Thursday, January 19, 2012

To Be Read Thursday {20}


TBR Thursday is a weekly post where I draw attention to books by sharing with you the books I've either purchased, received, borrowed, or received for review, plus 10 books currently on my TBR list.
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Books for Review:

Partials (Partials, #1)
Partials, Dan Wells
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 2/28/2012

Synopsis from Goodreads: The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.



Vengeance Born (The Light Blade, #1)
Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1), Kylie Griffin
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: 2/7/2012

Synopsis from Goodreads: There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not pure bred is virtually powerless. Until an unlikely champion is born...

Annika, half-blood daughter of the Na'Reish King, longs for more than her tormented life among her father's people. Conceived in hatred and bred as a tool of retribution, she's gifted with a special talent that can heal as well as destroy...

With the Na'Reish vastly outnumbering them, Kalan, a Light Blade warrior, knows the future of humankind depends on him alone. Incursions into human territory and raids for blood-slaves by the Na'Reish Horde have increased. As Chosen-leader, he faces the task of stopping the demons-and convincing the Council of aging Light Blade warriors that change is necessary for survival.

When Annika learns Kalan is a prisoner in her father's dungeon, her dream of escape seems within reach. She agrees to free him in exchange for his protection once they reach human territory. Now, marked for death for helping him, Annika must learn to trust Kalan as they face not only the perilous journey to the border but enemies within the Council-and discover a shocking truth that could throw the human race into civil war...



Drowning Instinct
Drowning Instinct, Ilsa J. Bick
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Carolrhoda (Lerner)
Publication Date: 1/28/2012

Synopsis from Goodreads: There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism.

And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.



When You Open Your Eyes
When You Open Your Eyes, Celeste Conway
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 3/20/2012

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Tessa is in love with Lucien, the son of a European diplomat. He's French and sexy and artistic. With him, she realizes how naive and American she is, and just how alive she can feel.

But Tessa’s father forbids her to see Lucien. So they meet in secret, which makes their relationship feel all the more exciting.
 
The harder Tessa falls for Lucien, the more volatile he becomes. Suddenly it’s not just their relationship that’s breaking the rules—Lucien knows no boundaries. And Tessa must figure out how far she’ll go for Lucien…before there is no turning back.
 
 
The Katerina Trilogy, Vol. I: The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm, Robin Bridges
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Delacorte BFYR
Publication Date: 1/10/2012
 
Synopsis from Goodreads: St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?



Don't You Wish
Don't You Wish, Roxanne St. Claire
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Delacorte BFYR
Publication Date: 7/10/2012

Synopsis from Goodreads: When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school. 

In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen.

But on the inside, Ayla is still Annie.

So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life and head home to Pittsburgh, will she take it?

The choice isn't as simple as you think.




To Be Read Books:

Any Witch Way 1. Any Witch Way, Annastaysia Savage

Personal Demons (Personal Demons, #1) 2. Personal Demons, Lisa Desrochers

Paradise 3. Paradise, Jill S. Alexander

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, #2) 4. Supernaturally, Kiersten White

Leverage 5. Leverage, Joshua C. Cohen

A Season Of Transformation 6. A Season of Transformation, Jayne Fordham

Serial 7. Serial, John Lutz

Witch Song 8. Witch Song, Amber Argyle

Eden 9. Eden, Keary Taylor

The Beginning of After 10. The Beginning of After, Jennifer Castle


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2 comments:

Mandie Baxter said...

I think I need to somehow change your address to mine! ;0) You get some great titles in for reviews! Partials looks awesome.

Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer said...

Lovely, I am reviewing some of these and have pre-ordered some as well..I'd say 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome read :)