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After six slow months and the proclamation of its impending death, urban fantasy fights back in August with forty-one new releases, including new series or series additions from, among others, Faith Hunter, Christina Henry, Lilith Saintcrow, M.L. Brennan, Ilona Andrews, Chloe Neill, Benedict Jacka, Elliott James, Seanan McGuire, Tom Doyle, Kelley Armstrong, Cathy Clamp, Simon R. Green, and J.C. Nelson. And with book No. 14, Kitty Saves the World, Carrie Vaughn says goodbye to the Kitty Norville series.

Fiction Affliction details releases in science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and “genre-benders.” Keep track of them all here. Note: All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.

 

WEEK ONE

Blood of the Earth (Soulwood #1)Faith Hunter (August 2, Roc)

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her. Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville. Nell has a team, and a mission. To find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out.

Spliced Magic (Elemental Magic #6)Angela Wallace (August 3)

Sylphie Seaton’s life is about to get turned upside down when elemental law enforcement agents show up on her doorstep looking for her brother Josh. He’s wanted for the murder of a colleague, but she’s convinced there must be more to the story. When she finally hears from Josh, Sylphie discovers the situation is much worse than she feared. His coworkers were rogue elementals attempting to genetically engineer supernatural abilities, and Josh was accidentally contaminated. Now, Sylphie not only has to protect her brother from the law, but also find a way to reverse the unstable serum before it kills him. On the run with no one to turn to, Sylphie will risk everything to save her brother. But the conspiracy may go deeper than either of them ever imagined, and not even an acclaimed storm chaser can outrun this tempest. (Digital)

AliceChristina Henry (August 4, Ace)

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood. Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago. Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.

Blood CallLilith Saintcrow (August 4, Orbit)

Anna Caldwell has spent the last few days in a blur. She’s seen her brother’s dead body, witnessed the shooting of innocent civilians, and been shot at herself. She has nowhere to turn, and only one person she can possibly call… Since Anna dumped him, it seems waiting is all Josiah Wolfe has done. She’s calling, and she needs his help, or rather, the “talents” she once ran away from. As a liquidation agent, Josiah knows everything about getting out of tough situations. He’ll get whatever she’s carrying to the proper authorities, then settle down to making sure she doesn’t leave him again. But the story Anna’s stumbled into is far bigger than even Josiah suspects…. Anna wants to survive, Josiah wants Anna back, and the powerful people chasing her want the only thing worth killing for: immortality. An ancient evil has been trapped, a woman is in danger, and the world is going to see just how far a liquidation agent will go.

Burning the Rule Book (A Fangborn Story)Dana Cameron (August 4, 47North)

To protect humans from evil yet remain undetected, the Fangborn follow strict rules, but werewolf Jack Parker just keeps breaking them. Failing to disclose his relationship with a Normal could cost him his powers, yet there’s something irresistible about waitress Emily Vargas. She seems to have no past, at least not one she’ll talk about. Jack has kept his affair from the Family but not from his partner, Sully. Lucky for Jack, Sully has more important things to do than report him, like the duo’s strange new assignment. An oracle is barricaded in the Tower of London, refusing to turn over a precious sword until Jack and Sully complete an unusual task. If they succeed, the oracle may reveal Emily’s secret. But if a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, too much can mean the difference between the future Jack longs for and a living hell. (Digital)

Dark Ascension (Generation V #4)M.L. Brennan (August 4, Roc)

After a lifetime of avoiding his family, Fort has discovered that working for them isn’t half bad, even if his mother, Madeline, is a terrifying, murderous vampire. His newfound career has helped him get his partner, kitsune Suzume, to agree to be his girlfriend. Just as Fort is getting comfortable managing a supernatural empire, Madeline’s health starts failing, throwing Fort into the middle of an uncomfortable and dangerous battle for succession. His older sister, Prudence, is determined to take over the territory. Fort isn’t the only one wary of her sociopathic tendencies, and allies are turning to him to keep Prudence from gaining power. As Fort fights against his impending transition into vampire adulthood, he must also battle to keep Prudence from destroying their mother’s kingdom, before she takes him down with it.

