So after the fantastic month that was April (no, I haven’t posted my thoughts on any of the April releases in detail, and yes, I still have the Ann Aguirre and Jo Beverley left to read), here are the May new releases I’m anticipating:

First up, Diana Peterfreund’s “Tap & Gown”, the fourth and final book in her Secret Society Girl series.  It’s no secret that I adore these incredibly addictive books, and while part of me gets slightly teary-eyed at the thought of waving goodbye to Amy and the rest of her fellow Diggers, I cannot wait to find out what happens in Amy’s final year.

Re-reading the excerpt for this one has made me so ridiculously excited about “Tap & Gown” now.  Ack.  I’m going to take a deep breath and try to calm down. 

Excerpt here (out May 19)

I posted a bit about reading Catherine Asaro’s “Diamond Star” earlier, and yes, that’s a May release too.  Okay, that is so a typical Baen cover, but you know what?  Baen has such a great user-friendly digital publishing strategy ($6 ebooks for hardcover releases, no DRM, multiple formats), plus they provide lengthy excerpts (the first eight chapters for “Diamond Star” is online) and they have a large Free Library to try out new-to-you authors… I’m just going to ignore the covers. 

Anyway, I’m a big fan of Ms Asaro’s Skolian Empire books and getting this one was a no-brainer for me.  From her website:

…Del, the renegade prince who would rather be a rock singer than sit on the throne. The royal family wants him to stop, his friends want to use him, his label wants to own him, and his enemies want to kill him. Del just wants to sing—without starting an interstellar war.

Also, Ms Asaro collaborated with the band Point Valid to create a soundtrack accompanying the book, and some of the songs are available on the Diamond Star MySpace website (warning: music plays when you enter the site!).  It’s pretty cool as the lyrics are included in the text and I’m loving the fact I can listen to the actual music.

Excerpt here (out May 5, ebook available now)

Charlaine Harris’ latest Sookie Stackhouse, “Dead and Gone”, is also out in May.  This is the ninth book in the Sookie series, and while I’ve wondered whether the series is running out of momentum, that’s not going to stop me from getting this one.

And okay, my jaw just dropped when Amazon UK came up with the cover on the right – please do not say that is the UK cover for “Dead and Gone”?  That is just so wrong – it doesn’t capture the dark but offbeat feel of the series at all!

Excerpt here (out May 5)

Another book that has taken what feels like forever to be released is Eloisa James’ “This Duchess of Mine”.  I am an unashamed Eloisa James fangirl, and have been completely absorbed by her Georgian historical romance series. 

This, of course, is Jemma and Elijah’s book – finally.  I know Ms James’ habit of including an unresolved secondary romance is not everyone’s favourite, but the way she has woven the overarching storyline focusing on the Jemma-Elijah-Villiers conflict throughout the past four books has totally worked for me.  I am so invested in Jemma and Elijah getting their HEA (look, it’s a romance and therefore they will have one).

Excerpt here (out May 26)

And that’s not all the new releases I want.  Also due out is:

Jacqueline Carey’s “Santa Olivia”, which is something completely different from her Kushiel books.  The blurb says it is Ms Carey’s “… take on comic book superheroes and the classic werewolf myth”.  Okay, I’m not a massive fan of the former (though I expect Thea and Ana to be all over this?), but I love her writing and I will definitely be giving this a go.  Excerpt here (out May 29).

Richelle Mead’s “Succubus Heat”, fourth in her Georgina Kincaid series.  I’ve enjoyed the previous three in this UF series and the last one ended on a bit of a pivotal note, IIRC.  It’s the UK version of the cover below, btw.  Excerpt here (out May 26).

A maybe is Kim Harrison’s “Once Dead, Twice Shy” – when I read the short story setting up this novel in the anthology “Prom Nights from Hell”, I actually thought it felt like a first chapter of a novel.  Well, there you go.  My “maybe” is because it’s a hardcover.  Some further poking around Amazon UK indicates a possible paperback July release for the UK.  Excerpt here (out May 26).

And speaking of “Prom Nights from Hell”, a follow-up anthology is out this month, “Vacations from Hell” featuring contributions from Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Mlynowski (out May 26).

Surfacing from my Chalet School glom to gloat over my new books that have arrived recently, courtesy of Amazon and The Book Depository:

Cassandra Clare’s “City of Glass”:  This is one of March’s new releases I was super-excited about and it’s arrived early!  The cover is just as good IRL.  I love.  I think this is going to be my weekend book.

