October 2013 Releases

Done with September 2013 Releases? Here are October 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

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Steve Bein
Year of the Demon (Fated Blades, Book 2)
Penguin Roc (US & CA: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Detective Sergeant Mariko Oshiro has been promoted to Japan’s elite Narcotics unit – and with this promotion comes a new partner, a new case, and new danger. The underboss of a powerful yakuza crime syndicate has put a price on her head, and he’ll lift the bounty only if she retrieves an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen from him in a daring raid. However, Mariko has no idea of the tumultuous past carried within the mask – or of its deadly link with the famed Inazuma blade she wields. The secret of this mask originated hundreds of years before Mariko was born, and over time the mask’s power has evolved to bend its owner toward destruction, stopping at nothing to obtain Inazuma steel. Mariko’s fallen sensei knew much of the mask’s hypnotic power and of its mysterious link to a murderous cult. Now Mariko must use his notes to find the mask before the cult can bring Tokyo to its knees – and before the underboss decides her time is up…

Ilsa J. Bick
Monsters (Ashes, Book 1)
Pan Macmillan Quercus (AU: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Alex is tough. She has survived the EMP blast, she has lived among the flesh-eating Changed, and she has been separated from Tom for months. And she hasn’t given up. But on the brink of starvation and in the grips of a winter that just won’t end, Alex discovers a new and terrible truth: The Changed are still evolving. And…they’ve had help.

Rachel Caine
Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires, Book 14)
Penguin NAL Signet (US & CA: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble… Claire never thought she’d get to leave Morganville, but she can’t pass up the chance to finally attend her dream school, MIT. After all, getting to invent anti-vamp devices with Professor Anderson – a Morganville exile herself – sounds like a dream come true…until Claire realises that there are sinister forces in play, and she’s not the only one with a vampire-related agenda. Without her friends Shane, Eve and Michael, surviving a killer schedule may be hard…but with them, it might turn out to be impossible.

Amy Rose Capetta
Entangled
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (US: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Seventeen-year-old Cade is a fierce survivor, solo in the universe with her cherry-red guitar. Or so she thought. Her world shakes apart when a hologram named Mr. Niven tells her she was created in a lab in the year 3112, then entangled at a subatomic level with a boy named Xan. Cade’s quest to locate Xan joins her with an array of outlaws – her first friends – on a galaxy-spanning adventure. And once Cade discovers the wild joy of real connection, there’s no turning back.

Máire Claremont
Lady in Red (Mad Passions, Book 2)
Penguin Signet (US & CA: 1st October 2013); Hachette Headline (UK: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lady Mary Darrel should be the envy of London. Instead, all society believes her dead. For Mary holds a secret so dangerous, her father chose to keep her locked away…and have a grave made for her near her mother’s. Driven to the edge of desperation, Mary manages to escape the asylum, only to find that her fate yet again rests in the hands of a man… Edward Barrons, Duke of Fairleigh, longs for some way to escape the torment of his father’s crimes. In Mary’s warrior spirit and haunted gaze – which so mirrors his own – he finally sees his path to redemption. He will stop at nothing to keep her safe, even as she seeks revenge. But will the passion they discover in each other be enough to save them from their demons?

Lauren DeStefano
Perfect Ruin (Internment, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 1st October 2013); HarperCollins Voyager (UK: 3rd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
On the floating city of Internment, you can be anything you dream. Unless you approach the edge. Morgan Stockhour knows getting too close to the edge of Internment, the floating city in the clouds where she lives, can lead to madness. Even though her older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. If she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in her best friend, Pen, and in Basil, the boy she’s engaged to marry. Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially once she meets Judas. Betrothed to the victim, he is the boy being blamed for the murder, but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find – or whom she will lose.

Becca Fitzpatrick
Finale (Hush Hush, Book 4)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made and a friend’s ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn – but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can’t conquer?

Megan Hart
Naked
Harlequin Spice (AU: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer, but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent. But now he’s my tenant…with benefits. Now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back. Except I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men – I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either. Alex can be very convincing when he wants something. And he wants me.

Cheryl Rainfield
Stained
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (US: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for “normal.” Born with a port wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that – or succumb to a killer.

Michelle Rowen
Countdown
Harlequin Mills & Boon (UK & AU: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kira Jordan survived her family’s murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level Psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira’s Psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan’s secrets prove ever more deadly, Kira’s only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can’t escape.

