Countdown: Missed Titles (5)

While trying to get back into the swing of things on the blog after my crazy, wedding filled Summer, I of course decided to bring back the countdowns.  They're some of my favorites posts to prepare and doing the research on them is always exciting because I seem to always end up pleasantly surprised by how many titles out there that I end up wanting to read in the worst possible way.

So while I've got a huge list already compiled of all the great titles coming out in 2013, I wanted to come back and start first by featuring some reads that I somehow missed in the past year or two.  I'm always both upset and excited to find titles that somehow went under my radar.  Upset because I already feel like I'm behind, and have possibly missed out on great reading experiences, but also excited to finally come across them so that I'll have the chance to make up for lost time and dive right into these intriguing reads.  So here's the start to the missing titles countdown.  Since these have been on the shelves for a while now, if you see any that you've read or heard anything about, let me know and give me your opinion....should I rush them to the top of my TBR pile, or possibly hold off???


Countdown Pick #1:  Shadows (Lux, #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Different is the word that comes to mind with this title.  I've always been a paranormal fan, but I'll admit that readers run into the same types of characters throughout the genre on repeat, and while I'm always impressed by how authors seem to be able to create new spins on old tales, it's still nice to change things up every once in a while.  A story surrounding aliens would be just that for me.  A change of pace, a new spin, which ever way you put it I'm looking forward to checking this series out to see if change turns out to be a very good thing.

Countdown Pick #2:  The Dig (Zoe and Zeus Trilogy, #1) by Audrey Hart

Zoe Calder has always been an outsider. Stashed away in boarding schools since her parents died, Zoe buries herself in the study of ancient worlds. Her greatest thrill is spending her summers with her archaeologist aunt and uncle on digs around the world. And one day, while investigating a newly unearthed temple in Crete, Zoe discovers a luminous artifact that transports her to ancient Greece.

As Zoe quickly learns, the Olympian Gods are real, living people—humans with mysterious powers… Powers that Zoe quickly realizes she has come to possess, as well. However, when the people of ancient Greece mistake Zoe for an Olympian, the Gods must restore the balance of the ancient world… No matter what.

Zoe is forced to play a confusing and dangerous game as Hera rallies the gods against her—all except for Zeus, the beautiful, winged young god who risks everything to save her.

Out of time and out of her element, teenager Zoe Calder finds herself in ancient Greece, battling against the power of the Olympians and the vengeance of a scorned goddess—all for the strange and mysterious boy she has come to love.

A little spin on Greek and Roman mythology anyone?  I've always been a fan of Greek and Roman mythology, and just like I enjoy retellings of my favorite classic titles, new twists on mythology falls into the same category for me.  I'm curious to see Zeus as the good guy in this one.  Most stories paint him and Hera both as the (not necessarily evil) not so nice guy.  Throw a little of romance into this mix and you can sign me up for sure.

Countdown Pick #3:  Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Princess Taoshira of the Blue Crescent Islands is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil of Gerfal. And he's not too pleased, either. She is used to a life of discipline, ritual, and splendor. He is used to hunting and carousing. They hate each other on sight. But both of their countries are under threat from a fearsome warlord, and the only chance of peace is to form an alliance. 

When Tashi and Ram are kidnapped, they fear there's no escape--from their kidnappers or from each other. Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive ambush, unarmed combat, brainwashing, and imprisonment? And will the people they meet on their adventure--including a circus strongman, a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies, and the best female fighter they have ever seen--help them or betray them to the enemy?

Yes!  This kind of storyline reminds of something Maria V. Snyder would put out there and with her being one of my favorite authors, that's a huge compliment.  I can't wait to see what this author can bring to the table.

Countdown Pick #4:  Red by Kait Nolan

Every fairy tale has a dark side... 

Elodie Rose has a secret. Any day, she’ll become a wolf and succumb to the violence that’s cursed her family for centuries. For seventeen years she’s hidden who and what she is. But now someone knows the truth and is determined to exterminate her family line. Living on borrowed time in the midst of this dangerous game of hide and seek, the last thing Elodie needs to do is fall in love. But Sawyer is determined to protect her, and the brooding, angry boy is more than what he seems. Can they outsmart a madman? And if they survive, will they find a way to beat the curse for good?

So with the talk of fairy tales and the images on this cover I'm going to make the jump to think that maybe this is a new twist on Little Red Riding Hood, but since when does Red turn into a wolf?  I'm anxious to see how Nolan has this all panning out.  As this title was her YA debut I'm always curious to see how authors make the transition from one audience to another.

