It's no secret that I love creepy, eerie, things that go bump in the night kind of books. They're my thing...even if they give me nightmares for days. Those, my friends, are the very best books because they're so very tangible that they actually inspire fear. Plus, aren't our imaginations a little more terrifying than watching things play out on screen? I know mine is...

Title: The Fall

Author: Bethany Griffin (Twitter)

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publish Date: October 7, 2014

Genre: YA, Thriller

Pages: 400

Madeline Usher is doomed. She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

Psychological thrillers, plus an Edgar Allan Poe inspiration? Count me in. Though retellings are notoriously tedious and tend to fall flat (in my eyes, of course), I have high hopes for this one. If it even comes close to as haunting as that cover, I'll be sold within a few pages, and I'm not certain I'll ever sleep again. I think, my friends, this is most definitely the book for me! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature from Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: The Raft
Author: S.A. Bodeen (Blog)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: August 21, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 231

Robie, 15, lives with her family on the Midway atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Her parents are scientists; it’s an isolated life. Robie enjoys visiting her aunt in Hawaii – she gets back and forth on a cargo plane that brings supplies to Midway.

During a visit, her aunt is called to the mainland for a work emergency, leaving Robie to get home on her own. On her flight back to Midway the cargo plane hits nasty weather, and goes down. It’s just Robie, the pilot, and Max, a co-pilot she’s never met till this flight, on board. Robie is pulled aboard a raft by Max, who is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness.

They have a bag of candy and very little water between them. When they finally reach an island that seems abandoned, Robie hopes they’ll be found quickly. But she’s not sure she was even on the flight manifest. Her parents must be looking for her…aren’t they?

I actually snagged a coveted copy of this bad boy, and I was immediately sold on the insanely/eerily awesome cover. Seriously, if that's not foreboding, than the synopsis of The Raft pretty much sums it up. I haven't read too much thriller-esque contemps as of late, and this seems to have a touch of LOST and a whole lot of awesome. Needless to say, I can't wait to start it! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Title: Frost
Author: Marianna Baer
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Publish Date: September 13, 2011
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher

Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school starts with a cruel shock: Frost House, the cozy Victorian dorm where she and her best friends live, has been assigned an unexpected roommate—eccentric Celeste Lazar.

As classes get under way, strange happenings begin to bedevil Frost House: frames falling off walls, doors locking themselves, furniture toppling over. Celeste blames the housemates, convinced they want to scare her into leaving. And although Leena strives to be the peacekeeper, soon the eerie happenings in the dorm, an intense romance between Leena and Celeste’s brother, David, and the reawakening of childhood fears all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. But does the threat lie with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind…or in Frost House itself?

Senior Year at Barcroft Academy was meant to be a dream for Leena. She and her best friend Viv have scored residence in a cozy corner of the campus - Frost House. But circumstances change when an eccentric roommate, Celeste, is thrust into their living space and thing start to take a turn for the worst. Frost House seems to have a mind of its own as chairs fall, picture frames tilt and crash and the locked doors become ominous and foreboding. But as Leena's personal life becomes more chaotic and confusing, she finds herself withdrawing further into Frost House until she very might well lose her mind because she's no longer sure anymore - is there something wrong with the house, or is something wrong with her?

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of twisted stories. There's something about being sent on a spellbinding tale that resonates those things that go bump in the night. Frost does that and more. Walking a fine line between a pyschological thriller and a paranormal tale, Frost delicately balances between genres and promises a fulfilling tale for all. Author Marianna Baer has crafted a haunting debut that's mesmerizing, confusing and haunting, allowing the reader to escape into a world where darkness is undefined and every twist and turn has you guessing what's really going on at Frost House. With a fluid style and sinister tone, Frost is sure to delight readers who have a thing for the dark and mysterious.

