Can't-Wait Wednesday: Dance of the Starlit Sea

   

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Dance of the Starlit Sea by Kiana Krystle.

From Goodreads: 

Lila Rose Li arrives at her aunt’s cottage with dashed dreams. For years, she pushed herself to become the perfect ballerina her parents would approve of, but after collapsing on stage, she snapped and lashed out violently. Now, exiled to Luna Island, with its sparkling blue waters and rose-covered boutiques, Lila struggles to believe that a girl like her—a natural disaster—deserves good and gentle things.

As the islanders gear up for their beloved tradition, the Angel of the Sea pageant, Lila vows to remain on the sidelines. But the more she learns about the island’s lore, the more she grows suspicious. Luna Island was nothing more than a failed fishing village before angels supposedly came and blessed them with abundance. The pageant is a competition to seek a High Priestess for their commune. To win is to be loved and adored by all, the ultimate blessing.

However, the Angel of the Sea is supposed to reign for seven years, and the previous winner only reigned for one. Something is haunting the island, throwing off the balance the pageant ensures. And as an eerie voice calls to Lila, drawing her closer to the ocean—to its depths—she worries its haunting her, too. The only way to discover what’s really going on, and protect herself, is to win the pageant. But how can a monstrous girl like her ever hope to be crowned by angels?

Kiana Krystle's enchanting debut simmers with forbidden romance and dark secrets. A lush and sinister blend of paranormal mystery and mythology, wrapped up in fairytale about a teen girl's hard-earned journey toward loving every part of herself.

I will admit that I'm mainly intrigued by that beautiful cover. I remember back when books about angels were all the rage 10-15 years ago, and this is definitely giving me flashbacks to my younger years. The early reviews for this book have been extremely mixed, with some describing it as a 'pastel horror' book. That only makes me more interested in reading it. Sure, it might not be a 5-star read, but I feel like I need some pastel horror in my life, so I'll give it a chance all the same. 

Dance of the Starlit Sea will be released on August 6, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Story Time: The one time I read an entire book in Japanese

I am a firm believer in reading books in their original language if possible, though I definitely understand my own limitations in that regard. Being Norwegian, I am fortunate enough to be able to read and understand books in both English, Swedish and Danish in addition to my mother tongue, but there was this one time I tried branching out. One time - just one time - I actually read an entire book in Japanese. 

If you've read my bio, you already know that I studied abroad in Japan for a time during my university years, so the language itself wasn't completely foreign to me. At the very end of my first semester in Japan, one of our teachers gave us an assignment: Read a book in Japanese, and write a summary of what you just read. It might sound too simple for a university level assignment, but at the time we'd only been studying the language for about 1.5 years, so our knowledge of Japanese kanji was still fairly limited. While the majority of my classmates immediately headed for the children's section of the local bookstore to look for books aimed at kids in the 7-9 age range, my friend Katinka and I had a different idea. We wanted to challenge ourselves, but at the same time we also knew that comprehension wise we weren't quite ready for a regular novel. And so we headed for the keitai shōsetsu aisle.

If you're not familiar with the genre, a keitai shōsetsu (direct translation: cell phone novel) is a novel originally written and published on a cell phone. It started as a purely Japanese phenomenon, but eventually spread to other countries as well. Typical traits for these cell phone novels are short chapters due to character limitations, some kind of romance story line, and most importantly: Light and easy writing, as these types of novels are usually authored by young females in their late teens/early twenties. While most of the novels were only ever published in their original mobile format, the more popular ones were sometimes traditionally published, and it was these books Katinka and I went looking for that day.

My pick was a book named「空」(Sora, meaning sky) by Chaco. I didn't read the full synopsis, but leafing through the pages it seemed to match my criteria. Short sentences, short chapters. No more than 130 pages. Seemed doable. And so I bought the book and headed home. Armed with my trusy electronic dictionary (a necessity at the time), I sat down to read. 

I had no idea what I was in for!

As it turned out, I had unwittingy bought the biggest tear-jerker I've ever read. The book follows a teeneager named Sayo, who loses her boyfriend in a motorcycle accident, and struggles to come to terms with her loss. It was literally 30 pages of lovey-dovey happiness, followed by 100 pages of raw, unadulterated pain. I have never cried so much from reading a book as I did with this one. I don't know if it was the somewhat juvenile language that did it, but Sayo's pain felt so real. I felt it deep in my bones. It was absolutely horrible! I cried so much I could barely see the page in front of me. After several nights of this, I did eventually manage to get through the book, but my soul was forever scarred. 

