Friday Finds: July 17th 2009

Friday Finds was formed over at Should Be Reading -

"The idea is to share, every Friday, about books that you’ve recently discovered (never heard of before) that sound really good!"

Friday Find #1
Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher (pen name of author Robyn Schneider)

Publication Date: March 9th 2010

"In Violet Haberdasher's Knightley Academy, the first commoner accepted at a prestigous boarding school uncovers a conspiracy that could lead to war. "

From Firebrand Literary:

"Author of BETTER THAN YESTERDAY and THE SOCIAL CLIMBER'S GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL Robyn Schneider writing as Violet Haberdasher's KNIGHTLEY ACADEMY, set in an alternate 1800s England where knighthood has taken on a new meaning and following the only boy who can save the country from ultimate destruction, plus a sequel, to Mark McVeigh at Aladdin, for hardcover publication"

On Robyn Schneider's blog she says "I am ridiculously excited for Violet! Back when I was a twelve-year-old girl chain-reading Harry Potter books, I dreamed of one day writing a fantasy series. And from what Violet has told me, it took four years from the original idea for Knightley Academy until she had enough courage to attempt writing the book."

(Sounds intriguing right?)

Friday Find #2-

Darklight by Leslie Livingston
Publication Date: December 22nd 2009

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful—but cut short. For they’ve been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering allegiances in which the next move could topple a kingdom…or part them forever.The fans who flocked to Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange will fall hard for Darklight, the soaringly romantic second book in the trilogy. Breathless high stakes and vividly magical characters make this a can’t-miss fantasy for readers of Melissa Marr and Holly Black....)

(Thanks to Kristy for posting this cover on her blog--I have been waiting forever to see it! I actually love the new cover better than Wondrous Strange too!

Friday Find #3-

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 22, 2008)

CLAIRE VOYANTE HAS been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can’t solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty—or ends up in pretty awkward situations. But that all changes on Claire’s 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki—former socialite, fashion icon, and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel—gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It’s not long before Claire’s world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous.

(I stumbled on this book when I clicked on the info for the sequel, Dreamlife at Amazon. I hadn't heard of it before but now I'm intrigued. Has anyone read Dream Girl--did you like it?)

About Dreamlife-

Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (January 12, 2010)

Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.Becca’s been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why—there’s a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who’s out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who’s in danger again—or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake?

What did you Find?