Gena Showalter
Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles, Book 2)
Harlequin Mills & Boon (UK & AU: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong. After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her…from everyone. Now, with her best friend Kat at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole’s secret and learn to fight the darkness. But the clock is ticking…and if she fails at a single task, they’re all doomed.

Jessica Verday
The Beautiful and the Damned
Simon & Schuster Pulse (US & CA: 1st October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Cyn Hargrave is on the run, but she can’t escape her dark past. The brother of her murdered boyfriend is convinced she’s the killer – and now he’s tracked her down. Cyn has only one person to turn to, and she can’t stand him. Avian knows the evil that lives inside of Cyn, but he’s still compelled to help her. As the thirteenth Revenant he’s scorned by heaven and unwanted by hell, so he understands what it’s like to be a part of two worlds and not fit into either. Together they will need to deal with the danger that follows her – and the danger inside of her – before one of them destroys her.

A. A. Aguirre
Bronze Gods (Apparatus Infernum, Book 1)
Titan (UK: 4th October 2013; AU: 18th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work all hours in the Criminal Investigation Division, keeping the citizens of Dorstaad safe. He’s a charming rogue with an uncanny sixth sense; she’s all logic – and the first female inspector. Between his instincts and her brains, they collar more criminals than any other partnership in the CID. Then they’re assigned a potentially volatile case where one misstep could end their careers. At first, the search for the daughter of one of the great houses seems straightforward, but when the girl is found murdered – her body charred to cinders by an intricate and deadly device – Mikani and Ritsuko will be challenged as never before. A ruthless killer is stalking the gas-lit streets, weaving blood and magic in a lethal ritual that could mean the end of everything they hold dear…

Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2)
Scholastic (AU: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumours of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Sarah Crossan
Resist (Breathe, Book 2)
HarperCollins Greenwillow (US & CA: 8th October 2013); Bloomsbury (UK: 10th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Resistance to the Pod Leadership has come apart. The Grove has been destroyed but so has the Pod Minister. Quinn, Bea and Alina separately must embark on a perilous journey across the planet’s dead landscape in search of the rumoured resistance base Sequoia. The welcome they receive at Sequoia is not what they expect, and soon they are facing a situation that seems as threatening as that of the Pod inhabitants. Meanwhile the former Pod Minister’s son, Ronan, is beginning to have his doubts about the regime but as a member of an elite force he is sent out of the pod to hunt down the Grove’s survivors. In a world in which the human race is adapting to survive with little air, the stakes are high.

Colleen Hoover
Losing Hope (Hopeless, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster Atria (US, UK & CA: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnected.

Darynda Jones
Death and the Girl He Loves (Darklight, Book 3)
Macmillan St. Martin’s Griffin (US: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. Unfortunately for her, that is exactly where the world’s fate has decided to take up residence. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. And those horrors are getting her friends killed. Because of this, she agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. A boarding school. But even here she is being watched. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. And on top of that she’s seeing visions. This is nothing new for Lorelei. But these visions are something more: death, destruction, and the end of the world. Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Lucky for her, her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil.

Amelia Kahaney
The Brokenhearted
HarperCollins Teen (US & CA: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
High in her tower above Bedlam City, prima ballerina Anthem Fleet has lived her whole life by her parents’ strict rules, never leaving the sparkling, pristine North Side. Until she meets Gavin. An artist from the dangerous South Side of town, Gavin is like no one Anthem has ever met – and she falls for him suddenly and completely. But Gavin’s world is as dangerous as it is intoxicating, and their romance crashes down around them one terrible night when they are attacked on the South Side and Gavin is kidnapped. When she wakes in a dark, blood-soaked lab, Anthem has a jagged scar down her chest…and an experimental bionic heart ticking inside her. As Anthem will soon realise, her new mechanical heart didn’t just save her life – it left her with a strange and terrifying new strength. A strength that she’s going to need if she has any chance of rescuing Gavin and mending the scattered pieces of her broken heart.

