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Coming Soon: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

Title: Nyxia

Author: Scott Reintgen

Series: The Nyxia Triad #1

Genre: Teen Sci-fi

Release Date: September 12, 2017

The Overview: Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family. Forever. Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden–a planet that Babel has kept hidden–where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human. -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

Okay, I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a cool cover.
And YA Sci-Fi.
And intense competition reminiscent of Hunger Games…
…Pretty much everything Nyxia is offering.

Rest assured, I’ll be hounding for a copy as soon as it comes out in September. ;P

Any ARC readers so far? Thoughts??

 by Niki Hawkes

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Coming Soon: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Title: The Last Magician

Author: Lisa Maxwell

Series: N/A (at the moment)

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Release Date: July 18, 2017

The Overview: Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future. In modern day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives. Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future. But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past. -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

“It’s like magical Newsies without the singing” -Lisa Maxwell

The Last Magician is yet another of those upcoming releases I had to refrain from ARC requesting (I have a set list of titles I’m allowed to request – see my ARC Management Tips post if you want more elaboration). I wanted to though; the cover has my attention and the premise sounds super interesting. Add magic to that old-time New York setting, time travel, and a thief who specializes in magical artifacts, and I am sold! I’ll definitely be acquiring a copy as soon as it comes out. :)

Has anyone read this yet? Thoughts??

 by Niki Hawkes

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Stacking the Shelves – February 2014 Edition!

Stacking the shelves

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

 February has been an excellent month in book collecting. I added a bunch of hardcover editions to my shelve, replacing the paperbacks of some of my favorite series. My personal Read 4, Buy 1 challenge is going fairly well – not only is it allowing me to focus on the awesome books I’ve already owned for years, but it’s also making me incredibly selective of the new books I bring home. When you are only able to pick out a few new titles every month, it really forces you to be picky.

Hardcopies:

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Of course the book I am most excited about this month is a signed first edition of Undead Pool by Kim Harrison! I am also really tickled to have acquired hardcover copies of Sara Douglass’ Wayfarer series. The Cabot books were freebies from work and my best friend assures me that I will love them.

ARCs:

   Thank you Netgally and Edelweiss!

Of course I am ecstatic at the opportunity to read the new Richelle Mead, but the book I am most excited about is The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke. I feel so privileged to have gotten hold of an early copy – I was already planning on reading it the day it came out. She’s one of my all time favorite fantasy authors and I have read and loved everything she’s ever published (including a series I had to have shipped over from Australia).

What books stacked your shelves this month?

by Niki Hawkes

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New Releases: October 2013

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I don’t know about all of you, but this month feels like the new release jackpot! The star being, of course, Allegiant – the conclusion to Veronica Roth’s Divergent series. I’m also super eager to read anything new by Ann Aguirre. Here’s a look at these noteworthy releases:

 What books are you excited for? :-)

I Love New Books! (Noteworthy Releases 1/29/2013)

otw3Title: Kalimpura

Author: Jay Lake

Series: Green #3

Genre: Fantasy

Overview: This sequel to Green and Endurance takes Green back to the city of Kalimpura and the service of the Lily Goddess. Green is hounded by the gods of Copper Downs and the gods of Kalimpura, who have laid claim to her and her children. She never wanted to be a conduit for the supernatural, but when she killed the Immortal Duke and created the Ox god with the power she released, she came to their notice. Now she has sworn to retrieve the two girls taken hostage by the Bittern Court, one of Kalimpura’s rival guilds. But the Temple of the Lily Goddess is playing politics with her life.

otw29Title: Asunder

Author: Jodi Meadows

Series: Newsoul #2

Genre: Teen Fiction

Overview: Darksouls Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls—and the newsouls who may be born in their place. Shadows Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Love Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection. In the second book of Jodi Meadows’s Incarnate trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. asunder explores the beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

otw2Title: Prodigy

Author: Marie Lu

Series: Legend #2

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Overview: June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector. It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

otw5Title: Shadows in the Silence

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton

Series: Angelfire #4

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Overview: Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . . Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for: She must fight for Will. The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven. She must fight for humanity. As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world’s darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel. And Ellie must save herself. Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth. In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