And that, my friends, was the only time I read a book in Japanese.

I guess the moral of the story is this: Read the synopsis. It might save you a world of pain.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy #2)

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy #2) by Lauren Roberts.

From Goodreads: 

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…

After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Be swept away by this bestselling, kiss-or-kill romantasy trilogy taking the world by storm.

Having read the first book in the trilogy at the end of last year, I am excited about this sequel. Powerless was a solid 4.5 star read for me, and as the book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, I can't wait to see what happens in this next book! Now that Paedyn and Kai are enemies, I'm expecting a lot of pining followed by subsequent self-loathing and internal conflicts. Definitely my cup of tea. Please don't disappoint me, book! 

Reckless will be released on July 4, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Not in Love

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood.

From Goodreads: 

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

I have read enough Ali Hazelwood books by this point that it's safe to say she's an auto-buy author for me, and I am super excited about her next book. This sounds like a return to what she does best - fun STEM romances with intelligent characters and sizzling chemistry, and in this books she promises an enemies-to-lovers story as well (which happens to be my favorite trope ever). I'm counting down the days!

Not in Love will be released on June 11, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Not Like Other Girls

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo.

From Goodreads: 

When Jo-Lynn Kirby's former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it's some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help.

But then Maddie is gone.

Everyone is quick to write off Maddie as a runaway, but Jo can’t shake the feeling there's more to the story. To find out the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the people who left her behind—and the only way back in is through Hudson Harper-Moore. An old fling of Jo’s with his own reasons for wanting to find Maddie, Hudson hatches a fake dating scheme to get Jo back into their clique. But being back on the inside means Jo must confront everything she’d rather forget: the boys who betrayed her, the whispers that she had it coming, and the secrets that tore her and Maddie apart. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.

Not Like Other Girls is a stunning debut that takes a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma, through the lens of a missing girl and a girl trying to find herself again.

Listen, sometimes all I want is to read a good YA mystery thriller, and this sounds like an good one. The early reviews on Goodreads have been very positive, which makes me hopeful that this will be a book worth reading. 

Not Like Other Girls will be released on April 30, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Mailbox Monday: April 1-7, 2024

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

After a week with no book mail, I finally got three more books for my shelves this past week. Well, technically speaking I got two books and a dust jacket, but it's too pretty not to share!

Pictured: The Stolen Heir (Illumicrate edition) by Holly Black, A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber (dust jacket from Lilac Library's) and What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge (The Locked Library editon)

Did you get anything interesting in your mailbox this past week?

Review: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a series I would recommend to literally every single person I've ever met, and after her standalone thriller Five Survive proved that she was more than a one-hit-wonder, I was super excited when I heard she was coming out with yet another YA thriller book. The Reappearance of Rachel Price was released on April 2nd, and you can bet I was ready to dive into the book right away.

The book follows eighteen-year-old Annabel 'Bel' Price, whose mother, Rachel, disappeared without a trace sixteen years earlier. The public consensus is that she was murdered, but no body has ever been found. The prime suspect in her murder? Bel's loving father, Charlie. Bel knows her father is innocent - after all, he has a rock solid alibi - and so years after he was aquitted for his wife's murder, the family has mostly returned to normal. But the Rachel Price case is still a hot topic among crime junkies, and the Price family has agreed to take part in a documentary about the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

Then - out of the blue - Rachel suddenly reappears. Thin, dirty and full of scrapes and scabs she tells an unbelieveable story about where she has been for the past sixteen years. The media is in a frenzy over her miraculous return, and Bel's quiet life is irrevocably turned upside down. Bel is in shock, as is the rest of her family. And then Rachel slips up. It's nothing big - just a few small inconsistencies - but it immediately makes Bel suspect that Rachel is not being completely honest. The more time Bel spends around her mother, the more she starts to doubt her story. But if Rachel is lying, where has she really been all this time? With the help of a ridiculously dressed British camera assistant (who she does not find cute whatsoever), Bel sets out to find out the truth about why Rachel Price really has come back from the dead.e

Holly Jackson has done it again! This YA mystery thriller is full of exciting twists and turns that keep you on your edge of your seat. I was so intrigued by where the story was going that I actually struggled to fall asleep when I put the book down for the night. My mind was running at a million miles a minute, going over every little hint and trying to work the mystery out for myself. If that is not a sign of a well-crafted mystery, I don't know what is! Luckily for me (and my sleep schedule), it only took me two days to finish the book.

