New Books for April 2016 (part 7)

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Fantasy 

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from. 

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Fantasy 

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok's lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna's survival depends on the world believing she is dead. But that doesn't stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized. With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express by Holly Robinson Peete & Ryan Elizabeth Peete

Contemporary Fiction 

Being a teen is hard enough. But when you have autism--or when your sibling is struggling with the condition--life can be a topsy-turvy ride. What happens when you come face-to-face with dating, parties, sports, body changes, school, and kids who just don't get you? Where do you turn when your sibling with autism is the butt of jokes, the victim of misunderstood social cues, and the one everyone thinks is weird? Through alternating narratives based on their own lives, Ryan Elizabeth Peete and her twin brother, RJ, who has autism, bravely and honestly reveal what it means to be a teen living with the disorder. 

The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine

Fantasy 

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen. In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol's father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic of his own—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman—and bring her Lorelai's heart. But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn't going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence

Action/Adventure 

Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they've got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive. Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. 

Curl Up With One of February's New Books (part 6)

Little Dead Man by Jake Bible

Action/Adventure 

Garret Weir has just turned sixteen. But he's not the only sixteen year old in the family. Just the only one alive . Decades after the zombie apocalypse, seventeen year old Garret Weir just wants to be a normal teenager. As if dealing with the zombies isn't hard enough, his annoying twin brother refuses to leave him in peace. And it's not like Garret can just go to his room and shut the door to get away. His brother Garth is a zombie and conjoined to the top of Garret's spine. Good times. Forced from his hidden, mountain compound, Garret must learn who to trust and who to fear as he and Garth are thrust into a world more horrific than anything they could imagine. Fighting for their lives in a foreign landscape, the brothers head north to find their father who may have the answer to the deadly virus that caused the zombie apocalypse. Along their way they meet new friends, learn betrayal the hard way, fight for their mother's life, run from deadly ene-mies, and discover that life may have seemed difficult before, but can al-ways get a whole lot worse. 

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
Paranormal
Natalie's last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start...until she starts seeing the "wrong things." They're just momentary glimpses at first--her front door is red instead of its usual green, there's a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn't right. That's when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls "Grandmother," who tells her: "You have three months to save him." The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it's as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Lucid by Jay Bonansinga
Paranormal
Lori Blaine is not your average seventeen-year-old high school student--she's cool and iconoclastic in her dreadlocks and natty thrift shop garb. With an IQ that's off the charts, she is the ersatz leader of the eclectic Goth group of Valesburg Central High School. But Lori Blaine has two problems--lack of sleep, and The Door. For months Lori's dreams have been perpetually haunted by a strange ominous door. The door is always there on the periphery. Beckoning to her. Daring her to see what might be waiting for her on the other side. At the urging of an overzealous school psychologist, Lori decides to face her fears, and propels herself through the dream door...and immediately plunges into a shattered, looking glass world. Welcome to the In-Between--the terrifying, surreal, topsy-turvy territory behind peoples' dreams. Here, Lori unwittingly becomes a conduit between nightmares and reality--and not just her own. As the universe begins to unravel and the entire space-time continuum crumbles, Lori is thrust into a new role: savoir, where she quickly learns her powers are beyond anything anyone could have imagined.

Mirrored by Alex Flinn
Paranormal
Celine's life is the stuff fairy tales are made of. She's beautiful, talented, and brave. Unfortunately, her tale comes complete with a wicked stepmother! When Violet steps into Celine's life, everything changes and weird things begin to happen to her--bizarre accidents, strange illnesses, and rabid animal attacks. Celine doesn't feel safe anywhere. It's almost as if some hateful witch is out to get her. And there is. Violet has been waiting all her life to have Celine's father to herself. Getting rid of his gorgeous daughter is child's play for a witch as powerful as she is. Happy-ever-after isn't enough for Violet. She wants to be the fairest of them all, and Celine is in the way . . . but not for long. Forced to take refuge with her friend Goose and his family, Celine gives up everything she loves and goes deep undercover. But will it be enough to fool Violet, or will Celine's fate be decided by a reflection in a magic mirror? And where do you find Prince Charming in Miami anyway? Mirrored is a modern retelling of Snow White--told from the points of view of Violet, Celine, and Goose--with all the magic and mystery readers will love.

The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
Mystery
All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It's the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist; she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed of a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as "troubled waters." Now Imogene is seventeen, and her father, a famous author of medical mysteries, has struck out in the middle of the night and hasn't come back. Neither Imogene's stepmother nor the police know where he could've gone, but Imogene is convinced he's looking for her mother. And she decides it's up to her to put to use the skills she's gleaned from a lifetime of reading her father's books to track down a woman she's only known in stories in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she's carried with her for her entire life.

