When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur

“When Dawson Sumter goes missing, all he leaves behind is a smattering of blood in room 4 of the debt-ridden motel owned by Neera Singh's family. Disappearances like this aren't uncommon in the rural Georgia town of Carrion, especially every thirteen years when a periodical cicada brood returns from underground, shrieking their deafening screams.

For Neera, Dawson is another reminder that in this corner of the South, the rich only get richer, and the poor—well, nothing good comes their way.

Neera sets out to investigate Dawson’s whereabouts—if he even still lives—along with three other teens: Isaiah, son of a prominent judge and clandestine true crime podcaster; Reid, son of the wealthiest man in the region; and Sam, estranged daughter of the local hitman. As they find themselves entangled in a messy web of secrets and lies, they discover the riches of the adjacent Lake Clearwater community may have a terrifying source of power dating back to the town’s founding and an ancient urban legend about three devils, each more sinister than the next. How deep does the rot go, and can they find a way to escape its reach?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book reminded me of the Charlie Daniels song, The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Except in Carrion, Georgia, local folklore has it that there are actually three devils at the crossroads, each one more sinister than the next. They each prey on desperate residents in rural, backwater Georgia where the uber rich live close by who keep their secrets even closer.

Not all is what it seems in Carrion/Lake Clearwater. And as readers dive deeper into the story, the more all of the pieces of this story come together as Sam, Neera, Reid, and Isaiah race to figure out what has happened to Dawson Sumpter, the one person who initially ties them together. This was an excellent Southern Gothic mystery/thriller that will keep readers eagerly anticipating what really is going on in Southwest Georgia. The audio version was incredible.

Visit Xan Kaur’s website.

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

 

“Freddie Gellar didn't mean to get half the rival high school arrested. She’d simply heard shrieks coming from the woods, so she’d called the cops like any good human would do. How was she supposed to know it was just kids partying?

Except the next day, a body is found. And while the local sheriff might call it suicide, Freddie's instincts tell her otherwise. So, like the aspiring sleuth (and true X-Files aficionado) she is, Freddie sets out to prove there's a murderer at large.

But her investigation is quickly disrupted by the rivalry between her school and the school of the partying teens she got arrested. For over twenty years now, the two student bodies have had an ongoing prank war, and Freddie's failed attempt at Good Samaritanism has upped the ante. Big time. Worse, the clever―and gorgeous―leader of the rival prank squad has set his sights on Freddie.

As more pranks unfurl, more bodies also start piling up in the forest. But it's the supernatural warning signs around town―each plucked straight from an old forgotten poem called "The Executioners Three"―that worry Freddie the most. She knows the poem and its blood curse can’t be real, but she's quickly running out of time to prove it.

Because the murderer―or executioners?―knows she's onto them now, and their next target might just be Freddie. - taken from Goodreads

With a throwback to 1999 and all of the cool references from that year, Freddie Gellar soon finds herself involved in a creepy murder mystery that only seems relevant to her.. With weird happenings occurring in the town that seems to relate to an old poem that she uncovers, Freddie is in a race against time before the next victim is discovered.

Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

 

“Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There's only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt's parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter -- the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who's sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.” - taken from Goodreads.

Once again, Kelly Andrew has written a fantasy romance story that is a horror tale at its core. Wyatt Westlock is prepared to burn down the family home after her fathers death until she makes a shocking discovery that derails her plans. The more she digs into her father’s past, the more twisted her family’s legacy becomes. Determined to right the wrongs of her family's past, the more she must rely on the boy who broke her heart. 

Peter just wants to end the Westlock line and his suffering. But the closer he gets to Wyatt, old feelings begin to resurface between the two of them. Plans begin to change as the two decide how to break the cycle and move forward. But not everything is as it seems and not everything can be put back the way it was.

Visit Kelly Andrew’s website.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

“No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other." - taken from Goodreads.com

When someone described this book as The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies, they weren't kidding. A shocking, twisting tale where girls are raised to believe that they have magic that corrupts the minds of men to lure them under their spells. Before they can become wives, mothers, and productive members of society, they must spend their sixteenth year, their grace year, isolated on an island. During their year there, they are to embrace and banish their magic before going home. Dealing with all of the horrors that befall them, not everyone makes it back home. No one speaks of the grace year but Tierney James is determined to say stay true to herself and not become someone's wife. Tierney's experience and awakening over her grace year is an extraordinary and powerful story.

