#and with kirby but the little guy's b-day is later down the line

[darth-sonny]

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to The Lovely *throws up* Couple!!

(it's actually tomorrow but I wanted to post this early)

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pose inspired by this picture:

[redrobin-detective]

The Young, the Old and the Insane

@traya-sutton I FINALLY DID IT. I’ve had that opening paragraph in my head since the day we kicked this idea around and it was so refreshing to finally get it down. Uh but Isolation AU where all the sidekicks know about Bats bc Robin wants friends.

There are three categories of people who know for certain that the Gotham City Batman exists. The young children in their paper masks who look up at the sky and believe that the man dressed as a bat could save the day. The older generation who’ve been around the block and have noticed a marked change in crime since the supposed Batman appeared. And of course the costumed criminals of Gotham who are regularly foiled by the city’s silent avengers. But there is another subset who knew about Batman who fell under the first category or maybe the third and those are the young sidekicks of Justice League heroes.

If asked about the mysterious Batman, they would laugh, “Batman, as if, everyone knows he isn’t real.” But there’d be a certain quirk to their smile, a hidden joke that only they know the punchline to. For perhaps they know the Bat Man and his associates better than even the citizens of Gotham. You could say that a little bird told them all about the mysterious hero.

“You said your name was Robin?” Speedy asked with a raised eyebrow as he observed the costumed kid eating their cereal, perched precariously on the back of the couch. He should be more angry this weird kid broke into their secret hideout but he’s more annoyed than anything given his story. “And you work with Batman, that made-up vigilante.”

“He’s not made-up, you’re just not immune to GCPD’s propaganda and B’s intense paranoia,” Robin quipped, Aqualad snorted into his fist and Speedy crossed his arms in annoyance.

“Okay, so Batman is real. That’s kind of a big deal, so why are here talking to us and not presenting before the League,” Wonder Girl asked, still standing slightly in front of her team in case this newcomer proved dangerous. 

“Because I’ve been at this for a good while, at least twice as long as you guys, and I know a thing or two about the so called Justice League. I know they don’t respect human heroes and delegate them mostly to monitor duty,” Robin said making eye contact with Speedy who looked down. “I know they treat young heroes, metas even, with kid gloves and don’t involve them in anything meaningful,” he continued looking over at Kid Flash and Aqualad. “And I know they won’t believe in the good work me and Batman do because we don’t fit the idea of what a hero should be.” 

“And so you’re here why?” Donna asked again only she couldn’t stop the small smile from appearing on her face.

“Because I got mad at B and realized it’s probably not healthy to brood in a cave all the time and decided to find some friends,” He tilted his head in a teasing manner. “Unless you’re gonna tell on me to which I’ll be long gone before the League catches sight of my cape.”

“Pretty confident in yourself huh shorty,” Wally grinned, leaning a bit over the back of the sofa by the other hero. 

“There’s a reason no one knows about us, Wallace,” Rob teased back and in the complete disarray that followed that revelation, Donna decided that their little ragtag team created out of boredom and frustration with the League’s tedium had finally become complete. 

(In the weeks and months and years that followed and the adults questioned the overwhelming success of the Teen Titans, the four heroes merely bowed their heads and credited their mentors for doing such a good job teaching them. And of course that played a part plus it was better than mentioning their on again, off again secret member who organized the Team better than even the League.)

((No one would believe them anyway if they said anything.))

XxX

“I think you should talk to your dad,” Captain Marvel said, awkwardly handling his game controller in his unnaturally large adult hands. Video games weren’t strictly allowed in League Headquarters but the group was constantly in a state of loose, unorganized chaos so he doubted anyone would notice or care. Least of all his companion.

“He’s not my dad,” Robin muttered, hunching over his controller, trying to overtake the magical hero’s Kirby with his Waluigi. 

“You’re here complaining he’s being too over-protective, sorry if I’m not buying what you’re selling,” Marvel said with a wry grin. Rob brought out Billy in Cap more than anyone else, made him feel like less of an impostor in a too big suit.

“I just needed to get out ya know? Get away from Gotham and all the pressure to live up to this impossible standard,” Robin continued, flinging his controller a bit as if that would save him from running off the road. He cursed as he tried to right himself.

