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Books Fiction Affliction

Fiction Affliction: October Releases in Urban Fantasy

By

Published on September 27, 2012

New urban fantasy book releases coming out in October 2012
New urban fantasy book releases coming out in October 2012

Urban fantasy fans have to be the poorest readers on the planets, with another gargantuan month full of releases to buy – forty-seven in all, although, to be fair, twenty of them are Young Adult books.

Out this month: new series starts from Jacqueline Carey, Darynda Jones, Tina Connolly, Jocelynn Drake, and Tim Lebbon, and series additions from Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), Barb Hendee (Vampire Memories), Celia Jerome (Willow Tate), C.C. Hunter (Shadow Falls), and Christina Henry (Black Wings), among others. Need a Rachel Morgan fix? Kim Harrison’s collection of shorts, Into the Woods, also releases this month.

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

Dark Currents (Agent of Hel #1), by Jacqueline Carey (October 2, Roc)

The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer people, and tourists by the busload; not to mention fairies, sprites, vampires, naiads, ogres and a whole host of eldritch folk, presided over by Hel, a reclusive Norse goddess. To Daisy Johanssen, it’s home. And as Hel’s enforcer it’s up to her to ensure relations between the mundane and eldritch communities run smoothly. When a young man drowns, and signs point to eldritch involvement, the town’s booming paranormal tourism trade is at stake. Teamed with her childhood crush, Officer Cody Fairfax, a sexy werewolf on the down-low, Daisy must solve the crime, and keep a tight rein on the darker side of her nature.

Darkness Rising, by Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson (October 2, Thomas Nelson)

The evil that’s in East Salem is no longer content to hide in the shadows. The stakes, and the darkness, are rising. Dani Harris thought there wasn’t much left that could surprise her after serving as a forensic psychiatrist in East Salem. And Tommy Gunderson has faced few challenges in his life that he couldn’t overcome by either physical strength or his celebrity status. But as they race to uncover what’s really happening behind the high walls of St. Adrian’s Academy, it becomes clear that supernatural forces have been at work here for generations. And now their focus is on making sure Dani and Tommy don’t interfere. When the unseen becomes seen, faith is the only weapon strong enough to fight in a battle involving not only murder and betrayal-but angels and demons.

Daughter of the Sword (Fated Blades #1), by Steve Bein (October 2, Roc)

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. She has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. The case, the attempted theft of an old samurai sword, proves more dangerous than anyone imagined. The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma, one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever.

Dead City, by James Ponti (October 2, Aladdin)

Young Adult.Most kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow has something else on her list: hunting zombies. By day, Molly attends MIST, the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology, but outside the classroom she’s busy dealing with the undead. Because not only do zombies exist, they’re everywhere, and it’s her job to help police them and keep the peace. Sure, she’d like to be a regular kid, but given that her mother was the most revered (or feared, depending on your perspective) zombie hunter in the history of New York City, “regular” just isn’t possible. Molly’s got some legendary footsteps to follow, and some undeadly consequences if she fails.

Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight #1), by Darynda Jones (October 2, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Young Adult. Ten years ago, Lorelei’s parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on. Until the day the school’s designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her. Things get even more complicated when a new guy, terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach, comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can’t have Lorelei? What will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?

Death’s Rival (Jane Yellowrock #5), by Faith Hunter (October 2, Roc)

Jane Yellowrock is a shapeshifting skinwalker you don’t want to cross, especially if you’re one of the undead. For a vampire killer like Jane, having Leo Pellisier as a boss took some getting used to. But now, someone is out to take his place as Master Vampire of the city of New Orleans, and is not afraid to go through Jane to do it. After an attack that’s tantamount to a war declaration, Leo knows his rival is both powerful and vicious, but Leo’s not about to run scared. After all, he has Jane. But then, a plague strikes, one that takes down vampires and makes their masters easy prey. Now, to uncover the identity of the vamp who wants Leo’s territory, and to find the cause of the vamp-plague, Jane will have to go to extremes and maybe even to war.

Feedback (Variant #2), by Robison Wells (October 2, HarperTeen)

Young Adult. Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs. Or so he thought. But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed. They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined, and they may be impossible to stop.