Visit Kim Liggett’s website.

Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, etc. (Books 1 - 10)

"Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. But the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. He knows he was friends with Clary, and that he convinced the total goddess Isabelle Lightwood to go out with him…but he doesn’t know how. And when Clary and Isabelle look at him, expecting him to be a man he doesn’t remember…Simon can’t take it.

So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. His new self. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. And that differences—like being a former vampire—are greatly looked down upon. At least Simon is trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.

Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. These ten short stories give an epilogue to the Mortal Instruments series and provide glimpses of what’s in store in the Dark Artifices." - taken from Goodreads.com

Originally published as separate ebooks (that's how I read them), these stories are best enjoyed if read between City of Heavenly Fire and Lady Midnight. Spoilers do occur and background information is gained for Lady Midnight.

Visit Cassandra Clare's website.

City of Heavenly Fire by Casandra Clare (Mortal Instruments book 6/Shadowhunters book 9)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read any of the previous books in the Mortal Instruments series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series. Also, you should have read all three books in the Infernal Devices trilogy as well. The ending events of the trilogy will be SPOILED if you read this book first. For maximum enjoyment and understanding, read both the Mortal Instruments series and Infernal Devices trilogy intermixed by publication order.

“The END is also the BEGINNING…”

 In this stunning conclusion to the Mortal Instruments series, Sebastian Morganstern has taken his need for vengeance against the Shadowhunters and Downworlders to the ultimate level; The Mortal War. Finding out who will live and who will die will have readers gripping the edge of their seats until the end. But this book isn’t just an ending to the Shadowhunters’ story but also a beginning to the next chapter, The Dark Artifices. Book one, Lady Midnight, will jump five years to Los Angeles in 2012 and continue the story of Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn, whose lives were forever changed by the events of the Mortal War. Fans of the series will be pleased to see how the history of the Shadowhunters unfolds.

The tenth book in the Shadowhunters series, Lady Midnight, will be published in the fall of 2015.

Visit Cassandra Clare's website.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (Blood of Eden book 1)

“In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.”

Allison Sekemoto barely survives life as an Unregistered. In a post-apocalyptic world where vampires rule, humans are viewed as two things; food and slaves. Registered humans are tattooed as property of Prince Salazar but are available to any vampire for whatever they need. Registered are provided food in exchange for bloodletting once a month. Unregistered must scavenge and steal in order to eke out an existence. If caught, the punishment is death.


Allie lives with her small gang in a dilapiated school. When the food runs out and no more can be found in their sector, she decides to scavenger in the Fringe; the unprotected no man’s land outside the massive walls of the city. Allie should have no problems if she can return to the safety of the city’s walls before darkness falls. Looking through an abandoned house, she comes across a rabid deer. Allie is able to escape unharmed and hides in a backyard shed. While exploring, she notices a trapdoor in the floor. Jackpot! In the underground bunker, the previous resident stored enough food for Allie’s gang to live off of for months. In climbing the shelves, she falls pulling the cans on top of her. When she comes to, she sees that darkness has fallen and the moon is out. The Fringe at night is no place for humans.


On her way back through the abandoned sewage tunnels, Allie is trapped when a group of mole men corner a man. Warning them to back off, one mole man goes down in a heap and a struggle ensues. When the scuffle is over, Allie peers around the corner to find all four men dead. Seeing a valuable flashlight and no fifth body, she decides to risk grabbing it only to be confronted by a vampire. He lets her go without a fight and Allie returns home.


At home, Stick tells Allie that the city is on lockdown because the vampires are supposedly hunting one of their own. She flashes back to the vamp in the tunnels and wonders how he might be involved. The next afternoon, Allie is rudely awakened by Lucas banging on her door. Relieved to see her, Allie tells Lucas about her incredible find. She pushes to go on a retrieval mission before nightfall and the rest reluctantly agree. The boys are ecstatic by her find and gorge themselves. With the rain now a downpour, light is quickly fading and Allie hears a noise. They run back towards the tunnels but quickly run into trouble. The rabids are out and everyone is attacked. Left dying, Allie is found by the vampire from the night before. He offers Allie a deal; die or become a vampire. She decides on an immortal life in her weakened state.


