July 2013 Releases

Done with June 2013 Releases? Here are July 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist

4th June 2013 Releases

Cassie Alexander
Shapeshifted (Edie Spence, Book 3)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
When Edie Spence was fired from her paranormal nursing job at County Hospital, her whole world came crashing down. Now she’s once again shaken to her core. Her mother is deathly ill and there’s only one thing that will save her: vampire blood. But with the paranormal community shunning Edie, where can she obtain it…without losing her own life in the process? Edie hopes to procure it at her new job at the clinic across town, where the forces of evil loom large. Vampire gang wars are rampant. Old underground enemies are rising to the surface. And Edie’s zombie ex-boyfriend has arrived at the scene – but is he the same man he used to be? And what should she make of the enigmatic doctor with whom she shares an unexpected connection? She’ll have to figure it out soon, because all hell is about to break loose – literally – and time is running out…

Keri Arthur
Darkness Unmasked (Dark Angel, Book 5)
Penguin Signet (US & CA: 4th June 2013); Hachette Little, Brown (UK: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is beginning to believe that the only way to find the keys she’s been searching for and save her friends is by dying. And when Wolfgang Schmidt, the lover of her boss at the vampire council, is found dead, her worst fears are confirmed. With the first portal of hell permanently open, the energies of the dark path are leaching into the world. Searching for Schmidt’s killer and the keys at the same time, Risa and reaper Azriel track a shape-shifting spider spirit capable of changing her form into a seductive woman. But when they finally find the second key, the Aedh Lucian snatches it and disappears. Risa is intent on finding Lucian and fighting him to the death – for in her mind, she knows that neither can remain while the other lives…

Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2)
Scholastic (US: 4th June 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.

Sylvia Day
Entwined with You (Crossfire, Book 3)
Penguin (US, CA & AU: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognised something in him that I needed. Something I couldn’t resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside – so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat. No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I’d been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become. Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession…

Tara Hudson
Elegy (Hereafter, Book 3)
HarperCollins Teen (US & CA: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths in the French Quarter of New Orleans – Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now she’s back in Oklahoma, and all she wants to do is spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua Mayhew. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does. As the body count rises, Amelia thinks she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can no longer save the people she’s lost to the darkness…and she can never see Joshua again. Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands…and fight back.

Richelle Mead
Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, Book 1)
Penguin (US, CA & AU: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March is a former investigator of religious groups who was sent into exile after a failed job, a fate that has left the brilliant servitor bitter and free to indulge his addictive personality. Suddenly, Justin is sent home to the Republic of United North America with a peculiar assignment – to solve a string of ritualistic murders steeped in seemingly unexplainable phenomena. Justin’s unexpected return comes with an even bigger shock: his new partner and body guard is a praetorian, one of the elite and deadly super soldiers of the RUNA. Mae Koskinen’s inexplicably perfect beauty and aristocratic upbringing pique Justin’s avid curiosity – and his desire – though her true nature holds more danger than anyone realises. As their investigation unfolds, Justin and Mae find themselves in the path of terrible danger. Mysterious enemies and powers greater than they can imagine have begun to assemble in the shadows, preparing to reclaim a world where humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Saundra Mitchell
The Elementals (Vespertine, Book 1)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s (US: 4th June 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kate Witherspoon has lived a bohemian life with her artist parents. In 1917, the new art form of the motion picture is changing entertainment – and Kate is determined to become a director. Meanwhile, Midwestern farm boy Julian Birch has inherited the wanderlust that fuelled his parents’ adventures. A childhood bout with polio has left him crippled, but he refuses to let his disability define him. Strangers driven by a shared vision, Kate and Julian set out separately for Los Angeles, the city of dreams. There, they each struggle to find their independence. When they finally meet, the teenage runaways realise their true magical legacy: the ability to triumph over death, and over time. But as their powerful parents before them learned, all magic comes with a price.

Monica Seles & James LaRosa
Game On (Academy, Book 1)
Bloomsbury Children’s (US: 4th June 2013)
Review
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The Academy is an International Sports Mecca for teen athletes of all sports. There are only two ways in. Deep pockets or enough talent to score a scholarship. Young tennis star Maya’s dreams have finally come true when she earns a scholarship to The Academy. Plucked from her small town, Maya moves to the sports training facility/boarding school to (hopefully) start the beginning of her pro career. But Maya’s fantasy of The Academy doesn’t quite match the reality. Because where there are hot, talented teens, there’s a lot of drama. Meet the players: Cleo: Maya’s rebel/punk roommate who is nearing the top of the golf world. Renee: The gorgeous swimmer with enough money to buy her way into The Academy. Nicole: A tennis star who feels threatened by Maya (but she’d never admit it). Travis: The son of The Academy owner – perfectly groomed to be the next NFL star. Jake: Travis’ younger brother – the bad boy to his brother’s good.

