Thursday, January 5, 2012

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Posted by Simcha 4:09 PM, under | 6 comments

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.


Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...


I had loved Snyder's novel Poison Study but had been so disappointed by the two sequels that I never bothered trying out any of her other books. But then I came across Touch of Power and the synopsis sounded interesting enough that I decided to give Snyder another chance.

For a majority of the book I was glad that I made this decision. The story quickly engaged me and Avry is just the kind of heroine that I enjoy reading about. She's a strong and admirable protagonist who continues to use her healing powers on sick children, despite the deadly risks. I particularly appreciated Avey's refusal to be cowered or bullied into acting against her convictions, though she is willing to keep an open mind to the opinions of others.

It was clear early on that there would eventually be some kind of romantic relationship between Avry and Kerrick, the man who freed her from prison, and I wasn't sure how I felt about this given the harsh way Kerrick treats Avry for most of the book. Kerrick helps Avry escape from prison with the understanding that she would then heal his friend, who had contracted the plague. But once Avry discovers who exactly this friend is she withdraws her cooperation and Karrick resorts to some unpleasant measures to try to force her agreement. While I understood how Kerrick's desperation would lead him to do whatever he felt necessary this didn't help me warm up to him, or make me want to see a romance develop between him and Avry. I definitely feel that the author went too far by having him actually hit her. As Kerrick's treatment of Avry improves and we begin to see another side of him I did get to like him a bit better but I remained somewhat dubious about the developing romance between the two.

After escaping from prison, Avry, Kerrick and his crew need to travel in secrecy across the land, avoiding all the mercenary groups who are hunting for Avry. I really like stories that involve a journey as it gives characters a chance to get to know each other better, and for us to get to know them, and so this was my favorite part of the book. While Kerrick's crew loyally share his convictions they don't share his feelings towards Avry and pretty quickly Avry manages to befriend them all, especially the large but kindhearted Belen who sets himself up as Avry's protector.

During this journey we also learn a bit about this world and the political struggles that are taking place in it as various factions fight for control following the destruction left by the plague. I have to admit that I found these explanations rather confusing and never quite understood who was who and what each faction leader wanted, even after we meet several of them. There is also very little description about the world itself and the magic it contains, other than that of the healers and the poisonous, flesh-eating flowers, which come up several times in the story. So if you are a reader that enjoys rich world-building, you will be disappointed on that front.

But as I said, I was really enjoying the book and was glad that I decided to read it, until I was about ¾ through it and the story began to lose me. Avry and the guys come to the end of their journey and events take a turn towards the absurd, as many of the qualities that I liked about Avry, such as her intelligence, suddenly disappear. For example, Avry is captured by a villain who forces her to promise that she won't escape and for some reason Avry actually tries to stick to that promise. What the heck is that about?? Everybody knows that you do whatever you can to get away from the bad guy and worrying about a stupid promise is ridiculous. I was also frustrated by how helpful she was to the villain in organizing his medical unit and healing his soldiers. In addition, I felt that there was just too much going on in the end, it was too busy, and after a while I got bored waiting for the dramatic finale that I was hoping for.

But my biggest disappointment was the way that the main source of tension in this story was handled. We learn in the very beginning that curing a person from the plague takes all of a healer's ability so if Avry does heal Kerrick's friend she herself will die. At first Avry is willing to consider making this sacrifice if the sick person is worthy of it, which she soon decides he is not. Eventually, though, Avry begins to reconsider and I was really looking forward to seeing how this would play out, especially since Kerrick doesn't know about the sacrifice Avry would have to make, though Avry believes he does. Although I highly doubted Avry would actually be killed off, I was hoping for something almost as dramatic, and so the way this was resolved felt like a cop-out.

Touch of Power has a great premises and some wonderful characters and for the most part it was a very entertaining read. I would probably recommend this book to younger, less critical, readers who are unlikely to be bothered by the issues that I had with it.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Library Cracks down on 5 year-old Patron

Posted by Simcha 2:19 PM, under | 6 comments


This has got to be one of craziest news items that I've come across in a long while.

Apparently the Charlton Public Library sent a police office to collect overdue books from a five year-old girl. The girl's mother said her daughter was so frightened that she burst into tears, afraid that she was going to be arrested.

