Top Ten Books Coming out in July
10. The Eternal Kiss: 12 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire out July 27th from Running Press
Book Description: There’s an allure to vampire tales that have seduced readers for generations. From Bram Stoker to Stephanie Meyer and beyond, vampire stories are here to stay. For those fresh-blooded fans of paranormal romance or for those whose hunt and hunger never dies, these stories have what readers want! This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including:
• Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe)
• Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty)• Melissa De La Cruz (Blue Blood)
• Cassandra Clare (City of Bones)
• Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires)
• Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (Wicked)
• Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof, Queen of Cool)
• Kelley Armstrong (Women of Otherworld)
• Maria V. Snyder
• Sarah Rees Brennan
• Lili St. Crow
• Karen Mahoney
• Dina James
9. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev out July 7th from Feiwel & Friends
Book Description: All her world’s a stage. Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater. She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents. She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own. That is, until now. Enter Stage Right NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie. COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks. ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom. BERTIE. Our heroine. Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known. Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience. Open Curtain
I've heard amazing things about this upcoming YA title, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of it! To check out Lisa Mantchev's website, click here. Excerpt here.
8. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner out July 14th from Atria.
Book Description: Some bonds can't be broken. Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine
years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat. Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help." Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It's about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together. Jennifer Weiner writes the best feel good chick lit out there right now. For Jennifer Weiner's site, click here. For signings and events, click here. To read an excerpt, click here.
7. Undone (Grant County) by Karin Slaughter out July 14th from Delacorte
Book Description: Bestseller Slaughter brings together characters from her two series for the first time with electrifying results. Dr. Sara Linton, who lost her husband in 2007's Beyond Reach, has left rural Grant County for a new life in an underfunded Atlanta hospital
. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents Faith Mitchell and Will Trent, last seen in 2008's Fractured, happen to be in the hospital's ER when a woman known only as Anna arrives. Anna was hit by a car after escaping from an unknown captor, whose underground torture chamber Will soon uncovers near the accident site, along with the body of a second woman he believes was held in the same bunker. When another woman is snatched, Faith and Will realize they're chasing a sadistic serial killer. As the GBI agents try to connect the victims, Sara becomes more involved in the investigation, even as it dredges up painful memories from her past. Slaughter ups the emotional ante with every twist and turn in this disturbing thriller. I'm actually not usually a thriller fan. I tend to get bored with thrillers and police dramas, but Karin Slaughter is definitely the exception. Her books are fantastic, the characters are well developed, the plot is always horrifyingly addictive, and the books keep you guessing until the end. For her website, click here. To read an excerpt, click here.
6. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson out July 28th from Knopf
Book Description: Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium
, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government. But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire. As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all. Another great read. For Stieg Larsson's site, click here. To read an excerpt, click here.
5. Labyrinth by Pearl North out July 7th from Tor Teen
Book Description: In her debut novel, Pearl North takes readers centuries into the future, to a forgotten colony of Earth where technology masquerades as magic and wars are fought over books. Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and
protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her. When the threat of the rival Eradicants drives her from her home, Haly learns that things are not all she thinks they are. Taken prisoner by the Eradicants, who believe the written word to be evil, she sees the world through their eyes and comes to understand that they are not the book-burning monsters that she has known her entire life. The words of a young girl hiding in an attic—written hundreds of years before Haly’s birth—will spark the interest of her captors and begin the change necessary to end the conflict between the Eradicants and Libyrarians. With the help of her loyal companion Nod, a creature of the Libyrinth, Haly must mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all. Haly’s life—and the lives of everyone she knows—will never be the same. A powerful adventure that unites the present and future, Libyrinth is a fresh, magical novel that will draw in young readers of all genres.I just know this book is going to be fantastic.
4. Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins out July 9th from RazorbillBook Description: The rules for a young English woman in 1799 are simple: Do what you’re told; stay out of the way; and don’t, under any circumstances, ask questions. But Constance Blackchurch is insatiable, headstrong, and complex; and the quest to find her missing mother is too much to resist…as is Alexandre Sans-Nom, the pearl diver who steals her heart, uproots all of her social expectations, and can either ruin or save the family she loves.
Romantic historical fiction, and I've heard so many amazing things about it. Click here for the author, Kim Wilkins' site.
3. Blue Moon by Alyson Noel out July 7th from St. Martin's Press
Book Description: Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is
happening to him. As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life. Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen’s past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...This is the second book after Evermore in The Immortals Series, and while the last third of Evermore left me a little disappointed, this still sounds like it will be an awesome story. For Alyson Noel's website, click here. To read an excerpt from Blue Moon, click here.
2. Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead out July 28th from Zebra.Book Description: Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she’s also become queen of the Thorn Land. It’s hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one—except Eugenie—seems willing to find out why.Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren't making things any easier. Her boyfriend, Kiyo, is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty—even if it means facing the darkest—and deadliest—side of her nature…
This is the second adult urban fantasy book in Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series after Storm Born, and for fans of the Vampire Academy series, Mead's adult stories are awesome. I'm definitely looking forward to this, and of course even more excited for Blood Promise which will be out next month. For Richelle Mead's website, click here. For an excerpt, click here.
1. Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress Series #4) by Jeaniene Frost out July 28th from Avon
Book Description: Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger. Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about. Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.
This series is my favorite urban fantasy series out there. Cat is a hard-hitting kick ass female protagonist who's a no nonsense vampire hunter, and Bones, the sexy vampire she fell in love with during the first book is way sexier than any other vampire out there, and less creepy and more realistic. Frost has managed to create complex characters who are easy to relate to and care about, as well as hard hitting suspense and nonstop action. Once you open one of these books, they're almost impossible to put down. (Warning: these are definitely adult books with some pretty hot sex scenes.) For Jeaniene Frost's site, click here. For an excerpt, click here.
Other YA Titles
The Clique #11: Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison out July 7th
The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams out July 14th
Three Witches by Paula Jolin out July 21st
The Lost Sister by Megan Kelley Hall out July 28th
Other Urban Fantasy Titles
Prey by Rachel Vincent out July 1st
Skinwalker: A Jane Yellowrock Novel by Faith Hunter out July 7th
Strange Brew by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, and more out July 7th
Dark Time (Mortal Path Book #1) by Dakota Banks out July 28th
The Fire King (Dirk & Steele Romance) by Marjorie Liu out July 28th
Redemption Alley (Jill Kismet) by Lilith Saintcrow out July 28th
Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist Book #4) by Jenna Black out July 28th
Leader of the Pack: Tales of an Urban Werewolf by Karen MacInerney out July 28th
Other Paranormal Romance Titles
Dark Warrior Unbroken (Talions Book #2) by Alexis Morgan out July 28th
Other Fiction and Chick-Lit Titles
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells out July 7th
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella out July 21st