Greetings and salutation, readers I hope you’re looking forward to the long weekend as much as I am and that you’ve had a nice week.

As I do every month here at Darkeva’s Blog, I’d like to share my Top 5 Fantasy and Paranormal Picks for the month of September with you. There are many wonderful releases this month, some of which I didn’t know enough about but now am sure to dig in to!

1. The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike (September 13, Harcourt Children’s Books, 9780547342474)

Publisher Description:
One minute Sara’s bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she’s unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a cute guy she has a crush on but doesn’t yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he’ll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet and leave her stranded on the island.
Discovering the carpet has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she cares for. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

2. A Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices Book 1) (September 14, Simon & Schuster, 9781416975861)

Publisher Description: Magic is dangerous–but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by–and torn between–two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length…everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world…and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Darkeva’s Thoughts: I’m actually quite excited about this book, because I’d heard of the author’s previous series but was a bit reluctant to try it. This one sounds much more up my alley, and who doesn’t love Victorian England? Amazon.com has some excellent video content of the author talking about the inspiration behind the book, as well, so check out the Amazon page for this book by clicking on the link above.

3. When Pleasure Rules by J.K. Beck (Julie Kenner) (September 28, Bantam, 9780440245780)

Publisher Description: The second book in the series finds seven innocents who have been brutally murdered in Los Angeles, yet the Shadow Alliance has no suspects and no leads. As the body count mounts, the age-old feud between vampires and werewolves threatens to explode.

Lissa Monroe—a strong-willed, ravishing succubus who entices men to surrender their souls—agrees to go undercover for the Alliance. Her mission: infiltrate the mind of werewolf leader Vincent Rand, a ferociously alluring enemy who exerts a powerful hold over her. As the City of Angels teeters on the brink of apocalypse, these two adversaries must join together in order to survive an even more lethal enemy hidden in plain sight.

Darkeva’s Thoughts: Sounds interesting, no? Also, please check out the first book in the series, “When Blood Calls,” which released on 31 August! Have you read it yet? If so, what do you think?

Here’s the description:

Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion—until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she’ll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

4. Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews (Book 2) (September 28, Ace, 9780441019458)

Publisher Description: (Book 2 of the series) Cerise Mar and her clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect. But all is not as it seems.
Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge-and Cerise’s life.

5. The Bells by Richard Harvell (September 14, Crown, 9780307590527)

Reed Business Information Review: Chronicling the journey of 18th-century singer Moses Froben from his Swiss village to Vienna, this debut novel strikes many melodramatic notes in an overwrought plot; squalor, beauty, horror, forbidden love, tragedy, and triumph splash broadly, sometimes artfully, but often with operatic excess. Moses, born to a deaf-mute in a belfry, possesses a unique bond to music. Cast from his home, he joins a choir, discovering that he can mold “that ocean of sound… into something beautiful.” Harvell, however, shows his own limitations when he seeks to describe the resonance of music.

When Moses says, “I wished I could dissolve into sound,” the reader shares his frustration. A tormented choirmaster castrates Moses to preserve his beautiful voice, transforming him into a “musico,” a soprano whose voice never deepens, and who will never be a man. His ability to sound like an angel brings him into contact with a wealthy family, sparking an impossible love affair with a beautiful but crippled woman. Moses’s ardor impels him to Vienna and its vibrant opera scene, where his brief appearance on stage allows love to triumph before, unsurprisingly, tragedy brings down the curtain. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advance Praise:
“THE BELLS does for the ears what Perfume did for the nose. A novel to engage the senses as well as tickle the mind.”
—Sarah Dunant, international bestselling author of Sacred Hearts

“When I look at my copy of The Bells sitting in front of me, I cannot believe it lies there immobile and lifeless…During the time I spent entranced with this story, my body rang like the bells within its pages…Harvell’s magical prose gives sound to Moses’ life: the bells, the arias, and the uneven breath of true love.”
—Historical Novels Review

“Harvell has fashioned an engrossing first novel ringing with sounds; a musical and literary treat.”
—Booklist

“Harvell’s debut is saturated with sound…A poignant and acutely told storey of the human spirit.”
—Library Journal

“Astonishing in its originality, epic in its scope, luminous in its richness, The Bells is a novel to be savored page by glorious page.”
—Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author of The Day the Falls Stood Still

“I was mesmerized from first page to the last by this haunting and seductive novel. Long after I finished, the characters and their heartbreaking tale of love, loss, and obsession resonated with me still. Readers, here is a book you’ll find impossible to resist. Bravo andencore!”
—M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of The Reincarnationist

Darkeva’s Thoughts: This book is easily my most anticipated book of September; it just sounds fascinating, like a mixture of Umberto Eco and Arturo Perez-Reverte with a dash of Carlos Ruiz Zafon thrown in for good measure.

Think I missed any books that you’re absolutely dying to read this month? Send me a comment and let me know!

Happy reading!