Friday Finds! (Jan. 15, 2010)

Credit goes to MizB from Should Be Reading.

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: March 30, 2010
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 288

Summary: A retelling of the Perrault tale set in pre-colonial India, in which two sisters receive gifts from a goddess and each walks her own path to find her gift's purpose, finding romance along the way.

Thirteen Days To Midnight by Patrick Carman
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: April 12, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304

Summary: When Jacob’s foster father whispers, “You are indestructible” seconds before dying in a car crash that should’ve killed them both, Jacob never imagines he could possess a real superpower. To test it Jacob and his friends start indulging comic book-like fantasies. Later, they commit to use this amazing power of indestructibility to do good in the world and save others from death. But how do they decide who to save? And what happens when they blur the lines of life and death, right and wrong, and good and evil? Thirteen Days to Midnight is a nail-biting tale of dark intrigue, powerful romance, friendship and adventure.

Mistwood by Leah Cypess
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 320

Summary: Everyone tells Isabel that she is the Shifter – the ancient shape-shifting creature who has protected the kings of Samorna for centuries. They need her to be the Shifter. Prince Rokan risked everything when he rode into the Mistwood to summon her to his side; Ven, the magician’s apprentice, has devoted his life to studying her legend; and even Princess Clarisse, who fears and hates her, depends on Isabel’s powers to further her own plans. But Isabel doesn’t feel like the Shifter. She feels like a lonely human girl, beset by flashes of memory that do more to confuse than to help her. If she is the Shifter, why can’t she change her shape? Why doesn’t she remember what made her flee the castle so many years ago? As she is drawn deeper into a web of magic and assassination, Isabel will have no choice but to look for answers. But her search will lead her to the one question the Shifter hasn’t faced in a thousand years: where does she come from, and what does she really want?

White Cat (The Curse Workers, Book 1) by Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 320

Summary: Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail—he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the con men.

Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die + The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 624

Summary: Secrets taken to the grave don't always stay buried. In No Time to Die, Jenny is devastated by the recent death of her sister, Liza. Looking for a sense of closure, she secretly signs up for the drama camp where Liza died. Jenny knows that someone here holds the key to what really happened to Liza that night, but if she doesn't find out the truth soon, she may become the next victim. In The Deep End of Fear, Kate has tried to bury the horrible memories associated with the Westbrook estate. After her best friend, Ashley, drowned there, Kate vowed never to return. But now, twelve years later, she is drawn back to the house and that fatal icy pond. There, Kate still feels Ashley's presence, and the past seems to be pulling her back toward Ashley's life-threatening dares.