Fresh Meat: February 14 to 20 — 23 Speculative Fiction Releases

Posted February 16, 2016 by Carmel in Fresh Meat / 2 Comments

Urban Fantasy:

	Ghost Talker (Ghost Seer #4) by Robin D. Owens Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In the latest from the author of Ghost Killer, Clare Cermak and Zach Slade adjust to living as psychics—and a couple—as they encounter vengeful souls… An angry poltergeist is stirring up trouble at Buffalo Bill’s grave, and Clare and Zach have been hired to investigate. Assisting them on the case as usual is their ghost dog Enzo, but they’re also aided by the restless ghost of Bill’s friend, Texas Jack. Meanwhile, the most well-known psychic in Denver is angered by Clare’s involvement in the case and will do whatever it takes to stop her. Of course, facing threats both living and undead are nothing new for Clare and Zach. Their relationship has weathered many storms. But there is a growing danger inside of Clare that could tear them both apart..[/learn_more]

	The Immortals (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordanna Max Brodsky Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Manhattan has many secrets. Some are older than the city itself. The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone — just the way she likes it. She doesn’t believe in friends, and she doesn’t speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous. In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago — when her name was Artemis. [/learn_more]

	Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free (Finn Fancy Necromancy #2) by Randy Henderson Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]In Bigfootloose And Finn Fancy Free, the sequel to Randy Henderson’s acclaimed debut novel, Finn Fancy Necromancy, Finn Gramaraye is settling back into the real world after his twenty-five-year-long imprisonment in the otherworld of the Fey. He’s fallen in love again with Dawn, the girl next door who waited for him. He’s proved his innocence of the original crime of Dark Necromancy, and he’s finding a place in the family business–operating a mortuary for the Arcane, managing the magical energies left behind when an Arcane being dies to prevent it from harming the mundane world. But Finn wants more. Or different. Or something. He’s figured out how to use the Kinfinder device created by his half-mad father to find people’s True Love, and he’d like to convert that into an Arcane Dating Service. It’s a great idea. Everyone wants True Love! Unfortunately, trouble always seems to find Finn, and when he agrees to help his friend, the Bigfoot named Sal, they walk right into a Feyblood rebellion against the Arcane Ruling Council, a rebellion being fomented by unknown forces and fueled by the drug created by Finn’s own grandfather.[/learn_more]

	Northwoods by Bill Schweigart Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Ex–Delta Force Davis Holland, now an agent for the Customs and Border Protection, has seen it all. But nothing in his experience has prepared him for what he and the local sheriff find one freezing night in the Minnesota woods. Investigating reports of an illegal border crossing, the two men stumble across a blood-drenched scene of mass murder, barely escaping with their lives . . . and a single clue to the mayhem: a small wooden chest placed at the heart of the massacre. Something deadly has entered Holland’s territory, crossing the border from nightmare into reality. When news of the atrocity reaches wealthy cryptozoologist Richard Severance, he sends a three-person team north to investigate. Not long ago, the members of that team—Ben McKelvie, Lindsay Clark, and Alex Standingcloud—were nearly killed by a vengeful shapeshifter. Now they are walking wounded, haunted by gruesome memories that make normal life impossible. But there is nothing normal about the horror that awaits in the Northwoods.[/learn_more]

	The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle Urban Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn’t there. Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father’s head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping. A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?[/learn_more]

Paranormal Romance:

	Dark Alpha’s Embrace (Reaper #2) by Donna Grant Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]There’s no escaping a Reaper. I’m an elite assassin, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. And when Death says your time is up, I’m coming for you… I’m a warrior. My unbreakable determination, my backbone of steel define me. As a Reaper who does Death’s bidding, weakness is a word I don’t understand. Until a stunning librarian stirs emotions deep within me I’ve never felt before. Her soft curves blunt the sharp edges of my soul, crushing my defenses – yet make me stronger. But underneath those wide eyes and fierce femininity, she has a weapon, one she won’t hesitate to use. And when the Dark begin their deadly descent, we’ll need each other’s love and protection…or risk fracturing apart.[/learn_more]

	Hunted by Darkness (Darkness #4) by Katie Reus Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]From two different worlds… Now that she’s escaped her oppressive family, Nyx is enjoying her new life and friends—even if most of her friends don’t know who or what she is. As a rare demigod, she’s just learning how powerful she truly is, but family drama turns her world upside down, throwing the one man she cares about into danger. He wasn’t supposed to fall for her… Nyx is nothing like the females half-demon Bo Broussard has been with. Sweet and innocent, she’s not even remotely his type. But the moment she walks into his bar, he knows he’s not letting her go. Unfortunately someone from her past thinks they can force her into an arranged marriage. He’s not letting her go… Someone is targeting one of them, and Bo doesn’t know why. When they’re thrown into a hell realm together, he and Nyx will need to band together if they want to survive the perils of that world. No matter who was behind the attack, his choice is clear. Defend Nyx at all cost and make her his forever.[/learn_more]

