There are so many great YA releases coming out this week I thought I would highlight a few of them here in a special “Book Watch: Releasing This Week” post as a last minute reminder for anyone who might not have pre-ordered them.

First up is Awakened, the eighth book in the House of Night series by P. C. and Kristin Cast. It releases in the U.S. on JANUARY 4, 2011 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. If purchased from Apple’s iBooks or Amazon it will download after midnight on January 3rd. (If you’re in the Pacific time zone it will download from Apple after 9 p.m. local time.)

I cannot wait for this one. I liked Burned but missed seeing things from Zoey’s perspective. I plan on reading and reviewing it some time this week!

Shadowspell, the second book in the Faeriewalker series by Jenna Black will also be released on JANUARY 4, 2011 in the U.S. It will be available as a paperback and an eBook. To purchase from Amazon click here.

To read chapter one online click here.

To download (or read online) chapters one and two in pdf format from the author’s website click here.

Another one that I have been dying to read. I just re-read Glimmerglass and loved Remedial Magic and so am completely ready for this book. I plan on reading and reviewing this book this week too!

Hexbound is the second book in the Dark Elite series by Chloe Neill. It, too, will be released on JANUARY 4, 2011 in the U.S. as a paperback and eBook. All electronic books are available for download just after midnight local time from Amazon.

Click here to read a chapter from the author’s website.

Yet another one I’ve had pre-ordered forever. It’s always so unfair that you can pre-order the print versions long before the eBooks, but at least this one is in my queue. I hope to read this one next weekend so the review should be up some time next week. I would love to read it sooner, but there is only so much free time in a week!

Night School (A Blood Coven Vampire Novel) by Mari Mancusi is the fifth book in the series. It will be released on JANUARY 4, 2011 as a paperback and an eBook. It can be ordered from Amazon and other booksellers.

To read an excerpt click here.

I’ve read all the books in this series and enjoy them so much. They are fun and easy reads. I originally liked Rayne better than Sunny but now I like them both equally. I hope to get to this book next week also and will post my review then.

XVI is the first book in a new series by debut author Julia Karr. It will be released on JANUARY 6, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats. It is sold at Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble and from other booksellers.

Chapter one can be read online at the author’s website. When you get to the site just click “XVI CHAPTER ONE” on the menu and start reading.

I just loved the cover and dark premise of this book and have had this in my pre-order queue for awhile. I plan on reading this book this week and reviewing it either this weekend or on Monday of next week. I’m glad it comes out a couple days later than the other bunch so I don’t have as much of a backlog!

Unearthly is the first book in a new series by debut author Cynthia Hand. It is also being released on JANUARY 4, 2011. Currently Amazon only has the hardcover version for sale as does Barnes & Noble. It is already on shelves at B&N in some stores so you might be able to grab it prior to Tuesday’s release.

I’ve already read and reviewed this book, but have listed it here as it’s an amazing book, which I will definitely read again. I received an ARC from NetGalley, but as soon as this is available as an eBook I plan on adding the final version to my permanent collection.

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diaries #2: Bloodlust is the second of Stefan’s Diaries inspired by The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith and based on the TV series on the CW. It will be released on JANUARY 4, 2011 in paperback and eBook formats. To buy from Amazon, click here.

Click here for a sample of chapter 1.

Note to readers: The Stefan’s Diaries books tie into the TV show. The facts about Stefan and the other characters match the information on the television show and not the books by L.J. Smith. (For example: The TV show has the Salvatore brothers born in a much later century and different country than the books.) So, if you have read the books but not watched the show, you will probably not want to read the Stefan’s Diaries books.

I do plan on reading this book, but haven’t yet gotten into the first book. When I pre-ordered that one I hadn’t realized it was a TV show tie-in so I was a tad confused when I started to read. I plan on reading both books and reviewing but it probably won’t be until later this month or next month.

