New Releases Tuesday!

ALL MERMAIDS ALL THE TIME.

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown--Delacorte Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

That's right, folks, it's summer, and that means mermaids. You thought we covered mermaids two weeks ago? Ohhhh, no. These are murderous mermaids that seduce land-walking folk and live in freshwater lakes. Take that, peaceful sea creatures. 

This is the story of Calder White, who is a merman, and whose family kills people in order to absorb their energy. They also hate Jason Hancock who has a fear of water. (Please don't go into M. Night Shyamalan territory again, books. I just can't right now.) 

There seems to be a fair amount of swimming, intrigue, star-crossed lovey-dovey ness, and fish/humans that murder people, which is really all I look for in a book.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham--Simon & Schuster Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

As someone who has read/watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants more than anyone should ever admit to, I can say I am pretty excited for this book. It follows three friends who have had a falling-out after their favorite band, Level3 (for the love of God, could we get authors to vet these names with actual teens?) broke up. The band is getting back together for a reunion tour, and it might be the perfect time for these three friends to find their way back to each other.

Aside from the awful band name, this sounds like a fun story of friendship, growing up, and moving past differences. (I wonder if they are going to realize that their friendship is more important than the band?)

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson--Delacorte Books for YR

Barnes & Noble     Powell's

This books has a one-line description: "Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars...and of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!" 

True story: when I was in Italy three years ago, I had a waiter try to kiss me when I really just wanted the check, and then the man selling train tickets from Venice to Paris gave me a free upgrade because "your eyes. Oh, your eyes." I found it more creepy than gorgeous, but to each his own. I still kind of want to read this in a "I hope it's a B&N special of the day" kind of way. 

New Releases Tuesday! (In which the Dawson Crying gif is far too representative.)

Sorry for the radio silence last week. I've been busy writing things that make money (what?) and reading Insurgent (disappointing) and Bitterblue (Ahhhhh! So good so far!), both of which will be getting their own posts soon. Here are some highlights from last week's and this week's new releases:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Hyperion


Set in WWII, this historical novel tells the story of "Verity" a young British spy who is captured and interrogated by the Nazis after her plane crashes in enemy territory.


This book has been getting amazing reviews, and I've been looking forward to it for a while. I always find it interesting how enthralled with Nazi Germany teenagers are, and how much YA literature is devoted to the Nazis and the Holocaust. I've maintained the interest, and I will be very glad to see a war story told from a female perspective, especially since the major themes here seem to be friendship, trust, and bravery.


You can pick it up here and here.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Candlewick Press


This book trends a bit younger, with the main character being only 12 and the appropriate reading age listed as 5th grade an up. Sometimes, that would make me discount a book, but this is what Kirkus has to say about it: "Sit back in a comfortable chair, bring on the Kleenex and cry your heart out... Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level." 


Ok, Kirkus, maybe I will. Maybe I will.

Buy it and cry. 

37 Things I Love (in No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

Henry Holt and Co.

Ahhhhh, summer. Doesn't this cover just scream popsicles and pools and swimming and carefree days under the sun? You may be surprised, then, to find that this is a coming-of-age novel in which the main character's dad is in a coma. Yup. 

Check it out if you want to look like you're reading a book about pool parties but you're actually reading a bildungsroman about dealing with family tragedy! Summer fun for all!

Buy it? And...

THE GREATEST NEW RELEASES TUESDAY EVER

Ok, Insurgent is definitely going to get top billing here (and maybe even a nice big picture), but there are so many books coming out today that I want to read, I pretty much can't contain my excitement.

Insurgent (Divergent Series #2), by Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

Divergent sets up a world in post-apolcalyptic Chicago where everyone is forced to choose a faction to live under at the age of 16. The factions are based on virtues (humility, bravery, etc.), and when you live under them, you become a kind of one-dimensional person, giving up everything that doesn't represent your virtue. But not our Tris. She leaves the faction she's been raised in and starts to uncover all the dirty, underhanded things that the factions are doing to each other, and to their citizens. 

Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off, and it sounds like the factionless are going to play a huge role in this sequel, which I'm so happy about since they are only really hinted at in the first book. The second books in trilogies always seem to lag a bit in the action department since they have to reestablish the characters and plot lines, and then set-up for the finale, but Roth's writing is so crisp and fast-paced, I will be incredibly surprised if this book is at all boring.

I have huge hopes for this book, but mostly I just really want to see if Tris and Four get to Do It. Priorities: I have them.

Buy it here or here. SERIOUSLY. DO IT.

Wait, there are other books? Ok, here you go.

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore
Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Teen)

The sequel to Graceling, the only reason this didn't get top billing is because I was a big fan of the way Graceling ended because Feminism and Independence and all that, and I was almost hoping that Kristin Cashore wouldn't write a sequel? But then I found out she was writing one and I squealed? So, yeah, this is next up after Insurgent.

In this book, we fast-forward eight years--Bitterblue is queen of Monsea, but the legacy of her crazy Dad with the mind control Grace who made people do horrible things still lingers, and she can't get her kingdom to move past it. What will she do? Fall in love with a super hot guy, of course.

Bonus: We get to catch up with Katsa and Po, who are my almost favorite YA couple. (Katniss and Peeta are disqualified because, well, duh. It's like when Oprah said, "Stop giving me Emmy's." We all know she's really the winner.) If you haven't read Graceling, I highly recommend it. If you come across a companion called Fire, I highly recommend you stay away.

Buy Bitterblue here or here. I'll join you.

The Drowned Cities, by Paolo Bacigalupi

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is the companion (NOT sequel) to Ship Breaker, a book I absolutely loved. Because it isn't a sequel, though, it doesn't have the compulsive must-read-now attachment, so it will have to wait a week or two. 

The Drowned Cities focuses on the wars surrounding the dystopian future that Bacigalupi established in Ship Breaker. Mahlia and Mouse are escaped "war maggots," or assassins recruited and trained by the warring factions. Publisher's Weekly says it's better than the first book, so I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this. 

Buy it here or here, and pick up Ship Breaker if you haven't yet here or here. 

Wentworth Hall, by Abby Grahame

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Ok, I don't want to get too excited about this, but it definitely looks like Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl, and I don't know what could be wrong with that, unless Blake Lively tried to do the movie, in which case I really don't want to hear her attempt an English accent. The product description uses the word "secrets" three times (PAMUK!), and even throws in a "facade." And, oh my God, the family's name is Darlington. DARLINGTON! Pip pip cheerio and what-not. 

 This is the author's first book, so we'll see if the writing holds up (it might sway a little into What American People Think British People Are Like territory), but this could definitely be making a plane ride seem not so long in my near future.

Buy it here or here. 

Don't worry, guys, I wrote this post on Monday so that my Insurgent reading wouldn't be interrupted. What are you reading? If it's not Insurgent (or possibly Bitterblue), I don't understand you, but I still like you.