News of its death might seem greatly exaggerated since thirty-six new books in paranormal fantasy (oh, okay, call it urban fantasy if you must) hit the shelves in April, until one realizes that precious few of them are newly published titles aimed at adult readers. Pause for a moment of respectful silence and then look (you’ll have to look hard) for adult series additions by, among others, Alex Hughes (Mindspace Investigation) and Devon Monk (Broken Magic), plus a star-studded anthology compiled by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.
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
Cold Calls—Charles Benoit (April 1, Clarion)
Young Adult. Three high school students-Eric, Shelly, and Fatima-have one thing in common: “I know your secret.” Each one is blackmailed into bullying specifically targeted schoolmates by a mysterious caller who whispers from their cell phones and holds carefully guarded secrets over their heads. But how could anyone have obtained that photo, read those hidden pages, uncovered this buried past? Thrown together, the three teens join forces to find the stranger who threatens them-before time runs out and their shattering secrets are revealed.
Covenant (The Books of Raziel #2)—Sabrina Benulis (April 1, Harper Voyager)
Young Adult. A year ago, Angela Mathers, a talented artist with a tortured soul, enrolled at the Westwood Academy and encountered the angels who haunted her dreams. Then she discovered the dark truth: she is the Archon, a being of supreme power who will determine the fate of the universe. But with such power comes great danger, and for every force seeking to aid Angela there is another burning to stop her. After a scheming demon kidnaps the Book of Raziel, Angela must find her way through a nightmarish game and enter the Door to Hell to rescue her only friend before it is too late. The perilous fate of both Heaven and Hell rests on her success.
Games Creatures Play—edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (April 1, Ace)
Welcome to the wide world of paranormal pastimes, where striking out might strike you dead. Editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner are your announcers for this all-new story collection of the most peculiar plays ever made. Sports fans live and die by their teams’ successes and failures, though not literally. But these fourteen authors have written spirited, in more ways than one, new tales of killer competitions that would make even the most die-hard players ask to be benched. Contributing authors include: Jan Burke, Dana Cameron, Adam-Troy Castro, Brendan DuBois, Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, Caitlin Kittredge, William Kent Krueger, Ellen Kushner, Mercedes Lackey, Joe R. Lansdale, Laura Lippman, Seanan McGuire, Brandon Sanderson and Scott Sigler.
Illusion (Chronicles of Nick #5)—Sherrilyn Kenyon (April 1, St. Martin’s Griffin)
Young Adult. Nick Gautier is tired of his destiny. He doesn’t want to be the son of a demon who’s fated to end the world. He just wants to be normal and have normal problems like everyone else. When he gets sucked into an alternate reality where his mother has married his mentor and his Atlantean god best friend has become a human geek, he begins to understand that no life is free of pain, and that every person has a specific place in the universe, even the son of a hated demon. He sees that his powers aren’t the curse he thought they were, and that the world needs a champion, especially one its enemies can’t imagine rising up to defend the ones he should destroy. Old enemies and new friends square off for a battle that will either restore Nick to his real world, or end him forever.
Kingdom Keepers VII: The Insider (Kingdom Keepers #7)—Ridley Pearson (April 1, Disney-Hyperion)
Young Adult. The Kingdom Keepers’ senior year in high school is almost over. For more than three years, things have been quiet. Their battles are long behind them, they agree, the threat to the Disney realm silenced albeit at great cost. But inside the catacombs of the Aztec temple where Finn Whitman faced down his nemesis, the monstrous Chernabog, a new threat brews. Deception and betrayal rock the Kingdom Keepers as the merciless group of Disney villains known as the Overtakers stage an unexpected comeback. But a discovery by the Keepers provides them with one hope of victory-a lost icon. It was believed to be gone forever. The Keepers have one last chance to preserve the heart of the Kingdom, Disneyland, from a terrifying destruction decades in the making.