Frozen in AmberPhyllis Ames (August 4, DAW)

Amber Treganis constantly reinvents herself. Anything she can do to exert a level of control over her life. What she can’t control is her shape-shifting other self: the WerCougar that sinks its claws into her brain during the three nights surrounding the full moon. Amber has been unwilling to change into her cat form ever since a terrible tragedy cost her the man she loved. After a blurry night of hunting, Amber begins to notice changes in her transformation. When she hears rumors of research to discover a treatment for shifting, she suspects she may have been unknowingly given the experimental therapy. With the help of Adler, a WerEagle, Amber tries to hunt down the truth about this cure. Amber doesn’t realize how much she depends on her Wer sense until they begin to fade. Amber is left increasingly ill, and increasingly human.

His Father’s Eyes (Justin Fearsson #2)David B. Coe (August 4, Baen)

Justis Fearsson is a weremyste. He wields potent magic, but every month, on the full moon, he loses his mind. He’s also a private detective, who can’t afford to take time off from his latest investigation while his sanity goes AWOL. A legion of dark sorcerers has descended on Phoenix, wreaking havoc in the blistering desert heat. Jay has to figure out what connects a billionaire financier and a vicious drug kingpin to an attempted terrorist attack, a spate of ritual killings, and the murder of a powerful runemyste. He has to do it fast. These same dark sorcerers have nearly killed the woman he loves and have used their spells to torment Jay’s father. They have Jay in their crosshairs, and with his death they intend to extend their power over the entire magicking world. Jay has other plans, and no intention of turning his city over to the enemy.

Kitty Saves the World (Kitty Norville #14)Carrie Vaughn (August 4, Tor)

It’s all come down to this, following the discoveries made by Cormac in Low Midnight, Kitty and her allies are ready to strike. But, when their assassination attempt on the evil vampire Dux Bellorum fails, Kitty finds herself running out of time. The elusive vampire lord has begun his apocalyptic end game, and Kitty still doesn’t know where he will strike. Meanwhile, pressure mounts in Denver as Kitty and her pack begin to experience the true reach of Dux Bellorum’s cult. Outnumbered and outgunned at every turn, the stakes have never been higher for Kitty. She will have to call on allies both old and new in order to save not just her family and friends, but the rest of the world as well.

Lamp Black, Wolf GreyPaula Brackston (August 4, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Standalone. Artist Laura Matthews finds her new home in the Welsh mountains to be a place so charged with tales and legends that she is able to reach through the veil that separates her own world from that of myth and fable. She and her husband Dan have given up city life and moved to Blaencwm, an ancient longhouse high in the hills. She hopes that the wild beauty will inspire her to produce her best art and will give her the baby they have longed for. This high valley is also home to others, such as Rhys the charismatic loner who pursues Laura. Anwen, the wise old woman from the neighboring farm who knows so much but talks in riddles. There is Merlin. Once he too walked these hills, with his faithful grey wolf at his heel. It was here he fell in love with Megan, nurse-maid to the children of local noble, Lord Geraint. Merlin was young, at the start of his career as a magician, but when he refuses to help Lord Geraint it is Megan who may pay the price.

Love, Lattes and Danger (Mutants #2)Sandra Cox (August 4, Lyrical Press)

Joel Eisler is a mutant with special talents. He can detect an oil leak in the ocean simply by tasting the water. He’s been purchased by a large oil company, along with his dolph sister, Amy. The upside of spending his days and nights in the ocean is that it gives him the opportunity to save the lives of his brother dolphins. The downsides are life as a closely monitored slave, and that he can’t be with Piper, the dolph-girl he loves. Joel discovers the lab he grew up in has extracted his sperm and Piper’s egg and created a baby, and his handler, Craven, is plotting to kidnap Amy for more experiments. Joel must rescue the infant, bring her to Piper, and find a way to save Amy. And if that’s not enough of a challenge, he needs to convince Piper she belongs with him instead of her all-too-human boyfriend, if Craven doesn’t get to them first.

Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8)Ilona Andrews (August 4, Ace)

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, former Beast Lord Curran Lennart, are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters. So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity; too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected. An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it, before it takes their city apart piece by piece.