Countdown Pick #5:  Meant To Be (The Saving Angels, #1) by Tiffany King

Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept and without any real friends; the one exception being the boy that visits her each night in her dreams. 

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The nightly comfort that the boy provides has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets. 

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets about their mysterious past and their predestined purpose threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.

After getting excited based on only the book's description, I went in search of other readers' reviews where this title was concerned.  It seems to be a general consensus that this book is one everyone should read.  It's said to be imaginative, creative, a wild ride and one that many readers finished in one day after not being able to put it down.  How can you resist adding a title to your TBR after hearing such wonderful praise like that right?  I can't so I've added it to my list and am looking forward to seeing if the writing lives up to the praise.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (19)

Can you guys believe it's June already? I can't! So our guests have started to arrive and will continue to do so for B's bridal shower and already it's been a lot of fun. I haven't managed to squeeze in any reading time since yesterday and I'm thinking that won't change until everyone leaves and heads back home on Sunday evening. I'm hoping I'll be able to put off cleaning and unwind a little on my own after everyone is gone, and what better way to do that than with a great book right? Have you guys gotten any farther on making lists of your own that includes the books you're counting down for? If you've got any titles you're excited about and haven't seen them on one of my lists, please share and keep me updated so I don't miss out! In the meantime wish me luck that everything goes smoothly this weekend, and most of all that B really enjoys herself at her shower, the girls' night out and of course the slumber party! I really just hope it lives up to everything she was hoping it would be...that's the goal!

Countdown Pick #1: Burning Blue by Paul Griffin (10/25/2012)

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that—he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in—and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

Talk about a horrible mystery to try to solve, right? Not only will I have trouble putting myself in this girl's shoes when this horrible incident takes place, but I can already feel myself stressing out over finding out what really happened and who would do something as terrible as what the author has described? I've never heard of a book similar to this one, which is one of the main reasons I think I've found myself so interested in it. But I'll admit that I'm slightly nervous to dive into a book like this one. It doesn't sound like it could have a happy ending no matter if the culprit is caught and the mystery is solved. The girl in question is still left with having to deal with this act of violence.

Countdown Pick #2: Lindsey Lost by Suzanne Phillips (09/2012)

Even though Micah's one of the stars of a local sports team, he knows that his older sister Lindsey is the real deal ‐‐ a runner so good she has a chance of making it to the Olympics. The two of them urge each other on, and are each other's best support. Then the unthinkable happens: Lindsey is murdered, and Micah is found with her body. But Micah can't remember what happened, no matter what their parents tell him, no matter what the police say. He cannot remember what happened. Did he witness his sister's murder ‐‐ or commit it? Can he uncover the truth before his life is sentenced to end, too?

I swear I'm going to start looking harder at the future releases for 2012 and hopefully I can sort through them to find at least a few that aren't so morbid or scary, because I feel like the ones I've included in the last couple of countdowns have all been pretty serious in nature, don't you agree? While this one might not be an upbeat romance or anything, the plot does intrigue me. How terrible to lose a sister, and one you're so close to, but on top of that to not know what happened, and to possibly have been linked to the cause possibly? I can't even begin to imagine!

Countdown Pick #3: Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara (11/13/2012)

About a high-school senior, who, in the aftermath of a car accident that kills her boyfriend and throws her carefully planned future into complete upheaval, retreats to the deep woods of Maine to live with the artist father she barely knows and meets a boy who threatens to pull her from her safe, hard-won exile.

Yet another deep and very serious plot, but also one that I couldn't turn away from. Again with these serious circumstances that seem to happen and throw our main characters completely off the path that they had laid out in front of them, and leaving them at turning points from which huge decisions are made and paid for. Not knowing what I would do in this character's shoes, I'm looking forward to finding out how it all works out for her and what her situation will turn into. What about this mysterious boy that she meets? Definitely curious to say the least!

Countdown Pick #4: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (11/13/2012)

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

Finally a future release with what sounds like the potential for a *gasp* happy ending...dare I say that out loud? I'm afraid I'll jinx myself, but this one sounds just totally cute and a perfect fun and fast read don't you think? I love the idea of a scavenger hunt theme here while our main character tries to find out who her secret admirer is and I love the idea of a bad boy pushing her to expand her horizons on the rule breaking front. Lots and lots of fun predicted with this one.

Countdown Pick #5: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (09/04/2012)

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

I'm hooked already! No fishing pun intended. I've always been a fan of mermaids and they've been coming out of the woodwork in 2012 and I couldn't be happier. While some of course are better than others, the mystery and romance that surround this description and title sound like they might be the key elements that put this future release over the top within the category and genre, don't you think?