    But state law does outline a misdemeanor for such things, and police thought a friendly reminder might make a better impression and get better results than a cold summons to court.

Way to go Charlton Library for putting the fear of libraries into young hearts. If I were that kid I would probably be terrified to take out another library book again.

You can read the article here

Free Read: Philip K. Dick stories

Posted by Simcha 2:02 PM, under , | 1 comment


If you enjoy the writings of Philip K. Dick or you just want to give him a try, take a look at this list, compiled by Open Culture, of free stories and audio books by Dick, available on the web.

  • “Beyond the Door” – Multiple formatsiTunes
    • First published in 1954, the text is not usually found in collections of Dick’s writings.
  • “Beyond Lies the Wub” – Multiple formatsiTunes
    • Dick’s first published story. Originally appeared in Planet Stories in July, 1952.
  • “Mr. Spaceship” – Multiple Formats
    • Appeared first in Imagination in 1953, and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick.
  • “Piper in the Woods” – Multiple Formats
    • First published in 1953 in the fantasy and science fiction magazine, Imagination.
  • “Second Variety” – Multiple Formats
    • Influential short story first published in Space Science Fiction Magazine in May 1953.
  • “The Crystal Crypt” – Multiple Formats
    • Sci-fi story published in the January 1952 edition of Planet Stories


See the full list here

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Posted by Simcha 6:04 PM, under | 7 comments

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

I've read a lot of fairytale retellings and Cinders has to be one of the most unique ones that I've come across so far. In this version of Cinderella our protagonist is an orphaned cyborg who lives with her adopted mother and two stepsisters in the post apocalyptic city of Beijing. Cinders is a gifted mechanic who supports her family by taking in work at the weekly market. Very few people know that Cinder is really a cyborg and it's a secret she does her best to keep since cyborgs are viewed with such contempt.

When the prince stops by Cinder's booth one day with an android that requires repair, Cinder finds herself unexpectedly affected by the handsome young man and is glad that he can't tell that her body is made up of metal and wire. But Cinder's excitement about meeting the prince is short-lived when later, the same day, her step-sister falls victim to the plague and Cinder's life is turned upside down. Blamed by her stepmother for her sister's illness, Cinder is handed over to the Royal medical team to be a test subject for experimental treatments for the plague virus.

Cinder knows that no cyborg has survived these medical experiments and she doesn't expect to get out alive either, until something strange happens that makes Cinder suddenly very valuable. And now not only is Cinder not going to die but she has the prince vying for her attention and trying to convince her to be his date at the upcoming ball. Though even if her mother had not already forbidden her from going,  Cinder knows that the ball is no place for a lowly, non-human mechanic, so she repeatedly refuses. But the sudden death of the king throws the kingdom into mourning and the arrival of the eerily beautiful and terrifying Luna Queen will force Cinder to make some difficult choices.

I really enjoyed reading this book and appreciated the author's unusual take on the traditional Cinderella story. Like Cinderella, Cinder is at the mercy of an uncaring step-mother who treats her as a personal slave. Being a cyborg, Cinder is seen by her mother and stepsister (only one of whom is unpleasant) as a subhuman creature incapable of real feelings and emotions and so they have no qualms about treating her however they see fit. But Cinder does feel, and the emotions that she experiences most frequently are confusion about her own place in the world and frustration about being treated like a machine while feeling like a human. Cinder is a sympathetic character who readers will quickly come to root for. Unlike the original Cinderella, Cinder does stand up for herself at times and eventually begins to take actions towards freeing herself. I really liked that rather then pining her hopes on a prince to save her Cinder decides to save herself, even if it means losing the prince.

While the majority of the story is told from Cinder's perspective occasionally the narration is given over to Kai, allowing us to see events from his point of view. Despite this shared POV I didn't feel that I got to know and understand Kai as well as I did Cinder. While he seemed charming and kind I was never quite clear as to why Kai was so drawn to Cinder in particular. He never mentions being attracted to her looks and their brief conversations are unremarkable so I couldn't' understand why he was pursuing her so adamantly. I would have liked a deeper insight into Kai and perhaps a closer look at his life in the palace in order to understand what it was that drew him to Cinder. As it was, the romance fell kind of flat because there didn't seem to be anything behind it. On the other hand I could certainly understand how Cinder would be flattered by Kai's attention and might believe herself to be in love, especially when she is so starved for any kind of affection.

