I Can't Wait For... The Light at the Bottom of the World

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I actually just found out about this book recently which is sad because the author apparently hasn't had much promotion of it and it's about to come out. So let's shine some light on...

The Light at the Bottom of the World

The Light at the Bottom of the World Book 1
by London Shah
YA Sci-Fi
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 320 Pages
October 29, 2019 by Disney-Hyperion


Blurb

Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.

At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean's surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.

Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father's been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he's innocent, and all she's interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.

When she's picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.

Now, she'll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture–and her father might be lost forever.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Snowbound Books (Support My Favorite Indie)

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out? 

Book Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Blurb:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

My Review:

Of all the books I got from the library this month, I did not expect to love this one. In fact, I grabbed in on a whim after seeing it so much on bookstagram. Boy am I glad I did!

I love the way this book is formatted, in transcripts, ims, emails, and more. It made reading this book quickly so easy. I think I read 300 pages a day and finished it in two days, and I can officially say I. Am. Obsessed! 

You find yourself feeling for all of the characters and even starting to like the AI by the end. The fate of the Alexander was like the Titanic meets the Walking Dead... okay, maybe that's a weird way to describe it but whatever. 

Usually I don't like Sci-Fi books, there are only a select few but I can honestly say I couldn't get enough of this book and I'm already dying to read the next book.

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

6 of 5 Stars! 

Book Review: The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee

The Towering Sky (The Thousandth Floor, #3) by Katharine McGee

Blurb:

The final book in Katharine McGee's epic New York Times bestselling Thousandth Floor series

When you have everything, you have everything to lose.

Welcome back to New York, 2119. A skyscraper city, fueled by impossible dreams.

Leda just wants to move on from what happened in Dubai. Until a new investigation forces her to seek help—from the person she’s spent all year trying to forget.

Rylin is back in her old life, reunited with an old flame. But when she starts seeing Cord again, she finds herself torn: between two worlds, and two very different boys.

Calliope feels trapped, playing a long con that costs more than she bargained for. What happens when all her lies catch up with her?

Watt is still desperately in love with Leda. He’ll do anything to win her back—even dig up secrets that are better left buried.

And now that Avery is home from England—with a new boyfriend, Max—her life seems more picture-perfect than ever. So why does she feel like she would rather be anything but perfect?

Perfect for fans of Kiera Cass and Anna Godbersen, and with all the drama, romance and hidden secrets from The Thousandth Floor and The Dazzling Heights , this explosive finale will not disappoint.

My Review:

The Towering Sky was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and the finale of the Thousandth Floor trilogy was well worth the wait!

All your favorite characters are back, as the police circle investigating the most recent death, and the stakes are higher than ever.

 I loved this book so much, it was everything I could have hoped for in an ending (in that it ended well with wrapping up all the storylines perfectly). 

The world-building in this series had me hooked from the start and I loved all of the features of the tower and their futuristic technology (often envious that we don't have this kind of technology today). 

Overall, this has been a great sci-fi trilogy with murder, mystery, romance, and I will reread not only The Towering Sky but all three for years to come!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Glitter by Aprilynne Pike

Glitter (Glitter Duology #1) by Aprilynne Pike

Blurb:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life. 

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.

When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.

Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.

But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.

My Review:

Welcome to the palace of Versailles where despite the fact that it's somewhere in the late 2000s/early 2100s people still live as if it's 1700, except with modern technology.

A hundred years ago Versailles was bought from the French in an underhanded deal by the head of a tech company (I think, don't hold me to that) who refurbished the palace to its' former glory, brought in his employees and declared himself king of what he called "Sonoman-Versailles" - a separate country from France. (Reviewer note: Does anyone else think that sounds like the name of the cookware store Williams-Sonoma??)

Now four generations later the country and company is being run by nineteen-year-old Justin. When our heroine seventeen-year-old Dani accidentally sees the young king having rough sex with a nobleman's daughter and he sees Dani and panics, accidentally strangling the girl to death, Dani's mother cooks up an evil plot. She and Dani will remain quiet about what they've seen if the King marries Dani and makes her his queen. At first, Justin balks at the idea but like a caged animal he eventually gives in. 