Upon her rebirth, Allie begins to rethink her decision but Kanin, the vampire. Tells her he will help with her adjustment to her new existence. She wants to know if she can be sustained by drinking only non-human blood. Kanin responds by saying, “let me give you your first and most important lesson, Allison Sekemoto – you are a monster. A demon who feeds on human beings to survive." They go into the city to hunt for prey and come across the Blood Angels gang. Without realizing it, Allie quickly is on the offensive and the blood lust quickly sets in. Kanin has to stop her before she kills her first human. He tutors Allie not only in reading, writing and math but vampire history and survival as well. They go to a long forgotten museum storage are and procure a katana as her weapon.


When the Prince’s men discover where they are living, Kanin and Allie must flee the city. Separated, Allie finds herself on her own, not knowing what to do. She wanders in the wilds for several days before she finds an abandoned town and a lost little boy, Caleb, who is hiding. Realizing that he cannot be alone, Allie feels like she must help him. They soon run into his older sister, Ruth, and a boy her own age, Zeke. Ruth is very suspicious of Allie but Caleb begs her to join their small group and Zeke concurs. As a vampire, Allie knows she shouldn’t interact with humans but they may be the only ones she will come across in the wild. Against her better judgment, Allie agrees to join them.

Turns out that Zeke is the “son” of Jeb Crosse, a religious leader who is searching for Eden, a mythical city that is supposedly free of vampires. As Allie assimilates herself into the ragtag group, she begins to wonder how she will ever be able to feed off of her newfound friends, especially when Zeke causes certain emotions to stir in her.


Who exactly is Kanin and why has he taken an interest in Allie? Why is he being hunted by the other vampires? Does Eden exist or is Jeb Crosse leading his group on a wild goose chase? Can Allie come to grips with her true nature? And what happens when Zeke shows an interest in Allie?

Visit Julie Kagawa's website.
Visit The Blood of Eden series website.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

Book One - Forest of Hands and Teeth

“In Mary’s world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.”


In the future, all that is left of the world is a village surrounded by a fence. And beyond the fence is the Forest of Hands and teeth. The fence protects the village from the Unconsecrated or zombies who roam there. Mary has grown up hearing stories from her mother that have been passed down through the generations. Stories of a salt water ocean as far as one could see. Eventually Mary stops believing in her mother’s stories when drought strikes the village and “how could God allow so much water to become useless?’


Mary’s father is missing and her mother is the only one in the village who believes he has not become one of the Unconsecrated. Her brother Jed, a Guardian and married to Beth, takes on extra border patrols in hopes of finding their father and killing him before their mother can see what has become of him. People in the village have gone mad at seeing their loved ones among the Unconsecrated.


One day while doing the laundry in the stream, Mary is joined by one of Jed’s brother-in-laws, Harry. Harry is Mary’s age and has come to ask her to join him at the Harvest Celebration. “The Harvest Celebration is the time in the fall when those of marrying age declare themselves to one another” and is the beginning of courtship before marriage in the spring. In the village, marriage is about commitment, not love. Mary is disappointed when Harry informs her that his younger brother Travis has asked Cassandra, her best friend. Mary is a little disappointed but relieved that someone has asked for her rather than a life with the Sisterhood. But before Mary can dread her first kiss with Harry, the warning siren blares. Mary’s thoughts immediately go to her mother and she runs off leaving Harry by the stream.


Mary’s worse suspicions are confirmed when she reaches the village. Her mother was bitten by one of the Unconsecrated and has chosen to go into the Forest and join her husband rather than death. Jed is furious when he learns of his mother’s intentions and sends Mary to live with the Sisters at the Cathedral rather than his house. While living with the Sisters, one of Mary’s duties involves taking care of the injured. One of her patients turns out to be Travis who has broken his leg. Over the course of his stay, the two grow close and admit their feelings for one another. They realize they cannot act upon their feelings as long as Harry has chosen Mary. They are both heartbroken.