A couple of other small issues I had with the story:

- There is no explanation as to what a cyborg is (I had to look it up on the Internet) or how Cinder can be so human when she is made out of machine parts. Part of this involves that mystery of Cinder's origins but I thought that at least some technical explanation should have been provided for how this was possible.

- A futuristic Beijing sounds like an interesting setting for a story but unfortunately we learn very little about the world or it's culture. I would have also liked to have learned more about the Luna people who lives on the moon and are ruled by the Lune Queen's mind control. So a bit more world building would have been nice.

- I thought it was strange that Prince Kai was so inadequately prepared for rulership when he was likely being trained for it all of his life. And when his father became sick the training would have been intensified. And yet, Kai seems oddly naive and clueless in dealing with his responsibilities and court intrigues.

After a few clues are thrown out early on it becomes pretty clear in which direction the story is headed (and not because it's fairy tale retelling) but I still really enjoyed the journey. The ending was not one that I would expect of a fairy tale but it left me eager to find out what happens next. I look forward to the next installment of Meyer's Luna Chronicles.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

New Scifi & Fantasy Releases: Week of January 1st

Posted by Simcha 5:09 PM, under | 7 comments

Welcome to my first post of 2012!

After my month-long break from blogging I'm really glad to be back. Reading just isn't as much fun when I don't share with you guys my thoughts about what I've just read. But now that my son is back to a normal sleeping schedule (victory!!) I should have the time to write reviews again and I do have some great books to tell you about.

And to kick off the new year here is a list of this week's new releases, which includes enough titles that you should find something here to tempt you.

Hope you have a great reading week!

Science Fiction



Cobra Gamble (Cobra War, Book 3)
Timothy Zahn
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: January 3

Cobras warriors, genetically enhanced and implanted with an arsenal of covert weaponry, are the most dangerous guerilla fighters humanity has ever produced. For Jin Moreau Broom, the war is the culmination of a lifetime of Cobra service. But it is also the height of danger for herself and her family as they struggle to survive a war that none of them ever expected to see.

The Troft invasions of Qasama and the Cobra Worlds has had at least one result: it has turned long-time antagonists into uneasy and unwilling allies. As the aliens battle to consolidate their conquered territories, a small group of Cobras and Qasaman Djinn work together to create a victory that will rock the invaders to the core, a victory designed to bring other Troft demesnes into the conflict on the humans' side.

Now one young Cobra must forge a new political order as a devastating alien enemy strikes—an enemy more deadly than any humanity has ever faced.


Primordium (Halo: The Forerunner Saga, #2)
Greg Bear
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: January 3


Captured by the Master Builder, misplaced during a furious battle in space, they now find themselves on an inverted world where horizons rise into the sky, and where humans of all kinds are trapped in a perilous cycle of horror and neglect. For they have become both research animals and strategic pawns in a cosmic game whose madness knows no end--a game of ancient vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life, and the Forerunners who expect to inherit their sacred Mantle of duty to all living things.

In the company of a young girl and an old man, Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost and damaged Halo in search of a way home, an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within, and for the Librarian’s tampering with human destiny.

This journey will take them into the Palace of Pain, the domain of a powerful and monstrous intelligence who claims to be the Last Precursor, and who now has control of both this Halo and the fate of Forerunners and Humans alike.

Called the Captive by Forerunners, and the Primordial by ancient human warriors, this intelligence has taken charge of, and retasked, the Master Builder’s cruel researches into the Flood--which it may have itself unleashed on the galaxy more than ten thousand years before.

Power Play
Ben Bova
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: January 3

Dr. Jake Ross, a university astronomer, wants nothing more than to teach a few classes each semester and continue on his research. However, he is being aggressively recruited to be the science advisor to Frank Tomlinson, an ambitious politician with his eye on the U.S. Senate.

Tomlinson is in need of an edge that will allow him to defeat his opponent at the polls, and Dr. Ross can contribute just that: MHD.