Dani doesn't want to be Queen and she definitely doesn't want to marry a man that could potentially kill her but she has no choice. In an attempt to escape her life at Sonoman-Versailles, Dani sneaks away from the palace to the Catacombs of Paris in the hopes of being smuggled away from her old life to a new one. But her face is too noticeable and her would-be savior tells her he'll only help if she manages to raise five million euros. 

Dani doesn't think it is possible until she discovers the illegal drugs her father has been stealing money from her to purchase and Dani begins to see a way out. She'll sell these addictive glitter drugs to the noblemen and women of Sonoman-Versailles to earn the money she needs to escape her impending marriage. 

When the drug deal she meets turns out to be the same man she met in the catacombs she's even more determined not to fail and with the help of one of the drug dealer's young assistants, Saber, Dani comes up with the idea to put the drugs into cosmetics to sell at court. 

The idea is a startling success and Dani sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe she will escape in time. But she's forgetting - drugs are addictive and they come with deadly consequences. After two unexpected deaths the entire Glitter operation begins to implode, will Dani be able to escape Sonoman-Versailles with Saber, the boy she's begun to have feelings for? Or will everything begin to crash down on top of her?

This book took two tries for me to get through and I did end up liking it in the end. I like the world Dani lives in at Sonoman-Versailles, it's an interesting contrast to the modern world outside the palace walls. And there were some interesting technology devices in this book - not a lot though which is what I would have expected in a futuristic world after reading similar books like The Thousandth Floor. 

However, I didn't quite see King Justin as the villain he's made out to be. Yes, he killed his lover accidentally in a kinky-sex-gone-bad situation but its not like it was full-blown premeditated murder. I don't believe he intended to kill the girl. There's a huge difference between negligent homicide, manslaughter, and out-and-out murder. Hell, what Justin did could even be considered an accident - he was startled and he squeezed the girl's neck too tight. I kind of think Dani's reaction to Justin was a little blown out of proportion. 

 And yes, Justin is a cocky, arrogant, jerk who is used to getting what he wants; but he's a 19-year-old king, seriously, what else do you expect? I kept waiting for a stand out scene or some solid proof that made me think "OMG this guy is a monster!" but I didn't really get that. Yes, he's an antagonist in this story, but is he really a true "villain" or just someone that struck an unreasonable bargain in a moment where he felt like a cornered rat? At times I almost found myself liking him, but hey, I tend toward the screwed up guys. 

Honestly, if anyone is a villain here it is Danica's mother. I can definitely say I think she's a cold, conniving, scheming witch with a b.

Despite all that I liked the premise of the book and I'll probably read the sequel. It was an enjoyable read once I looked past my issues with Dani's reaction to Justin and realized it wasn't as well thought out as my favorite futuristic book, The Thousandth Floor. 

My Rating:

3.75 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee

The Dazzling Heights (The Thousandth Floor #2) by Katharine McGee

Blurb:

The sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Thousandth Floor

New York, 2118. Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a breathtaking marvel that touches the sky. But amidst high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets…

LEDA is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’ll do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden—even if it means trusting her enemy.

WATT just wants to put everything behind him…until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free of her for good?

When RYLIN wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

AVERY is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She’s desperate to be with him… no matter the cost.

And then there’s CALLIOPE, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York, determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.

But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. And in a world of such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall.

The sumptuous second book in the bestselling Thousandth Floor series has all the drama, romance and hidden secrets that landed the first book in this series at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.

My Review:

Step back into the thousand-story Tower and the amazing world of the future and all of its' amazing technology.

We met five teenagers in The Thousandth Floor and now only four remain, bound together by the horrible truth of the night their fifth died.

Leda Cole is haunted by the events of that night and she'll do anything to keep the truth from getting out. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But what happens when she begins falling for the last person she expected to?