	Mated in Mist (Talon Pack #3) by Carrie Ann Ryan Paranormal Romance
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]As Heir to the Talon Pack, Ryder Brentwood carries the responsibility of not only protecting his Pack, but ensuring its future. Only no one knows that as he does this, he must also shield his people from their past. When a witch with no ties bursts into his life, he must decide if he can overcome the depravity of his secrets and trust the one person who could break the fragile hold on his control. Grieving over the loss of her twin and on the run from the unknown, Leah Helm knows she is far more alone than she thought possible. Her coven shunned her before she was born and the wolves she sought protection with are in a war of their own. When a wolf with a whisper of secrets is forced to work with her in order to protect their people, she finds she might not be so alone after all. The world knows more than they ever have before about those shrouded in darkness, while Ryder and Leah are thrust into the center of a conflict they never should have been part of to begin with. On their journey they must not only fight those against them, but the burning temptation that is flaring between them. Fate might have paved their path, but that doesn’t mean they have to follow.[/learn_more]

Science Fiction / Fantasy:

	The Orion Plan by Mark Alpert Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Scientists thought that Earth was safe from invasion. The distance between stars is so great that it seemed impossible for even the most advanced civilizations to send a large spaceship from one star system to another. But now, an alien species—from a planet hundreds of light-years from Earth—has found a way. A small, spherical probe lands in an empty corner of New York City. It soon drills into the ground underneath, drawing electricity from the power lines to jumpstart its automated expansion and prepare for alien colonization. When the government proves slow to react, NASA scientist Dr. Sarah Pooley realizes she must lead the effort to stop the probe before it becomes too powerful. Meanwhile, the first people who encounter the alien device are discovering just how insidious this interstellar intruder can be.[/learn_more]

	Toward Yesterday by Paul Antony Jones Science Fiction
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]What would you do if you suddenly found yourself twenty-five years in the past? For the nine billion people living in the year 2042 it’s no longer a question…it’s a reality. When a seemingly simple experiment goes disastrously wrong, James Baston finds himself stranded in the past alongside the rest of mankind. Here the old are young once more, the dead live again, and civilization is in chaos. With the fate of humanity on the line, James must join a hastily assembled group of scientists, a reincarnated murder victim, and a genius trapped in her six-year-old body to reconcile the earlier mistakes of their future counterparts. The team struggles to prevent global extinction, and along the way they come face-to-face with their past losses, new loves, and a cold-blooded killer. As the team plummets toward a final confrontation, will they be able to undo time’s unraveling in order to save the human race?[/learn_more]

	Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff Fantasy
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Chicago, 1954. When his father Montrose goes missing, 22-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his Uncle George—publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide—and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite—heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’s ancestors—they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours. At the manor, Atticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal named the Order of the Ancient Dawn—led by Samuel Braithwhite and his son Caleb—which has gathered to orchestrate a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his—and the whole Turner clan’s—destruction. A chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, Lovecraft Country is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism—the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.[/learn_more]

Young Adult:

	Riders (Riders #1) by Veronica Rossi Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does. Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse. Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen–Conquest, Famine, and Death–are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence. They fail. Now–bound, bloodied, and drugged–Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for–not to mention all of humankind–he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger. But will anyone believe him?[/learn_more]

	The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen. In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic of his own—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman—and bring her Lorelai’s heart. But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.[/learn_more]

	Calamity (Reckoners #3) by Brandon Sanderson Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy. David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back… But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.[/learn_more]

	The Rule of Mirrors (The Vault of Dreamers #2) by Caragh M. O’Brien Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]The entire country was watching when Rosie Sinclair was expelled from Forge, the prestigious arts school that doubles as a reality TV show. But few know how Dean Berg was mining students’ dreams in laboratories deep below the school. And no one, least of all the Dean himself, knows that when Rosie’s dreams were seeded into the mind of another patient, Rosie’s consciousness woke up in that body–a girl far from Forge, a girl with a completely different life from Rosie, a girl who is pregnant. Told from alternating points of view between Rosie as she makes sense of her new identity and the shattered subconscious that still exists in her old body, The Rule of Mirrors will keep readers on the edge of their seats and leave them hungry for more.[/learn_more]

	Ruler of Beasts (Dorothy Must Die #0.6) by Danielle Paige Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]When the Cowardly Lion set off for the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Dorothy and the others, he sought courage above all else. This digital original novella is the sixth installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and thrilling New York Times bestsellers Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise, and is the Lion’s story after he got what he’s always wanted. The Lion’s wish has finally come true—he is the courageous ruler of the forest and all of its beasts. But the Lion is bored—he misses the days of his adventures with Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Scarecrow. When Glinda the Good Witch shows up unexpectedly and tasks him with a mission back in the Emerald City, he jumps at the chance to do something exciting, even though he knows she’s not telling him the entire truth.[/learn_more]

