Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....

Epiphany (The Seven #1)

by J.D. Stroube

Epiphany will be the first installment in a paranormal romance bordering on Urban Fantasy.

Seven paranormal races have been at war since the dawn of time. The battle falls to seven families, who rule each race. Their lineage casts a great weight on their shoulders, even as they inherit allies and enemies. Those lost spell grief for the ruling clans, until a treaty is struck. Only the royal seven are aware of the terms and the secrets contained within.

Lily's childhood was spent in a vortex of constant change, as she was bounced from foster home to foster home. She spent those years dwelling on her past, wondering why she was abandoned, and where she came from. On her 23rd birthday, she discovers a rare book; it's pages stained with information about the origins of seven races and the details of their treaty.

At first, Lily believes the book to be a work of fiction. After retracing her steps, she finds a trail of blood has been left in her path, beginning with her discovery of the book. Desperately, Lily seeks answers, while using her book to find a haven, her past catches up with her. Lily is brought face to face with the very ones she needs saving from.

Lily must maneuver through conspiracies, overcome betrayal, and accept the truth of her past. If she doesn't, she may fall pray to those secrets that were better left hidden. How will Lily know which of the Seven are her allies? Can she discover who is stalking her, in time to prevent herself from becoming a casualty of war?

Expected publication: August 1st 2013 by Euphoric Publishing & Design

Unwanted

by Alivia Anders

She would be his freedom.
He would be her price.

In a world overrun with people and narrowing resources, the basis of life has turned to do or die. No longer does the balance of wealth and power apply. A strict split between the rich and poor has made the lines clear- the more money you have, the more power you control.

For seventeen year old Emily Beucant, life is an equal gift and curse. Having grown up pre- Unwanted society, she can still remember the days it was okay to play with children from the other side of the concrete wall, back when her father was still alive, and back when the Unwanted program was used to Mark and hunt criminals, not sign away the lives of ungrateful children or spouses with high insurance collections over their heads.

But since her father's creation of the program, the government has taken control and made it into a lucrative monster. And as Emily is days away from her eighteenth birthday, and handsome inheritance, she will soon see just how badly it is to be Marked.

When her soulless aunt places Emily up to be Marked an Unwanted, she is forced to go on the run from all she has ever known. No where is safe for her, and no one will protect her, least they wish to have the same fate as her. It isn't until she forms a tense, explosive alliance with a former doctor, Ben, that it looks like the tables may turn in her favor. Together they race against those searching for her, desperate to find a way to free her from an early death. But is it too late?

No one is safe.
No one is free.

Expected publication: July 30th 2013 by Red Alice Press

A Matter of Days

by Amber Kizer

On Day 56 of the pandemic called BluStar, sixteen-year-old Nadia's mother dies, leaving her responsible for her younger brother Rabbit. They secretly received antivirus vaccines from their uncle, but most people weren't as lucky. Their deceased father taught them to adapt and survive whatever comes their way. That's their plan as they trek from Seattle to their grandfather's survivalist compound in West Virginia. Using practical survival techniques, they make their way through a world of death and destruction until they encounter an injured dog; Zack, a street kid from Los Angeles; and other survivors who are seldom what they seem. Illness, infections, fatigue, and meager supplies have become a way of life. Still, it will be worth it once they arrive at the designated place on the map they have memorized. But what if no one is there to meet them?

Expected publication: June 11th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Boy Nobody (Boy Nobody #1)

by Allen Zadoff

They needed the perfect soldier: one who could function in every situation without fear, sympathy or anger; who could assassinate strangers and then walk away emotionally unscathed. So they made Boy Nobody-a teen with no name or history. The perfect soldier.Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target. But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter seems so much like him; the mayor smells like his father. And when memories and questions surface, the Program is watching. Because somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the kid he once was, the teen who wants normal things like a real home and parents, a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.

Expected publication: June 11th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Last Academy

by Anne Applegate

Curtis Sittenfeld's PREP meets THE SIXTH SENSE in this spine-tingling, unforgettable debut.

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam--and readers--stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

Expected publication: May 1st 2013 by Point

Purgatory Reign

by L.M. Preston

Peter Saint’s life stinks. But things are about to get much worst. First, his parents are murdered in front of him. Then another victim dies in his arms. Visions plague Peter with warnings that something wants him for a sinister cause. It desires the one thing that Peter refuses to give—his blood. Peter carries within him the one gift or curse that could unlock a secret to destroy the human race. On the run with Angel, a scruffy kid, Peter starts to unravel the mystery. It’s the one treasure the heavens sought to hide from the world. Unfortunately, when Peter finds the answer that he hopes will save the girl he loves, he opens the door to a great evil that happens to be salivating to meet him.

Expected publication: May 18th 2013 by Phenomenal One Press