Public Enemies (Immortal Game #2)Ann Aguirre (August 4, Feiwel & Friends)

Young Adult. Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board. Because of her boyfriend Kian’s sacrifice, she’s operating under the mysterious Harbinger’s aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she’s terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers, mercenary monsters committed to her destruction, she’s not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months, unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can’t bear to lose.

The Nightmare Charade (The Arkwell Academy #3)Mindee Arnett (August 4, Tor Teen)

Young Adult. Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams. Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough, not to mention the crazy events of the past year. Dusty may have saved the day, but there are many days left in the year, and with an old foe back to seek revenge, she’ll need all her strength to defeat him and save her friends.

The Raven’s ChildThomas E. Sniegoski (August 4, InkLit)

When the Throng came, the human race never stood a chance. The monsters were simply too strong, too numerous. It only took a few months for them to take over and leave the few poor souls who survived cowering in terror for years to come. But even the monsters fear something: the dark goddess known as the Raven’s Child. Legend says that she alone is destined to destroy the Throng and free those under their cruel power. And whoever wields her name and image could become the bane of the Throng and an inspiration to humankind, even if she were only a young woman, like Carissa Devin, who has vowed to reclaim the world for the human race, no matter what the cost.

The Veil (Devil’s Isle #1)Chloe Neill (August 4, NAL)

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.

The Way of Sorrows (The Angelus Trilogy #3)Jon Steele (August 4, Blue Rider Press)

The earthly, and cosmic, adventures of Katherine Taylor and Jay Harper come to an electrifying, action-packed conclusion in The Way of Sorrows, the final installment of the Angelus Trilogy.

This Broken Wondrous World (Man Made Boy #2)Jon Skovron (August 4, Viking BYR)

Young Adult. A year ago, Boy, the son of Frankenstein’s monster, had never even met a human. Now he’s living with his human “family,” the descendants of Dr. Frankenstein, in Switzerland. That is, until the maniacal genius Dr. Moreau, long-ago banished to a remote island for his crimes against humanity, asks for Boy’s help. Moreau wants Boy to join his army of animal/human hybrid creatures and help him overthrow human society. Boy will do anything to save this broken, wondrous world from the war that threatens to split it in two. But how much will he have to give up? And is the world worth saving?

Veiled (Alex Verus #6)Benedict Jacka (August 4, Ace)

Diviner Alex Verus and the Council that governs the magical community have never gotten along. But with his former teacher back in Britain, Alex is in desperate need of allies, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get them, even if it means accepting a job with the Keepers, enforcing magical law. Alex forms an uneasy alliance with his new partner, Caldera, but his attempt at legitimacy quickly turns lethal when a mission puts him in possession of an item that factions both inside and outside of the Council would kill to get their hands on. Once again caught in the middle of a deadly conflict, Alex will need all his abilities to figure out who his friends are, especially when enemies are hiding on all sides.

 

WEEK TWO

Lifeless (Words Made Flesh #2)—AdriAnne Strickland (August 8, Flux)

Young Adult. When Tavin Barnes escaped Eden City with Khaya, the Word of Life, he became the most-wanted fugitive overnight. But he never expected his flight would end with the ultimate curse: becoming the next Word of Death. Now he’s a prisoner inside the Athenaeum, where his new life under the Godspeakers’ control has begun. As the Word of Death, Tavin can kill with a touch, an ability he must learn to harness or risk hurting the people he cares for. But Ryse, the Godspeaker charged with Tavin’s training, is pushing him to be as ruthless as she is. Her goal: make Tavin an elite assassin, whether he wants to be or not. His first target: the Chinese ambassador to Eden City, and that’s just the beginning.

Fearless (Pax Arcana #3)Elliott James (August 11, Orbit)

Someone, somewhere, has declared war on Kevin Kichida, and that someone has a long list of magical predators on their rolodex. The good news is that Kevin lives in a town where Ted Cahill is the new sheriff and old ally of John Charming. The attacks on Kevin seem to be a pattern, and the more John and his new team follow that thread, the deeper they find themselves in a maze of supernatural threats, family secrets, and age-old betrayals. The more John learns, the more convinced he becomes that Kevin Kichida isn’t just a victim, he’s a sacrifice waiting to happen. And that thread John’s following? It’s really a fuse.

