Waiting on Wednesday(18): Trial by Fire

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

Book: Trial by Fire (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1) by Josephine Angelini

Publication Date: September 2, 2014

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy? - (source)

Alternative universes usually don't appeal to me because my brain generally can't comprehend its magnitude in terms of its foundations and principles. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by this "terrifying sensual" world and having a superior alternate self, so I'm definitely looking forward to reading this title.

So what books are you waiting on?

Review: Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Read (October 3 - 7 2012)

Book: Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Number of Pages: 304

Genre/s: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

And girl created boy…

In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he? - (source)

“It's the fate of all creators: They fall in love with their creations.” - taken from an uncorrected ARC 

Eve and Adam is a tricky book to judge. If I have read it back then, I'd surely enjoy it more. Much more.

In a way, Eve and Adam is a fluffy read for me. It almost seemed like it doesn't take itself too seriously and I really appreciated that. I had my first few laughs just a few pages in, a rare feat I guess, what with the types of book I'm reading now. So that's a really pleasant surprise.

Evening, or E.V. to Aislin or Eve to Solo, is the daughter of Terra Spiker, the owner of the Spiker Biotech. Her mother is a force to reckon with and everyone is incredibly afraid of her. Evening has been in a terrible accident and that's where he meets Solo. The boy with the blue eyes and a surfer's hair and with whom she feels strangely attracted to. But Evening isn't really normal nor is Solo who is intent to bring Terra Spiker and her corporation down.

So before we all go through this, can someone please tell me who's EmmaRose in the synopsis? Did I somehow miss this while I was reading because for all I know, Eve's mother is called Terra. OK, now that's out of the way let me continue.

There's something missing with Eve and Adam. Like something's off and I'm still trying to figure what exactly is it. It's funny and entertaining; the concept is intriguing. I just don't understand what stopped me from enjoying and loving this fully. Maybe the "carefreeness" of the writing backfired or the villains were somehow laughable and pathetic. The villains were indeed pretty pathetic which I guess is how the authors intended them to be, but I really didn't dig it so much. Eve is an OK protagonist as well but I didn't really like her as much as Solo and Aislin. 

I'm excited to see more of Adam though. Not because he's hotness-personified or traffic-stopping or jaw-dropping or cab-hailingly gorgeous but because I want to learn more about him and I want to know if he will grow to be an ordinary human boy. Oh now that sounds like Pinnochio. But perhaps, I just want to see more of Aislin in action. She could be jarringly likeable. 

Cupid's Verdict:

2 1/2 Cupids

A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review.