Publisher Spotlight: Simon & Schuster - January - March 2012

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 . . .

Simon & Schuster always have a fantastic range of YA titles so I couldn't wait to see what they have coming for us in the new year.  I can tell you right now I wasn't disappointed, I thought 2011 was a good year for books but it looks like 2012 is set to be even better!  I'll be amazed if you make it to the end of this post without adding something to your wish list.  Check out the Simon & Schuster website for more information.

I'm going to be showcasing some of the books S&S are bringing out from January to March and this first book is at the top of my wish list.  I absolutely loved Sarah Alderson's debut novel Hunting Lila (read my review here) and as much as I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel Losing Lila I'm equally excited about Sarah's new stand alone novel Fated!  Luckily I don't have too long to wait as Fated will be available on the 5th of January.  For more information visit Sarah Alderson's website.

What happens when you discover you aren’t who you thought you were? When the person you love is the person who must betray you? If fate is already determined - can you fight it?

Lucas Gray is half Shadow Warrior, half human, and a member of the Brotherhood - a group of assassins tasked with killing the last purebred Hunter on Earth before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy. The Hunter’s name is Evie Tremain.

Evie Tremain is seventeen-years-old, a waitress, and has just discovered she is the last in a long line of demon slayers - and an unwilling participant in a war between Hunters and unhumans that has raged for the last thousand years.

Sarah Alderson’s knack for fast-paced, edge-of-your seat action and striking main characters combine in this, her second novel. Evie Tremain’s dilemma will have readers clamouring page-after-page for a resolution. But will Evie take up the challenge and step into her role as demon slayer? What’s in store for her in this sinister and unpredictable underworld, and is she strong enough to survive it?

Also released on the 5th of January is The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  Now I don't read a lot of contemporary stories but I'm quite curious about this one - what would it be like to be able to look 15 years into your future and see how things have turned out?  Would you like what you saw or would you want to try and find a way to change things?  For more information visit Jay Asher's website or Carolyn Mackler's website.


Please note that this isn't the final version of
the UK cover, there will be some minor
changes before publication

It's 1996 and very few high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented until several years in the future. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD. She and her best friend Josh power it up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook in 2011. Everybody wonders what they'll be like fifteen years in the future. Josh and Emma are about to find out.















On the 2nd of February we have a debut novel by Brodi Ashton, Everneath is the first book in a new trilogy and is a paranormal story based around Greek mythology.  This sounds like just my kind of read and I think the cover is absolutely stunning.  Definitely one I'm looking forward to reading.  For more information check out Brodi Ashton's website.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld where immortals feed on the emotions of despairing humans.  Now she’s returned- to her old life, her family, her friends - before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s forever...

Also released on the 2nd of February is Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale.  This is a 2012 debut from a British author and sounds like it will be an emotional read.  Again even though I don't read much contemporary this one really appeals to me and I'm looking forward to giving it a try.  For more information visit Katie Dale's website.

When Rosie Kenning’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntingdon’s disease, her whole world falls apart. Not only does Rosie desperately miss her mum, but now she has to face the fact that she could have inherited the fatal illness herself. But then... Rosie discovers that Trudie wasn’t her biological mother at all. Can this be true? Is she grieving for a mother who wasn’t even hers to lose? And if Trudie wasn’t her mother, who is? As Rosie delves into her past to discover who she really is, she is faced with a heart-breaking dilemma - to continue living a lie, or to reveal a truth that will shatter the lives of everyone around her...

A totally gripping, roller-coaster of a story about family secrets, relationships and deceit, Someone Else’s Life will keep readers enthralled from the first page. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult.

On the 1st of March us UK peeps are finally getting Michelle Hodkin's debut novel The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.  I've seen this book all over the US blogs this year so I'm very excited it's finally arriving over here!  You can find out more at Michelle Hodkin's website.

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed. The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own. But Mara's new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people's deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she's going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn't enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can't seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can't help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…

Last but not least is Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie which is also released on the 1st of March.  This sounds like a lovely contemporary romance and I love the cover!  For more information visit Sophie McKenzie's website.

This is life, not rehearsal...

When River auditions for a part in an inter-school performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself smitten by Flynn, the boy playing Romeo.  River believes in romantic love, and she can't wait to experience it.  But Flynn comes from a damaged family - is he even capable of giving River what she wants?  The path of true love never did run smooth...













So what do you think of the books Simon & Schuster have coming out in early 2012?  Which ones are at the top of your wish list?