Indexing: Reflections (Indexing #2)Seanan McGuire (August 11, 47North)

The struggle against not-so-charming storybook narratives isn’t the only complicating factor in Henrietta “Henry” Marchen’s life. As part of the ATI Management Bureau team protecting the world from fairy tales gone awry, she’s juggling her unwanted new status as a Snow White, dealing with a potentially dangerous Pied Piper, and wrangling a most troublesome wicked stepsister, along with a budding relationship with Jeff, her teammate. But when a twisted, vicious Cinderella breaks out of prison and wreaks havoc, things go from disenchanted to deadly. And once Henry realizes someone is trying to use her to destroy the world, her story becomes far from over, and this one might not have a happily ever after. (Digital; Print available January 2016)

Reawakened (The Reawakened #1)Colleen Houck (August 11, Delacorte)

Young Adult. 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. 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.

The Last Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities #1)C.J. Archer (August 11)

Victorian London: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. When one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn’t raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her. Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly “made” creatures. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. What happens when he discovers the boy is the young woman he’s been searching for? Will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will? Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting. (Digital)

The Left-Hand Way (American Craftsmen #2)Tom Doyle (August 11, Tor)

The American craftsmen are scattered like bait overseas. What starts as an ordinary liaison mission to London for Major Michael Endicott becomes a desperate chase across Europe, where Endicott is both hunted and hunter. Reluctantly joining him is his minder from MI13, Commander Grace Marlowe, one of Her Majesty’s most lethal magician soldiers, whose family has centuries of justified hostility to the Endicotts. In Istanbul and Tokyo, Endicott’s comrades, Scherie Rezvani and Dale Morton, are caught in their own battles for survival against hired assassins and a ghost-powered doomsday machine. And in Kiev, Roderick Morton, the spider at the center of a global web, plots their destruction and his ultimate apotheosis. After centuries of imprisonment, nothing less than godlike power will satisfy Roderick, whatever the dreadful cost.

Deceptions (Cainsville #3)Kelley Armstrong (August 18, Dutton)

Olivia Taylor Jones’s life has exploded. She’s discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town’s mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé. Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

 

WEEK THREE

ForbiddenCathy Clamp (August 18, Tor)

Ten years have passed since the war that destroyed the Sazi Council and inflicted a horrible “cure” on thousands of Sazi, robbing them of their ability to shapeshift. Luna Lake, isolated in Washington State, started as a refugee camp for Sazi orphans. Now it’s a small town and those refugees are young adults. Sazi children are being kidnapped. Claire, a red wolf shifter, is sent to investigate. Held prisoner by the Snakes during childhood, Claire is distrusted by those who call Luna Lake home. Alek was part of a wolf pack in Chicago. In Luna Lake he was adopted by a parliament of Owls.The kidnappings are a painful reminder that his little sister disappeared a decade ago. When Claire and Alek meet, sparks fly, but the desperate race to find the missing children forces them to set aside their mutual attraction and focus on the future of their people.

Hallow Point (Mick Oberon #2)Ari Marmell (August 18, Titan Books)

The Spear of Lugh, one of the four Kingly Hallows of Ireland is in Chicago. And everyone, everyone wants it, for it is said that he who carries the spear into battle cannot be defeated. Among those who seek it are an agent of the infamous Wild Hunt; a mobster who knows far more about these things than he should; and of course both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts – the last people PI Mick Oberon would want getting hold of the spear.

Human Nature (World of the Lupi #4.7)Eileen Wilks (August 18, InterMix)

Novella originally appeared in the anthology Inked. FBI Agent Lily Yu is turning twenty-nine—a milestone she’s decidedly ambivalent about. But her birthday celebration is cut short when the naked, heavily tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town. The victim was David Pruitt, and years ago, he was close friends with Rule Turner, prince of the lupi. At first it seems like a bizarre ritual killing, but there’s more than magic afoot: David wasn’t human. And the killer isn’t finished. (Digital)

Jubilee Manor (Landry Park #2)Bethany Hagen (August 11, Dial)

Madeline turned her back on her elite family, friends, and estate to help the Rootless. Now, Madeline struggles to bring the Gentry and the Rootless together. But when Gentry heirs, Madeline’s old friends, are murdered, even she begins to think a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she is trying to lead. If she can’t figure out who is killing her friends and bring them to justice, a violent war will erupt and even more will die, and Madeline’s name, her estate, and all the bonds she’s forged won’t make any difference.

