Mr Ripley's New Young Adult Book Picks: Published In December 2013 - US Published

                             

Greg Weisman - Rain of the Ghosts - Published by St Martin's Griffin - 3, December 2013 

Rain of the Ghosts is the first in Greg Weisman's series about an adventurous young girl, Rain Cacique, who discovers she has a mystery to solve, a mission to complete and, oh, yes, the ability to see ghosts.

Welcome to the Prospero Keys (or as the locals call them: the Ghost Keys), a beautiful chain of tropical islands on the edge of the Bermuda Triangle. Rain Cacique is water-skiing with her two best friends Charlie and Miranda when Rain sees her father waiting for her at the dock. Sebastian Bohique, her maternal grandfather, has passed away. He was the only person who ever made Rain feel special. The only one who believed she could do something important with her life. The only thing she has left to remember him by is the armband he used to wear: two gold snakes intertwined, clasping each other’s tails in their mouths. Only the armband . . . and the gift it brings: Rain can see dead people. Starting with the Dark Man: a ghost determined to reveal the Ghost Keys’ hidden world of mystery and mysticism, intrigue and adventure.

James Bartholmeusz - BK 3 : The Grey Star - Published by Medallion Press - 1, December 2013 

After thwarting the Cult of Dionysus and with the city of Nexus in ruins, all that remains for the Apollonians is to find the final Shards of the Risa Star before the Cult can use it to wreak havoc on an astronomical scale—but in this final installment of the Seven Stars trilogy, Jack Lawson and his allies face unexpected challenges. They are worlds apart; some battling old enemies in a desert fortress, and others in a formerly prosperous city-state that is slipping into totalitarianism. All the while, the pieces of a greater puzzle have been moving into place and a trap has been laid, and Jack must confront a truth that threatens to destroy everything.

Ellen Oh - Warrior (The Dragon King Chronicles ) - Published by HarperTeen - 31, December 2013

Kira, the yellow-eyed demon slayer who protected her kingdom in Prophecy, is back . . . and her dramatic quest is far from over. After finishing Ellen's first novel, Prophecy, School Library Journal said they were "ready for a sequel." Well, here it is! Filled with ancient lore and fast-paced excitement, this page-turning series is perfect for fantasy and action fans.

Kira has valiantly protected her kingdom—and the crown prince—and is certain she will find the second treasure needed to fulfill the Dragon King's prophecy. Warrior boasts a strong female hero, romantic intrigue, and mythical creatures such as a nine-tailed fox demon, a goblin army, and a hungry dragon with a snarky attitude.                            

Trisha Wooldridge - The Kelpie - Published by Spencer Hill Press - 17, December 2013

I can't honestly say I was joking when I suggested to my best friend, Joe - Prince Joseph, eldest son of England's Crown Prince - that we could probably find something the police had missed in regards to the missing children. After all, eleven and twelve year olds like us did that all the time on the telly and in the books we read 
When Heather and Joe decide to be Sleuthy MacSleuths on the property abutting the castle Heather's family lives in, neither expected to discover the real reason children were going missing: 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: New Children's Fantasy Books - Published December 2013 - US Post

Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson - The Familiars #4: Palace of Dreams - Published by HarperCollins - 23, December 2013

The familiars Aldwyn the cat, Skyler the blue jay, and Gilbert the tree frog are off on an all-new adventure in the series that Michael Buckley, bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, says "combines the magic of Harry Potter and the adventure of Warriors." With inventive magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and a mysterious conspiracy that will take all the familiars' wits to unravel, Palace of Dreams is the familiars' most extraordinary adventure yet.

Peace has returned to the queendom of Vastia. Paksahara has been defeated, and the three familiars Aldwyn, Skyler, and Gilbert are the heroes to thank. But when a birthday celebration at the palace goes dreadfully wrong, and Queen Loranella falls victim to a curse, it seems the familiars are the prime suspects. After narrowly escaping the palace dungeons, they'll have to embark on a quest to clear their names—a quest that will lead them across Vastia and even into the magical land of dreams.

