Waiting on Wednesday: Magical Mayhem, The Sweetest Dark and Precinct 13

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to. This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.

Magical Mayhem by Douglas Rees (& others)

Magical Mayhem is the first of many anthologies to come from new tween/teen publisher Ambush Books. Compiled from a wide assortment of emerging YA talent plus award-winning veteran authors, this anthology truly has something for everyone featuring short tales that will twist your brain and wrap around your soul. From the creepy jumble of Eldritch Black’s ‘Three Curses for Trixie Moon” to the gorgeous magical realism of Anna-Marie McLemore’s “Lovesick”, Magical Mayhem is the perfect bedtime companion for a cold autumn’s night.

Authors in this anthology include: Douglas Rees (Vampire High), Kait Nolan (Red), Linda Wisdom (50 Ways to Hex Your Lover), Marni Bates (Awkward), Mark Williams (Danger Boy), A.R. Kahler, Eldritch Black, Carol Wolf (Summoning), Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Cecily White (Angel Academy), Rhonda Helms (Stupid Cupid), Laurie McLean (Knight Moves), H. Scott Beazley, Anna-Marie McLemore, Catherine Haines and more.

Magical Mayhem is out October 1st 2012 by Ambush Books.

I'm not usually an anthologies type of gal but this one sounds like a lot of fun. It's definitely something I'll be looking for and is perfect for Halloween.

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.” 

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems. 

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny. 

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves. 

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

The Sweetest Dark is out April 2nd 2013 by Random House Publishing Group.

This is going to sound funny but it's the "lush atmosphere" part at the bottom that really has me wanting this one. I love falling into a book and being entranced by that world and this one looks like it will do that for me!

Precinct 13 by Tate Halloway

Recent college grad Alex Conner is thrilled to have landed a job as the Hughes County coroner/medical examiner in Pierre, South Dakota. But when her first day on the job ends with a missing corpse, Alex starts to wonder if she would have been better off collecting unemployment... 

When the cops made some cryptic comments about being careful with the body they brought in, Alex just thought the boys in blue were messing with her. That is, until something freaky happens that no amount of med school could have prepared her for. By the time Alex gets herself together, the body has disappeared and the other residents of the morgue start talking her ear off. 

After working up the courage to report the missing body, Alex is transferred to the mysterious Precinct 13 where she discovers that her new co-workers—including a cute technomage named Jack—are paranormals just like her. Now, Alex is being encouraged to use her ability to speak to the dead to solve crimes. And despite being in the middle of nowhere, Hughes County sure does have a lot of paranormal activity…

Precinct 13 comes out August 7th 2012 by Berkley Trade.

This one doesn't sound like my usual kind of read but I think that's why I like it. It sounds quirky and fun and just a little bit grown up.

What are you waiting on?