The longer Mary lives at the Cathedral, the more she questions her existence and believes there is something beyond the Forest. The Sisters are keeping the village in the dark and Sister Tabitha warns her that her inquisitive nature will be her undoing. When a strange girl, Gabrielle, arrives at the Cathedral, Mary knows she is from the outside and proof that there is something beyond the Forest. She soon disappears and Mary discovers she is now one of the Unconsecrated but still different. Harry comes to Sister Tabitha and claims Mary as his own. She knows she doesn’t belong with the Sisters but cannot imagine life with Harry. She keeps her dream of a life with Travis alive.


Sister Tabitha begins Mary and Harry’s binding ceremony and her hopes are dashed when Travis doesn’t come for her. Harry will do anything to Mary happy. The two are rudely awakened the next morning by the siren and soon learn the village is under attack by the Unconsecrated. Left to fend for themselves, they rescue a young boy and head for the only safe place, a fenced in path between the village and the Forest. Soon they are joined by Cass and Travis and are forced to spend the night before returning to see what is left of their village.


Will they return to their village or will they continue down the path? Who do they encounter from the village? Can Mary put aside her feelings for Travis to be with Harry? Who will join the ranks of the Unconsecrated? Can Mary set aside her dreams of the ocean for love/


Join Mary on her heart-rending journey through this dytopian, post-apoplectic, zombie-infested world of love and loss.

Book Two - The Dead-Tossed Waves

"Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past."

Gabry resides in the Oceanside town of Vista. She and her mother live in the lighthouse overlooking the town. Life is simple. With every high tide, Gabry’s mother goes to the beach to decapitate the Unconsecrated or Mudo as the townspeople call them when they wash ashore. When Gabry’s friends decide to sneak into the abandoned amusement park one night, she is reluctant to break the rules. With a little coaxing from her best friend’s brother, Catcher, Gabry climbs over the wall. While the others decide to climb the old roller coaster or dance, Gabry and Catcher go to the carousel. She is thrilled when Catcher admits his feelings and she receives her first kiss. The moment is broken when a lone Mudo or Breaker awakes and attacks the group. Several are bitten and one of the newly turned sets her sights on Gabry. She freezes and Catcher comes to her rescue. Unfortunately Catcher is bitten before dispatching the Mudo. Gabry is horror-stricken and flees from the scene before the Militia arrives at Catcher’s urging.

The next morning, all hell has broken loose in the town. The Council decides to kill those infected and ship off the others to the Recruiters, the military service for the Protectorate, without the benefits. Guilt strikes Gabry since she is the only remaining member of her generation left in town. When she sees that Catcher is missing, she promises Cira, Catcher’s sister that she will find him. Gabry finds the courage to return to the ruins the following night. When she runs into some Mudo, she soon finds a mysterious young man coming to her rescue. Intrigued by him, Elias takes her to where Catcher is hiding. He warns her that Catcher was bitten and will become one of the Mudo soon. He helps her get back to the lighthouse safely and makes her promise not to seek out Catcher again, a promise she doesn’t intend to keep.

When her mother has trouble decapitating a washed up Mudo because she reminds her of someone she knew, a conversation/debate ensues between the two. Gabry thinks wistfully about Catcher talking about the Mudo and refuses to follow her mother’s desire to let it go. “You forget until everything is okay again.” After a heated argument, Gabry’s mother admits she would never forget about her. She mentions her father and presses the issue. Her mother admits to her past and inadvertently says she found Gabry during one of her trips back to the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Gabry is flabbergasted, shocked and angry at her mother’s deception and begins to question the world in which she lives in.

Does Gabry make her way back to Catcher before he becomes one of the Mudo? Who is the mysterious stranger named Elias and why is he in Vista? What happens when Gabry’s mother returns to the Forest of Hands and Teeth and she is left alone?

Book Three -The Dark and Hollow Places

Annah has lived alone in the Dark City for the past three years, ever since Elias left to join the recruiters. His enrollment was for two years and Annah has given up hope that Elias will come back home. On the day she decides to cross the bridge to the Neverlands, Annah suddenly sees her long lost twin sister entering the Dark City. When her companions identified as being infected with the Mudo virus, all chaos breaks out when he jumps into the river to escape. Annah is helpless as she watches her sister be detained by the Recruiters. Annah plans to make her way back into the city and find her sister.


