Below are the YA books releasing this week that I am spotlighting for my “Book Watch: Releasing This Week” post.
These are books for the week of January 7th-January 13th that I have pre-ordered.
UNHINGED by A.G. Howard will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover, paperback and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Amulet Books, the print edition is 400 pages.
UNHINGED is the second book in Author A.G. Howard’s Splintered series. The third full-length book, ENSNARED, is slated for release in 2015.
Ack! So excited that UNHINGED is releasing in just a couple days and everyone will get the chance to read this awesome sequel. A sequel that includes such amazing lines as, “Nothing can break the chains you have on my heart. For you are Wonderland.” A sequel that is all sorts of imaginative and unique and every bit as fan-freaking-tastic as I’d hoped it would be.
A sequel that I had to spotlight for my Book Watch post, even with all the amazing books releasing this week. A sequel I have pre-ordered in both eBook format and in print.
While I would love to go on and on about this magical and enchanting and captivating book, I already rambled about it a little in that post and I hope to talk more about it in my review. And since there are 36 other YA releases this week, eight more of which I have pre-ordered and plan to talk about, I am going to try to keep my rambling to a minimum.
But whether you are a fan of Morpheus or Jeb or Alyssa, there are all sorts of things to love, love, love about this book that will keep you completely and totally riveted from beginning to end.
Description…
Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she’s always dreamed of.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.
If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she’ll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.
INDEPENDENT STUDY by Joelle Charbonneau will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at AMAZON and in hardcover and eBook formats at BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers, the print edition is 320 pages.
INDEPENDENT STUDY is the second book in Author Joelle Charbonneau’s The Testing series. The third and final full-length book in the series, GRADUATION DAY, is slated for release on June 3, 2014.
I am super excited for the upcoming release of INDEPENDENT STUDY because I’m dying to talk to everyone about the thing that happened at the end. I was totally stoked to have had the chance to read it early thanks to Jaime of Two Chicks on Books after I was rejected for a review copy from Edelweiss and thought I’d have to wait for my Kindle pre-order to download on January 7th.
This was one of my favorite series last year to discover and the sequel did not disappoint. It kept me glued to each and every page before it practically annihilated me at the end. Wow. I did not see that coming. At all.
I am currently devouring GRADUATION DAY, hoping to finish it before the release of INDEPENDENT STUDY on Tuesday. I’ve heard the final book in the series is awesome and I can’t wait to see how things end.
As I’m on the blog tour for INDEPENDENT STUDY and my post should go up shortly after this one, there will be a few more rambles about this book in that next post, so I’ll just end this short ramble by saying this is a must read series.
Description…
In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.
DEFY by Sara B. Larson will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Scholastic Press, the print edition is 336 pages.
DEFY is the first book in Author Sara B. Larson’s series of the same name. The second book in the series, currently untitled, is slated for release next year.
I was totally thrilled to be able to grab an eARC of DEFY through NetGalley. I had heard this book was amazing so I pre-ordered it for my Kindle collection to have forever whether I got the chance to read it early or not. And while I’m not quite finished at the time of preparing this post – I’m at the 85% mark at the moment – I am loving it so far.
Secrets, assassins, sorcerers, hidden motives and plenty of action make this one heck of an exciting read. A main character who is fierce but also sympathetic and likable makes this a must read. And a prince who is quite the surprise is a total bonus.
So… yeah… I guess you could say that I love this book. So far.
With just 15% left to read, I want to get finished with this post so I can do just that. Because it’s just so good I really did not want to have to put it down.
Description…
A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect?
A BREATH OF FROST by Alyxandra Harvey will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Walker Childrens, the print edition is 496 pages.
A BREATH OF FROST is the first book in Author Alyxandra Harvey’s The Lovegrove Legacy.
I am such a huge fan of Author Alyxandra Harvey’s and I am super excited for the release of A BREATH OF FROST on Tuesday. I have had it pre-ordered for my Kindle for ages and ages and I cannot wait until the finished copy downloads.
While I have an eARC that I am also in the middle of reading – yes I’m reading a few books all at once this weekend – this is a book I want to have for my collection. Scratch that. Must have for my collection. I have every one of this author’s books on my Kindle and have read most of them. So there’s no way I wouldn’t have ordered the finished copy.
But I love this setting and the idea of the story. I love the characters I’ve gotten the chance to meet so far. I can’t wait to see how this story develops and how it ends, which should happen before its release on Monday Midnight.
I’m just super curious to find out whether I’ll be stuck on the edge of a cliff until the sequel.
Description…
In 1814, three cousins-Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope-discover their unknown family lineage of witchcraft. Beyond the familiar manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, a dangerous, alluring new underworld visible only to those with power is now open to the cousins.