Daniel Marks
Velveteen
Random House Ember (US & CA: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
At sixteen, Velveteen Monroe was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem. The problem is she landed in the City of the Dead. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven either. Grey, ashen and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do there. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind. Bonesaw. Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment he deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days. It’ll be brutal…and awesome. But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting could actually crack the foundation of her new world, not to mention jeopardise her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take – except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits co-worker. Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules…or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

J. A. Souders
Renegade (Elysium Chronicles, Book 1)
Macmillan Tor Teen (US: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s believed that everything is perfect. Her world. Her people. The Law. But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into Elysium’s secluded little world, Evelyn comes to a startling realisation: Everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster. Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb…and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Scott Tracey
Phantom Eyes (Witch Eyes, Book 3)
Llewellyn Flux (US: 8th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
After Grace Lansing ripped out the power of his witch eyes, Braden is left broken. His beloved Uncle John is dead, his body is being hijacked like a puppet, and everyone – from ghosts to demons to warlocks – seems to have Braden’s death on their to-do lists. Torn between fleeing to safety and making a stand to regain his power, Braden searches for answers about the witch feud’s origins. But when Grace sets her ancient plan in motion, Braden is determined to reclaim his birthright. As key players converge on the deep wellsprings of magical energy hidden in town, one thing becomes clear: whoever controls the magic will control Belle Dam. Braden’s only hope is to become the weapon he never wanted to be, but could unleash the monster that lurks inside him.

Gemma Malley
The Disappearances (Killables, Book 2)
Hachette Hodder (UK: 10th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
It’s been a year since Evie and Raffy escaped the controlling regime of the City, leaving Lucas behind to rebuild the ruins of the place they once called home. And Lucas knew that once he said goodbye, Evie would be lost to him forever… But the City soon finds itself plagued by another terrifying threat: the Disappearances: teenagers who have gone missing from within the City walls, apparently vanishing into thin air. With the City at stake, Lucas has no choice but to call on his old friends – even if seeing them together is more than he can bear.

Diana Peterfreund
Across a Star-Swept Sea
HarperCollins Balzer + Bray (US & CA: 15th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilisation, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a paradise where even the Reduction – the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars – is a distant memory. Yet on the island of Galatea, an uprising against the aristocracy 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 neighbouring Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous teenage aristocrat Persis Blake. Her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicised new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo…is her most dangerous mission ever. Justen is hiding things, too – his disenchantment with his country’s revolution, his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. Persis is also falling for Justen, but when she discovers his greatest secret – one that could plunge New Pacifica into another dark age – she realises she’s not just risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

Rinda Elliott
Blood of an Ancient (Beri O’Dell, Book 2)
Samhain (US: 22nd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Beri O’Dell is on a mission. She has to rip back into a hell dimension fast, but needs two things first – the blood of an ancient and a fix for her friend Blythe’s magic, which careened out of control after the battle with the Dweller. Finding ancient blood isn’t easy when the old ones are rare and unwilling to donate. She needs to find Blythe’s former mentor…except the woman has lost her mind and joined a travelling band of singing witches. That’s not the only magical monkey on her back. Nikolos is imprisoned, and after a screwed-up spell lets her witness the horror that has become his life, her fear for him grows by the day. Now there’s another problem – a powerful being unleashed during the battle with the Dweller likes her gluttonous new existence, and will kill anyone who threatens it. But Beri has a few tricks up her costumed sleeve, even if it means mining the darkness of her soul to set everything right…and get Nikolos back in her arms.

Melissa Marr & Tim Pratt (eds.)
Rags & Bones (Anthology)
Hachette (US & UK: 22nd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
In this collection, authors re-imagine their favourite classic stories, the ones that have inspired, awed, and enraged them, the ones that have become ingrained in modern culture, and the ones that have been too long overlooked. They take these stories and boil them down to their bones, and reassemble them for a new generation of readers. Written from a twenty-first century perspective and set within the realms of science fiction, dystopian fiction, fantasy, and realistic fiction. Sir Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene” – Saladin Ahmed. W. W. Jacobs’s “The Monkey’s Paw” – Kelley Armstrong. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” – Holly Black. “Sleeping Beauty” – Neil Gaiman. The Brothers Grimm’s “Rumpelstiltskin” – Kami Garcia. Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” – Melissa Marr. Rudyard Kipling’s “The Man Who Would Be King” – Garth Nix. Henry James’s “The Jolly Corner” – Tim Pratt. E. M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops” – Carrie Ryan. Horace Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto” – Margaret Stohl. William Seabrook’s “The Caged White Werewolf of the Saraban” – Gene Wolfe. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark” – Rick Yancey. And six illustrations by Charles Vess.

