Waiting on Wednesday: Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2009 (that's next Tuesday!)

Description: In her dreams, sixteen year old Anne Michaelson is somewhere else. She is someone else. The dreams feel as real as her waking life and they terrify her. This is not good for her social life! Aside from that, Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she runs into handsome, mysterious, and (okay) annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history-altering mission she doesn’t want, and a growing attraction to a blue-eyed stranger that seems to be stalking her! And when Ethan realizes that Anne is the girl he’s been searching for, things start to get a little surreal! Despite her skepticism and reluctance, Anne quickly realizes that you don’t need to be imprisoned to be trapped! Stir in the doomed Duchess Anastasia, who is not quite as dead as the history books say, and the Baba Yaga, a legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got Dreaming Anastasia by debut novelist Joy Preble.

Why I'm excited: This story combines history, fantasy and folklore all into one gorgeous package. Also, I have been in love with the legends of Baba Yaga, ever since first encountering her in the Sierra classic adventure game Quest for Glory I. I also find myself fascinated with the story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia, partially influenced by the animated movie. Yes, I am a geek. We already knew that. My point was that I am interested to see how these two characters, one from folklore, one historical, will be written into the story together. This book sounds fantastic, and I can't wait to read it.