Countdown: February 2013 (2)

February is a short month but it seems to be packed with great new titles that will hit the shelves in that small amount of time. A few series sequels and a bunch of new titles and authors to check out and I'm excited for each one of them. For some reason outside of Valentine's Day there usually isn't much else going on with everyone in February. It's always a great time to unwind and decompress as much as possible after the holidays, and also a perfect time to get cozy at home with a few of the great books that I've gotten from friends and family.

So I'm hoping that the tradition stands this year and come February the countdown will have been worth it and I'll be able to squeeze as many books as possible into that month and to pump out as many reviews for the blog as possible. So here are just a few of the titles that come out in February that I'm looking forward to diving into.

Countdown Pick #1: How To Lead A Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller (February 2013)

A Meth Dealer. A Prostitute. A Serial Killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?

Now this is not the official cover art for this title, but a picture of the ARC that I received in the mail this past month but it's better than nothing right? Miller is one of my favorite young adult authors and her writing never ceases to excite me. It's always full of creative worlds and scenarios, characters that you fall in love with and want to be anything but fictional, and story lines that you wish would never end. How cool does this new title sound? I don't want to spoil anything and it's too soon to post a review, but Miller won't dissapoint her readers. This is yet again another title that won't be leaving my shelf anytime soon unless it's for a reread which is likely to happen more than once. So get excited guys, because come February this is a read you won't want to miss out on.

Countdown Pick #2: Pulse (Pulse Trilogy, #1) by Patrick Carman (02/26/2013)

From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love.

Here's the thing. While I love a good romance, and also a good action packed adventure, I like a book even better when it's got both and this read sounds like it'll fit that bill. So even though I haven't read anything by Carman before I've heard only good things and after reading this book's description I'm thinking that I've got a very good chance of liking this book. Have you guys read anything by Carman before? Are you as excited about this upcoming release as I am?

Countdown Pick #3: The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist (02/01/2013)

Four nearly identical girls on a desert island. An unexpected new arrival. A gently warped near future where nothing is quite as it seems.

Veronika. Caroline. Isobel. Eleanor. One blond, one brunette, one redhead, one with hair black as tar. Four otherwise identical girls who spend their days in sync, tasked to learn. But when May, a very different kind of girl—the lone survivor of a recent shipwreck—suddenly and mysteriously arrives on the island, an unsettling mirror is about to be held up to the life the girls have never before questioned.

Sly and unsettling, Gordon Dahlquist’s timeless and evocative storytelling blurs the lines between contemporary and sci-fi with a story that is sure to linger in readers’ minds long after the final page has been turned.

Ooh I cannot wait to check this one out. Deserted island and featuring five sure to be strong personality bearing females....what do you guys think? I'm thinking there will be lots of drama to go along with all of these mysteries that are going to be looked into. What the bottom line is where this plot is concerned? I haven't got a clue, but I'm really looking forward to finding out for myself just what Dahlquist has in store for readers.