Marked (Mindspace Investigation #3)—Alex Hughes (April 1, Roc)
Freelancing for the Atlanta PD isn’t a secure career. It’s a paycheck, and it keeps me from falling back into the drug habit. Plus, things are looking up with my sometimes-partner, Cherabino, even if she is still simmering over the telepathic Link I created by accident. When my ex, Kara, shows up begging for my help, I find myself heading to the last place I ever expected to set foot in again, Guild headquarters, to investigate the death of her uncle. Going back when I’m unwanted is dangerous. The Guild needs me more than they’re willing to admit. Kara’s uncle was acting strange before he died. His madness seems to be slowly spreading through the Guild. When an army of powerful telepaths loses their marbles, suddenly it’s a game of life or death.
Sekret (Sekret #1)—Lindsay Smith (April 1, Roaring Brook)
Young Adult. Yulia’s father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she’s captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she’s thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one, not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention, and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.
Stone Cold (Broken Magic #2)—Devon Monk (April 1, Roc)
Marked by Life and Death magic, Shame Flynn and Terric Conley are “breakers,” those who can use magic to its full extent. Most of the time, they can barely stand each other, but they know they have to work together to defeat a common enemy, rogue magic user Eli Collins. Backed by the government, Eli is trying to use magic as a weapon by carving spells into the flesh of innocents and turning them into brainless walking bombs. To stop him, Shame and Terric will need to call on their magic, even as it threatens to consume them, because the price they must pay to wield Life and Death could change the very fate of the world, and magic itself.
The Bird Eater—Ania Ahlborn (April 1, 47North)
Twenty years ago, the mysterious death of his aunt left Aaron Holbrook orphaned and alone. He abandoned his Arkansas hometown vowing never to return, until his seven-year-old son died in an accident, plunging Aaron into a nightmare of addiction and grief. He returns to the hills of his childhood, to Holbrook House. Holbrook House is but a shell of what it once was, a target for vandals and ghost hunters who have nicknamed it “the devil’s den.” Aaron doesn’t believe in the paranormal, at least, not until a strange boy begins following him wherever he goes. Aaron begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind. A festering darkness lurks at the heart of Holbrook House. A darkness that grins from within the shadows, delighting in Aaron’s sorrow, biding its time.
The Rising King (Keepers of Life #3)—Shea Berkley (April 1, Entangled Teen)
Young Adult. The summer before Dylan Kennedy’s senior year in high school is turning out to be anything but boring. Killing evil Dark Souls who suddenly have aspirations of taking over the magical realm of Teag because its protective spell is gone? Check. Not even Teag’s King, Dylan’s father, Baun, can stop them. People are dying, and a dark magic that his girlfriend, Kera, received from Baun is growing stronger. Dylan wants to believe Kera is suppressing the darkness that’s in her, but every day he sees that control slip just a little more. Baun sends Dylan to find a powerful magic that stop the Dark Souls, a magic so strong that Baun hid it so no one else could use it. What Dylan doesn’t expect to find along with it are consequences that could end the lives of those closest to him.
WEEK TWO
Attack of the Geek (Ree Reyes #2.5)—Michael R. Underwood (April 7, Pocket Star)
A side quest novella in the bestselling Geekomancy urban fantasy series, where D&D-style adventures go from the tabletop to real life. The urban fantasy heroine of Geekomancy is working her regular barista/drink-slinger shift at Grognard’s when it all goes wrong. Everything. (Digital)
Darkbound (The Legacy of Moonset #2)—Scott Tracey (April 8, Flux)
Young Adult. No one hates being a witch quite like Malcolm. But if there’s one thing worse than being a witch, it’s being a Moonset witch. There are very few things in his life that he can control, and after a fight with his siblings, he’s losing his grip on what he’s got left. A creature as old as Hamelin has crept out of the Abyss, and its siren song has infected the teenagers of Carrow Mill compelling them, at first, to simply be swept away in love. But love soon turns dangerous, as passion turns to violence and an army of sociopaths is born. The Pied Piper isn’t just a story, and he’s got his eyes set on Malcolm, promising a life of freedom from magic and the shackles of the Moonset bond. As Carrow Mill burns, Malcolm must make the hardest choice of his life: family? Or freedom?