Toby Forward - Fireborn: A Dragon Novel - Published by Bloomsbury - 22, December 2013 ( If you missed it first time round)

If magic sets the world on fire, something new is born from the flames.

When an old, dying wizard steals magic from his young apprentice, Bee, he changes his own life and nearly destroys hers. But he also releases something new into the world - a wild magic that turns fields to flames and upsets the order of the world. It will take another apprentice, Cabbage, to find Bee and try to set the world right again.

Remarkable for its deft, dramatic prose and thrilling magical adventure, Toby Forward's Dragonborn delighted critics and fans. This companion novel, set in the same world in a different time, is a breathtaking work of magic and suffering, friendship and transformation - and the new power that rises from the ashes of a terrible deed.

Jason Fry - The Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra - Published by HarperCollins - 23, December 2013

In this swashbuckling new sci-fi adventure series from New York Times bestselling author Jason Fry, three siblings in a family of privateers must compete to decide who will be the next ship captain, all while battling space pirates, Earth diplomats, and even treachery from within the family.

The relationship between Tycho Hashoone, his twin sister, Yana, and their older brother, Carlo, isn't your average sibling rivalry. They might be crew members together aboard the Shadow Comet, but only one of them can be the next ship captain. So when the Hashoones find themselves in the midst of a dangerous conspiracy, each sibling is desperate to prove his or her worth. The only trouble is if they don't work together, none of them may make it out alive.

Perfect for fans of fantasy adventures like Ranger's Apprentice and such space-age epics as Star Wars, The Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra is a wholly original saga about a galaxy on the brink of war and one unforgettable family caught in the crossfire.

Sarah Prineas -  Moonkind ( Winterling) - Published by HarperCollins - 31, December 2013

Fer must save her realm from the Forsworn, a group destroying the land with their broken oaths, in Moonkind, the conclusion to award-winning author Sarah Prineas's fantasy-adventure series, which includes Winterling, Summerkin, and the short story ebook Thrice Sworn.

As the Lady of the Summerlands, Fer has vowed to serve her people without the deception of the glamorie and she had trusted other leaders to fulfill the same promise. But not all the Lords and Ladies want to keep their oaths, and they've unleashed the consequences of their betrayal onto the lands. Only Fer, with the help of the puck-boy Rook, can fight the stillness invading the lands. But can she trust Rook? And can she protect her people before it's too late?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: New Book Picks In December 2013 - UK Post

                         

Joseph Delaney - The Spook's Revenge - Published by Bodley Head - 5, December 2013 

'He's the seventh son of a seventh son. His name is Thomas J. Ward and he's my gift to the County. When he's old enough we'll send you word. Train him well. He'll be the best apprentice you've ever had and he'll also be your last.'

These were the words of Tom's Mam to the county Spook some years ago. As Tom, the Spook and their allies prepare to battle with the Fiend on a huge scale, to finally enact their revenge, it now remains to be seen whether Mam's declaration will come true.

K . D. Faerydae - Hidden Magic (Liberty Realm) - Published by Matador - 1, December 2013

Eight-year-old Grace Darling lives in the small village of Witern Wood. She and her best friend Christian have had many adventures within the woods but have never once come across the ancient gate that lies concealed behind a large holly bush, the entrance into Liberty, a magical land, where everything is currently not as it should be. An evil force is lurking, depleting Liberty of all that is good. The malevolent Nomeds feed frequently and with each meal they become more formidable. The noble Zavier, leader, or 'Berthold', of Maytime Meadow is tasked with the collection of the rest of the realm's Berthold. These leaders must gather in front of the Great Prophet, who has foreseen a way in which the Nomeds may be defeated. Zavier selects some of his herd and the small and chirpy Chester to accompany him on a magical and treacherous journey across Liberty. The group face many challenges, a race against time and an increasing threat from the evil Nomeds. Will they make it in time...and what exactly has been prophesied? 

                   

J . A. Souders - Renegade (Elysium Chronicles) - Published by Tor Books - 5, December 2013

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she's believed that everything is perfect. Her world. Her people. The Law. But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into Elysium's secluded little world, Evelyn comes to a startling realization: Everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren't under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster. Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb...and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.