Sunday 3 February 2013

NEW RELEASES IN FEBRUARY 2013


So this post is just designed to share with you the New Releases that are coming up in February that we like the look and sound of! Obviously we will lean towards our favourite genres but we will also try to throw in a book or two that are not our own typical genre favourites. I will also add a comment or three to let you know what I think to the cover blurb and reason for including in this post.


ASHES & ICE 
by ROCHELLE MAYA COLLEN
(ASHES & ICE SERIES)
ISBN: 9780988204218
Publisher: C&C Legacy Publishing
Expected Release Date: 4th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
She is desperate to remember.
He is aching to forget.
Together, they are not broken.
But together, one may not survive.
Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands. 
Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough. 

LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice.


JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
This is one that I have in my collection to read already. I absolutely adore the cover, it's so "icy" looking and eye catching. You would most definitely notice this one on a book shelf! I am also part of Rochelle's Blog Tour too, she is visiting my blog on 25th Feb 2013. I think with this book it's a case of the cover hooks you and the blurb reels you in.



ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE 
by GAIL CARRIGER
(FINISHING SCHOOL SERIES)
ISBN: 9780316190084
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Expected Release Date: 5th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.
First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.


JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
I would really like to get my hands on a copy of this one, as I have been wanting to try Gail Carriger as an author for some time, and as this series is set before the Protectorate Series it would probably be as good a place as any to start. Unfortunately all the ARC copies I have requested have ended up being in-compatible to my kindle (and as most of you know due to a health condition I am unable to read for any length of time to read a book on my computer)


A WITCH ALONE 
by RUTH WARBURTON
(WINTER TRILOGY)
ISBN: 9781444904710
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Expected Release Date: 7th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
Where do you go when your heart has been ripped out?For Anna there is only one answer; into her past, where the truth about her mother, her power, and her real identity lie hidden.
But as Anna delves deeper into her history, she begins to fear that the truth about what set her mother running may be darker than she ever suspected. With the witches of the world on the brink of war, Seth gone, and her friend Abe wanting more from her than she can possibly give, Anna is in crisis.
As the clouds around her gather, Anna is torn between friends, family and rival tribes of witches and – at the last – between love and magic.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
This one is Bk#3 in the Winter Trilogy, which my daughter has begun reading which I have yet to start. I will definitely be reading the series soon as it fits the bill perfectly for my taking part in the Witches & Witchy Reading Challenge.


THE SPECIMEN 
by MARTHA LEA
ISBN: 9780857867148
Publisher: Canongate BooksLtd
Expected Release Date: 7th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
A passion so rare, a murder so strangeThe year is 1866. Edward Scales is a businessman, a butterfly collector, a respectable man. He is the man Gwen Carrick fell in love with seven years before. Now he is dead and Gwen is on trial for his murder.
From country house drawing rooms to the rain forests of Brazil, The Specimen explores the price one independent young woman might pay for wanting an unorthodox life. 
Set in a Victorian world battling between the forces of spiritualism and Darwinism, polite society and the call of clandestine love, Gwen and Edward's tale is a gripping melodrama, a romance and a murder mystery that will compel readers to its final thrilling page.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
My daughter actually chose this book to be featured, as we both liked the cover feeling drawn to the butterfly. We also wanted to include a book or two that was not our typical genre to read as we know our followers like a wide range of genres too. I think this one will appeal to those who love thrillers.


PIVOT POINT 
by KASIE WEST
(PIVOT POINT SERIES)
ISBN: 9780062117373
Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Release Date: 12th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .
Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
This cover is another eye catching one, drawing you to it, making you want to know more. Then upon reading the blurb, this one appeals to me for the Paranormal Abilities featured, as the main character Addison Coleman is a "Searcher" someone who can see into her future. This one is definitely on my wishlist.