The true beauty of Frost lies within the bones of the novel - the writing. Mysteries aren't easy to write. If you tell too much, the reader gets bored, but if you tell too little, the reader grows impatient. Frost walked a tightrope of ambiguity, giving the reader enough information to keep them turning pages and continuing guessing, but never giving anything away too soon. Moody and atmospheric, tumultuous and nerve-wracking, Frost messes with your perceptions, captivating you with a realistic MC and then sending your mind spinning on a psycholgoical tale. Leena, like I said, was a great protagonist. There was something believable and accessible about her. While she was a strong girl, there was a sense of vulnerability about her, and as her confusing grew, her mindset lent a creepy vibe to Frost. The more chaotic her thoughts were, the more suspenseful the story grew. Likewise, the relationship between David and Leena only fostered the humanity of the story, which could have easily been lost in the plot. Celeste, though a vivid and prominent secondary character, never stole the spotlight from Leena and added a tenuous sense of peace to the story, but remained precariously close to sending Frost spiraling into a veritable pandemonium. The ending was satisfying, but it was the only sort of flat element for me. I don't like ribbons and bows, but I don't like to feel like I'm still guessing. Frost balanced between the two, only offering a semblance of an answer to the mysteries within its pages.

Overall though, Frost was a dynamic, creepy debut from an author that's sure to deliver many more powerful novels to the genre in the future. I give it a strong 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy YA, especially mysteries and psychological thrillers.

I received this ARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Title: Harbinger
Author: Sara Etienne
Publisher: Putnam BYR
Publish Date: February 2, 2012
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 320

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn’t expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort is the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she’s going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she’s come home. She’s even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she’s the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can’t trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her—and the rest of the world too.

Ok, we all know I love me some dark books, and let's be honest - it doesn't get much better than some crazy chick loving dead animal bones. Am I right? Right. Harbinger sounds deliciously twisted in the best possible way. I love stories set in academies and remote locations, and it's my true hope that this one is as fast-paced and edgy as they say because it could very well be a great book! What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin (Twitter)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: September 27, 2011
Genre: YA, Psychological Thriller
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. 

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. 

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 

She's wrong.

Mara's life is nothing like it used to be. The biggest problem before the accident was the fact that Claire might be usurping her place as her best friend's new best friend. Mara's family moves to Miami for a fresh start, but Mara's troubles follow her, and her troubles begin to go from bad to worse. She's seeing things, hearing voices and she's pretty sure she's dangerously unstable. The one person that could center her is as mysterious as her condition, but as dangerously handsome and charming as they get. Can Mara reach the bottom of her troubled past before her world crumbles around her?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a thrill ride; plain and simple. However, while that surmises what many of you might have already guessed, it doesn't even begin to come close to adequately portraying what a masterpiece Michelle Hodkin has created in her debut novel. Rich and engrossing, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is rife with dark humour, snarky characters and white-knuckle suspense from start to finish. Michelle Hodkin is a genius when it comes to setting a scene. Balancing a perfect description of each setting while allowing the characters to sing through so they never become overpowered by mundane details, the world of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer comes alive. Brimming with tension and suspense, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is sure to find a place on every book-lover's shelf.

First and foremost, I have to say that Mara was very much a mystery to me throughout much of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but that's not to say that I didn't get to know her. It's the not-knowing that made her that much more intriguing, if that makes sense. Every time I think I had a grasp on what was going on with her, she threw me for a loop and had me grasping at straws, yet again. Jamie, Mara's new best friend was a hilarious oddity, as well. He added a layer of intrigue to the host of secondary characters, each of whom had their own distinct personality. In the same breath, I'd like to say that Daniel, Mara's older brother, was a perfect counterpart to Mara, herself. His steady demeanor was the very opposite of Mara's tumultuous self, but their interaction was genuine and honest - very much that of a brother and sister. Then there's Noah Shaw. Good Lord. Noah Shaw. He will forever be the boy that I compare all YA boys to from now on...perhaps real boys, as well. On the surface, his surly player facade had me screaming for mercy, but when you added the layer of hidden, genuine charm and concern, he epitomizes perfection. Through it all, however, I must not forget that while the characters were phenomenal, the plot was equally so. I never once knew where The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was heading, but it was visual, and it was tense, and I was enthralled and breathless long after the very last page.

