Ashley Spencer’s birthday is an occasion for serious scheming in the third book in The Ashley Project series from bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz. Ashley Spencer, Ashley “Lili” Li, Ashley “A. A.” Alioto, and the honorary Ashley—Lauren Page—are preparing to set a social scene: Ashley Spencer considers her birthday to be the most important event next to…well, actually the most important event ever, period. So when the invite list is drawn up and the custom embossed invitations are sent, the guest list is a who’s-who of San Francisco’s elite. If people don’t yet know whether they are in or out, this party is sure to draw the lines of coolness in the most permanent of inks. Ashley intends to prove that there’s a reason she’s been at the top of the social food chain her entire life, and she’s not about to be unseated by some lame website ranking. She’d also like to solve that pesky problem of losing her boyfriend. Will all her birthday wishes come true? Or is her party going to be totally vicious?

Ashley Spencer considers her birthday party to be "the" most important event ever. She intends to prove that there's a reason she's been at the top of the social food chain her entire life. Will all her birthday wishes come true?

V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestseller Vicious is a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers. Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end? In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question. "A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one...highly recommended!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero One of Publishers Weekly's Best Fantasy Books of 2013 At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A heartbroken Aakash, on his way to his hometown, is reluctantly forced into a conversation by an irritating stranger Rudra—a man in his late forties—who happens to share the seat with him on the bus. The conversation begins with needless provocative verbal jabs by the stranger towards Aakash that quickly deteriorate into altercations, insults and an extreme dislike between the two. Their contrasting views on love and romance worsens the situation further. Aakash is more inclined towards the romantic side of love that deals with desire and passion, whereas Rudra believes in the more subtle side of love. As Aakash starts to narrate his own love story during this bitter-sweet conversation—marred by frequent arguments with Rudra, the two find themselves influenced by each other’s arguments and eventually on common grounds. Aakash, who initially hates the stranger for having totally contrasting views on love and romance, starts to like his logical reasoning and clear thought process. He finds an excellent mentor in him. Because of this conversation with Rudra, Aakash’s heart is kindled with hope—he thinks that he can still win back Vidya—his lost lady love despite all odds. But is that enough? Find out in this thought-provoking romance novel.

The first in an action-packed debut middle grade fantasy duology about a Cuban American girl who discovers that she’s one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology. Perfect for fans of The Serpent’s Secret, the Aru Shah series, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Callie Martinez-Silva didn’t mean to turn her best friend into a pop star. But when a simple pep talk leads to miraculous results, Callie learns she’s the newest muse of epic poetry, one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology tasked with protecting humanity’s fate in secret. Whisked away to Muse Headquarters, she joins three recruits her age, who call themselves the Muse Squad. Together, the junior muses are tasked with using their magic to inspire and empower—not an easy feat when you’re eleven and still figuring out the goddess within. When their first assignment turns out to be Callie’s exceptionally nerdy classmate, Maya Rivero, the squad comes to Miami to stay with Callie and her Cuban family. There, they discover that Maya doesn’t just need inspiration, she needs saving from vicious Sirens out to unleash a curse that will corrupt her destiny. As chaos erupts, will the Muse Squad be able to master their newfound powers in time to thwart the Cassandra Curse . . . or will it undo them all?

A family vacation weekend becomes a race for survival against a vicious serial killer in the New York Times bestselling author's psychological thriller. For more than two years, a serial killer held Seattle in a terror grip. After abducting young mothers right in front of their sons, he murdered them execution style. Then, as suddenly as the killings began, they seemed to stop. Susan Blanchette is looking forward to a relaxing weekend getaway with her fiancé, Allen, and young son, Matthew. But something about the remote lake house doesn't feel right. A woman vanished from the area a year ago, and now Susan thinks she's spotted someone lurking around the property. And when Allen disappears, her fear grows . . . A psychopath has returned, ready to strike again. Someone who can't resist the urge to kill, who derives pleasure from others' pain, and who is drawing nearer to Susan as each minute ticks by. But she's just one pawn in a killer's master plan. And once the plan Is set in motion, it cannot be stopped . . .

The fourth book in the beloved Poppy series by Newbery Medal–winning author Avi, with illustrations from Caldecott Medal–winning artist Brian Floca, is available as an ebook for the first time! Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though, perhaps he is—and more than just a little.) Ereth knows his special occasion deserves a special treat—even if he has to get it for himself. And what treat could be more special than tasty salt? But the nearest salt is located deep in the forest, in a cabin occupied by fur hunters, who have set out traps to capture the Dimwood Forest animals. In one of the traps, Ereth finds Leaper the Fox—who, with her dying breath, begs the prickly porcupine to take care of her three boisterous young kits, Tumble, Nimble, and Flip. "Jellied walrus warts!" Ereth exclaims, but reluctantly agrees. Certainly this day is not going as he planned—and it's only just the beginning! Not only does Ereth suddenly have a rambunctious new family to take care of, but he's being stalked by Marty the Fisher, the one creature in Dimwood Forest who can do him harm. And Bounder, the father of the three little foxes, remembers all too well the nose full of quills he got a while back from the grumpy old animal who now fancies himself the leader of the den. He too sets out to show Ereth who's boss. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm, and all in all, it adds up to one birthday Ereth the porcupine is never going to forget, not even if he lives to be a hundred and twenty-two!

Happy Birthday Jesús is an insightful and spell-binding novel of and about our times, when the relationship between race and violence dominates the news and threatens not only our personal security but our confidence in our social processes. This novel recreates the making of a sociopath. It is written by a criminal defense lawyer whose extensive experience has been representing individuals such as the protagonist Jesús Olivas. Whether Jesús is a victim or the bane of society is left to the reader's judgment in this novel which details the painful recollections of Jesús himself. What is clear, however, is that the boiling pot of Jesús' emotions that finally erupts in senseless violence has ben cooking for years on the flames of religious fanaticism, poverty and race hatred. All of the social institutions that should have nurtured and protected Jesús – family, school, church, the court – ultimately failed him, leading him to strike back uncontrollably, irrationally.