Watt Bakradi wants to hate Leda for blackmailing him into keeping quiet. If only he could trick her into saying what happened that night so he can have Nadia record it and he can turn her in. But what if the more time he spends with Leda, the less he sees the icy bitch he thinks her to be and begins seeing the vulnerable, hopeful girl underneath?

Rylin Myers's life changes the day she finds out she's been accepted to the most exclusive school in the country, a UpTower school attended by the last person she wants to be reminded of - Cord, the boy she fell in love with and betrayed. Will it give her a second chance with him? Suddenly back in school after two years Rylin is excelling at an advanced holography class and tentatively becoming friends with the last person she expected to. But when her teacher blurs the lines between student and teacher will her life combust again?

Avery Fuller finally has it all, including the forbidden love of Atlas. But with Leda's threat hanging over her head, the memory of the night on the roof that she can't tell anyone about, and her parents catching on to her and Atlas's relationship, can they ever truly have happiness? Or are some forbidden loves destined to remain just that?

And then there is the new girl, Calliope Brown. Beautiful, mysterious Calliope who has a hidden past with Atlas. What is she really doing in New York? Calliope is the girl with too many secrets to hide - and it's only a matter of time before someone catches on to her here too.

Throughout it all, someone is watching them from the shadows. Waiting for one of them to slip up so they can bring them down. After all, when you're on the top of the world, there's only one way down. Watch your step.

I only have one thing to say about The Dazzling Heights: WOW! I loved this book even more than the first book!

The technology and worldbuilding continue to amaze me and I loved seeing even more of this new, futuristic world, not just in the Tower, but beyond it.

I love how this book, like The Thousandth Floor, starts with a death but you don't know who it is until the end. I felt that each character grew in this book and you saw a different side of each of them. The characters I didn't like from the first book, Watt and Leda, I completely loved in this book, although Rylin is still my favorite! And a character I liked in The Thousandth Floor, Avery, I absolutely couldn't stand in this book. She definitely gave off a clingy, jealous, desperate vibe toward Atlas when Calliope showed up and I loved the addition of Calliope. She was a great new character and I can't wait to see what's going to happen to her in the next book.

Overall, this book was a fantastic, unputdownable read that I didn't want to finish because it meant the wild ride would be over. This series is a definite must-read and I'm already dying for the next book! This book ruined me in the best possible way! As with the first book, the writing and storytelling are excellent and Katharine McGee is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! 

My Rating:

6 of 5 Stars! 

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #77

I'm finally to the end of my Summer 2017 ARCs and this "WIR"-Wednesday I'm finally getting to read the ARC that has been sitting on my TBR-pile taunting me since I received it...

The Dazzling Heights (The Thousandth Floor #2) by Katharine McGee

Blurb:

The sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Thousandth Floor

New York, 2118. Manhattan is home to a thousand-story supertower, a breathtaking marvel that touches the sky. But amidst high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, five teenagers are keeping dangerous secrets…

LEDA is haunted by memories of what happened on the worst night of her life. She’ll do anything to make sure the truth stays hidden—even if it means trusting her enemy.

WATT just wants to put everything behind him…until Leda forces him to start hacking again. Will he do what it takes to be free of her for good?

When RYLIN wins a scholarship to an upper-floor school, her life transforms overnight. But being there means seeing the boy whose heart she broke, and who broke hers in return.

AVERY is tormented by her love for the one person in the world she can never have. She’s desperate to be with him… no matter the cost.

And then there’s CALLIOPE, the mysterious, bohemian beauty who arrives in New York, determined to cause a stir. And she knows exactly where to begin.

But unbeknownst to them all, someone is watching their every move, someone with revenge in mind. And in a world of such dazzling heights, just one wrong step can mean a devastating fall.

