It's been a while since I posted one of these, so it's for a few weeks and will run on the longish side.
Bought:
Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta
At the age of nine,
Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh
to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his
friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin, Lucian, and together
they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere.
But all safety is
shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and
queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An
impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside
Lumatere's walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as
exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps.
Ten years later,
Finnikin is summoned to another rock--to meet Evanjalin, a young novice
with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is
alive. This arrogant young woman claims she'll lead Finnikin and his
mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them
perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might
one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling
truth will test Finnikin's faith not only in her but in all he knows to
be true about himself and his destiny.
In a bold departure from
her acclaimed contemporary novels, Printz Medalist Melina Marchetta has
crafted an epic fantasy of ancient magic, feudal intrigue, romance, and
bloodshed that will rivet you from the first page.
I actually have owned this on Nook for several months, but I decided I love Marchetta so much, I really needed a physical copy. I hope to get to this soon - I've been dying to read one of my favorite contemporary author's fantasy efforts.
Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) by Melina Marchetta
Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more.
Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home... Or so he believes...
Fiercely
loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and
lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned
to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive
mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for
what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they
seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries
of a half-mad Princess.
And in this barren and mysterious place,
he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though
Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.
Gripping and intense, complex and richly imagined, Froi of the Exiles is a dazzling sequel to Finnikin of the Rock, from the internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, On the Jellicoe Road and The Piper's Son.
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
When "Perfect" Parker
Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St.
Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend
of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future
valedictorian fallen so far from grace?
Parker doesn't want to
talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be
ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her
conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in
love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really
rather not be feeling anything at all.
Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.
Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.
Courtney Summers has rapidly become one of my very favorite contemporary authors. I'm really eager to see how her first novel measures up.
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome,
an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell
High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend
start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best
friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one
thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying
is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of
Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to
bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as
Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael
could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.
Tensions
grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march
toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.
Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1) by Saladin Ahmed
The Crescent Moon
Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at
the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and
the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of
this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes
at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn
the truth behind these killings.
Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, “the
last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat,” just wants a
quiet cup of tea. Three score and more years old, he has grown weary of
hunting monsters and saving lives, and is more than ready to retire from
his dangerous and demanding vocation. But when an old flame’s family is
murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.
Raseed bas
Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, is a hidebound holy warrior whose
prowess is matched only by his piety. But even as Raseed’s sword is
tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla
cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.
Zamia Badawi, Protector
of the Band, has been gifted with the near-mythical power of the
lion-shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s
title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns
that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she
meets Raseed.
When they learn that the murders and the Falcon
Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race
against time—and struggle against their own misgivings—to save the life
of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of
the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world
itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
How freaking fantastic is that cover? And a fantasy story not based in faux-England? SIGN ME UP. This looks and sounds so good --- AND one of my very favorite fantasy authors (Scott Lynch) highly recommends it. That's more than enough for me.
All Men of Genius by Lev A.C. Rosen
Inspired by two of the
most beloved works by literary masters, "All Men of Genius "takes place
in an alternate Steampunk Victorian London, where science makes the
impossible possible.
Violet Adams wants to attend Illyria
College, a widely renowned school for the most brilliant up-and-coming
scientific minds, founded by the late Duke Illyria, the greatest
scientist of the Victorian Age. The school is run by his son, Ernest,
who has held to his father's policy that the small, exclusive college
remain male-only. Violet sees her opportunity when her father departs
for America. She disguises herself as her twin brother, Ashton, and
gains entry.
But keeping the secret of her sex won't be easy, not
with her friend Jack's constant habit of pulling pranks, and especially
not when the duke's young ward, Cecily, starts to develop feelings for
Violet's alter ego, "Ashton." Not to mention blackmail, mysterious
killer automata, and the way Violet's pulse quickens whenever the young
duke, Ernest (who has a secret past of his own), speaks to her. She soon
realizes that it's not just keeping her secret until the end of the
year faire she has to worry about: it's surviving that long.
