Category Archives: Amy Garvey

18th September 2012 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Amy Garvey
Glass Heart (Cold Kiss, Book 2)
HarperCollins Teen (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life. Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger – knows how easy it is to lose control – but she can’t resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do – what she has done – she finally feels free to be herself. But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful. Telling her to stop. The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realises that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.

Jay Kristoff
Stormdancer
Macmillan (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him. But the mission proves less impossible and more deadly than anyone expects. Soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. Although she can hear his thoughts, and saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. Yet trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu form a surprising and powerful bond. Meanwhile, the country verges on collapse. A toxic fuel is choking the land, the machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure, and the Shogun cares for nothing but his own dominion. Authority has always made Yukiko uneasy, but her world changes when she meets Kin, a young man with secrets, and the rebel Kagé cabal. She learns the horrifying extent of the Shogun’s crimes, both against her country and her family. Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu are determined to make the Shogun pay – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Boys
Scholastic (US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them – not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all – family money, good looks, devoted friends – but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Kat Zhang
What’s Left of Me
HarperCollins (CA: US: 18th September 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else – two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbours shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable – hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

September 2012 Releases

Done with August 2012 Releases? Here are September 2012 Releases. For future titles, check Reading Wishlist.

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Common First Names of YA Authors

Rachel Vincent mentioned on her blog how numerous some first names of YA authors are. Sometimes they’re spelled differently, but I’ve made a little list. Most popular: Amanda, Amy, Jennifer, Jessica, Kate, Megan, Rachel, and Sara.

AMANDA – Amanda Grace, Amanda Marrone, Amanda Sun
AMY – Amy Garvey, Amy Christine Parker, Amy Kathleen Ryan
CARRIE – Carrie Jones, Carrie Ryan
HEATHER – Heather Brewer, Heather Davis
JENNIFER – Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jennifer Bosworth, Jennifer Rush
JESSICA – Jessica Brody, Jessica Spotswood, Jessica Verday
JUSTINE – Justine Larbalestier, Justine Musk
KAREN – Karen Kincy, Karen Mahoney
KAT – Kat Falls, Kat Zhang
KATE – Kate Ellison, Kate Gordon, Kate Karyus Quinn
KELLY – Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Keaton
LAURA – Laura Bickle, Laura Riken
MEGAN – Megan Crewe, Megan McCafferty, Megan Shepherd
MELISSA – Melissa Landers, Melissa Marr
RACHEL – Rachel Caine, Rachel Cohn, Rachel Vincent
SARA – Sarah Crossan, Sara Wilson Etienne, Sara Grant
SOPHIE – Sophie Littlefield, Sophie McKenzie
TARA – Tara Hudson, Tara Moss
VERONICA – Veronica Rossi, Veronica Roth

11 New Covers (Armstrong, Bridges, Crane, Garvey, Holzner, Knight, Lim, O’Brien, Stolarz, Vincent, Zhang)

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September 2011 Releases

Finished August 2011 Releases? Here are September 2011 Releases. To see further titles, check Reading Wishlist.

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[REVIEW] Cold Kiss – Amy Garvey

Amy Garvey
Cold Kiss
HarperCollins Teen (AU: 1st September 2011; CA: 6th September 2011; US: 20th September 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Relax, readers: this isn’t another YA paranormal romance that’s as emo as emo can get, though it initially seems like that. Cold Kiss actually has some humour, the kind that’s funny without trying to be, so there’s a natural ease. Yes, there’s a heroine with a “special” name (Wren), sort of a love triangle (undead Danny and somewhat-sorcerer Gabriel), and family secrets (using energy), but the author is clever enough to keep the story from falling into overdone territory.

We don’t get into the details of how Wren and Danny fell in love, but people in love can do the stupidest and selfish things – like resurrect from the grave a boyfriend and keeping him in a neighbour’s garage. As Danny clings tighter to Wren, our narrator realises she made a terrible mistake, but is dead-set on solving the problem alone. Yes, I know we’re supposed to keep adults out of YA fiction, but Wren has several opportunities to ask her mother for help, and it would be smart to. Might even be a nice mother-daughter bonding experience. Alas, she doesn’t.

