Countdown: New Series (1)

As always my TBR list continues to grow in length each day. I love discovering new books that will be hitting the shelves soon and having the time to let the excitement build until I can't take it any more...I've just got to get my hands on a copy of each book for my very own collection. So once again I found myself exploring the net in search of any new titles that I've missed recently and any new books that are coming out in the next year or two. Well I definitely found some.

I'm always amazed at how many titles hook me from just their covers and short descriptive write ups. Teasers can even be enough some times. I'll admit that while long time favored authors coming out with new series and standalones are always looked into, mainly because if they're previous books were near and dear to me I can almost always count on their future works to hold the same quality I've come to hope for out of these writers. But while favorite authors add to my TBR list, I'm also always anxious to add debut authors or authors I haven't had the chance to experience yet to put on my list as well. So after some fun exploring I'm once again excited all over for another great round of books that I'll be on the look out for when they hit the shelves. Here are just a few...

Countdown Pick #1: Fury (The Fury Trilogy, #1) by Elizabeth Miles (8/30/2011)

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.

It has been said that one look at this cover and you'll be dying to get your hands on a copy of your own. I completely agree. Add to that the fact that there are two other books in this series and I had no hope of resisting. As a fan of the author, Lauren Oliver, when I heard these two were best friends I just couldn't help but hope that their writing was on an equal level as well. So with a lot of anticipation and a greater amount of hope, I'm adding this to my list of must reads.

Countdown Pick #2: Blood Song (Lharmell, #1) by Rhiannon Hart (9/1/2011)

I wanted to turn but I was held captive by the song on the wind. I’m coming, I told the voices. Please, wait for me.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more.

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

I'm digging the mystery and suspense that goes hand in hand with this title. And when it comes to the fantasy genre I'm almost always on board. I love that anything is possible. It's been called enchanting and magical...what author wouldn't love that kind of praise? And what reader wouldn't want to jump right into the pages of a world like that? I for one want to very much. A world of royalty and unanswered questions, I can't wait to meet and take a journey alongside Zeraphina.

Countdown Pick #3: Blood Rights (House of Comarre, #1) by Kristen Painter (10/1/2011)

The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

How authors continue to come up with unique takes on vampires I'll never know, but Painter has done just that. Vampire nobility and humans destined and bred to feed them...crazy cool. So when the death of Chrysabelle's vampire is blamed on her, trouble quickly follows. I'm interested to see how her relationship with a vampire outcast comes into play and how it all pans out. Not to mention that I'd like to know what kind of behavior gets a vampire exiled to begin with. Reviews have been saying that Painter takes age old stereotypes and turns them on their heads to create something above and beyond. Sign me up.

Countdown Pick # 4: Pure (Pure, #1) by Julianna Baggott (2/18/2012)

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

Yet another dystopian novel I can't wait to check out. The book's description of the resulting remains of the people who survived the destruction is gruesome to say the least. And to think that no sign of hope awaits them either, just death in one form or another...awful. It's an exciting idea that Pressia takes matters (and her life) into her own hands. And I'll admit that I'm hoping that when she runs into Patridge, sparks fly.

Countdown Pick #5: Touch of Power, (Healer, #1) by Maria V. Snyder (12/20/2011)

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Every book Snyder has written has taken me on an adventure that I don't want to ever end. I was so excited to hear that she was starting a new series, I couldn't contain my enthusiasm. This may not be exactly like her other series' exactly but it rings pretty close to the mark and I can't wait. Mysteries, power unexplained and feared, and a band of rogues at the center of it all. Oh yeah! I haven't heard any hints of a romance, but I'm crossing my fingers that Snyder delivers a love story to rival all her others.