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) by Hilary Mantel
'Lock Cromwell in a deep
dungeon in the morning,' says Thomas More, 'and when you come back that
night he'll be sitting on a plush cushion eating larks' tongues, and all
the gaolers will owe him money.'
England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on
the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor,
charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this
atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's
clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the
son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a
bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people
and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as
ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming
agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a
king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.
From
one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a
truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of
individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of
characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history
to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with
great passion and suffering and courage.
Peony in Love by Lisa See
“I finally understand what the poets have written. In spring, moved to passion; in autumn only regret.”
For
young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, these lyrics from
The Peony Pavilion mirror her own longings. In the garden of the Chen
Family Villa, amid the scent of ginger, green tea, and jasmine, a small
theatrical troupe is performing scenes from this epic opera, a live
spectacle few females have ever seen. Like the heroine in the drama,
Peony is the cloistered daughter of a wealthy family, trapped like a
good-luck cricket in a bamboo-and-lacquer cage. Though raised to be
obedient, Peony has dreams of her own.
Peony’s mother is against
her daughter’s attending the production: “Unmarried girls should not be
seen in public.” But Peony’s father assures his wife that proprieties
will be maintained, and that the women will watch the opera from behind a
screen. Yet through its cracks, Peony catches sight of an elegant,
handsome man with hair as black as a cave–and is immediately overcome
with emotion.
So begins Peony’s unforgettable journey of love and
destiny, desire and sorrow–as Lisa See’s haunting new novel, based on
actual historical events, takes readers back to seventeenth-century
China, after the Manchus seize power and the Ming dynasty is crushed.
Steeped
in traditions and ritual, this story brings to life another time and
place–even the intricate realm of the afterworld, with its protocols,
pathways, and stages of existence, a vividly imagined place where one’s
soul is divided into three, ancestors offer guidance, misdeeds are
punished, and hungry ghosts wander the earth. Immersed in the richness
and magic of the Chinese vision of the afterlife, transcending even
death, Peony in Love explores, beautifully, the many
manifestations of love. Ultimately, Lisa See’s new novel addresses
universal themes: the bonds of friendship, the power of words, and the
age-old desire of women to be heard.
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
San Francisco art
patron Bibi Chen has planned a journey of the senses along the famed
Burma Road for eleven lucky friends. But after her mysterious death,
Bibi watches aghast from her ghostly perch as the travelers veer off her
itinerary and embark on a trail paved with cultural gaffes and tribal
curses, Buddhist illusions and romantic desires. On Christmas morning,
the tourists cruise across a misty lake and disappear.
With
picaresque characters and mesmerizing imagery, Saving Fish from Drowning
gives us a voice as idiosyncratic, sharp, and affectionate as the
mothers of The Joy Luck Club. Bibi is the observant eye of human
nature–the witness of good intentions and bad outcomes, of desperate
souls and those who wish to save them. In the end, Tan takes her readers
to that place in their own heart where hope is found.
Amy Tan is probably one of my very favorite historical fiction authors. Every novel is impressive, detailed, and so lovely. I can't wait for this.
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
The marriage of Marc
Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a
tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences.
Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by
their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s revengeful rival,
Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in
chains to Rome; only two– the ten-year-old twins Selene and
Alexander–survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s
sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will
return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they
come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s
family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by
the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.
The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in Cleopatra’s Daughter. Recounted
in Selene’s youthful and engaging voice, it introduces a compelling
cast of historical characters: Octavia, the emperor Octavian’s kind and
compassionate sister, abandoned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra; Livia,
Octavian's bitter and jealous wife; Marcellus, Octavian’s handsome,
flirtatious nephew and heir apparent; Tiberius, Livia’s sardonic son and
Marcellus’s great rival for power; and Juba, Octavian’s watchful aide,
whose honored position at court has far-reaching effects on the lives of
the young Egyptian royals.
Selene’s narrative is animated by
the concerns of a young girl in any time and place–the possibility of
finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her
unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her
family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the
dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with
historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of
the times. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and
politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the
colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is
meted out with merciless authority.
Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is
a fascinating portrait of imperial Rome and of the people and events of
this glorious and most tumultuous period in human history. Emerging
from the shadows of the past, Selene, a young woman of irresistible
charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Moran's earlier Egyptian historical fiction novels, but I figured I might as well finish off the rest of them. Here's hoping this one picks up for me.
A Breath of Eyre (Unbound #1) by Eve Marie Mont
In this stunning,
imaginative novel, Eve Marie Mont transports her modern-day heroine into
the life of Jane Eyre to create a mesmerizing story of love, longing,
and finding your place in the world... Emma Townsend has always believed
in stories-the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates.
Perhaps it's because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep
school, or because her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void
left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect-apart from a
crush on her English teacher-is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who
just adds to Emma's confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old
leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre...
Reading of Jane's isolation
sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further
when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her
nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense
of belonging she's never known-and an attraction to the brooding Mr.
Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets
in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of
Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own...
Reviews for this seem to be fairly mixed, and though the title makes me laugh, I only picked this up because it was on sale for kindle for $2.99 and because I have an ARC of the second (A Touch of Scarlet).
Sent for Blog Tour/From Author:
The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy
Their ambitions were ordinary, but they were born too close to the throne...
As
cousins of history's most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine,
and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the
Tower's menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen,
the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but
unavoidable...
Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might
lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself
and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I.
On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to
solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the
shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a
gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that
would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can
only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the
whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.
A
gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts,
courage and conviction, The Queen's Rivals recounts an astonishing
chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.
I was really excited for this one - and it came signed! I can't wait to get to it later on this year.
His Dark Lady by Victoria Lamb
London, 1583. When
young, aspiring playwright William Shakespeare encounters Lucy Morgan,
one of Queen Elizabeth I's ladies-in-waiting, the two fall passionately
in love. He declares Lucy the inspiration for his work, but what secret
is Will hiding from his muse? Meanwhile, Lucy has her own secret - and
one that could destroy her world if exposed.
The author was kind enough to send me the first in this series (The Queen's Secret), and now that the secod is out in England, she sent me a signed copy! I've really enjoyed all Lamb's novels, so I have some high hopes for this.
ARCs for Review:
Parallel by Lauren Miller
Abby Barnes had a plan.
The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job
at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny
choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all
that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a
Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could
rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with
no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been
rewritten.
With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby
discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of
parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her
life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel
self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's
senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even
met.
As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence,
forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby
must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without
losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and
the destiny that's finally within reach.
First: awesome cover is awesome. And secondly, I love the synopsis for this. It sounds like a fun mix of contemporary with a slight sci-fi twist.
Stormbringers (Order of Darkness #2) by Philippa Gregory
The second book
in a YA quartet filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, from #1 New
York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory.
Italy,
1453. Luca and Isolde grow more and more attracted to each other as they
continue their journey to unravel the mysteries throughout Christendom.
But their travels are delayed by the uprising of an intense religious
crusade that threatens the balance of the civilized world. Death lingers
in the air as war ravages on, but this religious conflict is nothing
compared to the arrival of an intense and deadly storm.
Caught in the midst of unimaginable chaos, Luca and Isolde must rely on one another in order to survive.
The
second in Philippa Gregory’s four-book series delves further into a
forbidden romance and an epic quest. And the tension builds as secrets
about The Order of Darkness are finally revealed...
I honestly am surprised I was sent this ARC after my less-than-kind review of the first, Changeling. Oh well - here goes nothing. Maybe it gets better. Except it totally won't.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.
Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.
The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.
But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?
The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.
I'm not one for book trailers, but the one for this book is awesome. Really. I was iffy on this, but as soon as I saw it, I ran to download a copy from edelweiss. I may or may not have just watched that trailer another two times right now.
Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith
Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:
1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.
Things that actually happen:
1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.
Both
exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the
messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers
love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness,
piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.
This is another that I've heard so, so much about. First a few reviews, then EpicReads got in on talking about this... it sounds like is going to be right up my alley.
Night School (Night School #1) by C.J. Daugherty
Allie's world is falling apart...
She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.
Again.
Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.
But
instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's
making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who
openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have
her back.
Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no
ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are
hiding dangerous secrets.
I've been waiting for this to come out in the US for about a year. Now that it finally is, I am so happy to have been given an ARC. I love the new cover, though the old one was great too.
September Girls by Bennett Madison
When Sam's dad whisks
him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all
for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is
anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and
everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem
inexplicably drawn to him.
Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the
Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall
for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows
that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of
this beach and the girls who live here.
Holy cover, Batman. This is creepy and lovely and sounds fantastic.
Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
Anna Van Housen is
thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen
she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium
Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily
navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in
1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have
never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her
true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at
nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever
lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat
downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with
gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so
hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the
stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the
illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?
Born of
Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will
introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic,
along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The
through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life
secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens,
Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the
paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini,
Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.
Since reading The Diviners, 1920s New York has rapidly become something I wish was featured more in YA. Add in historical figures, and maybe some magic? I am THERE.
Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
The spine-tingling
horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's
Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.
On
a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods
and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then
she vanished.
A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a
road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't
know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real
Annaliese Rose Gordon.
Now Annaliese is haunted by strange
visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . .
a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared.
Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a
violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock
the twisted secrets of her past.
While I am not a fan of Stephen King, I am a hatewatching fan of PLL. So that comparison and a lot of hype is going for this.
Rush (The Game #1) by Eve Silver
So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?
When
Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into
some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In
the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to
eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are
no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the
guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson
Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new
teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every
other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game
takes a deadly and terrifying turn.
In the After by Demitria Lunetta
They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.
Amy
is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them.
These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the
population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue
“Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the
girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.
After
years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a
colony of survivors living in a former government research compound.
While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food,
safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal.
And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and
much more.
Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable
duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the
pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this
thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty
The first in a rousing, funny, genre-busting trilogy from bestseller Jaclyn Moriarty!
This
is a tale of missing persons. Madeleine and her mother have run away
from their former life, under mysterious circumstances, and settled in a
rainy corner of Cambridge (in our world).
Elliot, on the other
hand, is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle
was found dead. The talk in the town of Bonfire (in the Kingdom of
Cello) is that Elliot's dad may have killed his brother and run away
with the Physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is
determined to find both his dad and the truth.
As Madeleine and
Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange
messages across worlds -- through an accidental gap that hasn't
appeared in centuries. But even greater mysteries are unfolding on both
sides of the gap: dangerous weather phenomena called "color storms;" a
strange fascination with Isaac Newton; the myth of the "Butterfly
Child," whose appearance could end the droughts of Cello; and some
unexpected kisses..
I'm so so excited for this - the synopsis, cover, and reviews all seem to agree - this is not one to miss.
The Endgames by T. Michael Martin
t happened on Halloween.
The world ended.
And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.
Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.
In
the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and
their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the
mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors,
their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam
the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are
very good.
But The Game is changing.
The Bellows are evolving.
The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.
And the brothers will never be the same.
T.
Michael Martin’s debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with
electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance.
Arclight by Josin L. McQuein
No one crosses the wall
of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is,
where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut
thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how
short and uncertain it may be.
The Arclight is the last
defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of
high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is
the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team
finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she
faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever
survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has
had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final
destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back.
Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the
Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.
When
one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she
will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will
Marina become? Who can she never be again?
This sounds fantastic - I love the originality! And the cover is amazing.
And finally - if you made it this far, major kudos to you! -
How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer
From Sarah Strohmeyer, author of Smart Girls Get What They Want, comes this romantic comedy about one girl's summer job from hell. Think The Devil Wears Prada set in Disney World.
When
cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom
theme park, they are sure they've hit the jackpot. With perks like hot
Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted
$25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?
Once
Zoe arrives, however, she's assigned to serve "The Queen"-Fairyland's
boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching
midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to
survive the summer, much less win the money.
Soon backstabbing
interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cutthroat competition make Zoe's job
more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is
forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her
dreams?
Smart Girls Get What They Want was fun and charming, and a very fast read. I expect pretty much the same for this - even if the cover is not my favorite.
