Release: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Mouton

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.

Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven's warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell's strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She's been warned.

Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian's new plan to destroy Ellie's soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian's schemes, the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She'll be betrayed.

Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be Hell to pay.

Releases Out Today

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she is returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she vanished back to the underworld…this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for goodbyes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the ever need and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering a mortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, as followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki his time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith

When “slipped” Angel Zachary and his werewolf pal, Kieren, arrive under suspicious circumstances to a mysterious New England boarding school, they quickly find themselves in a hellish lockdown with an intriguing assortment of secretive, hand-picked students. Plagued by demon dogs, hallucinatory wall décor, a sadistic instructor, and a legendary fire-breathing monster, or they somehow managed to escape?

Havoc by Jeff Sampson

Emily Webb thought life would go back to normal after she and her pack-mate Spencer Holt killed the man who tried to murder them and their fellow “Deviants.” Or as normal as it could be, after finding out she has nighttime superpowers…and she's a werewolf. But when Emily wakes up one night to find otherworldly shadowman watching her, she knows the danger has only just begun.

Determined to find answers, Emily and Spencer, along with the third member of their pack—football player Dalton McKinney—set out to find the people who made them what they are, and why. And as Emily and her friends get closer to the truth, they realize they aren't the only ones in town with special powers: The most popular girls in school just might have a secret of their own—and they just might have it out for Emily.

But other kinds of deadly ends will be the least of the pack’s problems if they can't get their own powers under control. With each nighttime shift, Dalton's behavior grows more erratic, and Emily's transformations begin to evolve in mysterious ways. With shadowy beings stalking the Deviants set every turn, a mysterious company doing all they can to keep the truth hidden, and the secrecy of her strange new identity in jeopardy, life threatens to spiral out of control for Emily. And soon all these dangers will come together in one terrifying confrontation that may force her to make the toughest choice of her life.

Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly

In the wake of the Second Wave, the angel menace has exploded, and Alex and Willow are on the lam. Willow's prophetic dream points them to Mexico City, where they connect with a fledgling group of angel killers led by the exotically beautiful Kara, and Angel Killer from Alex's past. But the team remain suspicious of Willow, even after the more-experienced Alex takes over as leader, training them hard for the rush attack on the Seraphic Council, or “The Twelve”. This elite group of all-powerful angels is also under scrutiny of Willow's angel-father, Raziel, who has his own sinister plan to defeat them.

What Willow hasn't told Alex is that there was also a mysterious boy in her dream, one she felt overpoweringly attracted to. When brooding, gorgeous Seb shows up in the flesh, he turns out to be another—possibly the world's only other—half angel. He's been searching for Willow all his life, and when Alex enlists this rival to keep Willow safe, he can't predict what chemistry will pass between them…or how far Willow might go to keep Alex safe. Will their love endure or spell doomsday for the human race?

Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon

Renée Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin.

Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.

Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can't shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.

Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their life together is doomed to be cut short.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Genre: paranormal, mystery
Series and Book #: Hush, Hush Saga #2
Pages: 427
Summary:

Nora Grey’s life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt, on her life wasn’t pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He’s more elusive than ever (if that’s possible) and what’s worse, he seems to be spending time with Nora’s archenemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn’t been acting so distant. Even with Scott’s totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him—despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something.

If that weren’t enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything—and everyone—she trusts.

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Though it had a rocky start, Crescendo lived up to it's predecessor. Another mystery, more angels, and, of course, Patch.

I thought that after the near-attempt on her life, Nora would be a bit more cautious about who she hung around and where she tried to find information. But she threw caution into the wind and completely disregarded Patch's warnings. This made for an interesting, suspenseful novel in which Nora's running from the bad guys constantly and Patch is always making surprise appearances!

It was really hard for me to get into the beginning of the novel. It was so slow and the only real anxiety was between Patch and Nora. There were no bad guys, just distrust and heartbreak. Nora was so consumed with Patch that she had neglected to discover what was happening (essentially) in her own back yard. But it picked up and got right back on track with the perfect amount of balance between Patch and the mystery of her father's murder.

Overall, not as great as Hush, Hush. I have a feeling that this is one of those middle books that doesn't really have a great story, but it sets up the next novel. I loved the new characters Fitzpatrick added to the mix, and all the new, scarier places where Nora could find herself. Fitzpatrick definitely didn't have "dull" on her mind when she wrote this book! The ending featured a cliff-hanger that I am desperately wanting to un-cliff-hang! So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to read Silence!

The Cover: I really, really love it. Heartbreaking and symbolic.

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Genre: post-apocalyptic, science fiction
Series and Book #: Forest of Hands and Teeth #3
Pages: 374
Summary:

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister’s face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning that Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah’s world stopped that day, and she’s been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn’t feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.

But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it’s up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return’s destruction?

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I feel like this novel is the most honest of Carrie Ryan's. There are less lies and a deeper understanding of the main character. Annah is emerging to be one of my favorite  heroines for her brutal honesty and strong personality.

Part of Annah's personality reminds me of a snippet from a poem.  In Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise", Maya says, "Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?  Shoulders falling down like teardrops.  Weakened by my soulful cries."  Most of Annah's story revolves around her being left behind by the ones she loves; therefore, she's built up boundaries for herself. But still there is this fiercely protective part of her that comes out when she sees them in danger.  She's careful not to get too close to anyone but her heart is so pure and her intentions so kind that she can't help but feel sympathy for those that she meets.  She's one of those characters that you want to feel pity for but instead you feel intense pride because she's a capsule of strength and determination.

Once again Ryan's post-apocalyptic world is scary enough to rattle your bones. Her descriptions of the death and destruction of our world after the Plague is vivid enough that you heart could race if you hear even the slightest resemblance of a moan. This is one of the main consistencies that I've noticed in her writing. The terrible, destructive world she's crafted for her characters is so hopeless but it gives birth to beautiful strength and courage.

Overall, this is another dark novel that remains hopeful until the very end. Though death is a key instrument Ryan uses, life is the message she's trying to speak through the vocal characters she places on the pages. I love her books and I can't wait to see if she has anything more waiting for us!

The Cover: Filthy, dark, and desolate. I like it!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Genre: science fiction & mystery
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 398
Summary:

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends—and planet—behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship.

Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed’s scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside a tiny world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed’s 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest’s rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship’s cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

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This book started out slow but eventually picked up speed as Amy was unfrozen and Elder started to become more connected to her.  It was interesting to see how life on the ship had evolved since Amy was originally frozen.  Beth Revis did a great job trying to explain Amy's claustrophobia on Godspeed. Always, Amy had a constant reminder that her planet is far, far away.

Amy was hesitant of the trip initially, and when she was unfrozen she missed her family and her boyfriend Jason with such a ferocity that it seemed she would never love the ship. Elder tried his hardest to get her to see the good in everything, but she was stubborn and didn't think that there could be anything worth living for on a ship that was just a crude remake of her beloved Earth. Her transition of an entire planet to just a large spaceship was slow (almost agonizingly so) and I felt as if Beth dragged out the beginning a bit too much.

Godspeed was definitely not as civilized and evolved as I though it would be. Of course, this might have to do with Eldest's obsession with obedience. Beth has to be one of the most creative authors I have read. Her writing of the Season and the supplements in the water was definitely something no layman would think of. I really love her for going out there and writing something that some might find offensive. But what she wrote made the novel more gripping and made Eldest seem more inhumane.

Overall, I wouldn't say the novel was as breathtaking as some have said it to be, but it's definitely one of those novels that you should read. My favorite part of the entire book is that is the installation of the stars. You can tell that that Beth is passionate about the solar system because it is a main part of the novel. It also spurs Elder's realization that maybe life on Godspeed isn't as perfect as he originally thought it was. When Elder and his friend Harley see the stars they don't just see them as bright sparkles of light in the sky; they see them as a beautiful world outside of the cold container they've been held in. And to me, that's absolutely beautiful.

The Cover: This is one of those achingly perfect covers that's just so right for the book.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a happy new year! Can't wait for some of the books coming out in 2012!