Waiting On is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
October 15, 2013
Balzer + Bray
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Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

Why I’m waiting?

I adore Diana Peterfreund.

You can say I’m in love with her writing. I vaguely remember what The Scarlet Pimpernel is about, but that won’t detract from what I assume will be an awesome book.  In this book, the characters are gender-flipped. I LOVE THAT. Here, we have a female as the leading main character (instead of a male like in the original book) and she’s a spy! Yeeessss. (I don’t know if you know this about me, but I am really into spies.) And they are pretending they are in love? Can this book get any better?

What books are you waiting on?