This week's picks:
Charisma by Jeanne Ryan
"A chance at the ultimate makeover means deadly consequences in this Sarah Dessen-meets-Robin Cook thriller
Aislyn suffers from crippling shyness—that is, until she’s offered a dose of Charisma, an underground gene therapy drug guaranteed to make her shine. The effects are instant. She’s charming, vivacious, and popular. But strangely, so are some other kids she knows. The media goes into a frenzy when the disease turns contagious, and then deadly, and the doctor who gave it to them disappears. Aislyn must find a way to stop it, before it's too late.
Part medical thriller, part social justice commentary, Charisma will have readers on the edge of their seats."
This premise is just so fascinating and full of possibility! Medical thriller? Social justice and psychology issues? Sign me up! I haven't read Jeanne Ryan's other novel, Nerve, but as a self-proclaimed introvert, I am particularly interested in Charisma.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Goodreads' description:
"Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army, she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a superhuman ability she didn’t know she had.
Except . . . her blood is Red.
To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a budding Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince and Mare against her own heart."
This one has all the earmarks of a potentially awesome traditional YA fantasy. Social hierarchy, surprise superpowers, royal betrothal, rebellion... lots of tropes we've seen before, but if they're used well I imagine this could be an entertaining read!
What books are you waiting for?
Amazing picks! I hadn't heard about the first one but holy crap it sounds amazing, cannot wait to check out and definitely added to my TBR :)
ReplyDeleteAnd the second one is just kick butt!
Here's my WoW
Ooo....both of these look really good, and bonus is that they're both new to me! Nice picks!
ReplyDeleteWOW
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
Just heard about Red Queen recently, and it sounds fantastic. Charisma is new to me, and I'm loving the synopsis! Great picks. :D
ReplyDeleteHere's my WoW.
I'm really excited for both of these! There are so many good books lately.
ReplyDeleteKrystianna @ Downright Dystopian
I've just started hearing about Red Queen and now have it on my wishlist. I haven't heard about Charisma though, which sounds interesting and I like that it's a blend of thriller and commentary. I'll be adding it to my wishlist too.
ReplyDeleteOkay, RED QUEEN, yesss. And CHARISMA, I saw that a couple weeks ago and was intrigued by the rabbits--and a pink one!--on the cover. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
Both sound amazing, and I'd never heard of Charisma before, but it sounds great and I love both covers!
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