otw4Title: Songs of the Earth

Author: Elspeth Cooper

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Overview: The Book of Eador, Abjurations 12:14, is very clear: Suffer ye not the life of a witch. For a thousand years, the Church Knights have obeyed that commandment, sending to the stake anyone who can hear the songs of the earth. There are no exceptions, not even for one of their own. Novice Knight Gair can hear music no one else can, beautiful, terrible music: music with power. In the Holy City, that can mean only one thing: death by fire—until an unlikely intervention gives him a chance to flee the city and escape the flames. With the Church Knights and their witchfinder hot on his heels, Gair hasn’t time to learn how to use the power growing inside him, but if he doesn’t master it, that power will tear him apart. His only hope is the secretive Guardians of the Veil, though centuries of persecution have almost destroyed their Order, and the few Guardians left have troubles of their own. For the Veil between worlds is weakening, and behind it, the Hidden Kingdom, ever-hungry for dominion over the daylight realm, is stirring. Though he is far from ready, Gair will find himself fighting for his own life, for everyone within the Order of the Veil, and for the woman he has come to love.

*Overviews and images taken from bn.com and goodreads.com.

I Love New Books! (Noteworthy Releases 1/22/13)

Not a super heavy week for releases, but what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality – the new Kim Harrison book is out!!!!

1Title: Ever After

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: Rachel Morgan #11

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Overview: The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and if it disappears, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to fix the ever-after before the fragile balance between magic users and humans falls apart. Of course, there’s also the small fact that Rachel is the one who caused the ley line to rip in the first place, and her life is forfeit unless she can fix it. Not to mention the most powerful demon in the ever-after—the soul-eater Ku’Sox Sha-Ku’ru—has vowed to destroy her, and has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage. If Rachel doesn’t give herself up, they will die. Forced by circumstance, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack—a partnership fraught with dangers of the heart as well as betrayal of the soul—to return to the ever-after and rescue those she loves. One world teeters on the brink of interspecies war, the other on the brink of its very demise—and it’s up to Rachel to keep them both from being destroyed.

2Title: Imager’s Battalion

Author: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Series: Imager Portfolio #6

Genre: Fantasy

Overview: The sequel to Princeps follows magical hero Quaeryt as he leads history’s first Imager fighting force into war. Given the rank of subcommander by his wife’s brother, Lord Bhayar, the ruler of Telaryn, Quaeryt joins an invading army into the hostile land of Bovaria, in retaliation for Bovaria’s attempted annexation of Telaryn. But Quaeryt has his own agenda in doing Bhayar’s bidding: to legitimize Imagers in the hearts and minds of all men, by demonstrating their value as heroes as he leads his battalion into one costly battle after another. Making matters worse, court intrigues pursue Quaeryt even to the front lines of the conflict, as the Imager’s enemies continue to plot against him.

3Title: Boundless

Author: Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly Trilogy #3

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Overview: The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life. Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place. As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal. In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all.

4Title: Everbound

Author: Brodi Ashton

Series: Everneath #2

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Overview: Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity—a debt that should’ve been hers. Now she is living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night, Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away. No matter how she tries to reach for his hand, she can never find it. Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen—and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to help in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself. Nikki and Cole, along with Cole’s bandmate Max, descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated—and more deadly. From a Lake of Blood and Guilt to Sirens’ alluring tricks to insurmountable walls of rock and flame, the trio is given every reason to turn back and give up. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack—even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

5Title: Slither

Author: Joseph Delaney

Series: The Last Apprentice #11

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Overview: “My name is Slither, and before my tale is finished you’ll find out why.”

The dark is full of terrifying creatures. And Tom Ward—the seventh son of a seventh son, and the Spook’s last apprentice—hasn’t seen all of them. Far from the county, one named Slither has lived for hundreds of years, hunting blood. But a dying father binds the monster to a bargain. If Slither will take his two youngest daughters safely to their family in the south, then the eldest daughter, Nessa, is his. For Nessa the nightmare is just beginning. And when Slither and Nessa cross paths with the feared witch assassin Grimalkin, they will become unwitting players in the quest to stop the Fiend once and for all.

6Title: Jill Kismet: The Complete Series

Author: Lilith Saintcrow

Series: Jill Kismet (All)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Overview: Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night. Not everyone tries. But Jill Kismet is not just anyone. She’s a Hunter, trained by the best —- and in over her head. Welcome to the night shift…

The omnibus edition of Jill Kismet contains: Night Shift, Hunter’s Prayer, Redemption Alley, Flesh Circus, Heaven’s Spite and Angel Town.

*Overviews and photos taken from bn.com