Waiting On Wednesday (16): Random House Spring 2012 Catalog

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

Is anyone else tired of winter and excited for spring to finally get here? I know I am - not just for the weather to change, but also for the great books that will be released in the springtime. This week, I've chosen a few picks from the Random House Spring 2012 Catalog:

Peaceweaver by Rebecca Barnhouse
Date: March 27, 2012

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Sixteen-year-old Hild has always been a favorite of her uncle, king of the Shylfings. So when she protects her cousin the crown prince from a murderous traitor, she expects the king to be grateful. Instead, she is unjustly accused of treachery herself.
As punishment, her uncle sends Hild far away to the heir of the enemy king, Beowulf, to try to weave peace between the two kingdoms. She must leave her home and everyone she loves. On the long and perilous journey, Hild soon discovers that fatigue and rough terrain are the least of her worries. Something is following her and her small band of guards—some kind of foul creature that tales say lurks in the fens. Will Hild have to face the monster? Or does it offer her the perfect chance to escape the destiny she never chose?

I love me some historical fantasy. I also love me a sword-wielding heroine, and if the cover of Peaceweaver is anything to go by, that is exactly the kind of heroine we'll get with this read.

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Date: April, 10, 2012

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It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.
But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

The beginning of this synopsis - girl wakes up in hospital after having learned of an accident involving her, her boyfriend, and two friends, and must figure out the mystery - reminds me of the premise of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, which I loved. Here's to hoping The Book of Blood and Shadow is as intriguing as it sounds!

The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks
Date: April 24, 2012

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When Wendy Geller's body is found in Central Park after the night of a rager, newspaper headlines scream,"Death in the Park: Party Girl Found Strangled." But shy Rain, once Wendy's best friend, knows there was more to Wendy than just "party girl." As she struggles to separate the friend she knew from the tangle of gossip and headlines, Rain becomes determined to discover the truth about the murder. Written in a voice at once immediate, riveting, and utterly convincing, Mariah Frederick's mystery brilliantly exposes the cracks in this exclusive New York City world and the teenagers that move within it.

I adore mysteries - when they're done right. And fortunately, I tend to be a bit slow on the uptake, not figuring out the mystery until the end reveal, so I am usually left very satisfied by them. I also love New York City as a setting so I'm looking forward to The Girl in the Dark!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Random House Spring 2012 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Random House Spring 2012 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?