“Then go hang out with the Titans,” Marvel said, his passive tone at odds with the full body wiggle he did as he cemented his lead and sped closer to the finish line. 

“Those are Golden Boy’s buds and I do not need any more of his hand-me-downs,” Robin said. “Sides they’re all older, there aren’t many heroes around our age. You should convince the League to recruit more sidekicks.”

“Right, I’ll tell Superman that they need to find some more kids between the ages of 12 and 16 to be sidekicks because Robin, Batman’s partner also probably Mothman’s lovechild or something, wants more friends,” Marvel teased even as he threw his hands up in victory when he came in first.

“You suck,” Robin laughed, watching as Waluigi rolled in 4th. “And I don’t need more friends, I got you Bill. If only you’d stop using your magic mumbo to cheat at Mario Kart.” 

“It’s not cheating if I play against someone who doesn’t exist,” Marvel retorted, looking over at his best friend. They didn’t meet up nearly often as he liked, only when Rob was able to escape Batman’s attentive eye but every time was a small treasure. “And believe me, you’re more than living up to your big brother. Pretty sure Robin I never dared to break into League headquarters to play video games. You’re an amazing hero, I wish I could work with you in the daytime.”

“Yeah, me too,” A device on Rob’s hip beeped. “Looks like our time’s up, a couple of Lanterns are on the floor which means I’m out. Stay safe out there, Bill.”

“You too Robin,” the Captain said, closing his eyes excitedly for a few seconds and opening them to find his friend vanished. Man that never stopped being super cool. Mr. Jordan and Stewart appeared through the double doors a minute later. 

“Jeez, playing video games by yourself, Cap? Talk about depressing, invite one of us next time,” Hal commented as he walked by.

“I wasn’t alone, Batman’s son was keeping me company,” Marvel shrugged as he put the controllers away.

“Right and Bigfoot sold me a bridge in San Francisco, seriously, get another joke man. The Batman ones are getting old.”

(Eight months later, Captain Marvel went missing for several days. When he finally showed up, he had the most heart-breaking somber expression on his face. “A good friend died,” was all he would say. ‘We’re sorry to hear,’ the League said, ‘was it someone we knew?” And for some reason that made him sadder.)

XxX

“Thanks for coming out Rob, we really needed your big brain on this one,” Wonder Girl said, wiping her brow and surveying the damage from the difficult battle. 

“I’d say no problem but you guys can’t keep calling me on such short notice, Batman’s gonna wonder how many last minute science projects they can give me in a semester,” the Boy Wonder sighed, reorganizing his utility belt.

“Oh you stickler, you always say that and you always come running,” she fluttered her eyelids, “especially when Kon is in danger, then you’re almost as fast as Bart.” 

“Of course he’s my friend,” Robin muttered, fiddling with his gloves to avoid looking at her. 

“The Justice League aren’t the only ones in denial, Robbie,” she teased, before looking back on the horizon. “Man we kicked so much butt today, I know why all the secrecy we’d be so much better if we had you with Young Justice full time and didn’t always have to worry about photos and stuff.”

“I know Cassie,” Rob said, hunching his shoulders and turning away from her further. “I get why B does what he does but we do good work, the Titans did good work when they had their Robin with them. Batman is so organized, so disciplined, he would bring so much to the Justice League which acts more like a club than an actual hero institution.” 

“You know, you could just, come out. None of you have to stay hidden, everyone knows about heroes now,” Cassie explained weakly but even she could see the flaws in the plan.

“We’ve talked about it,” Robin, Tim, sighed. “But B is pretty set in his ways and, well, the League is pretty clear on what it thinks of human heroes.”

“You don’t have to tell them, I thought you were a meta for months after you showed up,” Bart said, speeding up to them suddenly. “Not that you’re not super wicked kick-ass as a normal person but it might work.”

“If we’re coming out, we’re coming all the way out, I lie enough in my day job,” he pouted, turning back to Bart. “Weren’t you transporting the civilians out?”

“Done but also Wally texted me that the JLA is almost here and you need to skedaddle.” Robin cursed and grabbed the rest of his gear off the ground, sprinting towards his bike. 

