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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Waiting On Wednesday: HarperCollins Fall 2014 Catalog Part 2

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'm featuring Part 2 of my picks from the HarperCollins Fall 2014 Catalog. I am usually able to narrow down my picks to the Top 4 MOST anticipated books from whichever publisher's catalog I am featuring, but I was utterly unable to this time! HarperColins has some FANTASTIC sounding books coming up for us this fall, so I've decided to split my Waiting On Wednesday Catalog feature into two parts for HarperCollins. Part 1 focused on books by authors I have read previously and Part 2 focuses on books by authors I have not read previously. So without further ado, LET'S GET TO THE BOOKS!!:

The Fires of Calderon by Lindsay Cummings
Date: September 23, 2014
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After following a mysterious map into the woods and then under the woods, eleven-year-old Albert Flynn learns he’s a Balance Keeper—someone with special magical skills for fixing problems in three underground Realms at the Core of the earth. His new job is important; if the realms fall out of balance, the world above could be in great danger.
Albert and his Balance Keeper teammates Birdie and Leroy arrive in the Core not a moment too soon. There’s an Imbalance in the Calderon Realm and it’s threatening to bury Albert’s hometown of New York City in a mountain of ash.
The three must train hard completing mental and physical challenges, but above all, they must harness the power of their Tiles—unique superpowers given to each Balance Keeper. So far, Albert’s mastered the art of not mastering his Tile....
With the situation in Calderon growing worse every day, can Albert, Leroy, and Birdie restore balance before New York is destroyed forever? Will Albert master his Tile before it’s too late?

The Fires of Calderon immediately brings to mind other great Middle Grade fantasies, which of course I love - so long as it is not too derivative and makes a name for itself in its own right. Who can resist stories about kids finding out they have a superpower?


Stray by Elissa Sussman
Date: October 7, 2014
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Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.
When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.
But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.
After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?


I do so love fairy tales, and the blurb for Stray promises that it is an original fairy tale with hints of Grimm and Disney, which changes it up from the retellings I'm used to reading. I really hope this one lives up to my expectations!


Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
Date: October 14, 2014
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A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

I've been a bit let down by the high fantasies I've read lately, but even still synopses like the one for Snow Like Ashes never cease to excite me. I guess I have really high expectations when it comes to this genre so if this one is as good as I'm expecting it to be based off the blurb, then it will impressive me greatly!


A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Date: November 4, 2014
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Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

A Thousand Pieces of You sounds like proper sci fi and an intense one at that, which I love. I have not read any of Claudia Gray's books, but I understand she's a great paranormal fiction writer, so I'm curious to see how she takes on a sci fi book.


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

36 comments :

  1. GAH yes. Harper has so much good stuff. My choice today is from their winter catalog, THE RED QUEEN! I want to read Lindsay Cummings' new book! And STRAY!nd I've already read and enjoyed SNOW LIKE ASHES. And I have heard that A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU is amazing. Great choices!

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    1. Harper wins always! And I will most definitely be including The Red Queen when I post my picks from their winter catalogue!

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  2. Huge fan of Claudia Gray. Didn't know she had a new book coming out. Great choice!

    Arlene @ WinterHaven

    My WoW

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  3. Oh, all your choices look awesome, and of course all are on my list. I've read books from Claudia gray and enjoyed them.

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  4. Harper has such an awesome lineup this Fall. Stray is one of my most anticipated reads and the cover art needs to be a poster on my wall! Thousand Pieces looks amazing, too.

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    1. Don't they always have awesome lineups??! But yeah, Fall will be good. And I would love a poster of Stray!

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  5. Such pretty covers. Harper Collins is kicking ass this year with these releases. I am especially excited about Show Like Ashes.
    Thanks for sharing these :)

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    1. Yup, seems like HarperCollins kicks ass with both cover prettiness and content!!

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  6. Dragons!! I see dragons! I haven't heard of that one but it seems like something I need. I have got Stray and I cannot wait to read it and that cover for Thousands Pieces always takes my breath away. Great picks! :)

    Tanja @ Ja čitam, a ti?

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  7. Stray: I liked it! It's a bit slow, but the overall story was a lot of fun.
    Snow and ashes: YES. Can't wait!
    A thousand pieces of you: such a stunning cover :)

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    1. Ah yes, I saw your early review for Stray - glad you liked it overall!

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  8. I've got the first two on my wishlist for the same reasons as you, Aylee, but will be waiting for reviews on Gray's novel before deciding whether to read it. I've read her books in the past and they've been okay but not particularly great. As for Snow Like Ashes, I just finished that one and well ... it could have been better.

