei unserer Blogtour und ich würde mich auf bleibende Besucher freuen. Ansonsten: Bis zum nächsten Mal. Es hat wirklich Spaß gemacht. HIER nochmal der Link zu meinem Beitrag zur Blogtour und HIER kommt ihr nochmal zum Gewinnspiel. Bis bald.

7/27/2014

Englische Neuerscheinungen: August 2014


PATTY BLOUNT: SOME BOYS

"A gut-wrenching, powerful love story told from alternating points of view by the acclaimed author of Send."
Some boys go too far. Some boys will break your heart. But one boy can make you whole. When Grace meets Ian she's afraid. Afraid he'll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses the town golden boy of rape, everyone turns against Grace. They call her a slut and a liar. But...Ian doesn't. He's funny and kind with secrets of his own. But how do you trust the best friend of the boy who raped you? How do you believe in love? (goodreads.com)

KRISTI COOK: MAGNOLIA

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived. Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist. But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over. (goodreads.com)

ADELE GRIFFIN: THE UNFINISHED LIFE OF ADDISON STONE

"Two-time National Book Award finalist Adele Griffin offers an ingenious fictional take on the "oral history" celebrity bio that defined a bestselling genre."
Adele's words: "From the moment she burst into the downtown art scene, seventeen-year-old Addison Stone was someone to watch. Her trademark subversive street art and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more about this brilliant wild-child who shone so bright and was gone too soon. By means of more than one hundred interviews with those who knew her best—including close friends, family, teachers, mentors, art dealers, boyfriends, and critics—I have retraced the tumultuous path of Addison's life, with research that sheds new evidence on what really happened the night of July 28. With photo inserts and previously unpublished supplemental material." (goodreads.com)

  

RIN CHUPECO: THE GIRL FROM THE WELL

"The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story."
You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.  A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago. And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out. (goodreads.com)

AUSTIN ASLAN: THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD

"A powerful story enriched by fascinating elements of Hawaiian ecology, culture, and warfare, this captivating and dramatic debut from Austin Aslan is the first of two novels. The author has a master’s degree in tropical conservation biology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo."
In this fast-paced survival story set in Hawaii, electronics fail worldwide, the islands become completely isolated, and a strange starscape fills the sky. Leilani and her father embark on a nightmare odyssey from Oahu to their home on the Big Island. Leilani’s epilepsy holds a clue to the disaster, if only they can survive as the islands revert to earlier ways. (goodreads.com)

DELILAH S. DAWSON: SERVANTS OF THE STORM

A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.  But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.  As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started. Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.  (goodreads.com)
 

 - eventuelle Spoiler enthalten - 
  

APRIL GENEVIEVE TUCHOLKE: BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN

"The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood."
Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world. But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry. The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me. The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . . (goodreads.com)

C. J. REDWINE: DELIVERANCE

Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One. Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland. Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One. But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?  (goodreads.com)

STEPHANIE PERKINS: ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.  (goodreads.com)