“Jeez thanks for the warning! You keep them busy, my armor isn’t perfect and people like Superman and the Manhunter would be able to pick me out if they were looking,” Rob said in a rush. “See you later and please don’t call suddenly like that.”

“It’s the only way we see you, Kon gets lonely you know,” Bart grinned, waggling his eyebrows but Robin had already zipped off. 

“So what are we going to tell them this time?” Bart asked Cassie.

“Oh whatever we want, anything’s more believable than one of The Bats showing up to save the day.”

(The League, as always, heaped praises on them for their good work. They merely smiled that strange little secret smile the kids sometimes wore. The same smile the Teen Titans had and still did now. The smile Captain Marvel hid behind his mighty fist. A secret right in front of their nose but never seen.)

XxX

Batman was real, he’d always been real. A human man and his human associates had kept the worst of Gotham at bay with their wit and their tools. It was unimaginable, it was absurd, nobody could have possibly could have known.

“Batman?” The kids say with that secret little smile. “You could have just asked us.” 

[aion-rsa]

A Tale of Two Pietros: Explaining the MCU X-Men Problem With a Mutant Speedster

https://ift.tt/3jFtUYS

This article contains WandaVision spoilers.

Since his creation by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the mid-60s, Quicksilver has been a fairly important part of the Marvel Universe. The mutant speedster started as a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, then became one of the earliest members of the Avengers. Over the decades, he’s married into the Inhumans, joined various X-teams, been a mentor to the Avengers Academy, and had his parentage retconned several times over.

He’s never been the most popular character in the Marvel Universe, but due to some legal complications, he became the focal point between two rival movie studios. It’s those complications that make his appearance in the fifth episode of WandaVision such a huge deal.

But let’s get to where this all started. As hard as it may be to believe now, b ack in the ‘90s, Marvel Comics was on the verge of bankruptcy. One way to get some money together was to sell the movie rights of its various characters to whatever studio was willing to pay. After all, shared cinematic universes weren’t really a thing back then.

Not every movie got made, of course. There were instances of studios sitting on rights and not doing anything for so long that they had to give them up. For instance, New Line Cinema had the rights to make a Venom movie, albeit one where they couldn’t reference Spider-Man directly in any way. Such an idea was worth a laugh in the ‘90s, but Sony actually pulled it off 20 years later, so go figure.

Studios would only have so much time to make a movie before the rights would revert to Marvel. By the time Marvel decided to get into the movie making business themselves and kick off the MCU concept, the field had settled. Sony had the Spider-Man franchise and had just finished Sam Raimi’s initial trilogy, preparing for a fourth movie that didn’t work out and would ultimately be replaced by a reboot. Universal had a complicated hold on the Hulk that lent itself to a unique partnership with Marvel. Fox was able to make the X-Men a successful franchise, but had less success with two attempts at the Fantastic Four franchise.

Essentially, the entire Marvel Universe had to be categorized into different properties. A lot of these were pretty easy. Doc Ock? He was clearly part of Spider-Man’s corner and could only be used in Spider-Man movies. Dr. Doom gets around as a villain in the comics and fights just about everyone, but at the end of the day, he’s grouped in with the Fantastic Four and could only be handled by Fox. But it wasn’t as simple for other characters.

One major complication was what to do with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Which corner of Marvel did they truly belong to? They were technically under the X-Men umbrella as the mutant children of Magneto. Quicksilver himself was a major member of X-Factor. 

On the other hand, the two were also huge staples of the Avengers. They were Avengers longer than the likes of Hulk and Black Widow. Scarlet Witch was even the centerpiece in one of the most important Avengers storylines of the early 21st century.

20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios finally came up with an agreement. Both sides had the rights to the Maximoff twins, but the Avengers movies couldn’t describe the two as mutants or mention Magneto and the X-Men movies couldn’t bring up the Avengers or, uh… Yeah, this was pretty much on Marvel’s side to be creative.

Around the same time, each studio cast their Quicksilvers. Marvel had Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Fox had Evan Peters. Marvel cast Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch while Fox declined to actually use the character, likely due to how hard to write her powers could be at times. The most they did was include an unnamed little sister for Quicksilver, but director Bryan Singer insisted she wasn’t Wanda.

