Waiting on Wednesday--House of Shadows, by Rachel Neumeier

One of my favorite books of 2011 was The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier (my review). Its combination of wonderful world building, and not one, but two (!) nifty, magical schools won my heart. I liked the characters too. And I also loved her first YA book, the very Patricia McKillip-esque The City in the Lake (my reivew).

So I am as anticipatory as all get out over her upcoming release of House of Shadows (July 10, 2012):

"Orphaned, two sisters (me: Yay! orphaned sisters!) are left to find their own fortunes.

Sweet and proper, Karah's future seems secure at a glamorous Flower House. She could be pampered for the rest of her life... if she agrees to play their game (sounds like a sinister boarding school, which is a yay, if so....)

Nemienne, neither sweet nor proper, has fewer choices. Left with no alternative, she accepts a mysterious mage's offer of an apprenticeship (yay! character learning magic!). Agreeing means a home and survival, but can Nemienne trust the mage?

With the arrival of a foreign bard (yay! bards imply music, and I like music in my fantasy!) into the quiet city, dangerous secrets are unearthed, and both sisters find themselves at the center of a plot that threatens not only to upset their newly found lives, but also to destroy their kingdom."

And by July I will be all caught up with my reading, and there won't be any books left in the downstairs bathtub, and so I'll be able to leap out and buy it with a clear conscience (in an ideal world, a new downstairs bathroom will be build, but I think I'll stick with the more realistic goal of reading three hundred or so books in six months la la la.

Waiting on Wednesday (or, as I think of it, "Waiting, on Wednesday") is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.