The main protagonist, Bel, is an interesting choice for a protagonist, largely in due to the fact that she's not very likeable. She has grown up being known simply as Rachel Price's daughter - the toddler who was left behind alone in the car when Rachel vanished without a trace - and her not knowing if her mother left her voluntarily or not has obviously given her some major trust issues. Over the years she has pushed everyone away, and now she's left with only a single remaining friend: her fifteen-year-old cousin Carter. When Rachel reappears and obviously wants to bond with her daughter, Bel is extremely quick to distrust her. She's not even willing to give her mother the benefit of the doubt: Bel is so determined that Rachel is a liar that she actively sets out to prove it almost immediately following her return. She basically just wants her mother to go away again so that things can return to normal, which seems at bit harsh considering her mother claims to have been kidnapped and held captive for the past sixteen years.

Not that Rachel isn't suspicious. Not only does she conveniently reappear just when a documentary about her disappearance is being filmed, but there are also plenty of inconsistencies surrounding her story. She slips up on the details about her escape from captivity, she seems to know details of Bel's life that should be impossible for her to know and she snoops around not only the family home, but also the house of Bel's grandfather. There is clearly a lot more to the story of Rachel Price than we have initially been led to believe. Unraveling her story and her lies thread by thread is what makes this book such a compelling mystery thriller. 

The reason this book is not getting a top score from me, is because of what happens in those last few chapters. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely satisfied with the conclusion of the main mystery (it's sooo good), but not how the events following the big reveal played out. I do think some characters were a bit quick in changing their loyalties, and the whole scenario reminded me a bit too much of the parts of As Good as Dead (the final book in the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder trilogy) that just didn't work for me. Holly Jackson has to learn that you don't necessarily have to use a crime to cover up another crime, especially not when just telling the truth would have worked just as well in this scenario. Sometimes it is more satisfying to see the bad guys having to actually face charges and jail time for their wrongdoings. Maybe it's just me, but I would prefer to leave innocent characters without the potential of suffering major emotional trauma and PTSD for the rest of their lives.

But all in all this is another solid mystery thriller from Holly Jackson! If this is a genre you're interested in, I highly recommend checking it out for yourself!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene has been on the list of my most anticipated 2024 releases since the moment I first read the synopsis several months ago. The first book in a brand new trilogy, it only took four key phrases: Romantasy, changeling, curse and dangerous fae lord, and I was sold. And you guys, I think I might have found my next book obsession!

The book follows Fia, who happens to be a changeling. Twelve years earlier the Fair Folk stole the High Queen's real daughter Eala away to the faerie realm of Tír na nÓg, and left Fia behind in her stead. Now at the age of twenty, Fia is not only the queen's beloved adoptive daughter - she's also her best trained spy. When the queen learns of a way to save the real princess from the faerie lands (and from the curse that leaves her stranded as a swan during the daylight hours), Fia is tasked with breaking the curse and bringing her back. Joining her on her quest is Eala's fiancé Rogan - Fia's childhood best friend and first love. Stranded in an long-abandoned castle with the boy - well, man now - who broke her heart four years earlier is not an ideal situation, especially when there are clearly some unresolved feelings between the two of them. 

However, when the pair cross over to Tír na nÓg during the full moon to rescue the princess, it is nothing like Fia expected. She finds herself strangely drawn to the magical and deadly faerie realm, and soon forms an unexpected connection with Eala's captor, Irian. Irian is dark and troubled, and both Eala and Rogan warn Fia to stay away from him. But despite the danger the fae lord poses, he might also be the person who understands Fia the best. And she soon learns that there are bigger games at play both in Tír na nÓg and the human world, games that means she will have to make some tough choices: Should she follow the path the human mother who raised her has set for her, or should she answer the call of her faerie blood and follow her heart?

This book just checked all the boxes for me! I even enjoyed the love triangle, which is a rare occurence for me. Fia was such an intriguing main character. I could really feel her inherent loneliness in being a fae being raised among humans - she has never really fit in, but she desperately wants to. Despite her origins, Fia is more human than most actual human beings. Unbeknownst to her, she was raised to be a weapon for her so-called mother, but she still has so much love and compassion inside her. Her biggest flaw is her hunger for love and acceptance, something that makes her pretty easy to manipulate. We see this not only with her mother, but also when she meets her adopted sister, Eala. I really enjoyed how Fia slowly came to realize that she was being used as a pawn in the greedy schemes of the people around her, and how she came to understand that she should trust her own judgement. Better late than never, as they say.