LAP 1 – CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Fittingly, with each studio having their own speedster, there was a race to be the first to get their Quicksilver on the big screen. It was really Fox’s race to lose, considering X-Men: Days of Future Past was the seventh X-Men movie and the most the character has ever gotten beforehand was an Easter egg namedrop on a computer monitor in X-Men 2. At least Days of Future Past was going to be released nearly a full year before Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Marvel still won the race, though. Weeks before the release of Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit theaters with a post-credits scene that revealed Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver and Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff to the world. And while they were indeed showing off their powers in those brief moments, it wasn’t because they were mutants, but rather had been altered by Baron Strucker and HYDRA using Loki’s scepter from Avengers.

LAP 2 – X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Fox got their chance later that year with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Overall, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver didn’t get too much screen time, but he was definitely considered a highlight by fans. 

Referred to as Peter Maximoff in this continuity, the speedster is a little more laid back than other characters in the X-Men series. Not only does his power give him a feeling of casual superiority over others, but the unbelievability of it all makes him feel almost untouchable. His high-speed crimes would come off as more of a myth that nobody with authority would logically believe. He’s recruited by Xavier, Wolverine, and Beast to break Magneto out of the Pentagon, which he does for the sake of the challenge.

It’s there that he shows his stuff in a slow-motion segment set to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” displaying seemingly endless charisma as he protects his allies from armed prison guards and spends his perpetual head start straight-up fucking with their would-be killers. It’s a fun moment in a film about dystopian genocide and Peters makes Quicksilver really likeable.

He doesn’t really get to do too much otherwise, though he does make a remark to Magneto hinting that the Master of Magnetism is his father, but that’s as far as it ever went.

LAP 3 – AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

2015 gave us Avengers: Age of Ultron, which opened with the Avengers crushing the remnants of HYDRA while Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch got away. Still, Quicksilver was able to scrap with the Avengers and start up a rivalry with Hawkeye while Scarlet Witch could screw with Iron Man’s mind and increase his paranoia to dangerous levels.

In the comics, Quicksilver has been best defined in an issue of X-Factor where he described his demeanor by comparing himself to someone stuck in line at the ATM, having to wait behind an idiot who doesn’t know what they’re doing and keeps taking forever. That’s his every waking moment and Taylor-Johnson certainly tapped into that with his performance.

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In terms of action, Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver wasn’t quite as fun as Peters’, but he had his moments. The closest thing he really had to the slow-mo rescue scenes was a short sequence that had him punch Captain America and foolishly attempt to pull Mjolnir out of the air. There was a feeling of playfulness underneath the character’s resentment at times, but he wasn’t quite the goofball of Peters’ version.

He also didn’t come off as ridiculously fast as the X-Men Quicksilver, even though that was probably for the better. Sometimes a speedster can be impossible to write for and believe in. Taylor-Johnson’s version was still impressively quick and a danger to any enemy, but he didn’t come off as unbeatable.

Unfortunately for this version of Quicksilver, his relationship with Scarlet Witch was arguably his undoing. The Quicksilver of the X-Men films wasn’t held down by his siblings and got to stand on his own, but MCU Quicksilver was treated as an extension of Wanda and her story. That made him expendable by the time the movie was ready to wrap up.

The Maximoff twins went from being Ultron’s lackies battling against the Avengers to betraying Ultron and joining the good guys. In the end, Quicksilver sacrificed himself to save Hawkeye, and despite his gift for speed, it was a believable death, and felt far weightier than the way such character exits had been approached in the past. 

As far as the MCU was concerned, Pietro Maximoff’s story was over. Wanda, however, had a new life waiting for her as an Avenger.

LAP 4 – X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

In the X-Men universe, Quicksilver showed up again in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. It took place about a decade after Days of Future Past, reminding us that Peters’ Quicksilver is like thirty years older than Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver. Ah, these X-Men movies and their screwy timeline.

Quicksilver’s arc in this film ultimately showed the innate problems of the later X-Men movies. When Magneto joined the mad mutant Apocalypse as one of his Four Horsemen, Peter Maximoff finally realized that Magneto was his father and tried to find him. This led to another fantastic slow-motion scene where he single handedly evacuated the X-Men’s school during an explosion to the song “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics.