But unbeknownst to them, by claiming their power, the three cousins have inadvertently opened the gates to the Underworld.
Now the dead, ghouls, hellhounds-and the most terrifying of all: the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters-are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers.
And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies.
Can the cousins unravel the clues and mystery behind their heritage and power before their gifts are stripped away …or even worse, another witch is killed?
ERASED by Jennifer Rush will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at AMAZON and in hardcover and eBook formats at BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, the print edition is 288 pages.
ERASED is the second full-length book in Author Jennifer Rush’s Altered series. The third book in the series, currently untitled, is slated for release in 2015.
ALTERED was a book I was desperate to get my hands on and tried to read the moment it downloaded to my Kindle. While I wasn’t able to dive into a book that wasn’t a review book at that time, it’s one of those books I regret not having read from 2013. Yet.
So of course I had to purchase the novella and pre-order ERASED, even without having read book one. I just know I’m going to love it and want to have each one of the stories in this series on hand when I’m done reading it.
And as much as I’m dying to take a sneak peek at this book’s description, to find out what might be revealed about the events in ALTERED, I am not going to look. So I don’t know what’s going to happen in this sequel, what happened in the first book and whether all the characters – Anna, Nick, Cas, Trev and Sam – survived.
If things settle down toward the end of the month, I am hopeful that I’ll be able to read both books and the novella. Though I really wish they were a little quieter right now. Waiting sucks.
Description…
They thought they had escaped. They were wrong.
After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is trying to make sense of the memories resurfacing from her old life. At the same time, she’s learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam’s rules: Don’t draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back.
Then a figure from Anna’s childhood reappears. Is it a Branch setup, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Uncertain of where her loyalties lie, Anna must fight to learn the truth — before she is betrayed again. Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased?
Jennifer Rush delivers a thrilling sequel to Altered in a novel packed with mysteries, lies, and surprises that are sure to keep readers guessing until the last age is turned.
WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME by Erin Fletcher will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in eBook format only. It is currently available to pre-order online at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Entangled Teen, the story is 211 pages.
I only recently learned of WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME when I saw the cover for this book for the reveal put together by Rockstar Book Tours. I loved the cover, but when I read the description I love, love, loved the story and immediately pre-ordered it for my Kindle.
And I can’t wait for its release this week. I want to meet Hanley and Nate. I want to find out why Nate is hiding in her garage. I want to know what she’s running from. And I want to know whether their love story is one that ends happily or tragically or somewhere in between.
I’ve been on such a contemporary kick as of late and this book sounds like just the kind of book I’m desperately in the mood to read. If all goes well this week, and I finish all the various books I’m currently reading and the next one up on the pile, I hope I’ll be able to squeeze this in.
Description…
When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape methods (vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn’t happen) are more traditional, but who is she to judge?
Nate doesn’t tell her why he’s in her garage, and she doesn’t tell him what she’s running from. Soon, Hanley’s trading her late-night escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate’s recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn’t sure which is worse: that she’s harboring a fugitive, or that she’s in love with one.
THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY by Laurie Halse Anderson will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Viking Juvenile, the print edition is 400 pages.
I first learned about THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY when I received an ARC for review a couple of months back. And while I haven’t yet had the chance to read it, I did pre-order a copy for my Kindle because I know this author is a fantastic writer and I wanted to have a copy of her next book in my collection.
I had every intention of reading this book prior to its release and was excited to have received the chance to do so early. But due to some real life difficult stuffs going on I wasn’t able to read for awhile and am still a bit I was wary about reading books with anything but light storylines.
But I definitely plan on reading this story and meeting Hayley and her father Andy. I want to find out whether Andy’s return home will be a positive experience rather than a negative one. And I want to know whether there will be a love story with Finn and Hayley.
The description promises a read that is “compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down” and I am hopeful of being able to discover this for myself later this month.
Description…
For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.
Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.
SALT by Danielle Ellison will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in eBook format only. It is currently available to pre-order online at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Entangled Teen, the book is 250 pages.
SALT is the first book in a new series by the same name by Author Danielle Ellison.
SALT is another book I got the chance to learn more about when I revealed its cover just last month. And when I did and also heard that this book was awesome I decided to pre-order a copy for my Kindle.
I am very curious about this book and what its title means to the story. I am curious about how Penelope can use her sister’s magic to hide the loss of her own. And I’m curious to find out what Carter’s secret is.
But I’m most curious about what the demons want with Penelope and what their agenda really is.
If my reading pile isn’t too crowded in early February, I hope to be able to read SALT then. Though as it is the first book in a series, I really should try and wait until closer to the sequel’s release to read it in order to make things easier on myself. But that’s not going to happen.
Description…
Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.
When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find “her” demon. To take back what was stolen.
Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own.
Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.