The romance(s) in A Feather So Black were beautifully done - even the love triangle. There is so much history between Fia and Rogan - he is her best and only friend, in addition to being her first love. We quickly understand that their separation four years earlier was not due to a lack of affection on either side, but because Rogan put his duty as heir to his kingdom before his own happiness. And he still does. It was a bit frustrating how he kept pursuing Fia romantically, while at the same time being adamant in his plan to marry Eala. Fia deserves so much better than being his mistress, but despite his obvious love for her, he is not willing to yield. And I get it - I really do. He wants what's best for his kingdom, and he will not be able to provide for his people unless he marries the true princess. Rogan is young - he wants to have his cake and eat it too. But that is not fair to Fia, and I'm glad she realizes that their time together has come and gone even if Rogan refuses to accept it. You don't always end up with your first love, but I'm glad they had a second chance to explore their relationship.

Fia and Irian makes a lot more sense. He sees her for who she trully is, and accepts every single thing about her. Instead of being disgusted by her magic like Rogan is, he is in awe of it. Irian may be dangerous and shrouded in dark magic, but he is also so so lonely shut away in his own little corner of the world. He puts on this tough and indifferent mask for the world to see, but on the inside he is just as desperate for love as Fia is. The two of them together is pure magic. Rogan who? I will gladly die on my Fia and Irian hill, thank you very much!

Lyra Selene's writing is gorgeous and descriptive. I have seen some reviews mentioning that their biggest complaint about this book is the pacing, but honestly it was not a big issue for me. As Fia and Rogan can only cross over to Tír na nÓg on the night of the full moon, there are a lot of chapters in between of them just doing mundane things around the castle. I did not mind reading about Fia putting the old greenhouse back in order (it gives her a chance to reconnect with her nature magic) or searching the castle for clues on how to break Eala's curse. For me this just heightened my expectations for the chapters that actually did take place in the faerie realm. There was so much happening in the Tír na nÓg chapters that I liked getting a little time in between to simply slow down and process what we learned. 

I cannot wait to see where the next book in this series takes us. Now that a new villain has clearly been defined (I was not suprised to see this character actually being the true antagonist of the story), I am excited to see what happens next. One thing is for sure; it promises for some interesting dynamics in the books to come!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Funny Story

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Funny Story by Emily Henry.

From Goodreads: 

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Emily Henry is probably my favorite romance writer, and her new book sounds like it will be all kinds of fun, I can always count on her to provide well-written characters, fun banter and an engaging love story with plenty of heart-fluttering moments. My Waterstones special edition is ordered, and I can't wait to add this little beauty to my Emily Henry collection. I'm predicting this will be a five-star read for me, and so I'm desperately waiting for the release date.

Funny Story will be released on April 23, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: Hallowed Games by C. N. Crawford

I was looking for a new romantasy series to get into, and came across a post mentioning Hallowed Games by C. N. Crawford. This the first book in an indie published fantasy series, and while I tend to read more traditionally published books, indie is definitely is a subgenre I'm interested in exploring more. There are so many excellent writers out there who has yet to be discovered by the big publishing houses, and there is something exciting in reading something before it is plastered all over BookTok. 

In Hallowed Games we follow Elowen, a young woman living with a dangerous secret. Nine years earlier she was cursed with deadly and forbidden magic, and ever since her very touch has been lethal. Her secret is known only by a few, and Elowen will gladly live out her days as the Baron's personal assassin as long as the little orphan boy she cares for is safe. But when she is betrayed by Lydia -the Baron's daughter and Elowen's former best friend - she is captured by witch hunters and thrown into a deadly game for survival. A game that will only leave a single person standing in the end.

Against all odds she finds herself intensely attracted to Maelor, the head of the witch hunters, and he returns her interest. By any logic he should not be able to touch her, but to Elowen's great surprise her touch does nothing to harm him. That is because Maelor has a secret of his own: He is a vampire, and thus immune to her lethal touch. Elowen does not understand why the Maelor has taken such an interest in her, or why he seems determined to help her overcome the deadly trials that await her in the games, but slowly she finds herself relying on him. He might be the only one who can help her reunite with Leo, the little boy whose life and safety depends on her. But can she really trust the man known as the Raven Lord - a man who has devoted years of his life to hunting people with magic like her? 