But Quicksilver’s larger arc in the movie remained unsatisfying, and he and Magneto never came to terms with the question of their relationship. Peter may have survived the final battle with Apocalypse, but he also was ignored in what should have been his big moment. Magneto and Quicksilver’s relationship was a card only Fox could have played and they fumbled it. It remains a missed opportunity for both characters.

Funny enough, around this time, Marvel Comics was going the opposite direction and placed a narrative wedge between the characters when Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver discovered that Magneto wasn’t actually their father after all. Though at the same time, it came across that Scarlet Witch may have altered reality to make that true. Regardless, it looked like Marvel was trying to go out of their way to sever Magneto from the twins’ existence.

FINAL LAP – DARK PHOENIX

Outside of a hilarious cameo in Deadpool 2, the Fox version of Quicksilver next appeared in 2019’s Dark Phoenix, the final film in the main X-Men franchise. Quicksilver only has about two and a half minutes of screentime. Halfway into the movie, he makes a slow-motion run at Jean Grey, loses his footing, tumbles, and is forgotten about for the rest of the picture. And his connection to Magneto? Never even mentioned.

Back in the MCU, Pietro remained just a memory, one more trauma stacked upon trauma in the life of Wanda Maximoff. There was already the death of her parents and the horrible experimentation. Soon after, there was the trauma of the innocent blood on her hands, her incarceration, and her role in the death of Vision. It wasn’t until the third episode of WandaVision where Wanda even talked about her long-lost brother.

Wanda could puppet Vision’s android corpse and surround herself with people forced to be friendly to her, but the horrible loss of her brother was something she couldn’t undo. Or it was something she refused to undo. While we still don’t get the reasoning behind what’s going on, the Evan Peters version of Quicksilver popped into Westview, NJ to see his long-lost sister, all while acting like Uncle Jesse from Full House.

We have four episodes to go, but we’re left wondering what this truly means. Will Peters’ Quicksilver outright be a replacement for the disgruntled counterpart who died at Ultron’s hand? Will the joke run its course and he’ll be sent away where he came from? Will this be the big moment that instigates the existence of mutants in the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving credence to the overused internet joke of Wanda demanding, “No, MORE mutants!”?

Whatever it is, it’s a special moment. The Evan Peters Quicksilver not only finally has a super-powered relative who seems to give a damn about him, but as the first link to the X-Men in the MCU (big or small, we’ll see), he finally gets the spotlight he deserves.

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Now let’s see how long until Deadpool finally shows his scarred face.

The post A Tale of Two Pietros: Explaining the MCU X-Men Problem With a Mutant Speedster appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: Blind Fury / Silent Rage / White Line Fever

Mill Creek Entertainment has given three cult action flicks their Blu-ray debut: 1989's Blind Fury, 1982's Silent Rage, and 1975's White Line Fever. The triple feature is billed under the “Payback Time” moniker, as all three films deal with revenge in some form. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, making for an interesting and entertaining triple bill.

Blind Fury is a loose remake of 1967's Zatoichi Challenged, the 17th film in the classic Zatoichi franchise of Japanese films about a blind swordsman. The story has been modernized and Americanized courtesy of writer Charles Robert Carner (Gymkata) and director Phillip Noyce (Salt). Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) takes on the starring role.

After being blinded in the Vietnam War, Nick Parker (Hauer) is rescued by local villagers, who train him in swordsmanship. When he goes to visit his old army buddy, Frank Deveraux (Terry O'Quinn, Lost), in Miami years later, Nick learns that his fellow veteran has disappeared. Frank's ex-wife (Meg Foster, They Live) is killed right in front of Nick. The blind swordsman is tasked with bringing Frank's son, Billy (Brandon Call, Step By Step), across the country to Nevada to save his father.

Blind Fury is so over the top you’d swear it was a Canon Pictures production, which makes the already-inconsistent tone even messier. It plays up the comedic aspects early on, which is not Hauer's strong suit. Despite the actor undergoing swordplay training prior to production, the samurai action is underwhelming. Nick slices and dices many people with his trusty sword, which is hidden in his cane, but not much blood is shed in the process. Billy is mischievous (read: annoying) at first, but he and "Uncle Nick" ultimately bond to add a sentimental angle. While the hamfisted comedy falls flat, there's still plenty of fun to be had with Blind Fury.