A couple of anthologies also came recently – “Firebirds Soaring” (tagline: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction) and “Lace and Blade 2” (romantic fantasy). 

The former is the third in the Firebirds series (here’s a review at The Green Man Review), and I really enjoyed some of the stories in the first two (“Firebirds” and “Firebirds Rising”).  The publisher, Firebird, is an imprint of Penguin, and specialises in reprints and reissues of speculative fiction, according to its slightly out-of-date website.  The only original fiction it publishes are in its anthologies.  Oh, and again, beautiful cover.  It’s probably slightly sad, but placing this book and “City of Glass” side-by-side makes me smile – their covers somehow complement each other perfectly.

“Lace and Blade 2”, as the title suggests, is also second in a series, and is published by the Leda imprint of Norilana Books, an independent publisher.  Again, I liked some of the stories in the first anthology, hence me ordering this one.

Finally, I also got “The Chalet School Christmas Story Book”.  Heh.  It’s a collection of Christmas stories set in the Chalet School world, some written by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, and some by other contributors.  I couldn’t resist.  In case you’re wondering, yes, I’m still enjoying my Chalet School books.

PS: Yes, I missed March’s TBR Day challenge.  Next month, I promise.

I can’t believe we’re already well into March.  What happened to February?

There are quite a few new releases I’m planning on getting this month:

Anne Bishop’s “The Shadow Queen” (dark fantasy):  I’m one of her many Black Jewels fans and can’t wait to revisit this world.  “The Shadow Queen” follows the descendants of the main h/h in “The Invisible Ring” (a standalone Black Jewels novel), which happens to be one of my favourites – so yay!

And the back cover blurb sounds great:

Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand—without a leader and without hope…

Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who knows Protocol, remembers the Blood’s code of honor, and lives by the Old Ways.

Languishing in the Shadow Realm, Lady Cassidy is a Queen without a court, a castoff. She is not beautiful. She thinks she is not strong. But when she is chosen to rule Dena Nehele, she must convince bitter men to serve once again.

Theran’s cousin Gray is a Warlord Prince who was damaged in mind and body by the vicious Queens who once ruled Dena Nehele. Yet something about Cassidy makes him want to serve—and makes him believe he can be made whole once again.

And only Cassidy can prove to Gray—and to herself—that wounds can heal and even the whisper of a promise can be fulfilled.

Excerpt here (out now)

Cassandra Clare’s “City of Glass” (YA urban fantasy):  I’ve mentioned before how much I like Ms Clare’s Mortal Instruments books, and “City of Glass” wraps up the trilogy.  I’ve even ordered the US version, because the UK release is only in July (I hate it when publishers do that).  While I’ve had to shell out for the US hardcover price, I get the added benefit of the much better US cover (left) – I really hope the UK version (right) looks better IRL because at the moment, the only positive thing I can think of is that it will probably stand out on the shelves!

Excerpt here (out March 24, July 6 UK)

Ilona Andrews’ “Magic Strikes” (urban fantasy):  I wasn’t completely sold on the first book in this series (“Magic Bites”) and so took a while to get around to the second, “Magic Burns”.  And then I got really excited about this series 

The covers have been good so far, and this one is no exception.

Excerpt here (out March 31)

Deanna Raybourn’s “Silent on the Moor” (historical mystery):  I loved the first two Lady Julia Grey novels (“Silent in the Grave” and “Silent in the Sanctuary” respectively) and can’t wait to read this one.  I’ve got my fingers crossed for lots of Brisbane, and based on the back cover blurb, I suspect I won’t be disappointed.

Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family—the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes….
A mystery unfolds from the rotten heart of Grimsgrave, one Lady Julia may have to solve alone, as Brisbane appears inextricably tangled in its heinous twists and turns. But blood will out, and before spring touches the craggy northern landscape, Lady Julia will have uncovered a Gypsy witch, a dark rider and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil.

Oh, and I think in the battle of US v. UK covers, it’s US 2 UK 0.  This is a pink travesty.

Excerpt here (out now US, June 19 UK)

Nalini Singh’s “Angel’s Blood” (paranormal romance):  Ms Singh’s Psy-Changeling paranormal romance books are autobuys for me, so getting this one is a no-brainer for me.  Reviews so far have generally been really positive too.  I still haven’t bought the e-novella that came out a couple of weeks back, “Angel’s Pawn”, so maybe I’ll get that before reading “Angel’s Blood”.