MHD, or magnetohydrodynamics, is a new innovation that will allow electricity to be generated efficiently and cheaply. The senate is essentially guaranteed if Tomlinson can deliver unlimited energy to voters at less than half the price of nuclear power. But MHD is still in its infancy, and although the outlook is extremely promising there are great—and deadly—risks.
The incumbent senator will not give up his seat without a fight, and as Dr. Ross discovers, the world of politics carries its own dangers. Nothing has prepared Dr. Ross for the extreme tactics that desperate and powerful people are willing to use.

Power Play is a timely thrill ride by Ben Bova, one of science fiction’s most respected novelists.


Voyage Across the Stars
David Drake
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: January 3

Two incandescent novels of journey and battle across the stars set in David Drake’s best-selling Hammer’s Slammers universe together for the first time in one mega-volume. In Cross the Stars, Captain Don Slade has resigned from active duty with the Slammers and headed home for what he hopes will be peaceful retirement with his son and the woman he loves. But Slade’s road to his homeworld lies through a jungle of planets in the wildest and toughest quadrant of the galaxy. Slade has going for him the loyalty of a contingent of Slammers who have sworn to see him home. Most of all, he still possesses the wits and wily tactical ability that made him a legend among the Slammers in the first place. He’s going to need all of it, for even if he makes it through all dangers, he’ll discover Tethys is not exactly ready to welcome him home with open arms. The journey home is an Odyssey of epic proportions and Don Slade is just the Ulysses to undertake it.

In Voyage, Ned Slade has a heck of a name to live up to: that of his uncle Captain Don “Mad Dog” Slade of the legendary mercenary brigade, Hammer’s Slammers. But Ned’s life takes a turn to adventure when he crews for Lissea Doorman, a trade-ship captain who is sent by her conniving guild masters on what is supposed to be a suicide run. The crew of the good ship Swift is after an ancient alien artifact that could revolutionize star travel. The journey is long, and along the way Ned must first survive in a hard-knock universe full of forces—some very large and very-much armed-to-the-hilt—that would like nothing more than to blow him and the crew of the Swift to smithereens. And if he manages to pull through and, more importantly, if he manages to grow up and come of age as a man in the process, he may yet become the warrior and leader of warriors that is his inheritance. Jason and the Argonauts meets gritty science fiction adventure in what many argue is one of best-seller David Drake’s greatest and most compelling works.

Sisterhood of Dune
Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: January 3

It is eighty-three years after the last of the thinking machines were destroyed in the Battle of Corrin, after Faykan Butler took the name of Corrino and established himself as the first Emperor of a new Imperium. Great changes are brewing that will shape and twist all of humankind.

The war hero Vorian Atreides has turned his back on politics and Salusa Secundus. The descendants of Abulurd Harkonnen Griffen and Valya have sworn vengeance against Vor, blaming him for the downfall of their fortunes. Raquella Berto-Anirul has formed the Bene Gesserit School on the jungle planet Rossak as the first Reverend Mother. The descendants of Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva have built Venport Holdings, using mutated, spice-saturated Navigators who fly precursors of Heighliners. Gilbertus Albans, the ward of the hated Erasmus, is teaching humans to become Mentats…and hiding an unbelievable secret.

The Butlerian movement, rabidly opposed to all forms of “dangerous technology,” is led by Manford Torondo and his devoted Swordmaster, Anari Idaho. And it is this group, so many decades after the defeat of the thinking machines, which begins to sweep across the known universe in mobs, millions strong, destroying everything in its path.

Every one of these characters, and all of these groups, will become enmeshed in the contest between Reason and Faith. All of them will be forced to choose sides in the inevitable crusade that could destroy humankind forever….

Fantasy


Grantville Gazette VI
Eric Flint
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: January 3

The sixth rollicking, thought-provoking anthology of tales set in Eric Flint’s phenomenal New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series—all inspired and edited by the creator himself, Eric Flint. A cosmic accident sets the modern West Virginia town of Grantville down in war-torn seventeenth century Europe. It will take all the gumption of the resourceful, freedom-loving up-timers to find a way to flourish in mad and bloody end of medieval times. Are they up for it? You bet they are. Edited by Eric Flint, and inspired by his now-legendary 1632, this is the fun stuff that fills in the pieces of the Ring of Fire political, social and cultural puzzle as supporting characters we meet in the novels get their own lives, loves and life-changing stories. The future and democracy have arrived with a bang and the forces of freedom have a chance to take the “evil” out of medieval three centuries ahead of schedule.