THE KILLING WOODS by Lucy Christopher will be released in the U.S. on January 7, 2014 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE.
Published by Chicken House, the print edition is 387 pages.
Lucy Christoper is an amazing writer and when I learned of THE KILLING WOODS’ release I instantly added it to my list of pre-orders for my Kindle. I was totally envious that it got released over three months ago in the UK and I was so very tempted to see if I could get a print copy of the UK edition so I wouldn’t have to wait.
But now the wait is almost over and I’ll be able to find out what happened to Ashlee Parker, find out whether Emily’s dad is innocent, find out whether Ashlee’s boyfriend knows something or whether he’s playing deadly games with Emily.
I am super curious to see how the author approaches this story, whether her writing will pull me immediately in, and whether I’ll be able to discover the truth about what happened before the story reaches its end.
Description…
Fatal attraction, primal fear, survival in the forest: From the author of the Printz Honor Book STOLEN, the highly anticipated thriller about deadly games played in the dark.
Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd’s dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl’s broken body. “Gone,” he says, then retreats into silence.
What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent — isn’t he? Before he’s convicted, she’s got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee’s charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her — the kinds of games that can kill?
Other Books of Note
BEING SLOANE JACOBs by Lauren Morrill
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.
Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.
When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.
DARKEST FEAR (Birthright #1) by Cate Tiernan
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.
Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?
Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.
FLAME (Sky Chasers #3) by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it’s too late.
Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn’t go as planned, and now they’re at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemies on the New Horizon, trying to find a way to survive. Kieran has been pulled under Anne Mather’s wing, but is she really trying to make peace, or just using Kieran to build her own power? Meanwhile, Waverly is taken in by a mysterious old man who wants to help her bring Anne Mather down—but the more Waverly cooperates with him, the more dangerous her position is, and the more at odds with Kieran she becomes.
Seth’s situation is even worse. After setting out from the Empyrean on his own, with only a vague strategy to guide him, he is a fugitive aboard the New Horizon. He’s doing what he can to challenge the power of Anne Mather, but he’s badly hurt, and getting sicker.
Will Seth ever see Waverly again? Will his health hold out long enough to help her topple their enemies? And will Waverly find a way to unite with her friends before they all fall? Nothing is sure and every moment is a risk in this explosive finale of the Sky Chasers series.
FUGITIVE X (Revolution 19 #2) by Gregg Rosenblum
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Their fight for freedom is humanity’s last hope for survival. The chilling Revolution 19 trilogy continues in Fugitive X.
A war between humans and robots is on the horizon, and only one side will survive.
Siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are struggling to survive in a world where deadly, sophisticated robots have turned on their creators and enslaved mankind. Fugitives from one of the bot-controlled Cities, the siblings venture into the woods, but when they are attacked by bot foot soldiers, the siblings are separated…and for the first time, they are on their own.
Created in conjunction with Alloy Entertainment; Howard Gordon, showrunner of 24 and Showtime’s Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Homeland; and James Wong, writer-director of the Final Destination films, Fugitive X is the gripping next installment in the cinematic Revolution 19 series.
ZOM-B GLADIATOR (Zom-B #6) by Darren Shan
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, B Smith has decided to live–and to fight for good as long as possible. However, London is overridden with the brain-eating undead and swarming with human mercenaries whose sense of right and wrong dissolved when society did. When they lay a trap, B is captured. And it’ll take dozens of battles–and the fight of a lifetime–to escape.
Filled with gripping, bloody action sequences, the sixth book in Darren Shan’s horrifying Zom-B series promises the fright–and the fight–of your life.
THE ALMOST GIRL by Amalie Howard
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.
Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.
Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?
DIAMONDS & DECEIT (At Somerton #2) by Leila Rasheed
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
One house, two worlds…book two in our sumptuous and enticing YA series about the servants and gentry at Somerton Court.
A house divided…
London is a whirl of balls and teas, alliances and rivalries. Rose has never felt more out of place. With the Season in full swing, she can’t help but still feel a servant dressed up in diamonds and silk. Then Rose meets Alexander Ross, a young Scottish duke. Rose has heard the rumors about Ross’s sordid past just like everyone else has. Yet he alone treats her as a friend. Rose knows better than to give her heart to an aristocrat with such a reputation, but it may be too late.
Ada should be happy. She is engaged to a handsome man who shares her political passions and has promised to support her education. So why does she feel hollow inside? Even if she hated Lord Fintan, she would have no choice but to go through with the marriage. Every day a new credit collector knocks on the door of their London flat, demanding payment for her cousin William’s expenditures. Her father’s heir seems determined to bring her family to ruin, and only a brilliant marriage can save Somerton Court and the Averleys’ reputation.