THE GATHERING DARK 
by CHRISTINE JOHNSON
ISBN: 9781442439030
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Expected Release Date: 12th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
A mysterious teen boy knows the secrets of Keira’s dangerous hallucinations in this gripping romantic fantasy from the author of Claire de Lune.Keira’s hallucinating. First it’s a door hovering above the road; then it’s a tree in her living room. But with her parents fighting and her best friend not speaking to her, Keira can’t tell anyone about her breakdown.
Until she meets Walker. They have an electric connection, and somehow he can see the same shadowy images plaguing Keira.
But trusting Walker may be more dangerous than Keira could have ever imagined. The more she confides in him, the more intense—and frightening—her visions become. Because Walker is not what he appears to be. And neither are her visions.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
I have to admit to discovering this author quite accidentally and giving her a try by buying a couple of her books for my daughter to read, purely because her name is the same as a very dear, much loved, late Auntie of mine. Rachel has read her books and enjoyed her writing so much that we had to feature the latest offering form the author. Hmm so this one sounds right "up our street" the main character Kiera is having hallucinations that are becoming more intense and scary. Can Walker help her? I really like the sound of the mysterious hallucinations in this book, it makes me want to know more.


REVEL
by MAURISSA GUIBORD
ISBN: 9780385741873
Publisher: Delacorte 
Expected Release Date: 12th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.
Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobster man, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
Wow the cover! Under water, yet distorted, is the girl drowning? Swimming? Or is it her mind that is in this turmoil of water? Then you read the blurb, a secret community on a guarded island....what are they hiding from? what are they guarding? Hmm there may be mystery, danger, myths and old suspicions, but could there be a little romantic triangle there too?


SEVER 
by LAUREN DESTEFANO
(THE CHEMICAL GARDEN SERIES)
ISBN: 9781442409095
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
Expected Release Date: 12th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.
Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.
In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
Well I have already read Bk#1 in The Chemical Garden Series and though it's a kind of weird tale I really enjoyed it, I have BK #2 in the Series on my shelf ready for me to read as soon as I get time, so it's only natural that both myself and Rachel would be interested in this book! Of course its our favourite genre, dystopian! and as it's the last in the trilogy this one will be tying up all the loose ends and finding out what has happened to everyone.


THE LIVES WE LOST 
by MEGAN CREWE
(FALLEN WORLD SERIES)
ISBN: 9781423146179
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Expected Release Date: 12th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
First, the virus took Kaelyn’s friends. Then, her family. Now it’s taken away her home.But she can't look back—the life she once had is gone forever.
A deadly virus has destroyed Kaelyn’s small island community and spread beyond the quarantine. No one is safe. But when Kaelyn finds samples of a vaccine in her father's abandoned lab, she knows there must be someone, somewhere, who can replicate it. As Kaelyn and her friends head to the mainland, they encounter a world beyond recognition. It’s not only the “friendly flu” that’s a killer—there are people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the vaccine. How much will Kaelyn risk for an unproven cure, when the search could either destroy those she loves or save the human race?
Megan Crewe's second volume in the Fallen World trilogy is an action-packed journey that explores the resilience of friendship, the ache of lost love, and Kaelyn’s enduring hope in the face of the sacrifices she must make to stay alive.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
I like the bold cover, it's in keeping with the bold yellow of bk #1's cover. I would think it would stand out on a shelf too. I loved book one in this series and seriously need to know what happens next to Kaelyn! There's so many question I want answers for. If Bk#2 is as good as Bk#1 and ends on a cliff hanger as Bk #1 did I will be desperate for bk#3 and the conclusion to the series!


WHAT WE SAW AT NIGHT 
by JACQUELINE MITCHARD
ISBN: 978-1616951412
Publisher: SOHO Press
Expected Release Date: 14th Feb 2013

BLURB from the Publisher
Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.”
On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
This one is a book I have already featured on my blog by doing a Promotional Spotlight and Interview with author Jacqueline Mitchard. I think the cover fits the book and it's blurb perfectly, showing the three figures on the rooftop at night, which is the only time that Allie can be outside due to a medical condition. The blurb gives me the impression that this book would probably appeal to the older, more mature reader, and although the cover doesn't totally wow me I think I would like to read it at some point. It isn't a typical teen read.


DANCE OF SHADOWS 
by YELENA BLACK
ISBN: 9781599909400
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Expected Release Date: 14th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . . . . 


JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
Wow I have to totally admit to being kind of biased here! as I have read and really did enjoy this book a lot. I love the cover, it's attractive, eye catching, and all the things it needs to be to stand out on a book store shelf. Don't let the Dance element put you off, as I know very little about ballet but still really enjoyed the book, you seriously do not need to be a dancer to love this book. It has mystery, conspiracy and dark elements all around as well as plenty of missing girls. I have to add that I am already seriously looking forward to BK#2!


FUSE
by JULIANNA BAGGOT
(PURE SERIES)
ISBN: 9780755385539
Publisher: Headline
Expected Release Date: 19th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
After a young Wretch is abducted by the Dome and ‘cleansed’ of her fusings and imperfections, she is only able to repeat the Dome’s latest message: ‘We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.’ Willux will go to any lengths to get his son Partridge back, including murder. Partridge sacrifices himself and returns, in the hope of taking over the Dome from within, only to uncover more of his father’s chilling, dark secrets.Outside the Dome, Pressia, Bradwell, and El Capitan are decoding the secrets from the past – tucked away in one of the Black Boxes – to uncover the truth that might set the wretches free of their fusings forever. Those fighting Willux will be pushed over boundaries, both land and sea, heart and mind, in their quest – further than they ever imagined.

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
The cover is Mmm okay, I really love a good byline on a cover and this has that. The colour would stand out on the shelf but the alternative cover with the dark cover and the metallic wing is prettier. I am in the process of reading an ARC of this one as I am doing this post. It's taking me longer as the print in the ARC is kinda small for my eyes! (getting old lol) Seriously I have to wear my glasses (which I usually only do if I have a head or eye ache) All that aside the book so far? It's brilliant, it's as good as Bk#1, cos' lets face it BK#2's tend to be the one that lets you down in a series....but this one isn't, it's action packed and has me on the edge of my seat. I'll be bold and say I'd recommend this one already!



MOONGLOW 
by
MICHAEL GRIFFO
ISBN: 9780758280725
Publisher: K-Teen
Expected Release Date: 26th Feb 2013

BLURB from Goodreads
From the author of the acclaimed Archangel Academy vampire trilogy comes a stunning new series about a girl determined to defy her fate—and reclaim her future…Something strange is going on with Dominy Robineau. All her friends in Weeping Water, Nebraska, have noticed—and it’s way beyond teenage blues. As weeks pass, Dom grows consumed by anger, aggression, and violence, and she seems powerless to stop it. Then she turns sixteen, and things get really dangerous.
When her best friend is murdered, Dominy’s father is compelled to reveal the truth behind the darkness that threatens to both overtake and empower her. Her boyfriend, Caleb, swears they’ll find a way to change her destiny. But others are hiding secrets too, and gifts that are far more terrifying than hers. And even as she struggles to control her new abilities, Dom must contend with an enemy who wants her to use the beast within to destroy all those she loves, before she destroys herself. . . . . . . . . . . 

JEANZ INITIAL THOUGHTS
Look at that cover! Wow look at that gorgeous head of hair (sorry it's the hairdresser in me sneaking out) I love the cover, obviously the moon in the background adds it's eery glow. At first looking at this cover I did wonder if it would be a "shifter" one. But from the blurb it doesn't reveal much.. We have an ARC of this one on our shelf which I will be reading soon. I am really looking forward to this as I don't know a great deal about it, yet feel drawn to it.
So what do you think to the February Releases I have chosen to list above? Or are there any other February Releases you are looking forward to? Please share your thoughts below in the comments or pop over to the Facebook BookReadNReview page and chat with me there.

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