The Serpent Sea (Books of the Raksura #2)
Martha Wells
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Release Date: January 3

Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he's found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree — a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.

Gift of Magic (Nine Kingdoms, Bk 6)
Lynn Kurland
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 3

Gift of Magic is the latest installment in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Kurland's breathtaking Nine Kingdoms saga, which follows the daughter of a dreamweaver and the son of a mage as they struggle to save the realm from a magic as dark as it is powerful.

Sarah of Doìre knows the pattern of spells is no accident. With each page, each powerful rune, she and Ruith are being led somewhere, to someone-but by whom, she cannot tell. Sarah's gift of sight only allows her to see the spells themselves, not the person behind them.

A reluctant sorcerer still learning to trust his own magic, Ruithneadh of Ceangail knows he's woefully unprepared for the adversaries they'll face. But he and Sarah must collect and destroy his father Gair's spells soon. Many mages seek their power, and in the wrong hands, Gair's magic would plunge the Nine Kingdoms into an eternity of darkness.

But as they pursue the final spells-acquiring strange companions, welcome allies, and unexpected foes along the way-Sarah and Ruith realize that their true quest has only just begun. The real enemy is closer, darker, and more power hungry than they ever imagined; and until he is defeated, the fate of the Nine Kingdoms hangs in dire peril.


Skirmish (The House War, Bk 4)
Michelle West
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: January 3

At long last, Jewel is preparing to announce her candidacy to become the next Terafin and claim the House Seat. But it is a decision that has her targeted by demons who will stop at nothing to destroy Jewel and her allies as the House War begins... 


The Broken Land
W. Michael Gear & Kathleen O'Neal Gear
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: January 3

A novel of North America’s Forgotten Past Twelve summers after the events of The People of the Longhouse and The Dawn Country, the Iroquois nations remain locked in bitter warfare. Atotarho, the cannibal-sorcerer who leads the People of the Hills, schemes to set into motion a cataclysmic battle that threatens to destroy the Iroquoian world. His warriors spread fear and death wherever they go, taking captives and burning villages to the ground. Only five people are brave enough to challenge Atotarho.  Odion, Wrass, Tutelo, Baji, and Zateri, kidnapped as children and sold into slavery, are now grown, and they have forged a desperate alliance that just might be strong enough to stop the madman. Odion, now a disgraced warrior known as Dekanawida or Sky Messenger, must convince his people that his visions of a great darkness will mean total destruction for all. His friend Wrass, who has become War Chief Hiyawento, and a powerful clan matron, Jigonsaseh, are his only hope. They must find a way to bring five warring nations together. Bestselling authors and archaeologists Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear continue their retelling of the story of the Peacemaker, one of North America’s most beautiful epics. Dekanawida’s message of compassion and spiritual unity is as powerful today as it was six hundred years ago—perhaps even more so.



Seven Princes
John R. Fultz
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: January 3

It is an Age of Legends.

Under the watchful eye of the Giants, the kingdoms of Men rose to power. Now, the Giant-King has slain the last of the Serpents and ushered in an era of untold peace and prosperity. Where a fire-blackened desert once stood, golden cities flourish in verdant fields.


It is an Age of Heroes.

But the realms of Man face a new threat-- an ancient sorcerer slaughters the rightful King of Yaskatha before the unbelieving eyes of his son, young Prince D'zan. With the Giant-King lost to a mysterious doom, it seems that no one has the power to stop the coming storm.

It is an Age of War.

The fugitive Prince seeks allies across the realms of Men and Giants to liberate his father's stolen kingdom. Six foreign Princes are tied to his fate. Only one thing is certain: War is coming.

SEVEN PRINCES.

Some will seek glory.

Some will seek vengeance.

All will be legends.

Leaves of Flame (Well of Sorrows, Bk 2)
Benjamin Tate
Publisher: Daw
Release Date: January 3
Colin has become a master of three of the five magics, and has gifted the human, Dwarren, and Alvritshai races with magical protective Trees. But the power of the dark spirits is spreading despite this. Can Colin unite the races against this menace and prevent their enemy from complete control of the land's magic?


