Poison by Bridget Zinn

Kyra use to be a member of the Master Trio of Potioners, along with Ned and Hal. They are the best poisonous weapons users in the kingdom but of the three, she was the best. Unfortunately for Kyra, she made a couple of mistakes. First, she fell in love with the well groomed and arrogant Hal but she ended up breaking his heart. Second, she betrayed every one she knew when she tried to murder the kingdom's princess and failed. Now she is on the run and being hunted by Ned and Hal.

At the age of twelve, Kyra was brought in by the Queen to be part of Princess Ariana's education. Born sickly, Ariana led a sheltered life. Kyra's job was to instruct the princess in the art of makeup since Krya excelled at cosmetic potions and charms. Neither girl wanted anything to do with the other. Since she was a first year apprentice, Kyra set out to complete a potion for homework. Ariana took an immediate interest in Kyra's work. She asked Kyra if there was a potion to get them out of the confines of the castle. Kyra set out to make one and Ariana was ecstatic that it worked. After one afternoon of fun, the girls' lessons quickly turned into secret adventures outside the castle. Soon, Ariana and Kyra turned into the best of friends and the adventures continued for five years. This is why everyone in the kingdom was shocked to learn that Kyra had tried to kill Princess Ariana and failed.

Desperate and in hiding in the three months since her failed assassination attempt on Princess Ariana's sixteenth birthday, Kyra cannot locate Ariana. She travels outside the town of Tippolow to find the King of Criminals, Arlo Abbaduto. Having turned down Arlo on two occasions for work, Krya is at his mercy. She offers to pay him with Potioners' coins and change their imprint to him. Potioners' coins always find their way back to their owner. In exchange, Arlo will give her a small Katzenheim pig, the best hunter he has, guaranteed to find the person she is looking for. Kyra isn't given a chance to protest and Arlo even provides her with an object belonging to the princess. He laughs as she leaves his hideout.

The next morning, the piglet leads Krya to a river. Not wanting to waste time looking for a bridge to cross, she decides to strip down to her undergarments, hold the piglet and her belongings above her head and cross. She is able to see the bottom. Just past half way, she hears a whistle and looks up to see a handsome boy a couple of years older than her. Asking him to leave, he says that he will stay in case she needs rescuing. Kyra then sees a wolf come out of the woods behind the boy. Soon the piglet notices it too and pokes Kyra in the eye with a hoof and she is caught in a swift river current. The handsome boy is able to rescue her after all. Back on shore, he introduces himself as Fred and the wolf is actually his dog, Langley. After getting her clothes back on and Fred naming her pig Rosie, Krya turns down the offer of a hot meal and departs.

Walking along, Kyra hears footsteps. She grabs Rosie and dives for cover with the aid of a cloaking potion. Turns out Dartagn, one of the king's elite soldiers who had trained Krya is right on top of her. She throws a rock and he turns his attention in the opposite direction and leaves. Kyra leaves once Dartagn is out of the area. She later hears footstep again and is almost discovered by Fred and Langley. They leave but soon she hears a scream. Running, Kyra comes across Fred being attacked by six goblins. He is knocked out and Kyra is able to knock several out and cha the rest away. She drags Fred to safety. When he wakes up, Fred repays her by cooking dinner and offering her a camp spot for the night. Tired of being alone and hungry, Kyra accepts against her better judgment.

The next morning, Krya leaves payment for Fred and sneaks off while he is still sleeping. She hasn't traveled far when Fred catches up to her. He is hurt and angry at Krya leaving. Realizing she actually cares what he thinks of her against her better judgment. She asks if they can continue to travel together knowing that eventually she will have to abandon him once more.

Why was Krya trying to kill her best friend, Princess Ariana? Why does she think her death would be the best thing for the kingdom? Can Rosie the pig really track the princess? Will Kyra attempt to assassinate the Ariana again? Is Kyra captured? Does Fred find out her true identity and what will he do with that knowledge? And will Krya be able to find a happily ever after?

Bridget Zinn was a writer and librarian who unfortunately died two years before the publication of her only book, Poison.

Imposter by Jill Hathaway (Slide book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book Slide, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the series for you.

“What if a killer were in control of you?”

Six months have passed since Vee Bell's first love Zane was killed in a car accident while his crazy mother was driving. Vee is able to slide into others when she touches something of theirs that they have left a strong emotional imprint on. Now she is having nightmares of the accident that she witnessed while in Zane’s mind but now she is in the place of Zane. Her sister Mattie knows of Zane's death and nothing of her sliding ability. Only her best friend Rollins knows the truth about Vee. She has even gained some of control of her abilities in which she can slide into someone she chooses.