Whenever I read a synopsis of a book that mentions a deadly game with a single survivor, I immediately think of The Hunger Games, and my expectations automatically goes through the roof. One part I really liked is that Elowen takes the time to get to know some of the other pentinents, because it leads to her leading her own little ragtag bunch of misfits. None of them are there because they want to be, and so it makes sense for them to team up to get through the first couple of challenges. While I found the first trial to be really high-stakes and exciting, the second trial was a bit of a let-down. It was basically just Elowen being horny as fuck. It would have been a lot more interesting if the authors had chosen to have her hallucinate about unleashing her powers instead, because that could at least have lead to some interesting character development.

I did like the chemistry, pining and sexual tension between Elowen and Maelor, but it did lead to some questionable decisions made by said characters. They literally sleep together for the first time while on the run from people who wants to kill them, and by that I don't mean that they are racing across a vast world with their enemies following in their footsteps. No, the enemy is literally within the same freakin' castle walls going from room to room looking for our main couple, and Elowen and Maelor just decide while hiding in a tiny storage room that this is the perfect time to get down and dirty. What the heck? There's a time and place for everything, and this was probably not it. It just seemed like such a stupid decision made by otherwise smart characters.

As for the story itself, it does have a rather exciting twist near the end. Former enemies will have to team up to take down the main villain, and I am interested in seeing how these relationships will develop in the next book. Because of where the first book leaves off, I am a little worried that we might have to deal with a love triangle in subsequent installments in this series. I might be way off base on this, but there are a few times a certain other character reacts rather strongly to Elowen's obvious dislike of him, and I fear that his reactions might hint at some complicated feelings lurking beneath the surface. I really hate love triangles and changing love interests from one book to another (looking at you, Sarah J.), so I really hope I'm just imagining things. It was also strongly hinted at in Hallowed Games that this character knows exactly why Elowen was cursed in the first placed, and I was kinda frustrated that specific question was not answered in the first book. Just gives me another reason to check out the next one when it's released, I suppose.

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Ten new releases to look forward to this April

There are a lot of great books coming out this months, so I decided to create a list of my ten most anticipated new book releases. The books are listed by release date.

APRIL 1: Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy #1.5) by Lauren Roberts

Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn—an Ordinary—has been selected for the Purging Trials, which means almost certain death.

Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, she's rescued by a mysterious man from the market. Mak's shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot. And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives.

APRIL 2: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.

But the case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.

APRIL 2: Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There's only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

APRIL 9: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

APRIL 9: The Hemlock Queen (The Nightshade Crown #2) by Hannah Whitten

The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore's old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian's changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he's reckless, domineering and cold. 

And something's been whispering in her ear. 

APRIL 16: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods (To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods #1) by Molly X. Chang

Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.

When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.

APRIL 23: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

APRIL 23: Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Xue has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. When her uncle is suddenly killed, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free.

APRIL 23: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

APRIL 23: The Merciless King of Moore High by Lily Sparks

When the adults of Brockton, Connecticut, morphed into gigantic, bloodthirsty monsters nine months ago, the students at Jefferson High barricaded themselves inside their school.

Now eighteen-year-old Kay Kim is one of the Student Council members trying to keep her classmates from starving. Kay has no poker face and can't keep her mouth shut when she knows she's right, so when she accidentally learns a secret that threatens the delicate power balance at Jefferson, she's dragged out of the school in the dead of night and dumped in the middle of town in a secret assassination attempt.

But when a raiding party of cheerleaders from crosstown rival Moore High comes to her rescue, Kay finds herself among ruthless, hard-partying road warriors who have adopted the feudal trappings of a once-popular video game. Life at Moore is violent and cliquish, but everyone is thriving. Everyone, that is, who survives the kingdom's periodic monster hunts.

For Moore's beloved King Max demands only two absolute fealty and that everyone at Moore help kill the "dragons." If Kay wants to survive, she must be granted asylum at Moore–which means slaying dragons, not asking the wrong questions, and navigating the rival factions, love triangles, and political intrigues at court.

Which new releases are you looking forward to this month? 