NightwiseR.S. Belcher (August 18, Tor)

In the more shadowy corners of the world, frequented by angels and demons and everything in-between, Laytham Ballard is a legend. It’s said he raised the dead at the age of ten, stole the Philosopher’s Stone in Vegas back in 1999, and survived the bloodsucking kiss of the Mosquito Queen. A promise to a dying friend has Ballard on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal with friends in both high and low places, and a sinister history of blood sacrifices. Ballard is hell-bent on making Dusan Slorzack pay for his atrocities, but Slorzack seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth, beyond the reach of his enemies, the Illuminati, and maybe even the Devil himself. Ballard must follow a winding, treacherous path that stretches from Wall Street and Washington, D.C. to backwoods hollows and truckstops, risking what’s left of his very soul,

The Paradox (Oversight Trilogy #2)Charlie Fletcher (August 18, Orbit)

Those who belong to the secret society called the Oversight know many things. They know cold iron will hold back the beasts in the darkness. They know it is dangerous to stand between two mirrors. And they know that, despite their dwindling numbers, it remains their duty to protect humanity from the supernatural. And vice versa. But two of the society’s strongest members, Mr. Sharp and Sara Falk, are trapped in the world between the mirrors, looking for each other, searching for a way back home. What they discover there will have ominous consequences both for the Oversight and the world it protects, effects that will make them question everything they thought they knew.

 

WEEK FOUR

Darkest Misery (Miss Misery #4)Tracey Martin (August 25, Samhain)

Jessica Moore is about to lose her you-know-what. She did the impossible by convincing the Gryphons, the magi, the satyrs and the goblins to work together to stop an apocalyptic prophecy from coming true. She can’t make them trust each other, which means their plans are already falling apart. With Gryphons and satyrs making plays for her loyalty, Jess is ready to kill everyone herself. The tentative alliance disintegrates even faster when a key member is murdered and Jess’s allies turn on her. Grieving will have to wait. She’s forced to work with her least trusted coworker to flush out the culprit, even as she pushes Lucen away to keep him safe. Dangers that will test her powers await in the Alps, and this time Lucen isn’t there to guard her back. Even if she finds what she’s looking for, it’ll come with a fury-ous heap of trouble. (Digital)

Diary of a HauntingM. Verano (August 25, Simon Pulse)

Young Adult. When Paige moves from LA to Idaho with her mom and little brother after her parents’ divorce, she expects to completely hate her new life, and the small town doesn’t disappoint. The drafty old mansion they’ve rented is infested with flies, spiders, and other pests Paige doesn’t want to think about. It’s harder to ignore the strange things happening around the house. Paige’s little brother begins roaming the house at all hours of the night, and there’s something not right about the downstairs neighbor. Things only get creepier when she learns about the sinister cult that conducted experimental rituals in the house almost a hundred years earlier. The more Paige investigates, the clearer it all becomes: whatever is in the house, whatever is causing all the strange occurrences, has no intention of backing down without a fight.

Forces from Beyond (Ghost Finders #6)Simon R. Green (August 25, Ace)

Meet the operatives of the Carnacki Institute: JC Chance: the team leader, brave, charming, and almost unbearably arrogant; Melody Chambers: the science geek who keeps the antisupernatural equipment running; and Happy Jack Palmer: the terminally gloomy telepath. Their mission: Do Something About Ghosts. Lay them to rest, send them packing, or just kick their nasty ectoplasmic arses. A threat to Humanity rests on the bottom of the North Sea: the interdimensional entity known as the Flesh Undying. It is a monstrous being of unimaginable power, way out of the Ghost Finders’ league, so the team has no choice but to accept an alliance with their evil counterpart, Project Crowley. Only the creature has already turned its eye upon the Ghost Finders, and dispatched an assassin with a deadly vendetta against them.

Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2)Libba Bray (August 25, Little, Brown BYR)

Young Adult. After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to “read” objects, and therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the title, “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” But not everyone is so accepting of the Diviners’ abilities. Meanwhile, mysterious deaths have been turning up in the city, victims of an unknown sleeping sickness. Can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld and catch a killer?

Lies Ripped Open (Hellequin Chronicles #5)Steve McHugh (August 25, 47North)

Over a hundred years have passed since a group of violent killers went on the rampage, murdering innocent victims for fun. But even back then, sorcerer Nate Garrett, aka Hellequin, knew there was more to it than simple savage pleasure, souls were being stolen. Nate’s discovery of the souls’ use, and of those supporting the group’s plan, made him question everything he believed. Now the group Nate thought long dead is back. Violent, angry, and hell-bent on revenge, they have Hellequin firmly in their sights. And if he won’t come willingly, they’ll take those closest to him first. The battle begins again.

Secondhand Souls (Grim Reaper #2)Christopher Moore (August 25, William Morrow)

Something really strange is happening in the City by the Bay. People are dying, but their souls are not being collected. Someone, or something, is stealing them and no one knows where they are going, or why, but it has something to do with that big orange bridge. Death Merchant Charlie Asher is just as flummoxed as everyone else. He’s trapped in the body of a fourteen-inch-tall “meat” waiting for his Buddhist nun girlfriend, Audrey, to find him a suitable new body to play host. To get to the bottom of this, a motley crew of heroes will band together: the seven-foot-tall death merchant Minty Fresh; retired policeman Alphonse Rivera; the Emperor of San Francisco and his dogs, Bummer and Lazarus; and Lily, the former Goth girl. Now if only they can get little Sophie to stop babbling about the coming battle for the very soul of humankind.

The House on Stone’s Throw IslandDan Poblocki (August 25, Scholastic)

There is an island, far off the coast of Maine, where the ghosts of the past are restless. Josie Sandoval and Eli Barker are strangers when they board the ferry to Stone’s Throw, traveling to the isolated island for a wedding. Then an immense storm blows in, and the wedding party is left stranded with no way to contact the mainland, and no idea that they have been targeted for revenge by the undead. The only clues to the danger they’re in are a scrap of an old Nazi uniform, and an unfamiliar voice crying out for help in German. Josie and Eli soon realize there’s much more to worry about than guest lists and flowers. It’s up to them to uncover the chilling history of Stone’s Throw Island and put its ghosts to rest, or this dream wedding will become an absolute nightmare.

Thirteen Days of MidnightLeo Hunt (August 25, Candlewick)

Young Adult. When Luke Manchett’s estranged father dies unexpectedly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance: a collection of eight restless spirits, known as his Host, who want revenge for their long enslavement. Once they figure out that Luke has no clue how to manage them, they become increasingly belligerent, and eventually mutiny. Halloween (the night when ghosts reach the height of their power) is fast approaching, and Luke knows his Host is planning something far more trick than treat. Armed with only his father’s indecipherable notes, a locked copy of The Book of Eight, and help from school outcast Elza Moss, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic and send his unquiet spirits to their eternal rest, or join their ghostly ranks himself. (U.S.)

Wish Bound (Grimm Agency #3)J.C. Nelson (August 25, Ace)

Even when she’s not starting it, trouble follows Marissa everywhere. First there was the incident with the homicidal Fairy Godmother. Then there was the time she accidentally started Armageddon. The problems that always seem to arise on Marissa’s birthday take the cake. This year, her annual bad-luck presents include an army of invading goblins, the resurrection of two vengeful enemies from hell, and the return of the Black Queen, the evil sorceress whose reign of terror still haunts Kingdom and who has claimed Marissa as her servant. As Marissa’s friends try to save her from the Black Queen’s clutches, Marissa fights to end a bitter war that started before her birth. Her quest for peace is about to bring up some inconvenient truths about her own past, ones that might cost her the happily ever after she’s always dreamed of.

Suzanne Johnson is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, and, as Susannah Sandlin, the Penton Legacy paranormal romance series and The Collectors thriller series. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her website.

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Suzanne Johnson

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Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books. Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books.
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