June 2013 Releases

Done with May 2013 Releases? Here are June 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

3 New Covers (Frankel, Hudson, Lunetta)

5th June 2012 Releases

Happy Release Day to…

June 2012 Releases

Done with May 2012 Releases? Here are June 2012 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] Arise – Tara Hudson

Tara Hudson
Arise (Hereafter, Book 2)
HarperCollins (CA: 23rd May 2012; US: 5th June 2012; UK: 5th July 2012)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Joshua Mayhew is alive, and a Seer. Amelia Ashley is a ghost. They totally want to do each other, but Amelia can’t control her vanishing, though she still accompanies the Mayhews to their family Christmas holiday in New Orleans. Can voodoo help Amelia stay solid? And at what cost?

For characters motivated by the possibility of sex, this story is actually quite chaste, which is nice. But Arise‘s best aspect is the female friendship between Amelia and Gaby.

New Orleans is a setting overdone to death, particularly the French Quarter, and Arise doesn’t add anything new. This short little novel is fine to read, but doesn’t really leave a mark.

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

9 New Covers (Barnes, Blaine, Clark, Hudson, McCafferty, Peterfreund, Richardson, Williams, Winnacker)

January Through June 2011 Reads – Star Ratings

Books I read in January through June this year. Separated into star ratings, then listed by order in which I read them. All up at GoodReads. Some reviews here on my WordPress. Does not include books that I didn’t finish, because I’ve deleted them from my catalogue, and likely my memory.

Let me know if you decide to read or not to read them, based on my ratings. Because yes, I am that egocentric 😉

5 STARS: Rage (Jackie Morse Kessler), American Vampire (Jennifer Armintrout), Project 17 (Laurie Faria Stolarz), The Gathering (Kelley Armstrong), The Repossession Mambo/Repo Men (Eric Garcia), Moongazer (Marianne Mancusi), Wither (Lauren DeStefano), Girl Hero (Carrie Jones)

4 STARS: Outside In (Maria V. Snyder), Stocking Full of Coal (Amanda Feral), The Walled Garden (Michele Lang), The Shadow Runners (Liz Maverick), The Vespertine (Saundra Mitchell), Linger (Maggie Stiefvater), Dark Life (Kat Falls), Demonized (Naomi Clark), The Reckoning (Kelley Armstrong), Midnight Alley (Rachel Caine), Feast of Fools (Rachel Caine), Lord of Misrule (Rachel Caine), Carpe Corpus (Rachel Caine), Fade Out (Rachel Caine), Coming Home (P. D. Martin), Kiss of Death (Rachel Caine), XVI (Julia Karr), Ghost Town (Rachel Caine), The Girl in the Steel Corset (Kady Cross), Matched (Ally Condie), Uninvited (Amanda Marrone), The Bradbury Report (Steven Polansky), Uninvited (Justine Musk), Exile (Rebecca Lim), Helper12 (Jack Blaine), Darkness Becomes Her (Kelly Keaton)

3 STARS: Jealousy (Lili St. Crow), Among the Betrayed (Margaret Peterson Haddix), Among the Barons (Margaret Peterson Haddix), Becoming (Kelley Armstrong), Shadow Days (Andrea Cremer), Day of Fire (Kathleen Nance), Dreaming Anastasia (Joy Preble), Things Bogans Like, Beyond Heaving Bosoms (Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan), Fugitives (Alexander Gordon Smith), The Power of Two (Patti O’Shea), Coming Undone (Lauren Dane), In the Arms of Stone Angels (Jordan Dane), The Iron Witch (Karen Mahoney), Damaged (Yolanda Sfetsos), Falling Freestyle (Vivian Arend), Jeweled (Anya Bast), Thyla (Kate Gordon), It Takes a Village Idiot and I Married One (Alex Borstein & Cherry Chevapravatdumrong), Burn Bright (Marianne de Pierres), A Touch Mortal (Leah Clifford), Night and Chaos (Naomi Clark), Savage Transformation (Lexxie Couper), The Official Illustrated Guide (Stephenie Meyer), Exit Strategy (Kelley Armstrong), Made to Be Broken (Kelley Armstrong), You Are So Undead to Me (Stacey Jay), Hereafter (Tara Hudson), Relentless (Lauren Dane), The Scarlet Empress (Susan Grant), Close Encounters (Katherine Allred), Perfect Cover (Jennifer Lynn Barnes), Killer Spirit (Jennifer Lynn Barnes), West End (Laura Van Wormer), Moon Sworn (Keri Arthur)

2 STARS: Defiance (Lili St. Crow)