Dec 10 2013

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Coming Soon: Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

Title: Sky Raiders

Author: Brandon Mull

Series: Five Kingdoms #1

Genre: Middle Grade

Release Date: March 11, 2013

The Overview: Cole Randolph was just trying to have a fun time with his friends on Halloween (and maybe get to know Jenna Hunt a little better). But when a spooky haunted house turns out to be a portal to something much creepier, Cole finds himself on an adventure on a whole different level. After Cole sees his friends whisked away to some mysterious place underneath the haunted house, he dives in after them and ends up in The Outskirts.

The Outskirts are made up of five kingdoms that lie between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. Its an in-between place. Some people are born there. Some find their way there from our world, or from other worlds. And once you come to the Outskirts, its very hard to leave. With the magic of the Outskirts starting to unravel, its up to Cole and an unusual girl named Mira to rescue his friends, set things right in the Outskirts, and hopefully find his way back home before his existence is forgotten.

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If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you are probably sick of hearing how much I love Brandon Mull (my favorite kids author since J.K. Rowling). His books never fail to make me feel like a kid again and are written on a level that even adults can appreciate. Sky Raiders is the first book in his latest series, and I remember reading that he thinks it’s the best book he’s written yet – so of course I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 3 2013

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Coming Soon: Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

Title: Cibola Burn

Author: James S.A. Corey

Series: Leviathan Wakes #4

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: June 17, 2014

The Overview: The gates have opened the way to thousands of habitable planets, and the land rush has begun. Settlers stream out from humanity’s home planets in a vast, poorly controlled flood, landing on a new world. Among them, the Rocinante, haunted by the vast, posthuman network of the protomolecule as they investigate what destroyed the great intergalactic society that built the gates and the protomolecule. But Holden and his crew must also contend with the growing tensions between the settlers and the company which owns the official claim to the planet. Both sides will stop at nothing to defend what’s theirs, but soon a terrible disease strikes and only Holden – with help from the ghostly Detective Miller – can find the cure.

cibola burn

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I included this title in yesterday’s TTT because Leviathan Wakes is still one of the best books I’ve read this year. So, even though I haven’t yet read the second or third in this series, I know by the time Cibola Burn is released I’ll be eager to get my hands on it. Daniel Abraham, one of the writers of this series has quickly become one of my favorite authors. His Long Price Quartet books blew me away, and I will definitely pick up anything he decides to write in the future. Incidentally, I read both the Leviathan and the Long Price books digitally, but loved them both enough to immediately go out and by the hardcopies for my collection. If you like fantasy or space opera science fiction and haven’t read these yet, you are sorely missing out!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 12 2013

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Coming Soon: Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Hunted

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Spirit Animals #2

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release Date: January 2014

Series Overview: Spirit Animals is set in the world of Erdas, where children go through a coming-of-age ritual to determine if they have a “spirit animal,” which represents a bond between human and beast that bestows each with great power. The story centers on four children from different cultures who undergo the ritual and discover they have been chosen for a greater destiny.

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As my favorite middle-grade author since J. K. Rowling, Brandon Mull never fails to deliver amazing stories that take you on adventures and make you feel like a kid again. Wild Born was the first book launched in this multi-platform series and although different authors are taking the reins for the rest of the books, he is the outlining mastermind behind them all. Wild Born was so much fun to read that I am eagerly awaiting this sequel, taken on by Maggie Stiefvater (known for Raven Boys and Shiver). I haven’t read her before, but with all the excitement surrounding her other books, I’m confident she’ll do a good job with this one.

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 5 2013

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Coming Soon: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan

Title: Thief’s Magic

Author: Trudi Canavan

Series: Millennium’s Rule #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: May 27, 2014

The Overview: In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.

Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it — should she dare to risk the Angels’ wrath. But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands… and not even the people they trust.

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This is one of those authors that I absolutely love… but am uber behind in reading. To get myself back on track, I’ve decided to read at least one of her trilogies before this new series comes out in May. Based on the quality of work of what I have read, I can’t imagine this new trilogy being anything less than amazing! If you haven’t tried her yet, consider starting with The Magician’s Guild and get ready for loads of entertainment!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 22 2013

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Coming Soon: Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Killer Frost

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Mythos Academy #6

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Release Date: February 25, 2014

The Overview: I’ve battled the Reapers of Chaos before–and survived. But this time I have a Bad, Bad Feeling it’s going to be a fight to the death … most likely mine. Yeah, I’ve got my psychometry magic, my talking sword, Vic–and even the most dangerous Spartan on campus at my side, in Logan freaking Quinn, but I’m no match for Loki, the evil Norse god of chaos. I may be Nike’s Champion, but at heart, I’m still just Gwen Frost, that weird Gypsy girl everyone at school loves to gossip about. Then someone I love is put in more danger than ever before, and something inside me snaps. This time, Loki and his Reapers are going down for good … or I am.

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Okay, I’ll admit I lost a bit of steam for this series around book four, but I’m still dedicated to seeing it through to the end. I fell in love with the first two books and am still waiting for the author to take the story where I think it has the potential to go (somewhere amazing!). Here’s hoping I get what I’ve been waiting for in Killer Frost!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 8 2013

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Coming Soon: Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Title: Undead Pool

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: The Hollows #12

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: February 25, 2014

The Overview: Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop the occurrences before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war. However, the only way to do so is through the ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils.

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Nik’s Notes:

Kim Harrison has quickly become one of my favorite authors! She never lets me down, and in fact gets better with every new book (although I’m always perplexed how she can continually improve on outstanding). I have to say, I’m not caught up with this series because I’ve been deliberately reading them slowly – savoring every last page. I dread the day I don’t have a Harrison to read when I need a guaranteed good book. If you like urban fantasy and haven’t given this one a try, you’re sorely missing out!

What book are you waiting on?