Frenzy—Robert Lettrick (April 8, Disney-Hyperion)
Young Adult. Fourteen-year-old Heath Lambert is spending his summer at Camp Harmony in the Cascade Mountain Valley. The camp offers distractions: his friends, Cricket and Dunbar, always up for trouble; his reluctant crush on Emily, and hulking bullies Thumper and Floaties. No one rattles Heath like his cabin mate, Will Stringer. Brilliant, cold and calculating, Will views the world as one big chess game. Heath learns there’s a much bigger threat to contend with. Something’s wrong with the animals in the surrounding forest. Wolves, bears, mountain lions and the chipmunks are infected, spurred on in droves by one goal: hunt and kill every human they find. Heath and a ragtag band of campers are faced with a choice: follow Will’s lead and possibly survive, or follow the camp staff and die.
Noggin—John Corey Whaley (April 8, Atheneum)
Young Adult. Listen: Travis Coates was alive once and then he wasn’t. Now he’s alive again. Simple as that. The in between part is still a little fuzzy, but he can tell you that, at some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to some other guy’s body, and well, here he is. Despite all logic, he’s still 16 and everything and everyone around him has changed. That includes his bedroom, his parents, his best friend, and his girlfriend. Or maybe she’s not his girlfriend anymore? That’s a bit fuzzy too. Looks like if the new Travis and the old Travis are ever going to find a way to exist together, then there are going to be a few more scars. Oh well, you only live twice.
Revelations (Extinction Point #3)—Paul Antony Jones (April 8, 47North)
There is nowhere left to run. In the wake of the deadly plague that virtually annihilated the human race, a vast red jungle teeming with alien creatures and lethal plants is devouring Earth, swallowing buildings whole and ruthlessly decimating what life remains. A witness to the terrifying transformation, survivor Emily Baxter thinks the odds against humanity can’t get any worse. She is wrong. The thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Extinction Point series, Revelations takes a humanity on the brink of devastation, and throws it over the edge.
The Interrogaton of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1)—Ambelin Kwaymullina (April 8 Candlewick)
Young Adult. They’re known as Firestarters. Boomers. Skychangers. The government calls them Illegals, children with inexplicable abilities, and detains them in menacing facilities so that society is kept out of harm’s way. Ashala Wolf and her Tribe of fellow Illegals have taken refuge in the Firstwood, where they do their best to survive and where they are free to practice their abilities. When Ashala is compelled to venture outside her territory, she is betrayed by a friend and captured by an enemy. Ashala is forced to succumb to a machine that will pull secrets from her mind. It’s only a matter of time before the machine ferrets out the location of the Tribe. Her betrayer, Justin Connor, is ever-present, saving her life when she wishes to die and watching her every move. (U.S.)
Zom-B Mission (Zom-B #7)—Darren Shan (April 8, Little, Brown)
Young Adult. B Smith and the other Angels are relieved to finally receive their first mission—to safely escort a group of human survivors from the zombie-infested streets of London to New Kirkham, a barricaded safe haven in the country. After battling through crowds of undead monsters, B discovers that the survivors of the town don’t necessarily represent the best of humanity. And when evil influences make their way to New Kirkham, unearthing demons from B’s past, the humans will be forced to choose between being honorable and being safe. Darren Shan continues his adventures of a teenage zombie trying to right the wrongs of a flawed human life, exploring the morality and ills of society through the lens of an apocalypse gone wrong, and a terrifying hell on earth reigning.
WEEK THREE
Frozen (Taken #2)—Erin Bowman (April 15, Harper Teen)
Young Adult. The Heists were only the beginning. Gray Weathersby escaped from the primitive town of Claysoot expecting to find answers, but what he discovered shook him to the core: A ruthless dictator with absolute power. An army of young soldiers blinded by lies. And a growing rebellion determined to fight back. Now Gray has joined a team of rebels on a harsh, icy journey in search of allies who can help them set things right. But in a world built on lies, Gray must constantly question whether any ally, or enemy, is truly what they seem.
House of Ivy and Sorrow—Natalie Whipple (April 15, Harper Teen)
Young Adult. Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.