Excerpt here (out now)

Sherwood Smith blogs about jury reading for the 2008 Andre Norton Award, and gives some good recs for YA science fiction and fantasy books.  I’m definitely going to be looking up all the ones she’s mentioned.

Check out this followup to last year’s “Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance” (out in August this year).  This time it’s called “Love Bites”, and contributors include Karen Chance and Eileen Wilks.  This will be an autobuy for me. 

And it’s no secret that I love Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments trilogy (the final one “City of Glass” is out next month and I can’t wait).  Here’s a short story that’s been out awhile, it’s part of Baen’s “Turn the Other Chick” anthology, and called “The Girl’s Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord” (you may have to click on #5 in the navigator bar).  A fun and tongue-in-cheek take on a princess being rescued from the evil Dark Wizard.  Sort of.

Ploughing on with my year in review posts (I’m beginning to regret starting this!), here’s July to September:

July

A fairly quiet month reading-wise.  I enjoyed Naomi Novik’s “Victory of Eagles” (historical fantasy, Book 5 of the Temeraire series) – how can you not like Temeraire?  Ms Novik’s take on dragons and the Napoleonic Wars era remains fresh, and I recall shedding some tears during this one.  That was probably expected, seeing how the previous book ended, but all’s well and I look forward to seeing what Will and Temeraire get up to next.

I liked Tanya Huff’s “The Heart of Valor” (military SF, Book 3 of the Confederation series).  This surprised me slightly, because while I enjoy her urban fantasy books, her SF books had never really captured my imagination.  This one did, to the extent I bought the next book in hardcover.

I also read Sherwood Smith’s “The Fox” and “King’s Shield” (fantasy, Book 2 and 3 of the Inda series).  This is slightly different from her other books, as it isn’t YA, though I think it’s set in the same universe.  I had a hard time getting into “The Fox”, primarily because it’s been around two years since I had read “Inda” (Book 1), and I struggled with the large cast of characters and multiple plotlines.  However, by the end of “The Fox”, I was taken enough to buy “King’s Shield” in hardcover – here’s hoping I remember enough when “Treason’s Shore” (fourth and final book) comes out in August 2009.

The last book I really liked is Suzanne Brockmann’s “Into the Fire” (romantic suspense, Book 13 of the Troubleshooters series).  I wasn’t quite sure going in, since the Jules/Robin arc had been wrapped up in the previous book (and Jules/Robin is up there with Sam/Alyssa for my favourite Brockmann couple), but I really liked this one.  Though I will say it probably fell victim to the “everyone-who-has-ever-been-mentioned-pops-in-and-says-hi” curse.  And I will be getting “Dark of Night” when it comes out in January (whoops, missed it off my January releases list) – while I’ve been unable to avoid DoN spoilers, I’m not that invested in the Sophia arc to have a strong opinion as to what the HEA should be.

August

Another quiet reading month, with the highlight being Patricia Briggs’ “Cry Wolf” (urban fantasy).  I liked it so much that I was moved to declare if I could only ever read one author for the rest of my life, it would be Patricia Briggs.  Not that I actually want to be in a situation where I had to read only one author, mind you.  But still.  I loved revisiting Ms Briggs’ Mercy universe from a different angle.

I won a copy of Julia Spencer-Fleming’s “I Shall Not Want” (romantic suspense, Book 6 in the Russ/Clare series) at Keishon’s earlier in the year, and finally got around to reading and reviewing it.  I really liked the small-town feel and how Clare’s faith was blended seamlessly into the book, definitely a new series for me to follow.

Other books I read and liked during August were Neil Gaiman’s “Stardust” (fantasy, reviewed for the TBR challenge here) and Linda Howard’s “Death Angel” (romantic suspense).  “Death Angel” got mixed reviews in blogland and I can get why, but Ms Howard made the rather unsympathetic main characters and the whole second chance at life scenario (which would normally make me roll my eyes and close the book) work for me.

Oh, and I was thrilled to find a 1958 paperback in pristine condition at a secondhand bookstore, it even had a promotional postcard in it and everything.  Don’t laugh.  Anyway, while I didn’t love the story that much (Josephine Tey’s “One Shilling for Candles”, mystery), I intend to read a few more books from Ms Tey’s backlist.

