8 New Covers (Aguirre, Arthur, Crewe, Kane, Keaton, Mahoney, McGuire, Roth)

[REVIEW] Darkness Becomes Her – Kelly Keaton

Kelly Keaton
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 22nd February 2011; AU: 31st May 2011; UK: 9th June 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Circa 2012, a massive storm turned New Orleans into a “natural” disaster zone, and the US government ordered an evacuation. Nine wealthy families banded together to form the Novem, and bought the land. People live in New 2 at their own risk, and the area is said to host supernatural beings.

Ari Selkirk is a foster teen in 2027, with naturally teal eyes and waist-length white hair that cannot be changed. (In other words, she’s a “special snowflake”.) The women in her family are cursed to give birth and commit suicide all before aged twenty-one, and Ari is close to eighteen. She’s in New 2 to investigate the origins of the curse and how to remove it. She joins a band of misfit kids, gets involved with the Novem, and battles a Greek god.

With mental illness, genuinely spooky kids, and Mardi Gras, Darkness Becomes Her should easily find a place on any reader’s wish-list. The particular kinds of creatures in the prison cells are genuinely surprising. Less so are the vampires, shape-shifters, and witches elsewhere in the novel. Young girl Violet is rather uniquely creepy, while Athena is the designated big baddie with no shades of grey. And Ari is more powerful than anyone expects, adding to the “special snowflake” vibe. New 2 seems somewhat cliché or stereotypical, so doesn’t feel fresh or exciting.

I rather like this novel, yet I feel disappointed. And I’m not even PMSing.

June 2011 Releases

Done with May 2011 Releases? Here are June 2011 Releases. To see further dates, check Reading Wishlist.

February 2011 Releases

Done with January 2011 Releases? Here are February’s releases. To see further into the future, check my Reading Wishlist.

6 New Covers (deLaney, Grant, Keaton, Knight, Marr)

14 New Covers

Holly Black: Red Glove Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lexxie Couper: Savage Transformation
Bree Despain: The Lost Saint Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lauren DeStefano: Wither Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kelly Keaton: Darkness Becomes Her Buy (US) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Richelle Mead: Last Sacrifice Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Yvonne Navarro: Highborn Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Michelle Rowen: Nightshade Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Carrie Ryan: The Dark and Hollow Places Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Take Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Save Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Keep Buy (US) Buy (CA)
Brenna Yovanoff: The Replacement Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

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