Ghosts of Memories (Vampire Memories #5), by Barb Hendee (October 2, Roc)

With her vampire protector Philip Branté and their human companion Wade Sheffield, a former police psychologist, Eleisha Clevon searches the world for isolated vampires, and offers them sanctuary. She wants to provide a home where she can teach them to follow the Four Laws that will protect them and their kind. But not all vampires want to live by anyone’s rules but their own. Christian Lefevre has been posing a psychic, catering to the upper crust of Seattle society by making contact with their dead loved ones, and leaving his clients faint and weak after each encounter. Now Eleisha must confront the most deadly predator she has ever faced, or lose everything she has fought to protect.

Ironskin (Ironskin #1), by Tina Connolly (October 2, Tor)

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its victims remain, the ironskin. A carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation,” a child born during the Great War. Teaching Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the artist Edward Rochart. But her crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio, and come out as beautiful as the fey. Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. What if neither of these things is true? Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life, and discovers how far she will go to become whole again.

London Eye (Toxic City #1), by Tim Lebbon (October 2, Pyr)

Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers. The rest of Britain believes that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland. But Jack and his friends know that the reality is very different. At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London. Because the handful of London’s survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving. Upon discovering that his mother is still alive inside London, Jack, his sister, and their three friends sneak into a city in ruins. Choppers cruise the streets, looking for survivors to experiment upon. Jack knows that the truth must be revealed to the outside world or every survivor will die.

Merge/Disciple: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion, by Walter Mosley (October 2, Tor)

Merge: Releigh Redman hit the lotto for $26 million and set his sights on one goal: reading a collection of lectures. Raleigh notices something in his apartment that seems ordinary but quickly reveals itself to be from a world very different from our own. This entity shows Raleigh joy beyond the comforts of $26 million dollars, and merges our world with those that live beyond. Disciple: Hogarth Tryman is a forty-two year old man working a dead-end job. That all changes the night he receives a bizarre instant message from a man who calls himself Bron. In a matter of days Hogarth Tryman goes from a data entry clerk to the head of a corporation. He realizes he has become a pawn in a much larger game, a battle that threatens the prime life force on Earth.

Sand Witches in the Hamptons: A Willow Tate Novel (Willow Tate #5), by Celia Jerome (October 2, DAW)

Willow Tate is a Visualizer, able to draw beings from the Otherworld, home to trolls and elves, night mares and bird fish, and many other fantastical beings, and “draw” them into our world. They all seem to end up in the weird little town of Paumanok Harbor, nestled in the popular Hamptons region of Long Island. As if Willow didn’t have enough problems coping with all these Otherworld visitors, now she has a stalker, her doom-seer father has a secret, and Paumanok Harbor has Otherworld sand-stealers. Willow has bodyguards but absolutely no idea how to solve any of these problems in time for Halloween, when the local witches hold their annual gathering on the beach. Good thing she has the handsome, loving, local vet Matt to come to her assistance.

Skarlet: Part One of the Vampire Trinity, by Thomas Emson (October 2, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Fear grips London as dozens of people die after taking a sinister new drug called Skarlet. Forty-eight hours later, the dead partiers wake up and begin butchering the living for their blood. Soon, London gives a name to its terror: Vampires. Jake Lawton, bitter and betrayed after the Iraq War, finds himself fighting another battle, against the growing army of immortal hunters and their human cohorts. Lawton joins forces with the journalist who brought about his downfall and the dealer tricked into distributing the drug. Together they take on the spineless authorities, the ruthless cohorts, and the hungry dead. But the vampire plague unleashed in London is nothing to what lurks beneath the streets. Waiting to be resurrected. Waiting to reign again over a city of human slaves.

Through to You, by Emily Hainsworth (October 2, Balzer + Bray)

Young Adult. Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv. The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day.

Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4), by C.C. Hunter (October 2, St. Martin’s Griffin)

At a camp filled with vampires, werewolves, and fairies, Kylie Galen has always struggled to figure out what she is. Now she finally knows the truth, but she’s left with more questions than answers.  She doesn’t have a clue what her heritage means or how to harness her newfound powers. All she knows is that she needs to sort out her feelings for Derek, the sexy half-Fae who just confessed his love, and Lucas, her werewolf boyfriend who seems more committed to his pack than to their relationship. All the while, Kylie’s dealing with a group of underground rogues who want her dead and a mysterious grandfather who makes it clear he doesn’t trust the FRU, or Shadow Falls. Soon Kylie will have to choose.