Silent Rage opens with a scene inspired by The Shining, wherein John Kirby (Brian Libby, The Shawshank Redemption) snaps, grabs an axe, chops through a door, and murders his family. Sheriff Dan Stevens (Chuck Norris, Walker, Texas Ranger) is quick to respond, engaging in a knock-down, drag-out fight with the madman. While Norris is able to arrest him, that's not enough; Kirby has to be gunned down by the police to be stopped.

The pace then screeches to a halt as we're introduced to various townsfolk on both sides of the law. Stevens meets a local woman (Toni Kalem, The Sopranos), whom he beds the same day, then later wins her over despite being kind of a jerk. Meanwhile, genetic engineers are secretly experimenting on Kirby's body. Finally, the maniacal murderer is brought back to life with the power of cellular regeneration. It becomes a slasher movie as he picks off the doctors who experimented on him, one by one. Stevens must find a way to defeat the seemingly unstoppable killer.

Director Michael Miller's (Class Reunion) biggest fault is pacing. There are exciting bits at the beginning, middle, and end of the film, but everything in between moves at a glacial speed. Solid action sequences become awkward due to the fact that the score is virtually nonexistent. Kirby seems to be modeled after Halloween's Michael Myers with a hint of The Terminator; he's a stoic and (mostly) silent killer stalking the suburbs. The kills are tame, but the concept of Chuck Norris in a B-movie slasher is too fascinating to ignore.

White Line Fever is the outlier of the trio. It's not a bad movie by any means, but it's hard to follow the enthusiasm of the other two films with such a melodramatic effort. Director Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused) and his co-writer, Ken Friedman (Johnny Handsome), drew influence from westerns to tell a modern story about truck drivers. Despite being an influence on Quentin Tarantino, the film is quite slow by today's standards.

Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf) stars as Carrol Jo Hummer, who's following in his father's footsteps as a trucker. He's the proud captain of the Blue Mule, but he finds that this isn't his daddy's trucking industry anymore. With the other truckers and companies banding against him in an effort to cover up their deviant behavior, Carrol Jo struggles to provide for his wife (Kay Lenz, House). Rather than a revenge film, it plays out like a response to the vigilantism popularized by Death Wish, which was a huge success the prior year; the whistle blower is championed for his good behavior.

White Line Fever is southern-fried, from the accents to the music to the Arizona scenery. There's plenty of truck driving, fist fighting, gun shooting, beer drinking, and casual racism. But all the violence is quickly swept under the rug with little consequence. Because everything - both good and bad - seemingly happens at random, it’s difficult to get invested in the stakes. There are some good action scenes - most notably, a stuntman risking his life to run atop a speeding truck - but Kaplan can't seem to decide if he wants to make a tough-guy action movie or a blue collar drama.

Blind Fury, Silent Rage, and White Line Fever likely could have been released individually with slightly better picture quality, rather than slapping three films on one Blu-ray for their high-definition debuts, but the quality is perfectly acceptable as is. The disc carries no special features, but its unbeatable price makes the Payback Time triple feature a no-brainer for fans of '80s action movies.

Payback Time - Triple Feature is out now on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment.

[yawednesdays-blog]

Summer may be almost over but the August YA releases go on for days! We’ve got all the books to watch for in August and we’re having a One To Watch Books GIVEAWAY!

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August 1st

Sparks of Light (Into the Dim #2) by Janet B. Taylor, August 1, 2017, Houghton Mifflin, 448 pages

We return to the world of Hope Walton and time travel. This time it’s the New York in the Gilded Age. But it’s not on glitz and glitter. Hope is on a mission she can’t afford to fail.

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The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby, August 1, 2017, HarperTeen, 288 pages

“Gorgeously written and emotionally charged, The Secret History of Us explores the difficult journey of a teenage girl who must piece her life together after losing her memory in a near-fatal accident.”- Goodreads

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Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman, August 1, 2017, Swoon Reads, 304 pages

Kissing Max  Holden is a gateway drug. It seemed harmless at first but like any drug, kissing Max Holden can become a habit. A bad one.  Will Jill’s life get de-railed by her feelings for the best friend (who is already taken) or is this the start of something real?