While listening to Rollins' radio debut one night, sleep wins out. Unfortunately Vee wakes up in not another dream about Zane's car crash but a real car crash in which she was driving her father's car. Five miles out of town and without her phone, she starts to walk towards home. The first car she encounters is her nemesis, Scott “Scotch” Becker and her former best friend Samantha is drunk in the back seat. Scott offers her a ride but she runs off. He leaves. The next car that comes along is driven by an older woman and Vee accepts her offer of a ride. She wakes up in her driveway bewildered because she doesn't recall telling the woman where she lives. Her father is furious that she snuck out of the house with his car. She explains that she was “sleep driving” and woke up when she wrecked the car. Reassuring her father that she is fine, Vee goes to her room and calls Rollins. He is furious at first but listens when she tells him that she thinks someone slid into her, forcing her to drive the car. She also tells him about the woman who drove her home. Rollins suggests that maybe she didn't remember telling the woman where she lives. They hang up and it's a long time before Vee falls asleep.

The next morning, Vee and Mattie catch a ride to school with Rollins. He talks about his radio show and mentions a girl named Anna. She meets up with Rollins at his locker and Vee is suddenly jealous. Anna looks much more like Rollins' type and they seem friendly. In class, Vee cannot help but notice Samantha’s disheveled appearance. She tries to be friendly in an attempt to see if she can find out what happened between her and Scott the night before. Samantha isn't buying into Vee's sudden concern. Deciding to slide into Scott to see if she can find out anything, she is shocked that he is talking about running into her on the side of the road and she was begging for him. Angry, Vee talks control of Scott's body and makes him say humiliating things about himself. At the end of school, Rollins confronts her about why she did it. After telling him, Rollins lets her know that he'll defend her honor if he ever catches Scott talking about her. Inviting him over for their usual Friday movie night, he vaguely tells her he has other things to do first. Vee is a bit disappointed.

During movie night, Vee works up the courage to try and finally admit her feelings for Rollins hoping that he still feels the same way about her. Leaning in her a kiss, Rollins wants to know what she is doing. Nothing she says and he makes an excuse to leave. Devastated, she goes to the bathroom to cry. The doorbell rings and she pulls herself together thinking that Rollins has come back. Instead, Vee is shocked to see a woman resembling her dead mother standing at the door. It turns out that her mother's long lost sister has come for a visit. Mattie is thrilled to meet her aunt for the first time and her father is going to let her stay for a few weeks. After settling down for the night, Vee wakes up to loud crashing coming from the living room. She is shocked to find her father smashing picture frames. She calls out to him and he turns towards her with a dazed expression on his face. It reminds her of when it felt like someone else had slid into her body and taken control. His expression clears and he asks Vee what is going on. He doesn't remember what he was doing. Vee begins to think someone is sliding into her and her father and that someone just may be the person who showed up on their doorstep that night, her aunt Lydia.

Vee and Samantha enlist the help of Mattie and her friend Regina to extract a little revenge on Scotch. The plan is to get him at a popular overlook and leave him stranded without any clothes. Vee plan is to slide into Scotch's body to get him to strip naked. When Vee is in Scotch's body, she sees herself and someone has slid into her own body. Close to the edge of the drop off, Vee as Scotch tries to keep herself from falling. She blacks out as she tries to take control of her own body. When Vee wakes up, she is horrified to see Scotch's body on the rocks below the cliff.

Who really killed Scotch and why? Will Vee be blamed for his death? Who is sliding into Vee and her father? What are they hoping to accomplish? Why has Lydia suddenly appeared at the Bell's doorstep? Who is the strange woman who drove Vee home the night she wrecked her father's car? Will Vee ever tell Rollins her true feelings, even if it means risking their friendship?

Visit Jill Hathaway's website.

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first three books in the series, Obsidian, Onyx and Opal, Stop! I don't want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Katy Swartz was captured by the Department of Defense in the mission to rescue Bethany Williams from Mount Weather. She wakes up to find herself in government custody in Nevada. Daedalus tells her that they are using Luxen and hybrids like herself in an attempt to find a cure for cancer. They are also interested in how the mutation works and whether or not Katy will be stable hybrid or destruct like Carissa. But most of all, Daedalus is determined to stop the Luxen race from taking over Earth. Not knowing who or what to believe, Katy slowly realizes that Daedalus is telling her the truth about some things. The longer Katy is held captive by the DOD and Daedalus, the more she begins to question what she believes and just who can she trust.

Daemon Black is ready to burn the world down to save Katy. He is determined to do anything just to get her back, even if it means turning his back on his family. She is the most important person in his life and nothing will stop him. He gets himself captured by the DOD at Mount Weather to get closer to Katy. Daemon doesn't care that he has played right into the government's hands and is now a prisoner himself. Being with and protecting Katy is all that matters.

