New Releases Jan. 8-14 and Reader's Choice

Was last week’s list crazy, or what? Things settle down a bit this week, with fourteen new releases—but some good ones here. I’ve heard amazing things about Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook, Kresley Cole fans will be excited to see Lothaire release this week, and YA fans who liked Beth Revis’ debute Across the Universe will be jumping on A Million Suns.

What do you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to win his or her choice. International, as always.

*Genre key (at the end of each listing): SF=science fiction; F=high/epic fantasy; UF=urban fantasy; H=horror; PNR=paranormal romance; YA=young adult; MG=middle grade; alt history=alternative history; dyst=dystopia; steampunk; mystery.

Fangtastic, by Lucienne Diver (Jan. 8, Flux)

Top five perks of Gina Covello’s new secret mission: 1) The five-alarm-fire hotties. A few degrees below my genius boyfriend Bobby, of course. 2) The wannabe vamps love me. An entourage, finally! 3) Fashion tips from the steampunk crowd. 4) Putting a stop to the brutal killings—which only look like the work of vamps—in Tampa, Florida. 5) Finding out just what the Feds are hiding. . . Guantanamo Bay of the undead? Third in the Vamped series. UF

The Fires of New Sun, by Michael Kinch (Jan. 8, Flux)

Following a perilous weeks-long trek under the blazing Savannah sun, dozens of Nswibe refugees have found safe haven at a New SUN outpost—a cavern-fortress hidden in the Blue Mountains. But their troubles are just beginning. While the New SUN movement is tested by infighting and treachery, the outpost sustains a crippling attack. Survival is vital—defeat would mean slavery, death, and the end of the Blender program. The second Blending Time novel. GB-SF-YA

Shadow’s Edge, by Maureen Lipinski (Jan. 8, Flux)

Sixteen-year-old Leah Spencer didn't mind being a natural-born Shaman to the Créatúir. Until she broke Rule #1 and traveled to the Other Realm, where she quickly lost time. Like, a whole year of time. She missed out on everything—holidays, school, her sixteenth birthday, the boyfriend who ditched her. So Leah swore to leave all things magical behind her and lead the life of a normal high school girl. But when a mysterious dark force starts offing the Créatúir, both Light and Dark, Leah must choose between her new life and "getting all CSI" on the Other Realm murder spree. With the help of her three sisters (each with their own magical gift), and three gorgeous guys—who may or may not be part of the evil magic—Leah must vanquish an ancient dark force that is connected to her family in unimaginable ways. UF-YA

The Gathering Storm, by Robin Bridges (Jan. 10, Delacorte)

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. (And might I say how much I love this cover!) YA

Nameless, by Kyle Chais (Jan. 10, Gallery)

In the in between are the Nameless; names are for masters, and they have none. They live in the Nameless realm; between being saved and being destroyed. They are Fallen. One Nameless spends his time watching humans in New York City and, in his endless eternity of boredom, becomes intrigued by a drunk named Aurick Pantera. One day Aurick, a reckless gambler, is about to be killed by a gang over his debts. Nameless feels sorry for him, and possesses his body to save his life. He then decides that he rather likes being in a human body; the chance to taste, smells, and touch. He uses Aurick’s body to fulfill all of his wildest dreams—until the other Fallen take notice. They are tired of waiting in Nameless and are ready to start a war—their only chance to cease this painful eternity of waiting and either be saved or be released. UF

Lothaire, by Kresley Cole (Jan. 10, Gallery)

Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience. Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her? Twelfth in the Immortals After Dark series. PNR

A Path to the Coldness of Heart, by Glen Cook (Jan. 10, Night Shade)

The conclusion to Glen Cook's Dread Empire saga. King Bragi Ragnarson is a prisoner, shamed, nameless, and held captive by Lord Shih-kaa and the Empress Mist at the heart of the Dread Empire. Far away in Kavelin, Bragia's queen and what remains of his army seek to find and free their king, hampered by the loss or desertion of their best and brightest warriors. Kavelina's spymaster, Michael Trebilcock, is missing in action, as is loyal soldier Aral Dantice. Meanwhile, Dane, Duke of Greyfells, seeks to seize the rule of Kavelin and place the kingdom in his pocket, beginning a new line of succession through Bragia's queen, Dane's cousin Inger. And in the highest peaks of the Dragona's Teeth, in the ancient castle Fangdred, the sorcerer called Varthlokkur uses his arts to spy on the world at large, observing the puppet strings that control kings and empires alike. F

Jessica Rules the Dark Side, by Beth Fantaskey (Jan. 10, Harcourt Children’s)

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late? UF-YA

Copper Beach, by Jayne Ann Krentz (Jan. 10, Putnam)

Within the pages of very rare books some centuries old lie the secrets of the paranormal. Abby Radwell's unusual psychic talent has made her an expert in such volumes—and sometimes taken her into dangerous territory. After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text known as The Key has reappeared on the black market. Convinced that she needs an investigator who can also play bodyguard, she hires Sam Coppersmith, a specialist in paranormal crystals and amber—"hot rocks." Passion flares immediately between them, but neither entirely trusts the other. When it comes to dealing with a killer who has paranormal abilities, and a blackmailer who will stop at nothing to obtain an ancient alchemical code, no one is safe. First in a new Dark Legacy series. PNR

Death and Resurrection, by R.A. MacAvoy (Jan. 10, Prime)

The award-winning writer of Tea With the Black Dragon and other acclaimed novels returns to fantasy with the intriguing story of Chinese-American artist Ewen Young who gains the ability to travel between the worlds of life and death. This unasked-for skill irrevocably changes his life—as does meeting Nez Perce veterinarian Dr. Susan Sundown and her remarkable dog, Resurrection. After defeating a threat to his own family, Ewen and Susan confront great evils - both supernatural and human, as life and death begin to flow dangerously close together. UF

Gideon’s Corpse, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Jan. 10, Gallery)

A top nuclear scientist goes mad and takes an innocent family hostage at gunpoint, killing one and causing a massive standoff. A plume of radiation above New York City leads to a warehouse where, it seems, a powerful nuclear bomb was assembled just hours before.
Sifting through the evidence, authorities determine that the unthinkable is about to happen: in ten days, a major American city will be vaporized by a terrorist attack. Ten days. And Gideon Crew, tracking the mysterious terrorist cell from the suburbs of New York to the mountains of New Mexico, learns the end may be something worse—far worse—than mere Armageddon. Futuristic thriller

A Million Suns, by Beth Revis (Jan. 10, Razorbill)

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. The second Across the Universe book. SF-YA

Everything is Broken, by John Shirley (Jan. 10, Prime)

Twenty-year-old Russ arrives in the northern California town of Freedom to visit his dad. Freedom has peculiarities other than its odd name: the local mayor''s ideas of "decentralization" have left it without normal connections to state or federal government and minimal public services. Russ meets an interesting young woman, Pendra, but before he can get to know much about Freedom or its people, a savage tsunami strikes the West Coast. The wave of human brutality that soon hits the isolated town proves more dangerous to the survivors than the natural disaster. Russ, his father, Pendra, and the other townsfolk must tap all their courage and ingenuity - and find strength they never knew they had - if they have any hope of living to find real freedom. Dystopia

The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley (Jan. 11, Little, Brown)

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her. She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own. In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined. UF

Gah! Decisions, decisions. As always, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. This contest is international. Now….go!