What big book events are you looking forward to in June?

For Orbit, the release of the debut novel by Kate Locke, God Save the Queen, will be at the top of the list. I can honestly say I’m pretty damn excited about this too.

There is so much about this book that has me jumping around like a lunatic. I’ll start with the cover.

Lauren Panepinto, Evelyn Kriete, Don Sipley, and House of Indulgence have done a brilliant job of making model Jeximé Icon look extremely edgy.  With reds, burgundies and blacks, she’s corseted bustled and armed. I’m already searching ebay for the elements to perhaps cosplay this cover… THAT’s how much of an impact the imagery has had on me.

A pretty cover is all well and good; but what of the storyline?

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

How’s that sound for a page turner? So what themes can you look forward to?

There are supernatural themes; goblins, vampires and werewolves, steampunk elements with alternate technologies and Victorian era twists.

Political intrigue, mystery, romance, action, and damn good storytelling in abundance means there really is something for anyone with a desire for something new. Kate is a self-confessed anglophile, and after this book hits the shelves, she will be well respected for it.

If you haven’t had enough yet and live in the United States, Kate is off on a mini book tour with events in New York, Brooklyn and Comic Con. Check out http://www.katelocke.com/ for more information.

Keep an eye out for God Save the Queen in June and see what all the fuss is about.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: July 3^rd, 26 June (Australia) 2012 by Orbit

ISBN 0316196126 (ISBN13: 9780356501437)

Winter’s Light is the spellbinding sequel to Winter’s Shadow.

Blake gave his life for hers. Winter pines for him, but her calls have made her a beacon to those who would devour her. She has a vision of Blake while at an after-graduation party and only pure determination helps her survive the attack that follows; well, determination and Sam’s spontaneous return to Hagan’s Bluff after months on the run.

Sam’s family offer Winter a way to get Blake back and she jumps at the chance. But has Winter put her trust in the right people? Did she look before she leapt? Will she ever see Blake again?

I was a little ambivalent about reading book 2 after having some misgivings about how Winter seemed like such a push over in book 1.

I’m glad to say she had a cup of concrete somewhere in the interim, and with the help of her friends she has made me proud. She may pine for Blake but she is ready to do whatever it takes to get him back, even if it includes kicking some serious Demori butt.

We get to know a side of Lucy’s boyfriend, Dominic, I didn’t see coming, and Jasmine is a welcome addition to the plotline. The new characters offer a feast of potential dramas and you wouldn’t believe the ending even if I did spoil it for you.

The book is again split into 3 separate parts. Blake’s journal, Lamara’s retelling of her journey to the Dead Lands and an adventurous, suspenseful journey with Winter to get to Blake. Each one playing its part in making us want Winter to succeed.

M.J. Hearle has done a wonderful job crating a foreboding setting for the Bonnaires’ residence; the weather also playing a big part in the sinister ambience surrounding this mysterious band of warriors.

I got this book read over a very rainy and drab weekend, curled up with my cat. I was engrossed enough that the rain simply became part of the story, and I think it added to the gloomy air we were to be immersed in.

Switch your mobile phones to silent and make yourself invisible on facebook, because once you pick up Winter’s Light you won’t want to be disturbed until you’ve finished.

GIVEAWAY: We’re giving away 2 copies of Winter’s Shadow (unsigned) and four copies of Winter’s Light (2 x signed).

To win a copy, you have to post about about how you love the Night Creatures (Burn Bright, Angel Arias, Shine Light) series (or would love to read it!) on one of your social media platforms and put the link in the comments section below, so we can see it. We’ll pick the best ones. Open until Sunday 3rd June.

Paperback 441 pages

Expected publication: May 1st 2012 by Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN139781742611037

http://mjhearle.com/

Becca thought self-defense classes would empower her and, boy oh boy, was she right. Saving Christopher Merrit from being bashed by two thugs starts a chain of events so strange; Becca’s dull life will never be the same again.

There’s something about the Merrit boys that has Becca coming back. It could be their mischievous streak, or their rock star good looks. Whatever it is, she finds herself right in the middle of the action and has no problem standing with them against those who would harm them.

The cover of the book shows a guy and a girl being swept into a maelstrom. The pictures are in black and white with electric blue overtones thanks to the eye popping title.

Multi-layered storylines keep the reader guessing and for all the action and drama, there is a good dose of romance and humor to even it out. There are a couple of mysteries and I must admit, I was guessing for longer than I thought I would be.

I loved the brotherly dynamic in the Merrit home. The joking, the fighting and the way Becca both blended into and upset the delicate balance between the boys. Within her own family situation Becca has to deal with absentee parental units, and her discomfort within the laid-back Merrit home adds quite a bit of humor to the mix.

I think Kemmerer did a brilliant job of allowing her characters their own time on the stage, both to shine and to show a little vulnerability. Becca spends just as much time kicking butt as she does getting herself into trouble, though she works together with her rescuers to get herself out of the pickles she manages to land herself in.

