March
24
We
All Looked Up—Tommy Wallach
What it’s about: They always say that high school is the
best time of your life. Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is
worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and
perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of
abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss
about college and career—the future can wait. Or can it? Because it turns out
the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on
Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what
damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and
decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.
Why I’m excited: Because even though the first line of
the description is super cliché, it gets seriously interesting fast. An
asteroid plummeting toward Earth?! I can see how that might change what
people will do and how they’ll act and maybe bring down civilization in the
process…
March
31
Black
Dove, White Raven—Elizabeth Wein
What it’s about: Emilia and Teo’s lives changed in a terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt
pilot mothers were flying. Teo’s mother died immediately, but Em’s survived, determined to raise Teo according to
his late mother's wishes-in a place where he won't be discriminated against
because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a
black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.
Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender,
Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the
beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war
with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict. Will their
devotion to their country, its culture and people, and each other be their
downfall or their salvation?
Why I’m excited: Because Code Name Verity was a jaw-dropping, fist-clenching historical
fiction novel which I loved. (And I’ve been meaning to dive into Rose Under Fire for months now, but I
haven’t because I know I’ll need to be prepared for its awesomeness.) Plus, I'm unfamiliar with 1930s Ethiopia, so I can't wait to dive into this time and place!
April 21
Conspiracy
of Blood and Smoke--Anne Blankman
What it’s about: The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone
has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler's inner circle. More than a
year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she
lives in England, posing as an ordinary German immigrant. Her love, Daniel, is
a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content. But
then Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen's
world turns upside down. When she receives word that Daniel is wanted for
murder, she has to face the danger she thought she'd escaped—and return to her
homeland. As they work to clear Daniel's name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a
deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself.
Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time—or will Hitler discover
them first?
Why I’m excited: Because WWII historical fiction is my
thing. Also, I adored Prisoner of Night
and Fog, the first in this series. It was an edge-of-your-seat thriller
(see my six star review here) which
I DID NOT want to end. So I'm excited to pick this one up and dive back into that world!
April
28
An
Ember in the Ashes—Sabaa Tahir
What it’s about: Laia is
a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her
brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the
empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel
Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution. Elias
is the academy’s finest soldier— and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is
considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to
participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor. When Laia
and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more
intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change
the future of the empire itself.
Why I’m excited: Because I’ve already heard great things
about this debut! I’ve heard it’s gritty and dark, and I can’t wait to dive
into this fierce fantasy! (And I will soon as I managed to grab the DRC!)
May
5
Court
of Thorns and Roses—Sarah J. Maas
What it’s about: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre
kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution
for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from
legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin-one of
the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his
estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery
passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the
beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the
faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it or doom Tamlin
and his world forever.
Why I’m excited: Because Maas is one of my
favorite authors. Throne of Glass is
a brilliant, heart-pounding, intricately-woven series, and I can’t wait to dive
into another one of Maas’ fantasy tales! (Seriously, I’m so anxious for this
book that I think about it DAILY. Just over seven weeks until its release!)
May
12
The
Wrath and the Dawn—Renée Ahdieh
What it’s about: Every dawn brings horror to a different
family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of
Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So
it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry
Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on
the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s
wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but
with a catch—she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest
friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and
neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the
reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.
Why I’m excited: Because there was an unexpected twist in
the description, so can you imagine how the book’s going to be? Plus, I need to
know how Shazi falls in love with a Caliph who executes his new brides at
sunrise. I want these questions answered, so I'll be reading
this book for sure!
July
7
Heart
of Betrayal—Mary E. Pearson
What it’s
about: Held
captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of
escape and even less of being together. Desperate to save her life, Lia's
erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komisar that she has a magical
gift, and the Komisar's interest in Lia is greater than either of them foresaw.
In Venda, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to her, but has
sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but
has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom she always believed to be
barbarians but whom she now realizes are people who have been terribly
brutalized. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her very sense of
self, Lia will have to make powerful choices that affect her country, her
people and her own destiny.
Why I’m excited: Because I’ve already read this book and
loved it! Sometimes sequels are lackluster, but this one shined brightly, and I
can’t wait to purchase my copy. Actually, now that I think about it, I think
I’ll pre-order it! Kiss of Deception
was one of my favorite books of 2014 (see my six star review here), and this sequel raised the
stakes so high that I’m already anxious for the third book!
What new releases are you excited for this spring?
*Book descriptions were adapted from those on BN.com.