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Venturess (Mechanica #2) by Betsy Cornwell, August 1, 2017, Clarion Books, 320 pages

Betsy Cornwell brings us back to the world of steampunk fairy tales with Venturess,  the follow-up to Mechanica.

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When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn, August 1, 2017, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 304 pages

“Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly about what happened on what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.” – Goodreads

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These Things I’ve Done by Rebecca Phillips, August 1, 2017, HarperTeen 352 pages

“A contemporary YA perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Jessi Kirby, THESE THINGS I’VE DONE is the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who accidentally caused her best friend’s death and, a year later, is still grappling with the consequences.”- Goodreads

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Blight by Alexandra Duncan, August 1, 2017, Greenwillow Books, 528 pages

“A fast-paced action-adventure story that is Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake meets Nancy Farmer’s House of the Scorpion. “- Goodreads

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August 8th

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert, August 8, 2017, Little, Brown, 336 pages

Suzette returns from boarding school to her old life, her old friends and a brother who has recently been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. Suddenly her old life is not as familiar as she though it was.

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Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta, August 8, 2017, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 352 pages

“To save her sister’s life, Faris must smuggle magic into a plague-ridden neighboring kingdom in this exciting and dangerous start to a brand-new fantasy duology.” – Goodreads

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Reunited (Reawakened #3) by Colleen Houck, August 8, 2017, Delacorte Press, 464 pages

The conclusion to Colleen Houck Reawakened Series is finally here!

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The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones, August 8, 2017, Little Brown, Books For Young Readers, 400 pages

“When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined.”- Goodreads

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This Is Not The End by Chandler Baker, August 8, 2017, Disney-Hyperion, 384 page

If you have the chance to resurrect someone you loved, who would you choose?

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In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody, August 8, 2017, Farra, Straus and Giroux, 464 pages

“Kennedy Rhodes turns down an acceptance to an elite private school, instead choosing to stay at her high school and jump at the opportunity to date the boy of her dreams. Three years later, Kennedy walks in on that same boyfriend cheating with her best friend—and wishes she had made a different choice. But when Kennedy hits her head and wakes up in the version of her life where she chose to attend the private school, she finds that maybe it’s not as perfect of a world as she once thought.”- Goodreads

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League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis, August 8, 2017, Sky Pony Press, 256 pages

“National Treasure meets Hamilton in a breathless history-based thriller from an outstanding new voice.

Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . .”- Goodreads

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The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian, August 8, 2017, Balzer + Bray, 288 pages

“The Authentics is a fresh, funny, and insightful novel about culture, love, and family—the kind we are born into and the ones we create.”- Goodreads

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August 15th

A Map For Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor, August 15, 2017, Dial Books, 368 pages

Emma has always been moored by her older sister Henri. Until something happens that wrecks them both. Now Emma and Henri are shipwrecked along with a troubled boy and there’s no map to follow to find their way back home and to each other.

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Wicked Like a Wildfire bu Lana Popovic, August 15, 2017, Katherine Tegen Books, 416 pages

“All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love.

But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?”- Goodreads

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Crystal Blade (Burning Glass #2) by Kathryn Purdie, August 15, 2017, Katherine Tegen Books, 384 pages

If you haven’t read Burning Glass Book 1, check out our First Reads Friday review.

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The Art of Feeling by Laura Tims, August 15, 2017, HarperTeen, 336 pages

“Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven’s New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places, this contemporary YA novel explores the friendship between a girl in constant pain and a boy who feels nothing at all.” – Goodreads

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Ferocious (Vicarious #2) by Paula Stokes, August 15, 2017, Tor Teen, 352 pages

“Paula Stokes returns to the world of Vicarious in this sequel, a high-action psychological thriller with a protagonist out for vengeance.”- Goodreads

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How To Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat, August 15, 2017, HarperTeen, 384 pages

Vicky has always been invisible. But it was bearable because she had her best friend with her. When her best and only friends moves away, Vicky is truly alone. So she starts photoshopping herself into random people’s pictures under the name Vicurious. And suddenly Vicky is anything but invisible, well at least Vicurious is. But being seen comes with it’s own problems.