There aren’t too many animal characters in the YA books on the shelves lately, and I think this is a shame. Casper is the four legged hero of the book and I hope he’ll be back in the rest of the series. I’m equally a cat and a dog person, but I must admit, I wouldn’t mind having a German shepherd ex-police dog in the family.

Storm is a book that will bring a smile to your weekend and put a spring in your step, it’s the first book in a series that will make waves in the YA market.

Spark looks to be due out in August 2012 and Spirit due in May 2013. With a prequel, Elemental available on Amazon in ebook format and a story between Storm and Spark called Fearless also being released as an ebook closer to the end of 2012.

I think I will be doing happy dances as I manage to acquire each of these magnificently written books.

http://www.brigidkemmerer.com/

Paperback, AUS, 368 pages

Published May 2012 by Allen & Unwin (first published April 24th 2012)

ISBN 1743310668 (ISBN13: 9781743310663)

I am having SO much fun with the Monster high series of books by Lisi Harrison.

Book 1 Monster High was about Frankie and her struggle to fit in at Merston High.

Book 2 The Ghoul Next Door was about Cleo learning that not everything in life will go her way.

Book 3 Where there’s a Wolf, there’s a Way, was about Clawdeen finding her own path separate from her brothers.

Then we have the fourth and final book in the Monster High series, Back and Deader than Ever.

Draculaura (Lala ) feels like she never measures up to her Dad’s expectations, and when he proposes that the RAD’s (Regular Attribute Dodgers) start their own school separate for the ‘normies’ (regular humans), it is up to Lala to stop the reversion back to the days when RAD’s and ‘normies’ lived apart. She has to find a way to keep the RAD’s at Merston High and make her Dad proud.

There is still a high level of brand and product placement as with the other three books, and if that’s not your thing you may find hope in the underlying message of the series, which, in case you missed it is, be yourself and live an authentic life.

We so often see our characters portrayed as outcasts and misfits, and it’s their journey into popularity and more often than not, their eventual shunning of the popular crowd that signifies their success. This is not the case here.

In this instalment we are watching a popular girl bust her guts to keep her friends together. There isn’t any useless kowtowing or annoying teen angst (at least from our lead character). Lala does her best and though it’s not easy, manages to stay polite. This is something I think needs to be written about more often. You don’t have to be a bitch, kiss butt or give up your morals to get the job done.

For all the heavy ‘meaning’ I’ve been touting about, Back and Deader than Ever is still the same fun romp through the world of the RAD’s. If you loved the other three, you’d be foolish to not pick up the final book in the series.

http://www.lisiharrison.net/

Paperback, 272 pages

Published May 8th 2012 by ATOM

ISBN 0316099171 (ISBN13: 9780316099172)

Katelyn McBride is a ballet dancer, a gymnast and has dreams of joining Cirque du Soleil. Her life in Santa Monica, California comes crashing down around her ears in the form of an earthquake; one which claims the life of her last living parent, her mother.

In the weeks that follow, she buries her Mum and is shipped off to a backwater town called Wolf Springs to live with a grandfather she barely knows. Salvation comes in the form of a Mustang-driving young man called Trick.

There are mysteries in Wolf Springs, strange noises and young girls being found dead in the woods. Katelyn suffers extreme culture shock as she is required to learn how to shoot a gun and is warned off going out alone after dark. But a flat tire changes her life completely.

Who is the owner of the blue eyes that will forever haunt her dreams and what’s going to happen on the night of the next full moon?

The market seems to be flooded with angels and vampires at the moment so I was excited to switch things up a little and pick up the first book in the Wolf Springs Chronicles, Unleashed.

I started reading this on a stormy Sunday afternoon; the ambience of the weather matched the mood and the setting of the book so well that before I knew it I was 300 pages in and having to put it down to catch some sleep, but the decision to stay up to finish was a near thing.

The first thing to hit you head on with this amazing book is that it is surprisingly sensitive without being mushy. Our lead character, though vegetarian, isn’t used to being molly coddled and finds aspects of her new home quite restrictive.

I felt like I was in Katelyn’s skin, I could empathise with her about being the new girl and the need to hold it all together so you’re not given the label of ‘freak’ in the first few weeks, and yet needing to let loose and be yourself.

I’m a big fan of getting out into the middle of nowhere and my wild side was awakened with scenes of Trick and Katelyn tearing down woodland roads to get to school in the Mustang. Must admit I’m a rev head too, so these moments were doubly thrilling for me.

As for the romance side of things, there is a few smoldering embers that will need only a breath to ignite, and the forecast says wildfires are due in the next book; but who will be consumed by her passion?

I have no complaints about this book except that I ran out of pages long before my appetite was sated… I want to know more. I want the best for Katelyn and I will probably go a little insane waiting to find out what transpires in the next book.

If you’re in the mood for something just a little different consider Unleashed to add to your shelves. You really won’t regret it.

Paperback, 383 pages

Published December 8th 2011 by Doubleday Children’s Books (first published November 22nd 2011)

ISBN

0857530712 (ISBN13: 9780857530714)

http://www.debbieviguie.com

http://nancyholder.com

http://www.wolfspringschronicles.com