 

WEEK TWO

Ghost Town, by Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson and Tim Waggoner (October 9, Gallery Books)

When Amber, Drew, and Trevor are invited to a paranormal conference in the most haunted town in America, they confront a murderous ghost called the Dark Lady and her human servant: Amber’s abusive ex-boyfriend Mitch. The three friends must stop the Dark Lady before she destroys the entire town, and they’ll have the help of a surprising and spooky ally.

Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond (The Hollows), by Kim Harrison (October 9, Harper Voyager)

Fans have fallen for bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan. Through banishment and road trips, deadly supernatural duels and lost loves, they have avidly cheered her on, eagerly awaiting the next installment in her adventures. This collection of short works, published together in one volume for the first time, adds a whole new dimension to the Hollows saga, featuring tales involving Rachel and her coterie of friends and enemies.

The Unfailing Light (Katerina Trilogy #2), by Robin Bridges (October 9, Delacorte)

Young Adult.  Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She’s about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia’s arch nemesis, who she thought she’d destroyed—is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She’ll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina’s horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Valkyrie Rising, by Ingrid Paulson (October 9, HarperTeen)

Young Adult. Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. When Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie and Tuck to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Velveteen (Velveteen #1), by Daniel Marks (October 9, Delacorte)

Young Adult. At 16, Velveteen Monroe was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem. The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days. Crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her soul. Fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and off-limits coworker. Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules, or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

 

WEEK THREE

Angel’s Ink (The Asylum Tales #1), by Jocelynn Drake (October 16, Harper Voyager)

Looking for a tattoo? Head to the quiet and mysterious Gage, the best skin artist in town. Using his unique potions he can fulfill any heart’s desire. But in a place like Low Town, where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires happily walk among humanity, everything has its price. Turning his back on his own kind, Gage left the magical Ivory Tower where cruel witches and warlocks rule, a decision that cost him the right to practice magic. If he disobeys, his punishment, execution, will be swift. Gage can’t hide from powerful warlocks who want him dead, or the secrets of his own past. But with the help of his friends, Trixie, a gorgeous elf who hides her true identity, and a hulking troll named Bronx, Gage just might make it through this enchanted world alive.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times, by Daniel Waters (October 16, Hyperion)

Young Adult. Living in the aftermath of the Event means that seeing the dead is now a part of life, but Veronica wishes that the ghosts would just move on. Instead, the ghosts aren’t disappearing, they’re gaining power. When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica’s high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he’s haunted by the possibility that she’s waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he’s wrong, what’s the harm in creating one more ghost?

Crewel (Crewel World #1), by Gennifer Albin (October 16, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Young Adult. Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. Sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. She slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her, tonight. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast, to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. And one hour to escape. Once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Hidden (House of Night #10), by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (October 16, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Young Adult. Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight.

Second Chance (The Slayer Chronicles #2), by Heather Brewer (October 16, Dial)

Young Adult. The stakes are life or death. The summer after Joss failed to kill the vampire Vladimir Tod, he gets a second chance to prove himself as a Slayer. He is sent to New York City to hunt down a serial killer that the Slayer Society believes is a vampire. It is up to Joss to lead his Slayer team, and through their detective work, they discover that there are actually four vampire brothers who are on the killing rampage. Joss must use all his skill to save the innocent people of New York City from the murderers. Joss’s status as a Slayer depends on it.

The Shadow Society, by Marie Rutkoski (October 16, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Young Adult. Darcy Jones doesn’t remember anything before the day she was abandoned as a child. She has never really belonged anywhere, but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the humans. Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her. When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever.

