Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Title: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (Untitled #1)
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Genre: Fantasy / Retellings
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 27th, 2016
From Goodreads:
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . .
Why we are waiting:
If you have listened to our podcast or poked around our blog, you know that Cynthia and I both have a thing for retellings. That said, we do tend to prefer fairy tale retellings, so this one is a bit of an odd choice. If you combine that with the fact that I don’t like Romeo and Juliet, you’re probably confused as to why I am interested in this book at all.
It’s simple, really. I have decided that is there is anyone on the planet that can take Romeo and Juliet and turn it into something truly unique, it is Rosamund Hodge. Now, I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of Cruel Beauty but that was mostly because of the strange romance. The world she created was really beautiful. I am really looking forward to what she does with a story that I think needs a good punch in the gut.
Plus, I have heard rumors of necromancy. How cool is that?
I’ve acquired an ARC for this one and can’t wait to get started! 😊
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That’s awesome! I hope it is good!
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This one is on my TBR! Hopefully it’s enjoyable 😊 The cover is stunning!
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I am hoping the same! The cover really got me. 😀
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I am a bit confused about this one but it does seem incredibly interesting, the cover is beautiful and it is a very new take on Romeo and Juliet, which I’m not the biggest fan of either. I already pre-ordered it, so I’m hoping it’s good. I haven’t read Cruel Beauty as of right now. but I might, just to get a feel for her writing.
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I liked the writing in Cruel Beauty. I just didn’t like the way she took the story. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t my thing. It was, however, very unique. I expect this one will be too. 😀
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Ugghhh so excited for this! I love Rosamund Hodge’s books so far and hopefully, the trend will continue with this book.
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I didn’t really care for Cruel Beauty. It was strictly a matter of opinion, though. It wasn’t her. It was me. 😛
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Looks good
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I hope it is!
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Great cover and sounds really interesting. Hope you enjoy it!
Renee ~ My Wow
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The cover is gorgeous! 😀
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Sounds really good! I love retellings, also usually of the fairy tale variety, but Shakespeare is a close second. I’m interested to see how it pays off.
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I like some of Shakespeare’s stuff. Romeo and Juliet doesn’t make the cut. I am hoping she can put a spin on it that I enjoy.
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This is the first that I’ve heard of this one but it sounds so awesome! I’ll have to add it to my TBR.
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
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I hope you like it. 😀
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Awesome pick! I am so ready to read this one.
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