And Wren’s a bit contradictory when it comes to her friends: “…even when Danny was alive, I didn’t abandon them, not completely, the way some girls do as soon as they have a boyfriend.” Yeah, but after Danny dies and is “brought back”, Wren spends all her time with him, blowing off her friends. She claims she really wants to get back in their good books, but instead she’s off with new pal and potential love interest Gabriel. But they forgive her.

Amy Garvey crafts a different kind of zombie novel with an odd shot of whimsy. Cold Kiss contains magic, family secrets, and more than just a little Weekend at Bernie‘s vibe. It’s kind of fun, and works really well as a stand-alone. And I hope it is – it doesn’t need a series. Though runaway zombies make for a rather entertaining read.

6 New Covers: Keri Arthur, Marianne de Pierres, Amy Garvey, M. J. Scott, Janni Lee Simner & Maria V. Snyder

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YA Releases – 2010 & Beyond

C. A. Moulton called out for a list of 2010 & 2011 YA fantasy fiction, but my list here contains other YA subgenres, too 😉 These are only the ones with known release dates – those without are on my Reading Wishlist. Release dates can and probably will change in the lead-up to the books’ publication. Some are re-releases, international editions, etc. Of course, I don’t list every single book – only the ones that I’ve heard of and am interested in.

ANN AGUIRRE – Razorland – Dec 2010
KELLEY ARMSTRONG – The Reckoning – 27 Apr 2010/6 May 2010
JENNIFER LYNN BARNES – Raised by Wolves – 8 Jun 2010
HOLLY BLACK – White Cat – 4 May 2010/17 Jun 2010/1 May 2011
S. A. BODEEN – The Gardener – 25 May 2010
RACHEL CAINE – Kiss of Death – 3 May 2010/4 May 2010
KRISTIN CAST et al – Kisses from Hell – 8 Aug 2010
CASSANDRA CLARE – The Clockwork Angel – 1 Sep 2010/14 Sep 2010
ANDREA CREMER – Nightshade – 14 Oct 2010
HEATHER DAVIS – The Clearing – 15 Mar 2010/12 Apr 2010
KAT FALLS – Dark Life – 29 Apr 2010/1 May 2010
CATHERINE FISHER – Incarceron – 26 Jan 2010
BECCA FITZPATRICK – Crescendo – 2010
AMY GARVEY – Cold Kiss – 2011
TERI HALL – The Line – 4 Mar 2010/9 Mar 2010
STACEY JAY – Undead Much? – 21 Jan 2010/26 Jan 2010
STACEY JAY – My So-Called Death – 1 Mar 2010/1 Apr 2010
CARRIE JONES – Captivate – 5 Jan 2010/5 Apr 2010
KELLY KEATON – Darkness Becomes Her – 2011
JACKIE MORSE KESSLER – Hunger – 11 Aug 2010
JACKIE MORSE KESSLER – Rage – 2011
KAREN KINCY – Other – 1 Jul 2010
GEMMA MALLEY – The Returners – 1 Feb 2010/2 Mar 2010
RICHELLE MEAD – Spirit Bound – 18 May 2010
JACKSON PEARCE – Sisters Red – 3 Jun 2010/7 Jun 2010
SUSAN BETH PFEFFER – This World We Live In – 4 Mar 2010/1 Apr 2010/3 May 2010
CARRIE RYAN – The Dead-Tossed Waves – 9 Mar 2010/8 Apr 2010/1 Mar 2011
JERI SMITH-READY – Shade – 4 May 2010/18 May 2010
MARIA V. SNYDER – Inside Out – 1 Apr 2010
LILI ST. CROW – Jealousy – 29 Jul 2010/3 Aug 2010
MAGGIE STIEFVATER – Linger – 20 Jul 2010
JESSICA VERDAY – The Haunted – 31 Aug 2010
ROBIN WASSERMAN – Wired – 14 Sep 2010