	Bluescreen (Mirador #1) by Dan Wells Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the right connections. That connection is a djinni—a smart device implanted right in a person’s head. In a world where virtually everyone is online twenty-four hours a day, this connection is like oxygen—and a world like that presents plenty of opportunities for someone who knows how to manipulate it. Marisa Carneseca is one of those people. She might spend her days in Mirador, but she lives on the net—going to school, playing games, hanging out, or doing things of more questionable legality with her friends Sahara and Anja. And it’s Anja who first gets her hands on Bluescreen—a virtual drug that plugs right into a person’s djinni and delivers a massive, nonchemical, completely safe high. But in this city, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and Mari and her friends soon find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that is much bigger than they ever suspected.[/learn_more]

	The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere #1) by Heidi Heilig Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Heidi Heilig’s debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City, to nineteenth-century Hawaii, to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility. Its witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, multicultural cast, and enchanting romance will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman. Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.[/learn_more]

	Ascending the Boneyard by C.G. Watson Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Everything’s a battle. Sometimes life gets too real, and Caleb Tosh has taken one hit too many. First, there was the accident that changed everything for Tosh’s younger brother. Now his mom has left. All the pain, the grief and loss, have finally pushed Tosh over the edge. If only he could have a do-over. Wipe his reality. Start fresh. Maybe he could fix all of his mistakes and everything would be different. Tosh immerses himself in the complex missions from the game he obsessively plays, The Boneyard. The game bleeds into the dark nature of his everyday life, folding reality into surreality until it’s impossible to separate one from the other. Tosh is desperate to Ascend, to reach the next level, to become Worthy.[/learn_more]

	Marked by Laura Williams McCaffrey Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Sixteen-year-old Lyla lives in a bleak, controlling society where only the brightest and most favored students succeed. When she is caught buying cheats in an underground shadow market, she is tattooed—marked—as a criminal. Then she is offered redemption and she jumps at the chance . . . but it comes at a cost. Doing what is right means betraying the boy she has come to love, and, perhaps, losing even more than she thought possible. Graphic novel–style vignettes revealing the history of this world provide Lyla with guidance and clues to a possible way out of the double bind she finds herself in. [/learn_more]

	The Deavys by Alan Dean Foster Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]When the Truth is stolen, it’s up to the Deavy quartet to get it back For any normal teenage boy, having two and a half younger sisters would be enough to deal with. But Simwan Deavy’s life isn’t normal. His family is non-Ord—short for “non-Ordinary”—which means that at school, he and his sisters learn hexing and enchanting along with history and math. It also means they have a ghost for an uncle and a cat who talks. Still, everything is going well for Simwan—until a bottle of Truth is stolen from the local pharmacy. Now the Deavys’ favorite woods are under threat from development; their mother, whose life depends on the Truth, is growing weaker; and the world as they know it might never be the same. With the help of their cat, Pithfwid, the Deavys track the loathsome, horrible Crub to his lair in New York City. But the Crub has laid traps, turning a dangerous city into a deadly one. To succeed at their mission, the Deavys will have to stick together—or the Truth may be lost forever.[/learn_more]

	Asleep by Krystal Wade Young Adult
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]”To cure fear, you must use fear.” Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be. [/learn_more]

	The Circle of Lies (Hunters of Chaos #2) by Crystal Velasquez Middle Grade
[learn_more caption=”Book Description”]Four girls at a southwestern boarding school discover they have amazing feline powers and must unite to stop an ancient evil in the second riveting adventure of the Hunters of Chaos series. Ana’s life changed dramatically when she accepted a position at an exclusive boarding school in New Mexico. She found three great new friends—Shani, Doli, and Lin—and together, they discovered that they each had the power to turn into a wildcat. Their new friendship and powers were put to the test in a battle against the god Anubis and his newly resurrected Brotherhood of Chaos. After defeating the Brotherhood, Ana learns that her aunt and uncle have gone missing. Her friends are ready to help her find them, but then Shani is accused of vandalizing school property and expelled. While Ana and the others head to Mexico to search for her family, Shani travels to Mumbai to stay with her father. But strange things are happening in the Indian city. Has she stumbled upon another sinister plot? Meanwhile, Ana, Doli, and Lin have gone to Mexico to try and track down Ana’s family, and in the heart of Chichen Itxa, they find new dangers—and more proof of the Brotherhood’s growing power. With the four wildcats separated by thousands of miles, is this Anubis’s chance to rise again?[/learn_more]

Carmel

Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!