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (The Governor Trilogy #2), by Robert Kirkmanand Jay Bonansinga (October 16, St. Martin’s Press)

The zombie plague unleashes its horrors on the suburbs of Atlanta without warning, pitting the living against the dead. Caught in the mass exodus, Lilly Caul struggles to survive. But the Walkers are multiplying. Lilly relies on the protection of good Samaritans, seeking refuge in a walled-in town known as Woodbury, Georgia. Woodbury seems like a perfect sanctuary. A self-proclaimed leader named Philip Blake keeps the citizens in line. But Lilly begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Blake, who has recently begun to call himself The Governor, has disturbing ideas about law and order. Lilly and a band of rebels open up a Pandora’s box of mayhem and destruction when they challenge The Governor’s reign, and the road to Woodbury becomes the highway to hell.

Zom-B (Zom-B #1), by Darren Shan (October 16, Little, Brown Books)

Young Adult. When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B’s racist father thinks it’s a joke, but even if it isn’t, he figures, it’s ok to lose a few Irish. B doesn’t fully buy into Dad’s racism, but figures it’s easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. And when dodging his fists doesn’t work, B doesn’t hesitate to take the piss out of kids at school with a few slaps or cruel remarks. That is, until zombies attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers.

 

WEEK FOUR

Beautiful Redemption (Caster Chronicles #4), by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (October 23, Little, Brown Books)

Young Adult. Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything. When Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves. In Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan’s return, vowing to do whatever it takes, even if that means trusting enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect. Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate.

Blind Spot, by Laura Ellen (October 23, Harcourt)

Young Adult. There’s none so blind as they that won’t see. Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together, to clear her name, to find a murderer.

Dark Star, by Bethany Frenette (October 23, Hyperion)

Young Adult. Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities. Until she’s lured into the night air by something human and not human, something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile. Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn’t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers. They want Audrey dead, just because she is one of the Kin. If Audrey could get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers’ next move. Leon, her mother’s bossy sidekick, has other ideas. When a betrayal puts Minneapolis in danger, Audrey discovers an untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself. Or it may be the force that destroys everything.

Finale (Hush, Hush #4), by Becca Fitzpatrick (October 23, Simon & Schuster)

Young Adult. Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend’s ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn, but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can’t conquer?

Mercury Rests (Mercury Series #3), by Robert Kroese (October 23, 47North)

After foiling an attempt to destroy the universe, Mercury has gone missing. And with the devil already putting the final fiendish touches on his next scheme to bring about the apocalypse, all that stands between Lucifer and his dreams of a hellfire holocaust are two misfit humans: jaded religion reporter Christine Temetri and mild-mannered forensic analyst Jacob Slater. But the pair soon realize that the Prince of Darkness has set his sights higher than they can reach; he’s planning to bring his battle for domination straight to the pearly gates. They’ll need the wisecracking, ping-pong loving, apathetic angel Mercury to help save the day, the world, and heaven before the clock ticks down to the End Times, if they can find him.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2), by Michelle Hodkin (October 23, Simon & Schuster)

Young Adult. Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can’t. She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren’t. She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She’s wrong. In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

A Trace of Moonlight (Abby Sinclair #3), by Allison Pang (October 30, Pocket Books)

Drinking from the waters of lethe and offering herself up as Faerie’s sacrificial Tithe . . . these just might be the least of Abby Sinclair’s problems. Abby’s pact with a daemon is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that there’s nearly always a loophole. Her friends’ reckless attempts to free her set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal, then gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. And, she’s lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld. Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.

Black Lament (Black Wings #4), by Christina Henry(October 30, Ace)

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black deals with loss every day. But when tragedy touches her own life, Maddy will have to find the strength within to carry on. Devastated and grieving, Maddy unexpectedly finds hope with the discovery that she is pregnant. But Maddy’s joy is short lived when Lucifer informs her that he wants the baby, hoping to draw on the combined power of two of his bloodlines. Maddy is determined that her grandfather will never have her child. Maddy suddenly finds herself at odds with the Agency, forbidden from meddling in the affairs of the supernatural courts. When a few of her soul collections go awry, Maddy begins to suspect that the Agency wants to terminate her employment. They should know that she isn’t the sort to give up without a fight.

