Publisher Spotlight: Walker - Autumn 2011 Releases

I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting new releases that different publishers have coming up over the next few months for us to look forward to.  I'm constantly looking for new books to add to my wish list and thought it would be a nice way of spreading the bookish love with other bloggers.  So stepping into the spotlight today we have . . .

Walker publish a fab selection of YA books and today I'm going to be showcasing quite a few books you can already get your hands on along with a December release that pretty much everyone I know is already incredibly excited about!  If you'd like more information check out the Walker website or their Under Cover Reads blog.

First up we have the 4th book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series City of Fallen Angels.  I only started reading this series recently but I loved the first two books City of Bones and City of Ashes (click on the links to read my reviews) and am very excited about the next couple of books.  You can find out more about the series at Cassandra Clare's website or on the Mortal Instruments website.

Love, blood, betrayal and revenge - the stakes are higher than ever in the fourth book in the international bestselling Mortal Instruments sequence.

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. And when Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

If you haven't started the Mortal Instruments series yet then now is an ideal time to pick up the box set of the first 3 books.
 
A gorgeous box set of the first three books in the Mortal Instruments series.
 
Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love.

If you're a fan of the Mortal Instruments series you've probably already read Clockwork Angel, the first book in Cassandra Clare's prequel Infernal Devices series.  I have a copy of this one but need to catch up with the Mortal Instruments books before I start reading it.  Clockwork Prince, the second book in the Infernal Devices series is being released on the 6th of December and I know a lot of people who are already incredibly excited about it.  You can find out more on the Infernal Devices website.
 

Second in the New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series set in Victorian London.
 
Still reeling from her terrifying confrontation with the Magister and her brother's betrayal, Tessa Gray is drawn ever deeper into the Shadowhunter's dark underworld of demons and danger. In a desperate attempt to help her friends, Tessa tries to uncover the truth about the Magister and learns that he blames the Shadowhunters for the murder of his parents nearly a half century ago. But who were his parents, and why did the Shadowhunters kill them? Determined to unravel the secrets of his past, Tessa, Will and Jem journey to mist-shrouded Yorkshire, only to encounter corrupt Shadowhunters more intent on burying the past than finding the Magister - a past that holds the key not only to the enemy's motivations and weakness, but to the secret of what Tessa really is and what she was born to do. Meanwhile, Tessa's feelings for Jem and Will are growing more complicated, and soon she is forced to acknowledge that any choice she makes will either save the Shadowhunters of London - or end them for ever.

In case you haven't already seen it here is the Clockwork Angel trailer:



A book that I've been really excited about since I first heard of it is the Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant.  This includes short stories written by some fantastic authors - Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Cory Doctorow, Shawn Cheng, Ysabeau Wilce, Delia Sherman, Elizabeth Knox, Kelly Link, Garth Nix, Christopher Rowe, Kathleen Jennings, Dylan Horrocks, Holly Black and M. T. Anderson and I can't wait to read it. 

In the first major YA steampunk anthology, fourteen top storytellers push the genre's mix of sci-fi, fantasy, history, and adventure in fascinating new directions.

Imagine an alternate universe where romance and technology reign. Where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Here, fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, embrace the steampunk genre's established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings as diverse as Appalachia, Ancient Rome, future Australia, and alternate California. The result is an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.

Download a free short story from the collection at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clockwork-Fagin-Preview-Steampunk-ebook/dp/B005OALL9U

The next book I'm going to mention is Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith, this is the third book in the Tantalize series which is another series that looks great but I haven't got around to starting yet.  If you've read any of the books in the series (Tantalize, Eternal or of course Blessed) I'd love to know what you think of them.  Check out Cynthia Leitich Smith's website if you'd like more information.

Quincie Morris, teen restaurateur and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid-werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents' restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her waiting staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature - and a flaming sword - and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it's too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie's soul?

Here is the trailer for Blessed:

Another book that is already available is Paradise by Joanna Nadin, this isn't the kind of book I would usually pick up but I'm very curious about it.  If you've read it already I'd love to read your review so please leave me a link in the comments.  If you'd like more information check out Joanna Nadin's website.

An emotionally compelling teen novel from Joanna Nadin - twice nominated Queen of Teen - featuring romance and family mystery through three generations of mother and daughters.

Can Billie find the truth? When sixteen year old Billie Paradise inherits her grandmother's house, it's a fairytale come true. She and her family move from their rented flat in London to start a new life by the sea. Maybe Billie can even find the father she's never met. But moving back to her mum's childhood home uncovers long-buried secrets and Billie soon discovers that people may die, but the past lives for ever.

Here is the trailer for Paradise:



If you like thrillers then Wish You Were Here by Todd Strasser is going to be just your kind of read, you can find out more at the author's website.

A glossy high-school crime thriller from a bestselling American author.

A blogger is listing the kids who should die; a killer is picking them off one at a time. In the small American town of Soundview, someone is blogging about the local high school kids, and the comments aren't kind. But are the posts cruel taunts or vicious threats? Then seventeen-year-old Lucy Cunningham goes missing after a night out, and the hunt is on to catch a killer.

There isn't a trailer for Wish You Were Dead but if you like the look of this book then you should probably look at some of Todd Strasser's other books like this one, Blood on My Hands:



I'm really curious about this next book Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson.  I think this will be quite a heart wrenching read but I'm going to have to pick up a copy.

The lives of two teenage girls become literally connected after 14-year-old Amanda unexpectedly dies during a gymnastics meet and Dani receives Amanda's heart.

Fourteen-year-old Amanda is a competitive gymnast, sleek-muscled and in perfect health. Fifteen-year-old Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body; she's been in and out of hospital all her life. The two girls don't know each other - and never will. Yet their lives are about to collide. Amanda suffers a haematoma - a blood clot - during a gymnastics competition, and dies. The donation of her heart means renewed life for Dani and several other donor recipients. A fascinating and unputdownable story on an important and topical issue.

Have a look at the Cold Hands, Warm Heart trailer & let me know what you think, it's really made me want to read the book:



The last book I'm going to mention is a debut YA novel by Edward Hogan called Daylight Saving.  This isn't going to be available until February 2012 but I couldn't resist sharing this really cool animated version of the cover that is also a count down clock for the release date:



Isn't it fab? Make sure you move your mouse cursor over the image to see the water ripple!  There isn't a lot of information for this one yet but here is the description from Goodreads:

This is a brilliant thriller ghost story by a new name in teenage fiction. When Daniel Lever is dragged to Leisure World Holiday Complex for some "time away" with his depressed dad, his expectations are low. Daniel is overweight, he hates sport, and his father has brought along his beloved tomato plant. But soon Daniel spots a girl swimming in the fake lake. Lexi is elegant and smart, but very mysterious. Why are her bruises getting worse each time she and Daniel meet? And is her watch really ticking backwards? A dark figure stalks the pair, and as British summer time approaches, Daniel has to act quickly. Their souls depend on it.

So what do you think of Walker's autumn line up?  Have you read any of these yet?  Which of these books are you most looking forward to?