Countdown: May 2013 (4)

So for me and most others, May marks the beginning of Summer, Memorial Day weekend has always been a favorite of mine.  Friends and I have always headed down to the beach and spent the weekend basking in the sun (hopefully), enjoying the beach and getting excited that Summer is here and it means the end of cold weather, the start of vacations for most, and a lot of other good things.  Last year it marked the beginning of wedding season for my friends and me as a member of their wedding parties.  While that was a lot of fun it was also complete craziness and didn't leave a lot of time for reading and checking out new books to review.  This year I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that I'll get a real vacation in and a whole lot of quality time with my books and hopefully a lot of these future new releases scheduled to hit the shelves!

Countdown Pick #1:  The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy (05/14/2013)

If there is one thing that seventeen-year-old Rain knows and knows well, it is survival. Caring for her little brother, Walker, who is "Touched," and losing the rest of her family to the same disease, Rain has long had to fend for herself on the bleak, dangerous streets of Earth City. When she looks to the stars, Rain sees escape and the only possible cure for Walker. And when a darkly handsome and mysterious captain named Johnny offers her passage to the Edge, Rain immediately boards his spaceship. Her only price: her "willingness."

The Void cloaks many secrets, and Rain quickly discovers that Johnny's ship serves as host for an underground slave trade for the Touched . . . and a prostitution ring for Johnny's girls. With hair as red as the bracelet that indicates her status on the ship, the feeling of being a marked target is not helpful in Rain's quest to escape. Even worse, Rain is unsure if she will be able to pay the costs of love, family, hope, and self-preservation.

With intergalactic twists and turns, Cori M. McCarthy's debut space thriller exists in an orbit of its own.

Yikes!  This debut sounds like an emotional roller coaster ride to be sure.  I'm curious where McCarthy will take on us the debut train but I'm just as anxious to see where Rain will have to go and how she'll be able to save her brother.  At least I hope she can.

Countdown Pick #2:  Purgatory Reign by L.M. Preston (05/18/2013)

Peter Saint’s life stinks. But things are about to get much worst. First, his parents are murdered in front of him. Then another victim dies in his arms. Visions plague Peter with warnings that something wants him for a sinister cause. It desires the one thing that Peter refuses to give—his blood. Peter carries within him the one gift or curse that could unlock a secret to destroy the human race. On the run with Angel, a scruffy kid, Peter starts to unravel the mystery. It’s the one treasure the heavens sought to hide from the world. Unfortunately, when Peter finds the answer that he hopes will save the girl he loves, he opens the door to a great evil that happens to be salivating to meet him.

I'm already cheering for this character and rooting for him to outsmart the evil he's up against.  He's fighting to save the girl he loves you guys!  How is it possible to resist a story like this.  I'm curious to see what kind of evil Peter is really up against and what type of world Preston has created for her readers.

Countdown Pick #3:  The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher (05/07/2013)

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Well I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise to anyone out there that high school can be a very unforgiving and hard place to be.  While I think this read will be interesting I'm also not kidding myself into thinking it will be a fun ride.  But despite the heavy central topic, I'm curious to see how realistic the book feels and how it all turns out for Angie.

Countdown Pick #4:  The Originals by Cat Patrick (05/07/2013)

A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.

17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...

Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created. 

Oh please tell May is right around the corner because I'm not sure I'll be able to make it until then to read this book.  Author Jay Asher gave Patrick's previous works glowing praise and anyone who impresses him (I'm a major fan!) has got my vote.  With all that being said, this book's description speaks for itself...I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy of this baby!

Countdown Pick #5:  Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin (05/07/2013)

Nothing is as it seems in this darkly romantic tale of infatuation and possession, inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone at New England’s premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca’s dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss.

Then Tess transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything that Becca wasn’t. And despite her roommate’s warnings, she falls for brooding Max.

Now Max finally has a reason to move on. Except it won’t be easy. Because Becca may be gone, but she’s not quite ready to let him go…

So Ohlin's got not one but now two novels coming out this year that sound fantastic!  I can't wait to check this one out for myself.  Everyone loves a book set amidst a boarding school, and with that backdrop usually comes a mystery of some kind.  While I'm not sure what kind of hold Becca has on Max, it sounds like the makings of an interesting and scary one at that.  I'm ashamed to admit I've never read the original Rebecca, but I might have to rectify that mistake before diving into this one as preparation.