Meanwhile, at Somerton, Sebastian is out of his mind with worry for his former valet Oliver, who refuses to plead innocent to the murder charges against him–for a death caused by Sebastian himself. Sebastian will do whatever he can to help the boy he loves, but his indiscretion is dangerous fodder for a reporter with sharp eyes and dishonorable intentions.
The colorful cast of the At Somerton series returns in this enthralling sequel about class and fortune, trust and betrayal, love and revenge.
PROMISE BOUND (Lies Beneath #3) by Anne Greenwood Brown
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Calder and Lily never imagined falling in love would mean breaking apart. But ever since Lily started wearing a glass pendant that once belonged to Nadia, Calder’s adoptive mother, she’s been having vivid dreams of what life was like for the mermaid matriarch. In fact, she’s been dreaming as if she were Nadia! And Nadia, it seems, made a promise before her death. A promise to reunite Calder’s biological mother with her son. Lily knows merfolk are bound to keep their promises. Calder’s not buying into it, though. He chalks up the dreams to stress. He wants Lily to focus on the future—their future, not the past. Which forces Lily to send Calder away. Calder goes, feeling rejected and more than a little tempted to revert to his hunting ways.
What both of them overlook is the present: Calder’s sisters, Maris and Pavati, are fighting for control of the mermaid clan, and now that Lily and her dad have transformed into mer-creatures, both mermaids vie for daughter and father as allies. Which of the two mermaids can be trusted? Will Lily make costly mistakes, forcing her to descend to the depths of Lake Superior? And if Calder returns, will he be the same merman Lily grew to love? The stakes are high, with many lives at risk, but Calder and Lily must confront the past as well as their darkest impulses if they want a chance at being together.
NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU by Kathleen Hale
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.
Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.
ALLIANCE (The Paladin Prophecy #2) by Mark Frost
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Readers of I Am Number Four, The Maze Runner, and Legend will love this sophisticated adventure series by the cocreator of the groundbreaking television show Twin Peaks, with its unique combination of mystery, heart-pounding action, and the supernatural.
After exposing the sinister underground society of students known as the Knights of Charlemagne, Will West stays at the Center over the summer to explore his newly developing physical and mental abilities. Meanwhile, his roommates investigate the Knights’ shadowy purpose and discover unsettling information about their own backgrounds. Will and his friends must quickly figure out what’s going on and separate friend from foe as they prepare for the coming fight.
LOVE REBORN (Dead Beautiful #3) by Yvonne Woon
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Renée and Dante are dying. The soul they share cannot sustain them both, and they’re quickly running out of time.
But Renée has in her possession a legendary chest said to contain the secret to eternal life-if only they could solve the clues that lie within it. With both the Liberum, a Brotherhood of the Undead, and a team of Monitors, led by Renée’s own grandfather, in hot pursuit, Renée and Dante must keep the chest safe or risk having it fall into the wrong hands.
With the help of a mysterious letter-writer called only Monsieur, Renée and Dante follow a series of clues that lead them on a treacherous journey across Europe. They seek the Netherworld, a legendary chasm where souls go to be cleansed. It’s their only chance at a fresh start, but with it comes a terrible choice, one they never imagined they would be forced to make.
The third novel in the acclaimed Dead Beautiful series is a haunting story of sacrifice, loyalty, and a love that can never die.
DOUBLE DIGIT (Digit #2) by Annabel Monaghan
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
To say eighteen-year-old Farrah Higgins—or Digit—is good at math is a laughable understatement. She’s been cracking codes since childhood, and is finally at home with “her people” at MIT in Cambridge. Her talents are so off the charts that her laptop is under surveillance by both the CIA and an ecoterrorist named Jonas Furnis. So when she thoughtlessly hacks into the Department of Defense’s database, she lands in serious hot water inside and outside the law. Readers will be sad to turn the last page of this suspenseful, sassy, super smart thriller, the sequel to A Girl Named Digit.
LITTLE BLUE LIES by Chris Lynch
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Find It: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Description:
Two teens discover the true danger of love in this gripping novel from Printz Honor–winning author Chris Lynch.
Oliver loves Junie Blue. That’s true. Pretty much everything else is a lie. Both known for their deceit, Junie and O’s relationship was the only honest thing they had. But now that’s over. Oliver’s been dumped, and he’s miserable. Junie says they’re done. Unless she’s lying?
Junie’s father works for One Who Knows, the head of an organized crime family. He won’t tell O where Junie is, not even after O hears a rumor that Junie’s won the lottery—and that One Who Knows expects to be given her ticket. O fears Junie’s in danger, and he’s determined to come to her rescue. But is there honestly anything he can do?
PASSIONARIES (The Blessed #2) by Tonya Hurley
Pub. Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Find It: <a title="Passionaries at Amazon" href="http://www.amazon.com/Passionaries-Blessed-Tonya-Hurley/dp/1442429