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    1. Hmmm, yeah I get the impression that some people love her books and some people think they're just okay. And that is SO not what I want to hear about Snow Like Ashes!

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  9. I'd never actually read the synopsis for A Thousand Pieces of You, but I did in your post and WOW! I'm actually really excited by that prospect and think that, on the one hand it could be a little difficult to get into, but on the other it could just possibly be quite incredible. Am also adding Stray to my tbr on goodreads, because whilst a part of me isn't quite sure whether or not I'd like it, that last line of the synopsis kind of sold me.

    Thank you for introducing me to these new books!

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    1. Proper sci fi books can be difficult to get into at first, it's true. Especially if they're heavy on the jargon. But once the set up is done, that's when (hopefully) you can really get into the story and I hope that's the case with A Thousand Pieces of You! I'm going to wait on a few more reviews for Stray to be released before I decide whether I'll read or not. And you're welcome!

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  10. Oh my goodness! Snow like Ashes and A Thousand Pieces of You have been on my TRB list for so long now. I cannot wait until the publication date. They just look like they are going to be such awesome books!

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  11. I totally love Harper Collins books. These do sound awesome as well.

    Grace
    Books of Love

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  12. I've never heard of The Fires of Calderon sounds neat though. The rest I cannot wait to read for sure.

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  13. Ooooh I am SO completely excited for Snow Like Ashes - I'm hoping it'll live up to the insane hype I'm building up for it in my mind XD A Thousand Pieces of You is another one I'm VERY eagerly anticipating! Let's hope it delivers! Both Stray and Balance Keepers are new ones for me though. Balance Keepers sounds like the perfect MG fantasy so, of course I'm 100% on board! Stray sounds like it could be really great too, hopefully we get to see some early reviews for it soon. Brilliant picks as usual Aylee ^^ x

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    1. Heh, yep I have some pretty high expectations for Snow Like Ashes at this point so now I'm definitely worried as well! That's always the problem with hype...

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  14. I think I'm most excited about SNOW LIKE ASHES and A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU. 1. Gooorgeous covers! 2. The synopses sound SO good from both of them! Idk why but I'm totally in the mood for some high fantasy. Cummings' middle grade doesn't sound bad, either! Wonderful picks this week, Aylee, I hope you get your hands on a few of them early!

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  15. Definitely looking forward to the Claudia Gray!

    Kate @ Ex Libris

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  16. Ummmm...I'll take all of them! lol :P I am so psyched for Snow Like Ashes and Stray! I'm really hoping they don't disappoint, especially since their covers are breathtakingly beautiful and the premises so intriguing. Great picks, Aylee! :D

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  17. I haven't read anything by Claudia Gray either, but I am quite curious about A Thousand Pieces of You. Plus, SUCH a cool cover. Those get me. lol

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  18. I'm most excited for Snow Like Ashes, it looks so good! And I love the cover, super striking! Great picks!

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  19. I also hope Stray lives up to expectations (and that cover!) I do love a good fairy tale retelling (or fairy tale-inspired story) so here's hoping :)

    My WoW

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  20. Yup so excited for Snow like Ashes. I'm really hoping it lives up to the hype.

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  21. *falls down dead with want* ALL OF THESE BOOKS AYLEE. I want them all. I'm greedy like that ;-) I'm particularly excited for Snow Like Ashes and A Thousand Pieces of You, those two cannot get in my hands fast enough. Harper always has such amazing catalogs!

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    1. Ha! Nothing wrong with being greedy when it comes to Harper :D

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  22. Harper always manage to convince me with their blurbs. ;) I've had mixed thoughts about Claudia Gray's previous books, but that COVER. How can I say no to that? ;) I'm also really excited about Snow Like Ashes and Stray. Lindsay's debut didn't quite work for me, but The Fires of Calderon definitely sounds like my sort of thing. I can't wait to give it a try!

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    1. Their blurbs and their covers, I'd say! And yeah, I have heard a few not so great things about Gray's books but I'm still curious to give that one a try - especially with that cover!

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  23. Eeek! :D These are all ones that I can't wait to read!!! :D All four are already on my Goodreads to-read list! haha And I really love these covers, too...so pretty! And the descriptions, too...they all really suck you in and make you want to read them! :D I swear HarperCollins always makes me blow any kind of book budget I even think about going on! haha Thank goodness for the library so I don't have to buy every single book that I want to read. ;P haha

    Awesome picks, Eilidh! :D

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    1. Haha, damn HarperCollins! But not really, their books are great and pretty :D

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