I was browsing through my Goodreads “to-read” list and I realized there are so many books I am anticipating this year, most of which are sequels to books I read in 2011! So in no particular order, here are my most anticipated reads of 2012!
Girl of Nightmares (Anna Dressed in Blood #2) by Kendare Blake – August 2012
Goodreads blurb: In this follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas begins seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he’s asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong. These aren’t just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. Cas doesn’t know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn’t deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it’s time for him to return the favor.
Ahh, I totally didn’t think I would like the first book but I LOVED it! It was heart wrenchingly awesome and I can. not. wait. for the sequel!!
Waking Storms (Lost Voices #2) by Sarah Porter – July 2012
Goodreads blurb: After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn’t last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. Anais, the tribe’s cruel queen, wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary. But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Luce’s new friendship with an ancient renegade mermaid gives her hope that her kind might someday change its murderous ways. But how can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian? Full of miraculous reunions and heart-pounding rescues, this haunting second installment in the Lost Voices trilogy finds Luce eager to attempt reconciliation with humans—as long as war doesn’t break out first.
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks – May 2012
Goodreads blurb: Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish. What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings.
The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova – May 2012
Goodreads blurb: Set against the backdrop of a Coney Island summer comes The Vicious Deep, the story of sixteen year old Tristan Hart whose life is turned upside down when the mermaids make an unscheduled return to land in search of their new king. When a sudden storm pulls Tristan from lifeguard duty into a deadly riptide, he discovers what he really is—a prince of the Sea Court. Turns out, his girlfriend hopping and talents as a swimmer aren’t caused by his teenage prime hormones after all. In this modern Arthurian tale with a twist, when all a guy wants to do is get The Girl and enjoy the freak show that is a Coney Island summer, Tristan has to fight for his life, the lives of his friends, and his humanity, if he still wants it, as he’s caught in a race for a throne that is as ancient as the gods.
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen – February 2012
Goodreads blurb: After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend Ilven kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven’s death has called out of the sea a dangerous wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg’s caste system, and the whole city along with it.
I am so excited for all of these sea creature/magic themed books! I haven’t seen many “mermaid” tales (hehe pun intended) worth reading so I am excited to see how these books turn out!
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey – December 2012
Goodreads blurb: Lenzi hears voices and has visions – gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can’t help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she’s a reincarnated Speaker – someone who can talk to and help lost souls – and that he has been her Protector for centuries. Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn’t make a decision soon.
I was first drawn to this book by its cover (I know, I know, don’t judge) and I have been anticipating it ever since I read its blurb on Goodreads. The idea of reincarnation and of course the love triangle really drew me in.
Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby – March 2012
Goodreads blurb: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and neighbors, allow me to change your lives! Step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show! You’ve read about them in magazines, these so-called human curiosities, this tribe of misfits—now come and see for yourselves. We’ve got a gent as tall as a tree, a lady with a beard, and don’t miss your chance to see the Wild Albinos of Bora Bora! Ask Madame Doula to peer into your future (only two dollars more if you want to know how you’re going to die). And between these covers behold the greatest act of our display—Portia Remini, the strangest of the menagerie because she’s a ‘normal’ among the freaks, searching for a new beginning on the bally, far away from McGreavey’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, said she could never leave . . .Oh, it’s not for the faint of heart folks. If you’re prone to nightmares or you’ve got a weak ticker, you’d best move on. Within these pages lies a tale of abandonment, loss, misfortune for the rich and glory for the poor (and a little murder doesn’t hurt). It’s a story for the ages, but be warned: once you enter the Wonder Show you will never be the same.
The cover is awesome, I love the circus theme and the fact that it’s “not for the faint of heart” means it sounds right up my alley!
Some of the books I am uber excited for don’t even have covers or blurbs up yet (sad face) but that just means I am obsessing over the websites of the numerous authors just waiting for an update!
Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters #6) by Juliet Marillier – November 2012
Probably my most anticipated book of 2012, there is no picture for this and the only information I can find is that it will be about the younger sister, Maeve. If I absolutely had to choose a favorite author, I would choose Juliet Marillier. I am reading Wildwood Dancing right now and I absolutely love it! I can’t WAIT for the next book in the Sevenwaters series!!
Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3) by Jackson Pearce – August 2012
This is the companion novel to both Sisters Red (which I didn’t love) and Sweetly (which I DID love) and it is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid!! Sounds quite intriguing and I am interested to see where Pearce takes another of the Reynolds children.
Romeo Redeemed (Juliet Immortal #2) by Stacey Jay – Fall 2012
No blurb for this yet but I am intrigued to see how Stacey Jay re-writes Romeo’s character.
Mara Dyer #2 by Michelle Hodkin – Fall 2012
OH EM GEE I can’t wait for this book!! The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer left me with my jaw ON THE GROUND it was so amazing and such an “I didn’t see that coming” ending. According to the author’s website the cover art, title and blurb are coming SOON!!
That’s it from me, what books are you looking forward to this year?
Books Take You Places 