September New Releases

 

 Eagerly Awaited September YA Releases.

-Kazza K

Two highly anticipated new releases are scheduled with September release dates. The first book is Cody Kennedy's Omorphi. Omorphi's official release date has been confirmed as September 19th. Interestingly there is a forward by J P Barnaby which is poignant and telling. The foreword supports the story of Christy Castle, who has suffered much in his young life, and who sees hope in his friend and love interest Michael Sattler and his family. The thing to like about Cody Kennedy's writing is that he speaks from the heart and with much passion about issues that are darker at times, but have humour and always much hope amongst the reality that some teenagers find themselves living. Cody Kennedy knows the young adult market well and gives them something genuine, something they can relate to. The official blurb is as follows -

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. He’s a star athlete, has great friends, and parents who love him just the way he is. What’s missing from his life is a boyfriend. That’s a problem because he’s out only to his parents and best friend. When Michael accidentally bumps into Christy Castle at school, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Christy is Michael’s dream guy: smart, pretty, and sexy. But nothing could have prepared Michael for what being Christy's boyfriend would entail.

Christy needs to heal after years of abuse and knows he needs help to do it. After the death of his notorious father, he leaves his native Greece and settles in upstate New York. Alone, afraid, and left without a voice, Christy hides the myriad scars of his abuse. He desperately wants to be loved and when he meets Michael, he dares to hope that day has arrived. When one of Michael’s team-mates becomes an enemy and an abuser from Christy’s past seeks to return him to a life of slavery, only Michael and Christy's combined strength and unwavering determination can save them from the violence that threatens to destroy their future together.

For those of you who have read the wonderful Safe by Cody Kennedy it will be a definite must-buy. The author also writes the ongoing series Fairy which has attracted a large, devoted following, including myself and Mr Austro-Hungarian. If you look on this blog you will find two reviews of Safe, one by Mr A-H http://greedybug.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/safe-c-kennedy_23.html
and one by Kazza K http://greedybug.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/a-short-yet-sweet-lgbt-ya-that-at-love.html

We don't usually do two reviews of one book but one is from a young gay male's perspective and the other from an older YA reader's perspective.

So Greedy Bug highly recommends grabbing a copy of Omorphi from Harmony Ink when it is released on September 19th.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4220


The next release that we are eagerly anticipating here at Greedy Bug Book Reviews is A Broken Kind of Life by Jamie Mayfield, aka J P Barnaby. The official release date is September 5th from Harmony Ink. I read the adult version, Aaron, which has met with much critical acclaim. Aaron was also #6 on my favourite books of 2012.  The main characters, Aaron and Spencer are lovely, and I am glad that this has been released as an LGBT YA book to reach a market that needs to have hope, to know that bad things happen to good people, and that things can get better. Once again, tellingly, Cody Kennedy has written a forthright and heartfelt foreword for A Broken Kind of Life as a wonderful introduction and endorsement of the topic at hand. The official blurb is as follows -

Aaron Downing is broken, barely clinging to the hope that one day, he will be normal again. His life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear, but he perseveres and starts college, determined to move on.

 

Then Aaron gets assigned to work with Spencer Thomas for his programming project. Aaron doesn’t want Spencer to think he’s a freak, but as he gets to know his new deaf friend, he figures out he doesn’t need to be “normal.” If he could just learn to control his fear, that could be enough to find his footing again. 

 

Or so Aaron thinks until his parents begin talking about institutionalizing him to give his brothers a more stable life. He searches desperately to find a way to cope or even to fake normalcy. But his new shrink’s instability makes conquering his demons that much more difficult, and his attraction to Spencer threatens to send Aaron spinning out of control.

 

http://harmonyinkpress.com/coming-soon-a-broken-kind-of-life-by-jamie-mayfield/

Both authors are to be commended for their efforts in sending the message that abuse need not define you. Sure, the after effects are devastating on the abused, but you can survive, thrive, and live well. I like the concept of both books that say you are not alone, even though you may feel this is the case at the time. Life can get better it just takes someone special to reach out to, or they reach out to you. There are people who care in this world and you need to look for them. Don't ever give up no matter how hard it might seem now.