Waiting On Wednesday: Simon & Schuster Spring 2014 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the Simon & Schuster Spring 2014 Catalog:

Killer Instinct by S.E. Green
Date: May 6, 2014

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She’s not evil, but she has certain... urges.
Lane is a typical teenager. Loving family. Good grades. Afterschool job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick.
Why?
Because she might be one herself.
Lane channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals—delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder. But with each visceral rush the line of self-control blurs.
And then a young preschool teacher goes missing. Only to return... in parts.
When Lane excitedly gets involved in the hunt for “the Decapitator,” the vicious serial murderer that has come to her hometown, she gets dangerously caught up in a web of lies about her birth dad and her own dark past. And once the Decapitator contacts Lane directly, Lane knows she is no longer invisible or safe. Now she needs to use her unique talents to find the true killer’s identity before she—or someone she loves—becomes the next victim...

What is it with the recent trend of books about serial killers? There seems to be a lot of books from the point of view of serial killers or potential serial killers these days. It's a bit disturbing... but I can't deny there's something intrinsically intriguing about learning about their mindset. It is for this reason that I am curious about Killer Instinct.

Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times by Emma Trevayne
Date: May 13, 2014

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Ten-year-old Jack Foster has stepped through a doorway and into quite a different London.
Londinium is a smoky, dark, and dangerous place, home to mischievous metal fairies and fearsome clockwork dragons that breathe scalding steam. The people wear goggles to protect their eyes, brass grill insets in their nostrils to filter air, or mechanical limbs to replace missing ones.
Over it all rules the Lady, and the Lady has demanded a new son—a perfect flesh-and-blood child. She has chosen Jack.
Jack’s wonder at the magic and steam-powered marvels in Londinium lasts until he learns he is the pawn in a very dangerous game. The consequences are deadly, and his only hope of escape, of returning home, lies with a legendary clockwork bird.
The Gearwing grants wishes. Or it did, before it was broken. Before it was killed.
But some things don’t stay dead forever.

OOH LOOK! A book featuring an alternate steampunk London! With an absolutely darling cover and title to boot. Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times just calls to me! *grabby hands*

Raging Star by Moira Young
Date: May 13, 2014

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Saba is ready to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo and the Tonton...until she meets him and he confounds all her expectations with his seductive vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to create and build a healthy, stable, sustainable world…for the chosen few. The few who can pay.
Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop New Eden. Still uncertain, her connection with DeMalo a secret, Saba commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother, Lugh, anxious for the land in New Eden, Saba leads an inexperienced guerilla band against the powerfully charismatic DeMalo, in command of his settlers and the Tonton militia. What chance do they have? Saba must act. And be willing to pay the price.

I freaking LOVED Blood Red Road, the first book in the Dust Lands Trilogy, and yet I still haven't gotten around to reading the sequel, Rebel Heart. Don't worry though, it's definitely on my list to read ASAP before the final book, Raging Star, is released. Note: this series is actually published by Random House in Canada, but I've chosen to include it with its American publisher, Simon & Schuster, for this week's Waiting on Wednesday post.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Date: May 27, 2014

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In the long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Dark Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris — but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons? When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee — even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned . . . Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the world in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

I can't say I have been totally keen on the new additions to the original Mortal Instruments trilogy. I thought City of Glass was a great ending! But as long as new books are going to be written in the series, I guess I'm going to keep reading through to the end because I do still feel invested in the characters. I do hope City of Heavenly Fire will be a worthwhile and epic finale to this series!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Simon & Schuster Spring 2014 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Simon & Schuster Spring 2014 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?