What's New in November? (part 1)

After Hours by Claire Kennedy

Contemporary Fiction 

Scandals and hook-ups abound in a summertime restaurant drama where four teens are all willing to do whatever it takes to make it through the work day...and hopefully to win the money in the afterhours dare-based game of Tips.

Batgirl vol 2: Knightfall Descends by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf, Ed Benes, Vicente Cifuentes

Comic Book 

Batgirl Barbara Gordon faces foe after foe now that she's back in the role of Batgirl. A deadly new gentleman killer, Grotesque, stalks the streets of Gotham City; The Court of Owls sets its sight on her father Commissoner Gordon; and an innocent woman sentenced to Arkham emerges more dangerous than the innmates she was locked up with!

A new chapter in the riveting adventures of Batgirl continue in stunning fashion, with script by fan-favorite Gail Simone and stellar art by superstar Ardian Syaf!

The Beast of Cretacea by Todd Strasser

Science Fiction 

Aboard the Pequod, seventeen-year-old Ishmael arrives on the planet Cretacea to hunt down great ocean-dwelling beasts to harvest and send back to the resource-depleted Earth. But the ship's captain, Ahab, who lost his leg to the Great Terrafin years ago, is obsessed with hunting down the beast. The classic tale of Moby Dick as set in the future.

College, Quicker: 24 Practical Ways to Savey Money and Get Your Degree Faster by Kate Stephens

Nonfiction 

her first day of college, Kate Stephens had no government aid, no private scholarships, no significant savings―and no idea how she was going to pay for her education. But she graduated with zero debt in just two years. Her secret? Finding faster, less expensive ways to earn credits toward her degree.

In College, Quicker, Stephens guides you to an affordable education, sharing practical tips on how to:

•Design your graduation plan. Are you still in high school? Already in college? Get the lowdown on how colleges' transfer credit policies work and sample schedules to organize your plan.

•Choose the credit-earning options that work best for you. Are you a good test taker? Do you feel cooped up in classrooms? Basics, benefits, and bottom-line financial savings help you weigh the pros and cons of each option.

•Get started now! Hit the ground running with step-by-step instructions plus insider tips, common mistakes to avoid, and bonus opportunities.

Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli

Fantasy 

A retelling of Snow White from the evil step mother's point of view as fifteen-year-old Dolce grows up on islands in a Venetian lagoon where she learns how to make mirrors, but when her mother dies she is taken in by a widower and his daughter while she secretly continues making mirrors and slowly goes mad from mercury poisoning.

New books for October ~ Part 8

Tear You Apart by Sarah Cross

Fantasy 

Teenager Viv, who is constantly escaping her "Snow White" fairy-tale curse, meets the prince who is supposed to save her, but can not fall out of love with the young man destined to kill her.

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Fantasy 

When a talented mechanic in 1818 Geneva brings his brother back from the dead using clockwork parts, the citizens of Geneva think they may have inspired the recently published novel Frankenstein.

Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton

Nonfiction 

The insider's guide to the secret world of espionage in a revised, expanded edition. From the Civil War to the present day, learn about famous spies throughout history, how they were recruited, and what really happened in some of their most daring missions in history. With more than 600 full-color photographs and illustrations, detailed accounts of formerly secret operations, descriptions of spy equipment and techniques used to gather information, The Ultimate Spy is the insider's guide to the secret world of espionage.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Historical Fiction 

When her father is killed by the notorious Rose Riders for a mysterious journal that reveals the secret location of a gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers--and justice.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Paranormal 

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times-bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush-era America. Walk on Earth a Stranger begins an epic saga from one of the finest writers of young adult literature. Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home--until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

My gift to you...New Books for December! (part 9)

Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis

A futuristic retelling of Snow White in which seventeen-year-old Essie, a master at repairing robots and drones on the frozen mining planet Thanda, is pulled into a war by handsome and mysterious Dane after his shuttle crash-lands near her home.

Stray by Elissa Sussman

Princess Aislynn's magical ability is powerful and uncontrollable, so she is "redirected" into the order of Fairy Godmothers, where her heart is removed and stored in a hidden cabinet, and she must spend the rest of her life devoted to serving another royal family--but her growing friendship with a palace gardener causes Aislynn to question the vows she has taken, and the motives of those who would prevent her from "straying" from the path.

They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire

Kenzie's life is transformed when she's voted one of the prettiest girls at Vienna High, but when the girls on the list start to die, she's determined to uncover the deadly secrets of the list before her number's up.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation "His Face All Red," in print for the first time. Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to "Our Neighbor's House"-though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in "A Lady's Hands Are Cold." You might try to figure out what is haunting "My Friend Janna," or discover that your brother's fiancée may not be what she seems in "The Nesting Place." And of course you must revisit the horror of "His Face All Red," the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page. Already revered for her work online, award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll's stunning visual style and impeccable pacing is on grand display in this entrancing anthology, her print debut.

Talon by Julie Kagawa

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey--and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him--and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.