A – Z: UPCOMING BOOKS FOR 2012 PART 1 A TO E

Brought to you by OBS Staff member Shaedum

A: Arise (Hereafter book #2) by Tara Hudson (June 5th 2012). Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together. Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life…a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

Ashes of Twilight (Ashes #2) by Kassy Taylor (Early 2012). The start of a steampunk/dystopian series in which a girl works as a coal miner to support a domed city and how she unwittingly becomes the catalyst in a rebellion that ends the dome and the levels of hierarchy within her society.

(The) Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation #1) by Avery Williams (January 3rd 2012). Seraphina’s first love made her immortal…her second might get her killed.

A Perfect Blood (The Hollows, Book 10) by Kim Harrison (February 21st, 2012). Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth — a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can’t be done without Rachel’s blood. As a bounty hunter, Rachel has battled vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more. But humanity itself might be her toughest challenge.

Above by Leah Bebot (April 1st, 2012). Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above–like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home–not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

B: Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer (January 3rd 2012). 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 unnameable 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.

BZRK by Michael Grant (February 28th 2012). Set in the near future, a conspiracy is afoot to create a perfect and perfectly controlled world. The Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation is a front for the conjoined Armstrong twins, Charles and Benjamin, and the plot to create their own version of utopia.

Blackheart (The Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black (April 2012). Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

Black Dawn (Morganville Vampires #12) by Rachel Caine ( May 1st 2012).

(A) Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2) by Kelly Keaton (February 21st, 2012). A power she can’t deny. A destiny she’s determined to fight. When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari is a descendant of Medusa and can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian. Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid of: herself.

Blood Born by Jamie Manning (April 24th 2012). Waking up in a coffin hungry for blood is only the beginning for sixteen-year-old Ava Blue. Her desire to feed, though, pales next to her desire for Chance Caldon, the hottie who dug her up. He’s gorgeous, super-nice, and has delicious-smelling blood that Ava wants very much to taste. But when Chance tells her that she’s half vampire, Ava’s world really turns upside down. Half vamp? No way. Ava can’t believe it. Not until Devon, a thousand-year-old vampire, shows up and tells her it’s true. And that he’s the one who turned her. Now, Ava’s mind has to deal with that sudden bloodlust and the desire to see Devon dead. She’s a monster now, she can feel it; and her life is over. But redemption isn’t lost. Devon turned Ava to keep her from death, and now he’s giving her a chance to regain her humanity. The price? Kill a hundred vampires, or remain a bloodsucker forever. So Ava sets out to get her life back—all the while having to deal with her feelings for Chance, some new-found vampire hunting friends, and that pesky taste for blood that just won’t go away. Once Ava starts killing vampires, however, the local coven comes after her, starting a battle that could destroy everything she has been working toward. In the end, Ava’s decision will forever change her life and the lives of those she loves.

Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood (February 7th, 2012). Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship – or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood – not even from each other.

C: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marrissa Meyer (January 3rd 2012). 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.

City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Claire (May 8th, 2012). The Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world after a betrayal by one of their own leaves them reeling.

(The) Calling (Darkness Rising #2) by Kelley Armstrong (April 10th, 2012).  Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

Charmfall (Dark Elite) by Chloe Neill (January 3rd, 2012).  Protecting Chicago from the dark side of life can be an exhausting job, especially when you’re in high school. So when the girls of St. Sophia’s start gearing up for Sneak, their fall formal, Lily decides to take a break from fighting to get ready for the event. But when a Reaper unexpectedly crashes the party prep and Lily’s firespell fails, she realizes that she has a much bigger problem than a full social calendar…

D: Darkness Falls (Immortal Beloved) by Cate Tiernan (January 2012). Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River’s Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River’s Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won’t allow herself to have. But just as she’s getting comfortable, her family’s ties to dark magick force her to leave. She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?

Defiance (Defiance #1) by C.J. Redwine. YA fantasy in which an independent girl sets out to rescue her father from the Wasteland outside their cloistered city and in the process finds danger, heartbreak, and a new romance with her father’s apprentice.

Dreaming Awake (Falling Under #2) by G Hayes (January 3rd, 2012).  She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. 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…

Dead to You by Lisa McMann (February 7th, 2012). Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It’s a miracle… at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he’d be able to put the pieces back together. But there’s something that’s keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable…

DEADLOCKED by Charlaine Harris (May 2012).

Dead Time by Anne Cassidy (May 22nd, 2012). Rose and Joshua first met when Joshua and his dad came to live with Rose and her mum. Then Rose and Josh’s world turns upside down when their mother and father go out for dinner one evening and never return. With police inquiries going nowhere, Rose is dispatched to live with her chilly, unfriendly grandmother and Joshua is sent to live with his uncle. Then Joshua comes to London to study and Rose is witness to not one, but two murders. Why is this happening to Rose? Can it be anything to do with the investigations Joshua has been doing into the disappearance of their parents? A taut and pacy thriller that is the start of a stylish new series from an acclaimed writer for teens.

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers) by Michelle Rowen (June 2012). After her soul is stolen in a kiss, a 16-year-old must join a force of demons and angels to protect humanity from an immortal threat.

E: Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton (January 24th, 2012).   Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath 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 immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has 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’s 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.

(The) Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #6) by Michael Scott (May 22nd, 2012). The twins of prophecy have been split. Nicholas Flamel is near death. John Dee has the swords of power. And Danu Talis has yet to fall. The future of the human race lies in the balance—how will the legend end?

 

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