Nightmare Ink (Living Ink #1)—Marcella Burnard (April 15 Penguin InterMix)
With her art and magic, Isa Romanchzyk has the power to create or destroy. In her tattoo shop, Nightmare Ink, Isa helps those in need by binding the power embedded in their Live Ink, the magical tattoos that can enhance the life of the wearer, or end it. But binding tattoos has earned Isa the contempt of her fellow artists, including her former lover Daniel. When a friend comes to the shop with a tattoo on the verge of killing him, Isa can’t turn him away. She works Live Ink, something she swore she’d never do again. The real nightmare begins when she’s abducted and inked with a Living Tattoo against her will. Saddled with a powerful, amoral entity willing to do anything to win his freedom, Isa must fight to keep her Living Tattoo from consuming her completely. (Digital)
Pack of Strays (Fangborn #2)—Dana Cameron (April 15, 47North)
Archaeologist Zoe Miller has only recently learned she is Fangborn, a secretive race of werewolves, vampires, and oracles dedicated to protecting humanity. But after she discovered and opened Pandora’s Box, the fabled item has lived up to its myth, and for Zoe and her friends, all hell has broken loose. She’s on a double mission: to prevent a politician from revealing the existence of the Fangborn and to foil the diabolical plans of the powerful Order of Nicomedia, a group dedicated to eradicating her kind. Zoe is also noticing disturbing changes in herself: new and unique abilities. In a world of dizzying shifts, who can Zoe trust? For while her former lover wants to turn her in, her former adversary seems dedicated to helping her mission succeed.
What Mario Scietto Says: A Tor.Com Original—Emmy Laybourne (April 15, Tor)
Despite all his disaster planning, and the bomb shelter he built under his shed, Mario Scietto was not prepared for the apocalypse that hit Monument, Colorado. A series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a terrible chemical weapons spill that affects people differently depending on blood type, has torn the world as he knows it apart. “What Mario Says” is set in the world of Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14. (Digital)
WEEK FOUR
Golem in My Glovebox (Monster Haven #4)—R.L. Naquin (April 21, Carina Press)
In her role as Aegis, Zoey Donovan has rescued and cared for hundreds of monsters and mythical creatures. Now humans are the ones in need of her help. Someone with a personal vendetta against the Board of Hidden Affairs has kidnapped all the other Aegises in the country, including Zoey’s mother. With the Hidden government in shambles and a string of deadly clues to follow, Zoey and her reaper boyfriend set out on a cross-country chase to stop the kidnapper. Along the way, they pick up a miniature golem who’s on a quest to find his humanity, and may be the key to solving the grisly clues. If Zoey succeeds in defeating this new evil, she’ll finally be reunited with the mother she lost over twenty years ago. But if she fails, she’ll become the final victim. (Digital)
New Watch (Night Watch #5)—Sergei Lukyanenko (April 22, HarperCollins)
Walking the streets of our cities are the Others. These men and women are guardians of the Twilight, a shadowy parallel world that exists alongside our own. Each has sworn allegiance to one side, fighting for the Light, or the Darkness. At Moscow airport, Higher Light Magician Anton Gorodetsky overhears a child screaming that a plane is about to crash. He discovers that the child is a prophet: an Other. When the catastrophe is averted, Gorodetsky senses a disruption in the natural order, one that is confirmed by the arrival of a dark and terrifying predator. Gorodetsky travels to London, to Taiwan and across Russia in search of clues, unearthing a series of increasingly cataclysmic prophecies. He realises that what is at stake is the existence of the Twilight itself, and only he will be able to save it. (U.S.)
Talker 25—Joshua McCune (April 22, Greenwillow)
Young Adult. It’s a high school prank gone horribly wrong, sneaking onto the rez to pose next to a sleeping dragon, and now senior Melissa Callahan has become an unsuspecting pawn in a war between Man and Monster, between family and friends and the dragons she has despised her whole life. This debut novel imagines a North America where dragons are kept on reservations, where strict blackout rules are obeyed no matter the cost, where the highly weaponized military operates in chilling secret, and where a gruesome television show called Kissing Dragons unites the population.