Now that they are both prisoners of Daedalus, Daemon and Katy are determined to escape and uncover just what is occurring at the underground compound.

What happens when Daemon and Katy are reunited? Can they find a way to escape the clutches of Daedalus? What does Daedalus want with Daemon and Katy? And just who are the bad guys; those that Katy has been led to believe or are there really two sides to every story?

Told in dual POVs by Katy and Daemon, readers will be immediately swept back into the story and will be clutching the edge of their seat awaiting the final volume in the series, Opposition due out in 2014.

Visit Jennifer Armentrout’s website.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas (Throne of Glass book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read Throne of Glass, Stop! I don't want to ruin my absolute favorite series of all time for you. Seriously, you really use read the first book.

Two months have passed since Celaena Sardothien was named the king's champion. In that time, he has sent her out to kill four men for him. She knows the lives of her friends, especially the king's captain, Choal Westfall, are in danger if she refuses. Determined to carry out her orders, Celaena Is unable to follow through the first time when she sees how kind her hit is and realizing the king's agenda. She gave each of her four targets the same choice; die or fake their death and disappear, never to be heard from again. Each man chose to help Celaena deceive the king and stage their deaths. So far, the king and everyone else believe that she is following orders. Dorian is having a hard time looking at her, wondering if he really knows the true Celaena.

The king gives Celaena her next assignment; to ferret out those behind the rebel movement in Rifthold to remove him from his throne and thaw his plans for the empire. She struggles to keep her game face while her mind spins with questions, not having heard of such a movement in the capital. He will give her one name at a time because he knows his palace is full of spies. When she sees the first name he gives her, Celaena knows who Archer Finn is. A popular courtesan who sought training at the Assassins' Keep to defend him from jealous clients and their husbands, Celaena doesn't think Archer is capable of rebellion, even though she hasn't seen him for several years. Giving her one month to get past Archer's well guarded defenses, Celaena needs to figure out if he is truly a rebel and traitor or who is setting him up for a fall. If the king were to ever figure out the truth about Celaena, he would destroy her.

Can Celaena keep her deceptions from the king, especially now that he wants men dispatched so close to the castle? Is there a rebel movement in Rifthold and what is their purpose? What are the king's plans and why is he having Celaena kill all of those men? Was Celaena deceiving Dorian about her true nature? Does she uncover any clues about how her life tragically changed over a year and a half ago?  Will Celaena be able to find happiness and maybe love? Can she ever stop being the king's assassin.

Throne of Glass was my absolute top read of 2012 and it successor is even better. Crown of Midnight left me as speechless as Chaol with the stunning reveal on the last page. The summer of 2014 and book three of Celaena's story will be heartbreaking wait.

Visit Sarah Maas’ website.

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (Fire and Thorns book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, The Girl of Fire and Thorns and The Crown of Embers, Stop! I don't want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

For a recap of essential characters and the top five moments from the previous two books in the trilogy, go to http://www.epicreads.com/blog/series-recap-the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns/

The Inviernos have captured Hector to lure Elisa to the icy mountains of their country.  Her companions for the rescue mission include Belen, an assassin, Mara, her lady-in-waiting, and Storm, a failed sorcerer and fugitive from Invierne. The four of them "have less than two months to cross the Sierra Sangre, sneak into enemy territory, free Hector, and escape." Failure will result in Hector's death and her country of Joya  d'Arena will fall into civil war. Rebellion has been the plan of Conde Eduardo for a long time. One of Joya's "most powerful and trusted lords", he is also member of the Quorum of Five. He is ruthless in his ambition to divide Elisa's country and claim the throne for himself. Eduardo's men have orders to kill Elisa on sight but the weary travelers are in desperate need of horses in they hope to complete their mission in time.

Can Elisa rescue Hector in time to save her throne and the love of her life? Will Conde Eduardo's rebellion be stopped? What happens when Storm and Elisa help each other tap into their respective Magic? Why do the Inviernos want Elisa in their country? What do they think she can do? Will Hector learn of his betrothal to Elisa? Is Elisa able to meet up with Cosme and her sister Alodia for the council she has called? What happens when Elisa learns that there is a second living bearer of a Godstone? Just how does Elisa's story end; what is her purpose as a bearer of a Godstone?
A thrilling conclusion to a fantastic high fantasy trilogy that is one of my favorites. A definite read!

There are two short novellas that take place before The Girl of Fire and Thorns that go into some background about two beloved characters. The Shattered Mountain tells how Mara escaped from her burning village and came to join the rebels. The King’s Guard tells of how Hector became Alejandro’s trusted friend and an important role he played in the future of Joya  d'Arena.

Visit Rae Carson’s website.