Once back in the city, Annah finds herself in a perilous situation. When a strange man comes to her aid, she is surprised to find it is the same man who was with her sister on the bridge earlier. The two decide to team up together to rescue Annah’s sister and make their way to her apartment to finalize their plans. Upon their arrival, Annah notices a stranger inside and soon realizes that Elias has come back home. Annah is even more shocked to realize the connection between Elias, her sister and her rescuer, Catcher.

Can Annah, Elias and Catcher make their way to the Recruiters’ headquarters to rescue her sister? Will they be able to survive in the Dark City? And what happens when a horde of Unconsecrated follow catcher and Annah’s sister to the Dark City?

This thrilling conclusion to Carrie Ryan’s dystopian trilogy will leave readers rooting for Annah and her companions to the last page.

Visit Carrie Ryan’s website.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewer

Eighth Grade Bites: Book One
Thirteen-year-old Vlaidimir Tod is in the eighth grade at Bathory Junior High. Vlad is unlike his best friend Henry or any of his classmates for that matter. He is half vampire and lives with his "Aunt Nelly", his mother's closest friend. Both deceased, Vlad's mother was human while his father was a vampire. Vlad is bullied by his classmates while secretly harboring a crush on Meredith. Things begin to change when Vlad's English teacher, Mr. Craig, disappears around Halloween and is replaced by the mysterious Mr. Otis. Unbeknownest to Vlad, someone is looking for him and Mr. Craig has met his demise at the hands of a vampire.

Mr. Otis Otis is an odd man who until recently taught mythology at Stokerton High. He will substitute for Mr. Craig's English composition class but infuse a study of mythological and supernatural creatures. Class goes well until the day Mr. Otis assigns a written essay and oral report on a supernatural creature that each student will draw from a hat. Vlad prays he will not pull out "vampire". He is quite relieved to see "werewolf" until Mr. Otis clenches his fist as Vlad stares in disbelief and the letters rearrange themselves to say "vampire". "Vampire?" he says as Mr. Otis slyly tells Vlad he "looks forward to reading your perception of vampires."

Vlad takes it upon himself to not only investigate the disappearance of Mr. Craig but the mysterious death of his parents. What does he discover when he reads his father's journal? Just who is Mr. Otis, why does he have a mysterious tattoo and hangs around Mr. Craig's house? And who is D'Ablo and what is his connection to Mr. Otis? Is Vlad's secret close to being discovered and is someone out to kill him?

Visit Heather Brewer's website.

Ninth Grade Slays: Book Two

If Vladimir Tod thought middle school sucked, just wait until high school. Tom and Bill still bully him, he can't get the nerve up to talk to his crush Meredith and best friend Henry's cousin Joss is new in town. Soon things begin to pick up when Vlad and Joss become friends and Meredith makes her move. Even better his uncle is taking him to Siberia over winter break to learn more about his vampire powers. The flip side of the coin is that fellow classmate and newspaper photographer Eddie Poe is out to discover exactly what Vlad is and there is a vampire slayer in Bathory looking for him.

Tenth Grade Bleeds: Book Three

Sophomore year of high school brings more of the same for Vladimir Tod. Eddie Poe bought a new camera and is determined to find Vlad's secret. Otis is searching for a ritual to save Vlad and D'Ablo is still trying to find a way to rid the world if him. Plus a hired killer is looking for revenge. But other things have changed for the better. Meredith is now Vlad's girlfriend. He hangs out with the Goth gang and Henry is pulling away from Vlad and no longer wants to be his drudge. On top of all of this, Vlad's thrist is spinning out of control. Will Vlad survive hi sophomore year?

Eleventh Grade Burns: Book Four
Things are still not looking any better for Vladimir Tod. All summer he has moped sround over his split from Meredith. School is starting and not only on his mind is the girl of his dreams but best friend Henry informs him that his vampire slayer cousin Joss is coming back to town. Otis' trial hyas been set and D'Ablo's secured a lucrative seat on the vampire council. And the one vampire who may be able to save Otis has a desire to drink Vlad's half vampire/half human blood. Will Vlad be able to survive his junior yuear of high school?

Don't miss the final installment of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod; Twelfth Grade Kills due out September 21, 2010.