New Release Round-Up: April 14-20, 2014

Young Adult


Don't Look Back
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release date: April 15, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, thriller



From Goodreads:

"Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?"

The Geography of You and Me
by Jennifer E. Smith

Release date: April 15, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Poppy
Suggested tags: young adult, romance, contemporary



From Goodreads:

"Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


The Forbidden Library
by Django Wexler

Release date: April 15, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 373
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Goodreads:

"The Forbidden Library kicks off a brand new classic fantasy series perfect for fans of Coraline, Inkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.

It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice."

Welcome to Dog Beach
by Lisa Greenwald

Release date: April 15, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Amulet Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:

"Eleven-year-old Remy loves Seagate, the island where her grandmother had a house and where her family spends every summer vacation. But this year's different. Remy misses her dog, Danish, who recently passed away. The usual Seagate traditions don't feel the same?and neither does her relationship with her two best friends, Micayla and Bennett. Micayla's family is moving to Seagate year-round, and she's spending more time with the year-round kids. Bennett's doing ?boy stuff? with new kid Calvin and his snobby sister Claire. Remy takes comfort in the company of Dog Beach?which is where she hatches her plan to bring her friends closer and recapture the Seagate magic. This start of a new series is filled with summer treats, activities, and the spirit of friendship and invention that are Greenwald's trademarks."

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week:

Friday Freebies: April 11, 2014

Click on each title to go to the Amazon Kindle edition listing. Be sure to double-check the price before you download!



Deadly Delicious
by K.L. Kincy

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 270 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: unknown
Publication date: April 3, 2014
Suggested tags: middle grade, historical fiction, paranormal



From Amazon:

"Twelve-year-old Josephine DeLune can't take the heat this sweltering summer of 1955, and she was out of the kitchen long ago.

An awful cook, she ruins recipes left and right, and she certainly can't compete with her family's reputation for extraordinary food. Her daddy's parents ran one of the best restaurants in all of Paris, but Josephine lives in Paris, Missouri. On her mama's side, she's up against a long tradition of sinfully delicious soul food. Rumor has it, her Creole ancestors cooked up some voodoo to make tasty even tastier. Josephine knows the secret ingredient: she comes from a long line of conjure witches with spellbinding culinary skills.

Disenchanted, Josephine works as a carhop at Carl and Earl's Drive-In. Just plain old hamburgers, hot dogs, and curly fries, nothing magical about them. She's got bigger fish to fry, though, when a grease fire erupts into a devilish creature who hisses her name with desire. Turns out he's the Ravenous One, the granddaddy of all voodoo spirits, and he's hungry for her soul. Josephine thinks he's got the wrong girl--she's no witch--but a gorgeous, dangerous night-skinned lady named Shaula sets her straight. Josephine is one of the most powerful witches alive, so overflowing with conjure that her out-of-control cooking simply catches fire.

Josephine would love to laugh this off, but Shaula warns her that she must learn to master her magic before the Ravenous One devours her soul. Spurred into action, Josephine breaks out her grandma's old conjure cookbook and starts cooking. Nothing grand, just the usual recipes for undying friendship and revenge. But soon Josephine can't escape the consequences of her conjure. When the people of Paris start turning into zombies with a strange fondness for cake, Josephine looks pretty responsible for their undead reawakening..."

In the Magician's House
by D M Potter

Available as: Kindle edition
Pages: 89
Publisher: Fairytale Factory Ltd
Publication date: December 22, 2013
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



From Amazon:

"The magician's house is steeped in magic. There are many rooms inside, but you have to find them first. Things change.
Dreams swirl around in the Magician’s house just like dust in the corners of other houses. Little stories get stuck in the crannies. Just for a moment, while you are sweeping a corner, you can find yourself running across a green field, steering an iron horse through twisty roads, or picking ripe strawberries in a bright warm field. Other times you are transported to different places. So you watch where you step.

Sometimes just getting to breakfast is an adventure.

This is an interactive set of stories where the reader drives the action. Suitable for ages nine years and above."

Island of Fog
by Keith Robinson

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 222 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Unearthly Tales
Publication date: April 24, 2009
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in the Island of Fog series. From Amazon:

"A lonely, foggy island is home to eight families. Twelve-year-old Hal and his friends have always wondered what happened all those years ago on the mainland, that unseen place Out There beyond the fog, and after an astonishing discovery in the woods the children are more determined than ever to find out what their parents are hiding. But their lives are turned upside down when Abigail reveals her closely guarded secret. According to her, the children are slowly changing into monsters! Are they freaks of nature, or subjects of a sinister experiment?