Richelle Mead
The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, Book 3)
Penguin (US & CA: 22nd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets – and human lives. In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch – a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realises that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood – or else she might be next.

A. D. Robertson
Captive (Forbidden Side of Nightshade, Book 1)
Penguin Dutton (US: 22nd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Twenty-five-year-old Tristan Doran enjoys a life of incredible power and privilege. As a direct descendant of the Keepers – witches who have embraced dark magic – he defers to no one but his overlord, Lord Bosque Mar. For most of his life, Tristan has been kept out of the centuries-old Witches War, his bloodline too valuable to risk in battle. But when a beautiful, young human Searcher named Sarah is captured and made a prisoner in his Irish castle, Tristan’s infatuation with her flings him headlong into the fray. Captive and captor, unable to contain their longing, embark on a passionate, forbidden romance together – only to learn that their love is at the heart of a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Keepers’ ages-old reign.

Veronica Roth
Allegiant (Divergent, Book 3)
HarperCollins (US, UK & CA: 22nd October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature – and of her – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Sophie Littlefield
Shattered Bond (Joe Bashir, Book 2)
Simon & Schuster Pocket Star (US & CA: 28th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (CA)
The discovery of a murdered teenager disrupts a fundraiser given by Napa Valley vintner Hale Francesci at the Montair Country Club. While Hale and his wife entertained their guests, their seventeen-year-old daughter Courtney was the last person to see her best friend Ashley Cole alive in a nearby strip mall parking lot. When Detective Joe Bashir begins interviewing Ashley’s friends, neighbours, and teachers, suspicion splinters in every direction. Courtney hints of an affair with an older man; rumours fly of a missing sex tape; and Joe discovers troubling details about Ashley’s relationships with her addict mother and absentee father. Meanwhile, the Francescis threaten to disrupt the investigation, and Joe struggles to navigate the waters of their elite circle all while fielding his mother’s attempts to fix him up with a nice Pakistani girl. Will he bring a killer to justice and peace to Courtney at last?

Allie Brosh
Hyperbole and a Half
Simon & Schuster Touchstone (US & CA: 29th October 2013); Random House Vintage Square Peg (UK: 29th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Stories about life’s mishaps from the creator of the blog ‘Hyperbole and a Half’. Fully illustrated with over 50% new material. Hyperbole and A Half is a blog written by a 20-something American girl called Allie Brosh. She tells stories about the mishaps of her everyday life, with titles like ‘Why Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving’ and ‘The God of Cake’. She accompanies these with naive drawings using Paint on her PC. Brosh’s website receives millions of visitors a month and hundreds of thousands of per day. Now her full-colour debut book chronicles the many “learning experiences” Brosh has endured as a result of her own character flaws. It includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; the highs and mostly lows of owning a mentally challenged dog; and an account of her struggles with depression. Think Cyanide and Happiness but with story-lines, cake and dogs.

Mira Grant
Parasite
Hachette Orbit (US & UK: 29th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite – a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system – even secretes designer drugs. It’s been successful beyond the scientists’ wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them. But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives…and will do anything to get them.

Kim Harrison
Ever After (Hollows, Book 11)
HarperCollins Voyager (US & CA: 29th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and it’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to stop it before the fragile balance between Inderlanders and humans falls apart. Of course, there’s also the small fact that Rachel caused the ley line to rip in the first place. And the most powerful demon in the ever-after, the soul-eater Ku’Sox Sha-Ku’ru, has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage in his quest for vengeance. If Rachel doesn’t give herself up for execution, they will die. Rachel must team up with elfin tycoon Trent Kalamack – a partnership fraught with perils of the heart and soul – to rescue those she loves.

Nancy Holzner
Hellhound (Deadtown, Book 5)
Penguin Ace (US & CA: 29th October 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders – but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human… Boston’s zombies have suddenly become inexplicably violent – horror movie-style – resulting in a catastrophic all-out battle against humans. More troubling to Vicky is that she’s had dreams and visions of herself fighting alongside the demons. At least, she hopes they’re just visions – otherwise, that puts her on the front lines of the wrong side of the war. Vicky’s not surprised to discover that Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and loathed adversary, is behind the outbreak of the zombie plague, having formed an unholy pact with the Old Ones. Now, as the violence escalates and alliances shift, Vicky knows she’s the only one who can stop the plague. Unless the pack of hellhounds on her trail finds her first.