Exciting August 2015 Fantasy Book Releases

Reawakened (The Reawakened #1) 

by Colleen Houck
Publication Date: August 11th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

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When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.


Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1)

by Eleanor Herman
Publication Date: August 25th, 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction Fantasy

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Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.


A History of Glitter and Blood 

by Hannah Moskowitz
Publication Date: August 18th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

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Sixteen-year-old Beckan and her friends are the only fairies brave enough to stay in Ferrum when war breaks out. Now there is tension between the immortal fairies, the subterranean gnomes, and the mysterious tightropers who arrived to liberate the fairies.

But when Beckan's clan is forced to venture into the gnome underworld to survive, they find themselves tentatively forming unlikely friendships and making sacrifices they couldn't have imagined. As danger mounts, Beckan finds herself caught between her loyalty to her friends, her desire for peace, and a love she never expected. 

This stunning, lyrical fantasy is a powerful exploration of what makes a family, what justifies a war, and what it means to truly love.

Court of Fives (Court of Fives #1) 

by Kate Elliot
Publication Date: August 18th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

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In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott begins a new trilogy with her debut young adult novel, weaving an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But at night she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multi-level athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best competitors. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between a girl of mixed race and a Patron boy causes heads to turn. When a scheming lord tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test Kal's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a powerful clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

The Veil (Devil's Isle #1)

by Chloe Neill
Publication Date: August 4th, 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

Mechanica

by Betsy Cornwell
Publication Date: August 25th, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi

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Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home. 

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

Click here for more anticipated releases for January 2015 based on Goodreads followers!

Review: Elixir (Covenant Series #3.5) by Jennifer L Armentrout

Elixir (Covenant Series #3.5) 
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: November 27th, 2012

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Synopsis: Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. Even if it means making war against the gods.

My Thoughts: One of my favorite things is when authors give you a glimpse into the male characters perspective and you get to really understand what makes them tick! Jennifer L Amentrout does an amazing job with this for several of her book in her EXTRAS tab on her website. I recommend viewing it if you love her work like I do.

I Loved, Loved, Loved getting a glimpse into the heart and mind of Aiden, swoon. While Alex is trying to fight the Appolyn connection Aiden does everything in his power to help her along.  I Loved this book, its pretty short buts it all you need and takes less than a couple hours to finish. Its kind of hard to read the struggles Aiden has to go through while watching Alex trying to overcome her connection to Seth. Not that it isn't already completely obvious how in love Aiden is with Alex, but this novella leaves no question in your mind. Amazing read!!

Review: Diety (Covenant Series #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Diety (Covenant Series #3) 
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: November 6th, 2012

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Synopsis: "History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

My Thoughts: One EPIC ending after the next!!! After the heart pounding, non stop, ending to Pure, Seth and Alex make it back to the North Carolina Covenant in one piece while the rest of the group stays behind to help clean up the pieces. Holy cow this series goes from one epic scene to the next, making it impossible to stop reading. Again, I LOVE THIS SERIES!!! 

Diety might be my favorite book out of the series though because this is where you really get to see the walls Aiden built up around his feeling for Alex finally break, and oh do they break!! Jennifer L. Armentrout has written such an amazing series where I feel emotionally invested into each and every character's story. Constantly at the edge of my seat holding on for the ride. Seth, on the other hand, takes a turn for the worst towards the end making some irreparable choices and causing a tidal wave of repercussions on the whole world. Leaving Alex and the rest of her friends running to get as much distance as possible between her and Seth before her awakening. What will happen next in Elixir??

Review: Pure (Covenant Series #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure (Covenant Series #2) 
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2012

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Synopsis: There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone. 

My Thoughts:  Holy Daimon babies!!! What an ending.....Its all I can think about!! I love this series so much and it continues to be more addicting the more I read. I could not set this book down for a second and ended up staying up most of the night to finish, and this is not my first time reading this book.  After finishing the first book, Half-Blood, I had to keep going! Poor Alex, everything she continues to overcome is a little heartbreaking. Going after her mother, turned daimon, at the end of Half-Blood was stressful enough but then to break our hearts again and again with the continued loss Alex has to experience is hard to handle.

The way this book and series is written keeps the reader so entrapped in the plot and emotions of each and every character.  Jennifer L. Arnetrout is an incredible author made to write amazing fantasy books, I have yet to be disappointed. Every time I open one her books I am transported in to the world she has created and don't want to leave!! I can't express how much I love this series. Plus its hard not to love Alex, Aiden, Seth and Caleb, now on to the next book, Diety!!! Eeeeee!!

Review: Half-Blood (Covenant Series #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood (Covenant Series #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011

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Synopsis: The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

My Thoughts: I started rereading the Covenant Series in preparation to reading The Return, the spin off Titan Series, and realized I had yet to post a review, so here it goes.

I love this series!!!! It could possibly be my favorite or tie as my favorite!!! The characters are people who are easy to feel a connection with and, as the reader, care what happens to them. The book starts off in a fast paced chase for the main characters life making it impossible to put the book down from the very first sentence.  Between one obstacle after the next Alex, our leading gal, continues to stay strong through it all.  Every time I read this book I am amazed at how easily I am swept away into this world Jennifer L Armentrout created. This is by far my favorite series from her, it is such a great fantasy book focused around Greek mythology. The best part about this book is the steamy and undeniable connection between Alex and Aiden, sigh.... I cannot get enough of Aiden. He is always looking out for Alex, the way the author writes out their emotions towards on another throughout this story is pretty heart pounding!! Honestly I cannot stop saying how amazed I am by this book and will be starting the second book, Pure, now!!