Publisher Spotlight: Macmillan - January - June 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.  I'm not sure how regular the posts will be yet but I have quite a few lined up already and we'll see how things go over the next few months.  So in the spotlight today we have . . .

Macmillan have some fabulous YA books coming out in 2012 that I'm really excited about!  This year really does look like it's going to be an amazing one.  Check out the Macmillan website for more information.

January:

Tempest by Julie Cross

Rich-kid Jackson Meyer has a secret: he can travel through time. But when a shocking event leaves him trapped in his own past, Jackson discovers that his comfortable life has a dark secret. Now he must find a way save the girl he loves, before they have even met.

I have already read Tempest and really enjoyed it (my review will be posted on Tuesday) so this is one I can definitely recommend.  This is Julie's first novel so counts towards the debut author challenge if you're taking part.  Visit Julie Cross' blog for more information.

February:

After the Snow by S.D. Crockett

Separated from his family, ‘straggler’ kid Willo is lost and alone in the barren landscape of the new ice age. Now, with only the dog-spirit inside his head to guide him, Willo must embark on an icy journey of survival, adventure and friendship.

After the Snow is another debut novel, this time from British author Sophie Crockett. I love dystopian stories so I'm really looking forward to this one.  Visit S.D. Crockett's page on Goodreads for more information.

Mice by Gordon Reece

Shelley and her mother are ‘mice:’ timid, nervous and obliging. The fragile peace of their remote countryside existence is shattered when someone breaks into their cottage. In the shocking event that follows, Shelley begins to wonder if she and her mother are mice after all. And if not mice, then what are they?

Mice is a psychological thriller so not a genre that I usually read but I'm really curious about the idea of a mother and daughter who are pushed so far that they are finally forced to stand up for themselves.  I wonder how far they will actually go to protect each other.  Visit Gordon Reece's website for more information.

Demon Trappers: Forgiven by Jana Oliver

Wanted by both the forces of Heaven and Hell,17-year-old demon trapper Riley Blackthorne is on the run. Armageddon might be closer than anyone thinks, but with an angelic bargain on one side and a deal with the devil on the other, it’s all Riley can do to stay alive, let alone save the world…

I loved the first book in the Demon Trappers series: Forsaken (read my review here) and I have the second book Forbidden sitting on my to read pile so I really must catch up before Forgiven comes out.  This is definitely a series I would recommend if you haven't tried it yet it has interesting mythology, scary demons, a kick ass heroine and a hot love interest - what more could you ask for?  Visit Jana Oliver's website for more information.

Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend by Cora Harrison

A little mystery is so becoming in a hero, don't you think?

Jane wants to meet a hero worthy of her extraordinary imagination: a gentleman who is dashing and daring and handsome and brave; who can dance like a viscount and duel like a king. Jane and Jenny are whiling away the season in Bath and there are plenty of dances, rumours and scandals to entertain them. But a good reputation, once lost, is gone forever; and Jane is in danger of becoming the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons

Jane Austen Stole My Boyfriend sounds like a really cute historical romance.  It's actually the sequel to I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend which I hadn't heard of before but I think I'll have to check out this series.  Visit Cora Harrison's website for more information.

March:

The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird

Orphaned by war, Prince Alamayu of Abyssinia is brought to England by the British Army, befriended by Queen Victoria and enrolled in Rugby School.

This is his fascinating, poignant, meticulously researched story told by one of the UK’s most endearing novelists.

I'm really curious about The Prince Who Walked With Lions, I love historical fiction and it looks like this is based on a true story so I'm looking forward to finding out more.  Visit Elizabeth Laird's website for more information.
 

April:

 

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
 

Anya is a member of a notorious New York crime family, so when her violent ex-boyfriend is poisoned, suspicion naturally falls on her. Only the District Attorney believes she is innocent, but her freedom has a price: stay away from his son Win. Anya is finding Win hard to resist, but by getting involved with him she risks the wrath of the law on one side, and the mafia on the other…

A crime thriller set in a dystopian world All These Things I've Done is a book I'm really excited about!  Luckily I already have a copy of this one but I'm trying to hold off until nearer the release date before I read it.  Visit Gabrielle Zevin's website for more information.

Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari

The second breathtaking novel from the winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.

Fourteen year-old Mira Levenson travels to India to meet her family and is quickly swept into a sweltering, chaotic world – full of new sights, smells and deeply buried secrets. Nothing is as she imagined it. Mira faithfully writes to her boyfriend, Jidé, but there’s one person she doesn’t mention. From the moment Mira meets Janu she feels a potent connection and he becomes her guide through the vibrant and often dangerous streets of Kolkata. As her time in India draws to an end, Mira is determined to uncover the truth about her family and she must also make a decision that will break someone's heart . . .

I've heard really good things about Sita Brahmachari's debut novel Artichoke Hearts, in fact I bought a copy months ago but just haven't had time to read it yet.  Her next novel Jasmine Skies is the sequel so it looks like I really need to bump Artichoke Hearts up the to read pile so I can read this one too.  I just have to mention how much I love the Jasmine Skies cover it's so pretty & orange is my favourite colour!  Visit Sita Brahmachari's website for more information.

May:

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Pierce Oliviera knows what it’s like to die: in fact she already has, if only for a moment. In the space between Heaven and Hell she met John Hayden – mysterious, attractive, dangerous – who ushers souls from one world to the next. But when Pierce returns to the land of the living, she finds that John has followed her back…

Underworld by Meg Cabot (no cover image currently available)

To escape the clutches of the vengeful Furies, Pierce Oliveria has gone to live with John Hayden in the dark Underworld between Heaven and Hell. But when she discovers that her family is in danger, she knows she must get out. Pierce has escaped from John once before. This time, she may not be so lucky…

Abandon was published last year and is the first book in Meg Cabot's Abandon trilogy.  This is another book that I've heard great things about and that I really need to read soon.  The second book in the trilogy Underworld will be published in the UK in May so it's definitely one to look out for if you loved Abandon.  Visit Meg Cabot's website for more information.

Young Sherlock: Fire Storm by Andrew Lane

Think you know him? Think again. Fourteen-year-old Sherlock has come up against some challenges in his time, but what confronts him now is completely baffling. His tutor, Crowe, and Crowe's daughter, Ginny, have vanished. Their house looks as if nobody has ever lived there. Neighbours claim never to have heard of them.

Sherlock begins to doubt his sanity, until a chance clue points him to Scotland . Following that clue leads him into the throes of a mystery that involves kidnapping, bodysnatchers and a man who claims he can raise the dead. Before he knows it, Sherlock is fighting for his life as he battles to discover what has happened to his his friends.

Fire Storm is the fourth book in the Young Sherlock series by Andrew Lane.  I have to admit I've not read any of the books in this series but I'm curious about the idea of a younger Sherlock so I might have to pick up a copy of the first book (Death Cloud).  Visit the Young Sherlock website for more information.

What's Up With Jody Barton? by Hayley Long

Jody and Jolene may be the world’s least identical twins, but they’ve both fallen for the same hot guy. And if that wasn’t complicated enough… there’s something nobody knows about Jody Barton. Something big.

I've heard a lot of great things about Hayley Long's Lottie Biggs series but I don't tend to read a lot of contemporary stories so I've not read them myself.  I'm sure her next novel What's Up With Jody Barton? will be popular with contemp fans though.  Visit Hayley Long's website for more information.

Soul Seekers: Fated by Alyson Noel

Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire's having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she's never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico.There Daire crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes.

Her grandmother recognizes Daire's episodes for what they are - a call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, a person who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter, out to steal them.

Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she's meant to be with . . . or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

I can't tell you how excited I am about Fated, the first book in Alyson Noel's new Soul Seekers series.  I have been waiting for this one ever since Alyson told us about it at a Macmillan event last year and think it's going to be a fantastic read.  This is definitely at the top of my wish list!  Visit Alyson Noel's website for more information.

So what do you think of the books Macmillan are publishing in the next few months?  Which ones are you most looking forward to?  Have you added any new ones to your wish list?