I cannot sing the praises of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer enough. This book, in my humble opinion, is what makes the genre so great. Merging a powerful premise with an equally stunning and original plot, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer gets a 6 out of 5 from me (as well as edges into my top ten), and the ending left me absolutely desperate for book two like...yesterday. I highly recommend this book to all fans of YA, as well as fans of adult books, especially those who enjoy psychological thrillers and dark tones. There is some mature language and insinuations, so do keep that under consideration.

I received this ARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Title: Circle Nine
Author: Anne Heltzel
Publisher: Candlewick
Published: September 13, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher

She knows only Sam, a mysterious teenage boy. He is her sole companion; her whole life. She was born, already a teenager, lying outside a burning building in soot-stained clothes, remembering nothing, not even her name. He showed her the necklace she had on, the one that named her: Abby. Sam brought her to live in his cave-palace, where he gives her everything she needs. He loves her. He protects her from the world outside, from everyone who wants to hurt them, like the denizens of Circle Nine, Dante’s deepest circle of hell.

But even in a charmed, brand-new life like Abby’s, change will come. Sam falls ill. A new girl comes to stay, and Abby begins to question Sam’s devotion. With doubt comes emotional turmoil, changes in perception, and glimpses of her past identity.

Abby can't remember anything. When she wakes, she doesn't know where she is, who she is, or what is happening, but there is a fire, and she has to escape. The only person around to help her is Sam. She doesn't know who he is, but he says he can help her, and she feels as though she can trust him, so she does. The pair begin a life together in what Sam calls a cave-palace - a world central to the two of them alone, with the world outside called Circle Nine. Abby can't remember anything though, and her dark, blank past is edging into her deliriously simple life. When the fragments of memories begin flooding back, the darkness begins to consume her life, and she realizes that Sam, her life and all her surroundings are false...but is she strong enough to escape them, or will her past consume her future, too?

I rarely read a book that leaves me so completely speechless that I'm unable to post a review on the day I'd planned, but Circle Nine has presented that to me. Anne Heltzel has spun an equal-parts mesmerizing and horrific psychological thriller with Circle Nine that grips the reader with talon-like prose from start to finish. Calling such a book simply "horror" or "contemporary" would be a crime because Circle Nine manages to merge the genres into one potent, powerful and hard-hitting book that is sure to affect every reader in a different way. With a voice that's achingly raw and ravaged, Circle Nine still has me in its grip long after I've finished it.

I cannot say that I loved Circle Nine because to say I loved it would mean that I completely missed the story of Abby altogether. I loved the writing, I loved the power behind every word and I loved that every action and inaction in Circle Nine had a purpose. That said, there was so much about Circle Nine that made me angry, frightened and hollow, too. Abby's world was written in an almost dreamlike state from her first-person perspective, making it that much more tangible, so when it began to crumble around her in a world of sexual and emotional abuse, the reader is strung along as Abby endures and struggles to survive in a world that's ravaged and without a past. We don't watch her world crumble around her; we live it with her, and as it spirals into that ninth circle of hell, we long for relief, too. Sam was a character that I loathed (and for good reason), and yet from Abby's perspective, there was a part of me that wanted to find that child within him and set him free, too. That, and all the conflicting emotions I felt, is what made Circle Nine such a powerful and tumultuous read.

Circle Nine is not for the faint of heart, but if you want to read an incredibly powerful read, this is the book for you. The only thing that left me unsatisfied was the ending, but that's just my desire for a true sense of closure, and all I felt was an unsteady calm. I give this book a 4 out of 5, and I'd highly recommend it to fans of upper YA and adult books, especially those who enjoy dark contemporary fiction and psychological thrillers.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.