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I KNOW THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER WONDERFUL BOOKS RELEASING THIS WEEK. Please do not consider a book’s absence from this list to mean that I do not want to read those books. The above are just the books I have on pre-order and one amazing book I’ve already read early and reviewed (but plan on buying the final version when it’s available for the Kindle).

Typically, if a book hasn’t been made available as an eBook I haven’t yet purchased it. That doesn’t mean I won’t. BUT IF YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER BOOKS that I haven’t mentioned that you think I should have, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! If I have forgotten to buy something that I should be reading I think I’ll be heartbroken if I miss it!

Glimmerglass, the first book in a new young adult series by author Jenna Black was released on May 25, 2010 in paperback, audio and eBook formats. Book two in the series, Shadowspell is due out on January 4th, 2011.

“Even in Avalon, I figured, I’d have a better, more normal life than I had now with my mom. I’ve never been so wrong about anything in my life.”

Dana Hathaway thought that leaving behind an alcoholic mother would be the best decision she’d ever make. Running away to live with her father, whom she never met, would be the answer to all her problems, right? Wrong.

Being the daughter of a human mother should have made her more human than faerie, but it turns out that she is equal parts of both species, which is rare. So rare in fact that the last person with these traits died seventy-five years before…and not from natural causes.

This combination gives her the unique ability to cross between Faerie and the human world carrying technology in and magic out, making her a very desirable commodity. And in Fae society, in both Avalon and Faerie, everything is political. And whoever controls Dana’s power has the edge. Whether she wants it or not Dana will become the pawn in a very dangerous game. One that puts her life, and her families lives, in jeopardy.

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Author Jenna Black did a wonderful thing by venturing into the young adult arena. Her story Glimmerglass was absolutely delightful.

Dana is a likable character who gets dragged from an unfortunate, and all-too-real situation with her alcoholic mother, to a far more dangerous one involving faerie magic and politics. The concept of being a faeriewalker is an intriguing and enjoyable new addition to this genre. (In Shadowspell we will hopefully get a chance to see Dana’s ability in action.)

The story is magnetic and will pull you in from the get-go. Dana’s innocence and naiveté are endearing but not over the top and are balanced well with her strength and resolve. And with Ethan, her Unseelie kidnapper and savior and Keane, her Seelie almost-Knight with a chip on his shoulder, things could be a lot worse for Dana, daughter of the very powerful Seelie, Seamus Stuart.

Reviewer gives this book ★★★★★

On a personal note:

What drew me to Glimmerglass in the first place was the beautiful cover art. (And yes, even us eBook readers DO appreciate cover art.) When it was released I hadn’t been all that interested in faerie stories. I was a vampires, angels and demons junkie through and through, but it was Glimmerglass that turned everything around and got me completely hooked on this niche of the paranormal genre and opened my eyes to many other lovely paranormal YA stories.

It was so easy to like the characters, become fascinated by the ethereal beauty of the fae, and enchanted by the notion that just across the pond there is a direct link to a magical world. I was completely hooked the first time, and in anticipation of the next book in the series, of course I had to add this to my list of re-reads. And I fell in love all over again.

Shadowspell, the second book in the Faeriewalker series will be out on January 4th. Click here to read chapter 1 from the author’s website.

Remedial Magic, a bonus story will be available for download on December 17th and is available at Amazon right now for free to pre-order as a Kindle eBook.

Shadowspell, the second book in the Faeriewalker series by author Jenna Black is due out in the U.S. on JANUARY 4, 2011. It will be released in paperback and ebook format and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon in both formats.

Glimmerglass, the first book in the series was released in May, and offered a unique twist to the typical faerie stories. Dana Hathaway is a faeriewalker, someone with the power to cross between the world of faerie and the human world, bringing technology to Faerie and technology taking magic out. This power makes her highly sought after and makes life extremely dangerous. And being caught up in Fae politics is not something any teenage girl should have to worry about. Shadowspell continues Dana Hathaway’s story and it’s release in January is very much anticipated.

To read an excerpt from the publisher’s website, click HERE.

Goodreads description:

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?