The Eighth Day—Dianne K. Salerni (April 22, Harper Collins)
Young Adult. When Jax wakes up to a world without any people in it, he assumes it’s the zombie apocalypse. When he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he’s really in the eighth day, an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Jax and Riley are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who’s been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day. There’s a reason Evangeline’s hiding. She is a descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, and there is a group of people who wish to use her in order to destroy the normal seven-day world and all who live in it. Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out.
The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2)—Stacey Kade (April 22, Disney-Hyperion)
Young Adult. Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who, and what, she is and still wants to be part of her life. But accepting Zane’s help means putting him in danger. Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?
In the Shadows—Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo (April 29 Scholastic Press)
Young Adult. A spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures. Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch. Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it, but they can’t.
Peacemaker—Marianne de Pierres (April 29, Angry Robot)
When an imaginary animal from her troubled teenage years reappears, Virgin takes it to mean one of two things: a breakdown or a warning. Dead bodies start piling up around her, so she decides on the latter. Something terrible is about to happen in the park and Virgin and her new partner, U.S. Marshall Nate Sixkiller, are standing in its path. Virgin Jackson is the senior ranger in Birrimun Park, the world’s last natural landscape, overshadowed though it is by a sprawling coastal megacity. She maintains public safety and order in the park, but her bosses have brought out a hotshot cowboy to help her catch some drug runners who are affecting tourism. She senses the company is holding something back from her. She’s not keen on working with an outsider like Nate Sixkiller.
Sleep No Moree—Aprilynne Pike (April 29, Harper Teen)
Young Adult. Oracles see the future but are never supposed to interfere. Charlotte learned that the hard way. If she hadn’t tried to change one of her childhood visions, her father would still be alive. Since the accident, Charlotte has suppressed her visions to avoid making the same mistake. But when she receives a premonition of a classmate’s murder, she can no longer ignore her powerful gift. Then Charlotte meets someone who not only knows her secret but who also has a way for her to stop the killer. He offers to teach her how to manipulate her visions to change the future. But doing so will put Charlotte in the path of the murderer.
The Missing (Troubletwisters #4)—Garth Nix and Sean Williams (April 29, Scholastic)
Young Adult. Jack and Jaide Shield have defended themselves against The Evil before, but it’s never been as dangerous as this. It isn’t just the town of Portland that’s threatened, it’s the whole Earth, and certain dimensions beyond. The Wardens have devised a plan to get rid of The Evil once and for all. The only problem is that destroying The Evil may also mean abandoning some innocent people, including one of the twins. The battle against The Evil is going to places it’s never been, places Jack and Jaide would have never even imagined possible. Their mission is clear: survive the storm that’s coming, and save the ones who are missing.
The Taking (The Taking #1)—Kimberly Derting (April 29, Harper Teen)
Young Adult. When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. She heads home only to discover that five years have passed, yet she hasn’t aged a day. Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena. There are others like her who have been taken, and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?
Xom-B—Jeremy Robinson (April 29, Thomas Dunne)
Freeman is a genius with an uncommon mixture of memory, intelligence and creativity. He lives in a worldwide utopia. There was a time known as the Grind, when Freeman’s people lived as slaves to another race referred to simply as “Master.” A civil rights movement emerged. The Masters refused to bend. Instead, they declared war. And lost. The freed world is threatened by a virus, spread through bites. Those infected change, they are propelled to violence, driven to disperse the virus. Uniquely suited to respond to this new threat, Freeman searches for a cure, but instead finds the source, the Masters, intent on reclaiming the world. Freeman must fight for his life, for his friends and for the truth, which is far more complex and dangerous than he ever imagined.
Dark Serpent (Celestial Battle #1)—Kylie Chan (April 29, Harper Voyager)
When the ancestry of Xuan Wu’s fiancee, Emma, is revealed, it threatens the harmony of the whole Celestial realm. The demons are gathering, powerful alliances are being made and stone Shen are under threat. However, Xuan Wu is distracted, he must save Emma from the Demon King and give her the elixir of immortality, but at what cost? (U.S.)
Suzanne Johnson is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series. You can find Suzanne on Facebook and on her speculative fiction blog, Preternatura.