September

Speaking of quiet reading months, I only managed to finish five books in September (though I more than made up for this in October).  That is shockingly low for me, but on the bright side, I did enjoy the books I read.

Jayne Castle’s “Dark Light” (futuristic romance) was a solid fluffy romance (and no, that’s not an oxymoron).  If you read a Jayne Castle, you always know what you’re going to get, and that makes for a great comfort read.  I also read Nalini Singh’s “Hostage to Pleasure” (paranormal romance, Book 5 of the Psy/Changeling series) and Ann Aguirre’s “Wanderlust” (SF romance, book 2 of the Jax series), both again worth the time.

And I read Cassandra Clare’s “City of Bones” and “City of Ashes” (YA urban fantasy, Books 1 and 2 of the Mortal Instruments trilogy).  I was a bit on the fence after reading CoB, but bought CoA when I had to grab something in five minutes (hey, you know you need reading material).  And I was very glad I did because I totally loved CoA and did a bit of a squee here.

So that was July, August, and September 2008 – my reviews of the first half of 2008 are here and here.

I’m on a sort of mini-vacation at the moment (visiting parents, which does count as a holiday, though not one of those where you spend the day sightseeing and doing new things, but one where you can just be lazy and revisit old haunts… which in some ways, are even nicer than the other type).

Obviously old haunts include bookstores, and I’ve realised that I spend more time in the YA section than the “adults” area.  I swear, I’m jealous of the reading selection teenagers have nowadays.  I’ve just read Cassandra Clare’s “City of Ashes”, the second in her Mortal Instruments trilogy (YA urban fantasy).  You may recall I was umming and ahhing about getting the first book sometime back – well, I did get “City of Bones” last month and it was a B for me. And then I picked up its sequel and LOVED.

Ms Clare wrote in her bio:

In fairy tales, it was the dark and mysterious forest outside the town that held the magic and danger.  I wanted to create a world where the city has become the forest-where these urban spaces hold their own enchantments, danger, mysteries and strange beauty.

In Ms Clare’s alternate New York, there are the usual suspects including vampires, werewolves, and warlocks.  But it’s not all standard UF fare – the main characters in the book are the Nephilim, or Shadowhunters, humans with the blood of angels running in their veins.  They’re tasked with keeping the world safe from demons, and also to keep the peace between what they call Downworlders (the vampires, werewolves, etc.). To help them, they are able to draw Marks – runes they trace on their bodies that can help them attack, defend, or heal.

Clary is a human who stumbles upon the secret world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders – except of course, it’s not really a coincidence.  The first book centres on Clary figuring out her family secrets and discovering more about the hidden world.  And falling in love.  Yes, there is romance alongside the action.  Young love.  First love.  Forbidden love. Lots of angst.

I love the characters and their relationships in these books.  You have Clary, who has feelings that she really shouldn’t have for the beautiful blond Shadowhunter Jace (or should she???  I suspect there are yet more twists to come).  And then there’s Simon, Clary’s practical best friend, who’s suffering from unrequited love, but hmmm… has plenty of other things to keep him more than busy.  The secondary characters are fun too.  I’ve a soft spot for Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of… Brooklyn.  Who, despite his love for glitter and sparkle, is really a rather powerful magician. And oh yeah, the evil guys.  Black.  White.  Shades of grey.  It’s not all just romance and lust in these books, there’s also a focus on relationships between people who aren’t related by blood, but are family all the same.  Or, conversely, blood relatives who aren’t family.

Also, Ms Clare adds contemporary detail – from Simon’s t-shirts to Clare’s love of manga – that helps round out the characters and just makes this series more fun.  I stumbled upon the Characters page when writing this post and love the sketches, btw.

I’m not going to say the plot is the most original ever or the world the most unique ever, but hey, you could have the best plotline in the world, and if I don’t care about the characters, the book doesn’t work for me.  This book works because I like the characters, I feel for them, and… they make me laugh.  Yes, the snappy comebacks and one-liners sometimes seem out of place, but they do make me snicker, and definitely add to the charm these books have for me.

So while the first book, “City of Bones” was a decent read (but didn’t send me running to the bookstore to get its sequel straightaway), “City of Ashes” picked up where CoB left off and completely captured my imagination.  I can’t believe I have to wait five more months for the final book “City of Glass” (released March 2009).  Damn.