Each child reacts differently to his or her unique monstrous transformation; after all, one may feel proud to be a dragon, faerie, or centaur, but who in their right mind wants to be a sadistic manticore or cowardly harpy?"

Light as a Feather, Stiff As a Board
by Zoe Aarsen

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition
Pages: 403 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Lovestruck Literary
Publication date: December 10, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, mystery, paranormal



From Amazon:

"McKenna Brady thinks her junior year of high school is going to be the best ever when she’s welcomed into the elite group of popular girls at Weeping Willow High School led by blond, gorgeous Olivia Richmond. Prior to junior year, McKenna was known in her small town as the girl whose twin sister died in a tragic house fire, and she’s overjoyed at the prospect of redefining her identity. She has a date to the Homecoming dance with Olivia’s handsome older brother, and a good chance of being elected to student council. For the first time since McKenna’s parents divorced, things are looking up.

But everything changes the night of Olivia’s Sweet Sixteen sleepover birthday party. Violet, the shy, mysterious new girl in town, suggests that the girls play a scary game called Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, during which Violet makes up elaborate stories about the future ways in which beautiful Olivia, brassy Candace, and athletic Mischa will die. The game unsettles McKenna because she’s already escaped death once in her life, but she doesn’t want to ruin her friends’ fun. It’s only a game, she reminds herself.

But it doesn’t seem like a harmless game a week later when Olivia dies unexpectedly in a violent car crash, exactly as Violet predicted. And something begins haunting McKenna’s bedroom at night, leaving her clues that all seem to point to Violet. McKenna enlists the help of her cute next-door neighbor Trey in finding out exactly what kind of curse Violet has put on all of the popular girls in the junior class. As Violet rises to popularity and seemingly steps into the life Olivia left unfinished, McKenna and Trey know they only have a limited amount of time to bring an end to Violet’s game before more lives are lost. "

New Release Round-Up: April 7-13, 2014

Young Adult


The Here and Now
by Ann Brashares

Release date: April 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 288
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Suggested tags: young adult, time travel, romance



From Goodreads:

"An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves."

Rebel Belle
by Rachel Hawkins

Release date: April 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal



First in the Rebel Belle series. From Goodreads:

"Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him--and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y'all beg for more."

Other YA new releases for this week:

Middle Grade


The ACB with Honora Lee
by Kate De Goldi

Release date: April 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 128
Publisher: Tundra Books
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction



From Goodreads:

"Think Little Miss Sunshine in an old-age home. A quirky, touching book in a beautiful package.

Perry's mother and father are busy people ... they're impatient, they're tired, they get cross easily. And they think that only children, like Perry, should be kept busy. On Saturday mornings Perry and her father visit her gran, Honora Lee, at the Santa Lucia rest home, but Gran never remembers them. 'Who is that man?' Honora Lee asks when Perry's father leaves the room. After movement class is abruptly cancelled, Perry is allowed to go to Santa Lucia on Thursday afternoons. She discovers her Gran has an unconventional interest in the alphabet, so Perry decides to make an alphabet book with the help of Honora and the others. Soon everyone is interested in Perry's book project. The ACB With Honora Lee unfolds with characteristic warmth, quirky, surprising humor and a rich cast of 'residents'. The story is a meditation on kindness and patience and acceptance; that of the very young and the very old. It's a story that will resonate with echoes of recollection for many -- from Perry's endearing perspective on the adult world to the embracing kindness of those who care for the elderly."

The Nethergrim
by Matthew Jobin

Release date: April 8, 2014
Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 368
Publisher: Philomel
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy



First in The Nethergrim Trilogy. From Goodreads:

"The Next Great Fantasy Epic is here! For fans of Ranger's Apprentice and the Chronicles of Narnia.

Everyone in Moorvale believes the legend: The brave knight Tristan and the famed wizard Vithric, in an epic battle decades ago, had defeated the evil Nethergrim and his minions. To this day, songs are sung and festivals held in the heroes' honor. Yet now something dark has crept over the village. First animals disappear, their only remains a pile of bones licked clean. Then something worse: children disappear. The whispers begin quietly yet soon turn into a shout: The Nethergrim has returned!

Edmund’s brother is one of the missing, and Edmund knows he must do something to save his life. But what? Though a student of magic, he struggles to cast even the simplest spell. Still, he and his friends swallow their fear and set out to battle an ancient evil whose powers none of them can imagine. They will need to come together--and work apart--in ways that will test every ounce of resolve.

In a story reminiscent of the Ranger’s Apprentice epic and the Chronicles of Narnia, Matthew Jobin weaves reality, magic, and adventure into the next great fantasy phenomenon."

Other Middle Grade new releases for this week: