Young adult

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    Fall reads …

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    Today, I thought that I would share some of the books that I’m looking forward to reading this fall. Note that the descriptions are from Goodreads.

    Sunset in Central ParkSunset in Central Park

    by Sarah Morgan — out now

    In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it’s been right under your nose all along…

    Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents’ divorce, she’s seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt—but that’s strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race…

    Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he’s known forever and doesn’t want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

    My thoughts: I enjoy reading contemporary romance (I’m a sucker for a good rom-com movie), and this is the second book in Morgan’s new contemporary romance series, after Sleepless in Manhattan.

    Three Dark CrownsThree Dark Crowns

    by Kendare Blake — out now

    Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

    But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

    If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

    My thoughts: I love reading epic fantasy young adult books, and this one sounds really interesting.

    Black WidowBlack Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted

    by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee — out on Nov. 8

    They wowed you with Daredevil, now the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take Black Widow to new heights -by forcing her to go on the lam! Natasha has a lifetime of secrets, and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once greatest asset, she seeks out her own answers in a knockdown drag-out tale of action and espionage! But will the Widow’s hunt for the Weeping Lion send her back to the one place she never wanted to go? And, when a S.H.I.E.L.D. funeral makes the assembled top brass an attractive target, it’s lucky for them that the Black Widow is still on their side, even if they aren’t on hers.

    COLLECTING: BLACK WIDOW 1-6

    My thoughts: I’m always up for a Black Widow story, and I’ve heard good things about this storyline.

    What about you guys? What’s on your TBR pile this fall?

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    Bright Blaze of Magic, Black Blade #3, to be released in Germany on Oct. 4 …

    Estap_BlackBlade_FlammeBd03.inddAttention German readers. Bright Blaze of Magic, book #3 in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, will be released in German on Oct. 4.

    And here is a look at the cover art. Isn’t it cool? I always think that it’s so interesting to see how the book covers vary from country to country.

    I really like the white covers that my German publisher, Piper Verlag, has been doing for this series, along with my Mythos Academy series. (Although my favorite German covers are the ones with the flowers on the front and on the spines for my Mythos Academy series.)

    And of course Cold Burn of Magic and Dark Heart of Magic, the first two books in my Black Blade series, are also available in German if you need to catch up on the series.

    I hope that all the German readers enjoy Bright Blaze of Magic when it is released. Happy reading!

  • Books in my TBR pile …

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    I can’t believe that it’s March already. Spring will be here before you know it.

    So today, I thought I would share some books in my TBR pile that I’m looking forward to reading this spring. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon:

    Red QueenRed Queen by Victoria Aveyard

    The #1 New York Times Bestseller

    Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard’s sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king’s palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

    Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

    To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

    The Shadow QueenThe Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine

    A dark epic fantasy inspired by the tale of Snow White, from C. J. Redwine, the author of the Defiance series. Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Cinder.

    Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

    In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic of his own—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman—and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

    But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

    TruthwitchTruthwitch by Susan Dennard

    In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble–as two desperate young women know all too well.

    Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her–but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

    What about you guys? What books are in your TBR pile? What books are you looking forward to reading this spring?

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    Happy holidays and happy reading time …

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    Note #1: This post will also appear tomorrow at Magical Musings.

    Note #2: I’m taking a blogging break for the holidays. See you back here on Monday, Jan. 4.

    First of all, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. May your gatherings be warm, merry, and bright, and may your travels be safe.

    I have a confession to make. One of my favorite things about the holiday season isn’t any family or friend gatherings. It’s not even all the yummy holiday food (although that’s a close second).

    It’s the extra reading time. 🙂

    With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day falling on a Thursday and Friday this year, many folks will have a long holiday weekend, including yours truly. And I plan to spend part of that time digging into some of the books that Santa will hopefully bring me for Christmas. Here are a few books that are on my holiday wishlist. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon:

    Black Widow The Tightly Tangled WebBlack Widow Volume 2: The Tightly Tangled Web by Nathan Edmondson, Phil Noto, and Mitch Gerads

    On a snowy night in Prague, Natasha must fight her way out of disaster alongside the Winter Soldier! Meanwhile, Isaiah has business in London, but a simple plan soon gets very complicated. Then, the Black Widow finds herself fighting against – or alongside? – the Punisher for access to a deadly criminal network. But trapped on an exploding oil rig with Crossbones and his Skull Squad, will Frank and Natasha complete their missions…or take each other out? And because you demanded it: Hawkeye! But how could his fight with the Widow cost Isaiah his life? Finally, in the wake of Wolverine’s death, Black Widow bonds with the despondent X-23 over punching and espionage. Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto continue their run on one of the most acclaimed books of the year!

    COLLECTING: Black Widow 7-12, Punisher 9

    Six of CrowsSix of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

    Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

    A convict with a thirst for revenge.

    A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

    A runaway with a privileged past.

    A spy known as the Wraith.

    A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

    A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

    Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction?if they don’t kill each other first.

    The Zig Zag GirlThe Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

    In the first installment of a compelling new series by Elly Griffiths featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and the magnificent Max Mephisto, a band of magicians who served together in World War II track a killer who’s performing their deadly tricks.

    Brighton, 1950. The body of a girl is found cut into three pieces. Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is convinced the killer is mimicking a famous magic trick—the Zig Zag Girl. The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old war friend of Edgar’s. They served together in a shadowy unit called the Magic Men, a special ops troop that used stage tricks to confound the enemy. 

    Max is on the traveling show circuit, touring seaside towns with ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls. He’s reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate, but advises him to identify the victim quickly — it takes a special sidekick to do the Zig Zag Girl. Those words come back to haunt Max when the dead girl turns out to be Ethel, one of his best assistants to date. He’s soon at Edgar’s side, hunting for Ethel’s killer. 

    Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max are sure the answer to the murders lies in their army days. And when Edgar receives a letter warning of another “trick” on the way — the Wolf Trap — he knows they’re all in the killer’s sights.

    What about you guys? What books are you hoping to give, receive, and read this holiday season?

    Happy holidays! 🙂

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    Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, released today …

    Dark Heart of Magic finalDark Heart of Magic, the second book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, has been released. Woot!

    Dark Heart of Magic is available at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo

    The audiobook is available through Audible and Amazon. Brittany Pressley is once again the narrator.

    And here is the book description. It doesn’t contain any real spoilers for Cold Burn of Magic, book #1, but if you absolutely want to remain spoiler-free, you might want to skip reading the description.

    SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES…

    As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

    Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot of winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents”, it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

    As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else …

    You can read the first chapter of Dark Heart of Magic by clicking here. Scroll down, and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    The heroine of Dark Heart of Magic is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    I hope that everyone enjoys Dark Heart of Magic and Lila’s new adventure. Happy reading!