.
Between Their Worlds
Barb Hendee & J.C. Hendee
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: January 3

Magiere and Leesil must rescue Wynn Hygeort from her captivity in the Guild of Sagecraft. But Wynn doesn't want to give up access to the ancient scrolls that may help them locate the last of the magical Orbs coveted by the Ancient Enemy. 



The Daemon Prism (Collegia, Magica)
Carol Berg
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: January 3

Magiere and Leesil must rescue Wynn Hygeort from her captivity in the Guild of Sagecraft. But Wynn doesn't want to give up access to the ancient scrolls that may help them locate the last of the magical Orbs coveted by the Ancient Enemy. 

Urban Fantasy


Dust of the Damned
Peter Brandvold
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 3

The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Now they’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls . . .

Armed with an arsenal of weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoulhunter Uriah Zane must stop the hordes of shapeshifting creatures pushing west. Together, Zane and Coffin must stop the werebeasts from attaining final dominion over the earth—with humans as their servants...


The Bride Wore Black Leather (Nightside, Bk 12)
Simon R. Green
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: January 3

John Taylor is marrying the love of his life, Suzie Shooter, the Nightside’s most fearsome bounty hunter. But before he can walk down the aisle he has one more case to solve as a private eye — a case that has him on the run from friends and enemies both, with his bride-to-be looking to collect the bounty on his head...



City of the Lost
Stephen Blackmoore
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: January 3

Joe Sunday has been a Los Angeles low-life for years, but his life gets a whole lot lower when he is killed by the rival of his crime boss-only to return as a zombie. His only hope is to find and steal a talisman that he learns can grant immortality. But, unfortunately for Joe, every other undead thug and crime boss in Los Angeles is looking for the same thing. 


Sins of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Bk 4)
Diana Rowland
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: January 3


The homicide beat in Louisiana isn't just terrifying, it's demonic. Detective Kara Gilligan of the supernatural task force has the ability to summon demons to her aid, but she herself is pledged to serve a demonic lord. And now, people who've hurt Kara in the past are dropping dead for no apparent reason. To clear her name and save both the demon and human worlds, she's in a race against the clock and in a battle for her life that just may take her to hell and back.



Raven Cursed (Jane Yellowrock, #4)
Faith Hunter
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: January 3

The vampires of Asheville, North Carolina, want to establish their own clan, but since they owe loyalty to the Master Vampire of New Orleans they must work out the terms with him. To come up with an equitable solution, he sends an envoy with the best bodyguard blood money can buy: Jane Yellowrock.

But when a group of local campers are attacked by something fanged, Jane goes from escort to investigator. Unless she wants to face a very angry mast vampire, she will have to work overtime to find the killer. It's a good thing she's worth every penny.


 
The Zero Dog War
Keith Melton
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: January 3

After accidentally blowing up both a client facility and a cushy city contract in the same day, pyromancer and mercenary captain Andrea Walker is scrambling to save her Zero Dogs. A team including (but not limited to) a sexually repressed succubus, a werewolf with a thing for health food, a sarcastic tank driver/aspiring romance novelist, a three-hundred-pound calico cat, and a massive demon who really loves to blow stuff up.

After losing a cushy city contract, pyromancer Andrea Walker scrambles to save her Zero Dogs merc team. As the bankruptcy vultures circle, Homeland Security throws her a high-paying, short-term contract even the Zero Dogs can't screw up: destroy a capitalist necromancer bent on dominating the gelatin industry with an all-zombie workforce. The catch? She has to take on Special Forces Captain Jake Sanders, a man who threatens her avoidance of romantic entanglements. Plus, the government never does anything without motive. Jake could be the key to derailing the corporate zombie apocalypse…or a bad day at the office for the Zeroes.


Young Adult



Dreaming Awake (Falling Under, Bk 2)
Gwen Hayes
Publisher: NAL Trade
Release Date: January 3

To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions. Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own. And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…


Under the Never Sky
Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 3

Exiled from her safe home in the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria finds herself in the outer wastelands known as the Death Shop. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. There she meets a savage, an Outsider named Perry – wild, dangerous – who is her only chance of survival. But Perry needs Aria, too, and they are forced into an unlikely alliance that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.