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August 22nd 

The Dire King (Jackaby #4) by William Ritter, August 22, 2017, Algonquin Young Readers, 352 pages

“The thrilling conclusion to the New York Times best-selling series the Chicago Tribune called “Sherlock Holmes crossed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer” sends the eccentric detective and his indispensible assistant into the heart of a war between magical worlds.”- Goodreads

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The Rattled Bones by S.M. Parker, August 22, 2017, Simon Pulse, 304 pages

“Unearthing years of buried secrets, Rilla Brae is haunted by ghostly visions tied to the tainted history of a mysterious island in this haunting novel from the author of The Girl Who Fell.”- Goodreads

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Dress Code for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens, August 22, 2017, HarperTeen 352 pages

Tomboy Billie has always defied stereotypes and falling in love is no exception. When Billie finds herself falling from one of her closest guy friends and one of her female friends at the same time, Billie must figure out what she wants and if she has the nerve to go after it.

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Tiger’s Watch by Julia Ember, August 22, 2017, Harmony Ink Press, 180 pages

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The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes, August 22, 2017, Dial Books, 400 pages

Molly and Pepper are two unlikely teenagers who find themselves unraveling a nearly 30 year old murder.

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August 24, 2017

The Glow of Fallen Stars (Ventura Saga #2) by Kate Ling, August 24, 2017, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 368 pages

“The follow-up to The Loneliness of Distant Beings, Kate Ling’s second book takes us on an incredible journey through love, loss and the strength of the human spirit. ” – Goodread

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August 29th 

Wonder Woman Warbringer (DC Icons #1) by Leigh Bardugo, August 29, 2017, Random House Books for Young Reader, 304 pages

Leigh Bardugo + Wonder Woman = AMAZING! Bring on WARBRINGER!

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The Dazzling Heights (The Thousandth Floor #2) by Katherine McGee, August 29, 2017, HarperCollins, 432 pages

The ending to The Thousandth Floor left us hanging on the ledge (literally). We can’t wait so the conclusion to this high rise cliffhanger!

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Thirteen Rising (Zodiac #4) by Romina Russell, August 29, 2017, Razorbill, 350 pages

“Romina Russell’s epic sci-fi fantasy series reaches its breathtaking conclusion with this fourth and final novel.”- Goodreads

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The Keep of the Ages (The Vault of Dreamers #3) by Caragh M. O’Brien, Roaring Press Books, 288 pages

“In the fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to Caragh M. O’Brien’s Vault of Dreamers trilogy, Rosie travels to a derelict theme park to shut down dream mining once and for all.”- Goodreads

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All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis, August 29, 2017, HarlequinTeen, 384 pages

“In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society.” – Goodreads

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You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow, August 29, 2017, HarperTeen, 336 pages

Audrey has a letter 17 years old written by a mother will never know. Audrey was adopted. Now Audrey is pregnant and she must face the same decision the stranger who gave her up had to.

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The Big F by Maggie Ann Martin, August 29, 2017, Swoon Reads, 304 pages

Danielle thought college was a sure thing, especially when her mother is the “college psychic” . But an F in senior English and a reject letter from the only college she applies to means Danielle better come up with a plan b, and fast!

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Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, August 29, 2017, SourceFire Books, 384 pages

Sallot Leon is a gender-fluid thief who plans to infiltrate the inner circle of the Queen by auditioning for her elite guard. But in this audition winners get into the guard and losers end up dead. Sal will need to use every trick in the book to survive.

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The Broken World (Marked  Girl #2) by Lindsey Klingle, August 29, 2017, HarperTeen, 432 pages

“The adventures of three teen royals and foster girl Liv, which began in The Marked Girl, conclude in this exciting sequel.”- Goodreads

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Giveaway Time!

So now that you know what books to watch for in August, here’s your chance to win your favorite! Follow the directions below to win an August OTWB of your choice.

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Open Internationally!

Contest ends at midnight EST on August 3rd.

Winner will be notified via blog comment reply on Friday, August 4th and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be picked.

Good luck & Happy Reading!

Ann-Eliza

One To Watch Books: Your Guide to August YA Releases + GIVEAWAY! Summer may be almost over but the August YA releases go on for days! We've got all the books to watch for in August and we're having a One To Watch Books GIVEAWAY!