Dead Girl Moon, by Charlie Price (October 30, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Young Adult. As their hardscrabble lives intertwine in a small, corrupt Montana town, Grace, a scheming runaway, JJ, her drifty fostercare sister, and Mick, the son of a petty thief, discover the body of a young woman. Afraid to come forward, the teens try to hide their knowledge of the crime, because they believe the murderer is one of the corrupt officials and businessmen who rule their town. But after a series of false moves and dumb mistakes, the teens are soon suspects themselves in a murder investigation threatening their freedom, and maybe their lives.

Dead of Winter (Cora Oglesby #1), by Lee Collins (October 30, Angry Robot)

Cora and her husband hunt things, things that shouldn’t exist. When the marshal of Leadville, Colorado, comes across a pair of mysterious deaths, he turns to Cora to find the creature responsible, but if Cora is to overcome the unnatural tide threatening to consume the small town, she must first confront her own tragic past as well as her present.

Death’s Apprentice: A Grimm City Novel, by K.W. Jeterand Gareth Jefferson Jones (October 30, St. Martin’s Press)

Built on top of the gates of Hell, Grimm City is the Devil’s capital on earth. A place where every coffee shop, nightclub and shopping mall is the potential hunting ground for a ghost, a demon, or any of the other supernatural entities that inhabit the Grimm City world. Death’s seventeen-year-old apprentice, Nathaniel, comes into his own as he leads an uprising against the Devil with the help of a half-dead wraith and a giant hit-man. What results is a bloody, brutal revolt that calls upon the loyalties of both the living and the dead.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4), by Darynda Jones (October 30, St. Martin’s Press)

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off. When a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. His absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

Hell to Heaven (Journey to Wudang #2), by Kylie Chan (October 30, Harper Voyager) U.S. Debut

Emma teeters on the edge of becoming fully demon, and must make a journey to the Kunlun Moutains in the West, home of the palaces of Nu Wa and the Yellow Emperor, in an attempt to regain her humanity. Travelling with Emma is Xuan Wu′s daughter, Simone, who is struggling with her growing powers and trying to defend herself from the demons who want to destroy her. And Michael is trying to come to terms with the shock of finding out he might be half demon.

Iced: A Dani O’Malley Novel (Fever World #1), by Karen Marie Moning (October 30, Delacorte)

The year is 1 AWC, After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules. Dani possesses rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne is after her sword. People are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city. When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save Dublin, before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Out for Blood (House of Commare #4), by Kristen Painter (October 30, Orbit)

After nearly dying at the hands of the Aurelian, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré. That is until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one.

Pandaemonium (Desdaemona #2), by Ben Macallan (October 30, Solaris)

Desdaemona has done a thing, so terrible that she has to run away from the consequences. Again. Where better to look for shelter than with the boy she was running from before? But trouble follows. And if it’s not Jacey’s parents who sent the deadly crow-men, the Twa Corbies, in chase of her, then who is it? Deep under London, among the lost and rejected of two worlds, answers begin to emerge from Desi’s hidden past. Answers that send her north in a flight that turns to a hunt, with strange companions and stranger prey. Dangers lie ahead and behind; inconvenient passion lays traps for her just when she needs a clear head; at the last even Desi has to beg for help. From one who has more cause than most to want her dead.

Shadow Rising (Otherworld #12), by Yasmine Galenorn (October 30, Jove)

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. I’m Menolly, a jian-tu turned vampire in love with a werepuma. Nerissa and I can’t decide on what we want to do for our promise ceremony. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. There, we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar, a malevolent necromancer, to reignite the Scorching Wars. Back home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we’re in time to stop all-out annihilation.

The Shattered Dark (McKenzie Lewis #2), by Sandy Williams (October 30, Ace)

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist: she’s a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It’s a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends, and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war among the fae. With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren, the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend, Paige, disappears McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream. McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she’s not careful, her decisions could cost the lives of everyone she’s tried so hard to save.

The Tangled Bridge, by Rhodi Hawk (October 30, Tor)

Set in the underworld of New Orleans, this Southern gothic follows Madeleine LeBlanc as she becomes involved in an epic battle between good and evil forces while trying to investigate her family’s shocking past full of secrets.


Urban fantasy author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. River Road, the second in her Sentinels of New Orleans series, will be released on November 13 by Tor books. Find Suzanne on Twitter.

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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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