Cinder
Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: January 3

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Bloodrose (Nightshade, Bk 3)
Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: January 3

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.


The Alchemy of Forever
Avery Williams
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Release Date: January 3

Seraphina has been alive since the Middle Ages, when her boyfriend, Cyrus, managed to perfect a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. Sera ran away from Cyrus years ago, when she realized that what they were doing—taking the lives of innocent people—was wrong. She doesn’t want to die, so she finds young people who are on the brink of death, and inhabits their bodies. When we meet Sera, she has landed in the body of a girl named Kailey who was about to die in a car accident. For the first time, Sera falls in love with the life of the person she’s inhabiting. Sera also falls for the boy next door, Noah. And soon it’s clear the feelings are returned. Unfortunately, she can never kiss Noah, because for her to touch lips with a human would mean the human’s death. And she has even more to worry about: Cyrus is chasing her, and if she stays in one place for long, she puts herself—and the people she’s grown to care for—in danger.

A Witch in Winter
Ruth Warburton
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: January 5

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her - but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.


Dragonswood
Janet Lee Carey
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: January 5

Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends. Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.

Fated
Sarah Alderson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Release Date: January 5

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight. But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

Night School
Christi Daugherty
Publisher: Atom
Release Date:January 5 (UK)

 Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested. Again. This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers. But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch. When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.


Paranormal Romance


A Demon Does It Better (Demons, Bk 2)
Linda Wisdom
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: January 1


Lovely witch Lili Carter takes a job at a paranormal hospital where patients have been disappearing. There she encounters Jared, a dangerously sexy demon on a mission that gets Lili into a world of trouble. Lili can't avoid Jared for long and soon they find themselves creating a whole new kind of magick...



All That Bleeds (A Novel of the Etherlin)
Kimberly Frost
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 3


As the last heiress of the House of North, Alissa knows that striking up a secret friendship with a half-vampire enforcer is dangerous, but Merrick is a temptation she can't resist. But when Alissa is kidnapped, Merrick proves that he will do anything to protect the woman who tempts him with her very existence.


Flashfire (Dragonfire, Bk 7)
Deborah Cooke
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: January 3

Master illusionist Lorenzo's dragon nature is his biggest secret. It's also another detail to juggle, like ensuring each of his Las Vegas magic shows is a true spectacle. That is until he feels the burn of his firestorm and his whole world shifts.

Lorenzo wants to satisfy the firestorm and put it behind him. But photographer Cassie Redmond is hard to forget. And when Slayers target the mate he didn't believe he wanted, Lorenzo realizes he'll do anything to keep Cassie safe...


Hold Me If You Can
Stephanie Rowe
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: January 1


WITHOUT HER PASSIONS, SHE HAS NO MAGIC...

It's unfortunate for Natalie that Nigel Aquarian is so compelling. With his inner demons, his unbridled heat, and his "I will conquer you" looks, he calls to her in exactly the way that nearly killed her.

BUT LOSING CONTROL MEANS LOSING HER LIFE...

That he's an immortal warrior and that her powers rise from intense passions would seem to make them a match made in heaven, but unless they embrace their greatest fears, they'll play out their final match in hell.

With a unique voice that critics say, "carves out her own niche-call it paranormal romance adventure comedy," Stephanie Rowe delivers an irresistible pair of desperadoes dancing on the edge of pure temptation.


Wild Cat (Shifters Unbound, Book 3)
Jennifer Ashley
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 3

When Feline Shifter Cassidy Warden saves detective Diego Escobar from plunging to his death, the naked Shifter woman takes his breath away. But she'd been breaking all kinds of human laws, and Diego, to save her from termination, has to promise his department he'll watch over her.

Diego finds the task harder than he thinks--Cassidy is trying to find out what kind of mysterious hunter killed her mate two years ago, a hunter that could bring danger to all Shifters. Plus Cassidy has scent-marked Diego--essentially telling all other Shifter females, "Hands off."

Diego risks his personal and professional life getting involved with Cassidy, but he realizes he'll do anything, even confront the deadliest of assassins and his own inner demons, to keep her safe

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