Countdown: New Author Edition

My TBR pile is always on the rise and I never seem to be able to catch up, but yet I can't help constantly adding new titles to my list. For now I'm trying to shift my order around and try out some authors I've never read before. I've heard of great authors from friends and fellow bloggers/readers that have enjoyed them before. Some are just books I found randomly by authors I either hadn't heard of before or hadn't had the chance to read before now.

So I'm determined to check them out and possibly add some new faves to my list, not to mention maybe add a series or two to start following. Here are a few titles I'm looking forward to checking out!

Countdown Pick #1: Everneath (Everneath, #1) by Brodi Ashton (1/3/2011)

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being 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 months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's 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...

Can I just say....love triangle? Ashton's new trilogy seems to revolve around good vs. evil, doing what's right even if it's not easy, and painful goodbyes. Why I want to put myself through a story that looks to have the makings of a tear fest I'm not sure. But honestly it just sounds too good to pass up.

Countdown Pick #2: Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) by Tahereh Mafi (11/15/2011)

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

When I read this book's description I was curious. Dystopian novels are a new interest of mine, but it still has to have the right combination of elements for it to turn me into a fan. But if they're comparing it to The Hunger Games, and X-Men, I'm down to give it a chance. The main character, Juliette sounds like a heroine I could root for and the "evil" government-like agency in control definitely has the potential for me to despise. It all sounds like a series that could have me hooked for a while.

Countdown Pick #3: Hourglass (Hourglass, #1) by Myra McEntire
One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

I haven't read a good mystery in a while and if you can throw in a little romance there's a good chance my interest will be piqued. With a main character who can see ghosts and a mysterious guy who believes in her abilities, McEntire sets an atmosphere for her novel that I find hard to resist. I'm not sure if mysteries will make a comeback and headline my bookshelf, but this one's got potential.

Countdown Pick #4: Lost Voices (Lost Voices, #1) by Sarah Porter

When fourteen-year-old Luce is assaulted on the cliffs near an Alaskan village, she expects to die when she tumbles into the icy water below. Instead, she transforms into a mermaid. Luce is thrilled with her new life—until she discovers the catch.

So glad I didn't know about this one before it came out because I think the wait and countdown may have been the death of me. Mermaids are one of the few paranormal creatures that I don't think have gotten shelf time. I love the idea of this spin, the way young girls are turned into mermaids, their dark side and desires, the whole deal.

Luce sounds like a promising lead and I'm anxious to see if she can hang onto her humanity, or if she'll fade into her new life and role and use her voice to draw in her prey. It's all very hair raising and gives me nothing but goose bumps, but hopefully I'll overcome the trepidation and pick this one up soon so I can find out for myself how things turn out for Luce and the rest of the mermaids.

Countdown Pick #5: Wildefire (Wildefire, #1) by Karsten Knight

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned.

Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Gods and goddesses, a private school backdrop, and hot romances brewing, what is not to love? While I'm unfamiliar with Knight's work, if this turns out to be half as good as it sounds, I'm thinking that will change. Ashline has a lot of obstacles to overcome but it all sounds like the makings of a crazy ride. This one definitely got moved up on the TBR pile. And a series opener on top of that. I love to find new series that I can follow as a lot of my current series favorites are drawing to a close.

Countdown Pick #6: Epic Fail by Claire Lazebnik

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?


At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:


As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.


As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.


When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.


Most know that Jane Austen is my all time favorite author and Pride and Prejudice is beyond reproach in my book. None of that will be changing anytime soon. With that being said I know that some fans say leave well enough alone, but I'm just not one of them. Any spin off or retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I jump at the chance to read it. What better form of flattery to the late Ms. Austen and her devoted fans just get another taste of their beloved characters.

No it's not the original classic itself but a fun twist on the classic stories. Lazebnik's version of events sounds fun, racy, entertaining as all get out and one I can't imagine being anything but fabulous. A Hollywood version of Elizabeth and Darcy....yes please!