The sumptuous second book in the bestselling Thousandth Floor series has all the drama, romance and hidden secrets that landed the first book in this series at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Why I Requested This Book | What I Think So Far:

I requested this book because The Thousandth Floor was my breakout favorite book of 2016. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Hell, I didn't expect to like it at all, but The Thousandth Floor, with its' city-like supertower and amazing futuristic technology, blew me away. I couldn't get enough so I knew I had to get my hands on The Dazzling Heights as soon as I could. Luckily for me, I got an ARC and I started reading it yesterday. With everything going on yesterday (it was a busy day), I only got to the fourth character (the book is divided into different characters instead of chapters) but so far it is as easy to get wrapped up in as The Thousandth Floor. I can't wait to see what is going to happen to the characters in this one! 

Book Review: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Blurb:

New York City as you’ve never seen it before. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one?

Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Debut author Katharine McGee has created a breathtakingly original series filled with high-tech luxury and futuristic glamour, where the impossible feels just within reach. But in this world, the higher you go, the farther there is to fall….

My Review:

Fast-forward 102 years in the future to the Tower, stretching 1000 stories above New York City, shadowing and dwarfing everything below. 

The Tower is really a city unto itself, holding everything a person could need or want - schools, hospitals, stores, churches, restaurants, clubs, and of course apartments. New York City has essentially become obsolete thanks to the Tower. 

Step into the tower and there are social classes just like everywhere else. People on the lowest floors are poor, and the highest floors reserved for the rich and glamorous. In this 2118 world there are a lot of amazing technological advances, but only for those who can pay the price, yet another way the rich distinguish themselves from the poor. 

But no matter what floor you live on, everyone has something to hide. Insert the teens from the Tower - 

Living on the thousandth floor is Avery, who by all accounts is perfect on the outside, but the taboo secret she holds close to her heart, her feelings for the one person in her life she definitely shouldn't love, make her more twisted than anyone knows. 

Down on the 224th or was it 244th? floor is tech geek Watt with the illegal supercomputer in his brain. What's going to happen when spying for a client places him in the path of the most beautiful out-of-his-league girl he's ever met?

On the 32nd floor, Rylin is doing everything she can to keep her younger sister from entering the foster care system after the death of their mother even if it means stealing pills from her sexy new boss, who might be the guy of her dreams. Will Cinderella get her prince? Or will reality and social classes get in the way?

Eris had it all until a heavily guarded family secret comes to light and ruins her perfect little world. Can she learn that there are more important things than money and status?

And then there is Leda, possibly the most insane, vindictive character in the whole book. Everyone is about to learn that you do not get in between Leda and what she wants. 

The Thousandth Floor is OMG AMAZING! I've been holding off on reading this book for a while because I was afraid I wouldn't like it, but now I wish I had started it the day I got it. I loved this book. The technology was seriously cool, and the new modern world was fantastic. 

This book really does remind me of a futuristic Gossip Girl (although the structure itself reminded me of the doomed tower in the movie The Towering Inferno for some reason. I kept waiting for it to burn to the ground at the end), where the secrets are more scandalous and the stakes are higher. When you start the book you know that one of the characters is going to take a dive off the thousandth floor, but which one? Is it suicide or murder? 

You move backward two months and meet all the characters, moving steadily forward toward the moment when everything clicks into place. At first, I couldn't tell which character I liked the most. Avery was a sweetheart, even though her secret was the most scandalous of all, so I liked her instantly. I loved and disliked Eris throughout the novel, but once she got past the rich snob phase she became one of my favorites. Ultimately the characters I fell the hardest for were Rylin and Cord. Watching them interact was enjoyable and I felt all the feels for them. 

That only leaves Watt and Leda. Watt was your typical computer nerd who only wanted to make other people happy. But someone should tell him, the nice guy never gets the girl. And Leda. *sighs* Leda was truly a masterful villain and watching her descent into madness was truly interesting. The fact that I hated that character so much shows how great the writing is in this novel. 

Overall, I was addicted to this story from the first page and I enjoyed every minute of reading The Thousandth Floor. I found myself picking it up whenever possible and trying so hard not to read ahead to see what would happen next. I can't wait to see what comes next in book two, and what repercussions will come from the epic scene atop the Tower. 

My Rating:

6 of 5 Stars