UK Cover Reveals: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams, Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins, Choker by Elizabeth Woods, The Pledge by Kimberly Derting & More!

Here are some recent UK cover reveals that caught my eye! First of all -  how fantastic does The Alchemy of Forever sound? I can't wait to get my hands on that book! I've included links to my reviews and US cover counterparts where available to you can compare covers and tell me which you prefer!

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 I was hooked after reading the synopsis of The Alchemy of Forever. It sounds like my kind of book for sure, and I can't wait to get my hands on it when it releases over here. I've already been hearing great things from US bloggers. You can see the US cover here. I like it, but the UK cover wins the cover wars for me. I love it!

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release date: April 2012

Ages: 12+

After spending six hundred years on Earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world's riches but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy that allows them to take the bodies of other humans from jumping from one vessel to the next, ending the human's life in the process. No longer able to bear the guilt of what she's done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never kill again.

Then sixteen-year old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific car accident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body while trying to save her. For the first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she's inhabiting--and falling in love with the boy who lives next door. But Cyrus will stop at nothing until she's his again, and every moment she stays, she's putting herself and the people she's grown to care about in danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that's eluded her for centuries: true love?

I loved Raising Demons (Hex Hall #2) when I read it last year. Let's just say that cliffhanger ending definitely left me wanting more. I'm expecting great things from this book, and I'm also hoping for lots of Archer Cross hotness! You can check out the US cover here.

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release date: March 2012

Ages: 11+

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

If it's not already on your 'to read' list, you should add Choker by Elizabeth Woods. I read this one last year and it sent shivers down my spine, gave me goosebumps too. The whole shebang. It's a great thriller, and I'm pleased to see that it's getting a UK release. Love this new cover too!

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release date: March 2012

Ages: 14+

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.

Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.

But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

Kimberly Derting's The Pledge is getting a whole new look for it's UK release in March. I really like both covers for this one, but I think the US cover just about wins it for me. What's your pick?

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting.
Publisher: Allison & Busby.
Release date: March 2012.
Ages: 12+

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

The Taker by Alma Katsu grabbed me from the get go and kept me reading late into the night. I couldn't get enough, and so I'm super excited to read the next installment in this series. The publisher has gone for a whole new look for the series with this cover, and I love it. You can see the original cover for the reckoning here. Which cover do you prefer? 

The Reckoning (The Taker #2) by Alma Katsu

Publisher: Century

Release date: June 2012

Ages: Adult.

HarperCollins have gone with a whole new look for Insurgent by Veronica Roth, and Divergent has gotten a makeover too for it's paperback release. I was never a huge fan of the original cover for Divergent but I changed my mind when I saw it alongside the US cover for Insurgent. They look good together! I like the colour scheme on the new UK covers - pinks and purples are always big winners with me. Which covers do you prefer?

Insurgent by Veronica Roth is released in May 2012 from Harper Collins Children's Books.

UK Covers

US Covers

* Please note: These covers may not be final and may be subject to change.

Book Review: Choker by Elizabeth Woods.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Hardcover, 240 pages.
Release date: January 4th 2011.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab.

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.

Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.

But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

Choker by debut novelist Elizabeth Woods, is a hidden gem of a book. A fast-paced psychological thriller, to be read in one sitting, this will certainly leave you shocked, disturbed and a little spooked too. Despite not knowing much about this one, I picked it up as I generally love psychological thrillers, and the toxic friendship angle is one that I can‘t get enough of! That said, I was expecting a much lighter read than this delivered. This book is dark, disturbing and twisted, and to say that the female protagonists in this one are unhinged, is an understatement.

We first encounter Cara and Zoë as children. They are best friends and seem inseparable spending all their days together living in a little world all of their own. Fast forward a number of years, and Cara has moved away to a new town, and a new life. Zoë is no longer in the picture, and without her things just seem to be getting worse and worse for Cara. She is a true outsider who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere. She doesn’t have any friends to speak of, she is miserable both at home where she has nothing in common with her much older parents, and at school, where she suffers terrible bullying, at the hands of the ever-popular Alexis and her band of mean girls. Worse still, she has a crush on Alexis’s boyfriend Ethan, who barely acknowledges her existence. Things go from bad to worse when an embarrassing incident at school earns Cara the name of ‘Choker’ and provides Alexis with all the ammunition she needs to make her life a living hell. So, when Zoë chooses that moment to re-enter her life, the timing is perfect.

With her best friend back on the scene things start to improve little by little for Cara. Her social life is on the up, Ethan is suddenly taking an interest in her, and her enemies seem to be disappearing one by one…

It’s clear from the start of this book that all is not right with Cara, and as soon as Zoë shows up things take a very sinister twist indeed. This is a surprisingly dark tale for the young adult sector, with some truly twisted scenes that will totally creep you out and give you shivers. Also, animal lovers, take note - there are some scenes here that may make you feel a little uncomfortable. Honestly, I couldn’t believe some of the things these two were capable of. The story gets darker and darker as it goes on. Don’t be fooled by the pretty pink cover. There is nothing light and fluffy about this book!

As an older reader of Young Adult fiction, I admit that I figured out a major plot twist in Choker just fifty pages into the story, but that’s not to say that this detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I loved seeing how the story unfolded, and how the author expertly placed clues about the characters along the way. I will say that for those readers who don’t figure out the twist, the ending of this one will be truly spectacular. If you want a fast-paced read that is totally engrossing and will creep you out, then pick up a copy of Choker. I’m glad I did!