Review: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Fun fact: Every Easter the whole country of Norway goes crazy for crime/mystery thrillers. While it might sound strange from an outsider's perspective, it is actually based on a 101 year old tradtion. Back in 1923, a Norwegian publisher decided to market one of their new releases by printing a fake news article about a train robbery (the plot of the book they were advertising) on the front page of a national newspaper. Press ethics were obviously not a thing back then, but the marketing stunt turned out to be a big hit, and the book became an instant bestseller. And ever since, we've been obsessed with reading crime fiction during the Easter holidays. I'm no exception, and this year I decided to check out Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter - a 2015 release that has been on my radar for literally years now.

The book follow Claire Scott - an upper class housewife in her late thirties whose somewhat mundane existence crumbles when her loving husband of eighteen years, Paul, is stabbed and killed right in front of her eyes. This is not Claire's first brush with tragedy. Twenty-four years ago her eldest sister, Julia, disappeared without a trace after a night out on town with friends. Losing Julia tore her family apart, and now tragedy has struck again. Newly widowed and grief-stricken, Claire struggles to cope with her husband's untimely death. When she discovers some shocking video recordings on his computer - videos that may very well be linked to the recent disappearance of another young girl - she is shook to her very core. The more she looks into it, the more she comes to realize that she might not have known Paul at all. And the deeper she digs into this dangerous world of depravity and murder, the closer she gets to discovering what happened to her older sister all those years ago.

The first thing you have to know about this book is that it goes to some extremely dark places. Of all the thrillers I've ever read, I do think this is by far the most graphic one. The book describes the torture, mutilation, rape and murder of young women in sickening detail, and if you are squeamish, this is definitely not the book for you. There were several times I actually had to put the book down to process what I had just read before continuing on. It was extremely disturbing. I felt so angry and disgusted while reading it, which I suppose was what the author was going for in the first place. However, it did make me hate the main antagonist so much that his ultimate downfall brought me great pleasure, so at least there was some joy to be had at the end.

Family is obviously a bit part of the story, as the trauma of what happened to Julia still haunts Claire's family all these years later. Her other sister, Lydia, has been completely estranged from her family for many years, ever since she launched some shocking allegations against the now deceased Paul. Lydia was struggling with a serious drug addiction back then, and so her own family did not trust her to tell the truth. She has since turned her life completely around, raising her seventeen-year-old daughter with the help of her supportive boyfriend. Seeing the two sisters reuniting and start trusting each other again was pretty heartwarming. Even though there's plenty of bad blood between them, and even though they have not spoken for years, Lydia still shows up for her baby sister when she needs her. I liked seeing how the family finally had each other's back after years of being torn apart by secrets and lies.

Despite leaving me with quite a bit of trauma, Pretty Girls was actually a very good read. This is my first Karin Slaughter book, but she is obviously a very experienced and talented mystery thriller writer. The story was super exciting, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. There are multiple POV's throughout the book (Claire, her sister Lydia and their father's letters addressed to Julia), and the different characters all had distinct and recognizable voices. The mystery of what happened to Julia twenty-four years earlier was worked seamlessly into the current-day mystery, and once all the secrets were finally out in the open, I caught myself audibly gasping. Safe to say I did not expect that twist!

If you're in the mood for a well-written mystery thriller with an engaging mystery (and if you have a strong stomach), I highly recommend this one. I will be checking out more Karin Slaughter thrillers in the future.

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Where Are You, Echo Blue?

  

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released. The meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm highlighting Where Are You, Echo Blue? by Hayley Krischer.

From Goodreads: 

When Echo Blue, the most famous child star of the nineties, disappears ahead of a highly publicized television appearance on the eve of the millennium, the salacious theories instantly start swirling. Mostly, people assume Echo has gotten herself in trouble after a reckless New Year’s Eve. But Goldie Klein, an ambitious young journalist who also happens to be Echo's biggest fan, knows there must be more to the story. Why, on the eve of her big comeback, would Echo just go missing without a trace?

After a year of covering dreary local stories for Manhattan Eye, Goldie is sure this will be her big break. Who better to find Echo Blue, and tell her story the right way, than her? And so, Goldie heads to L.A. to begin a wild search that takes her deep into Echo’s complicated life in which parental strife, friend break ups, rehab stints, and bad romances abound. But the further into Echo’s world Goldie gets, the more she questions her own complicity in the young star’s demise . . . yet she cannot tear herself away from this story, which has now consumed her entirely. Meanwhile, we also hear Echo's side of things from the beginning, showing a young woman who was chewed up and spit out by Hollywood as so many are, and who may have had to pay the ultimate price.

As these young women's poignant and unexpected journeys unfold, and eventually meet, Where Are You, Echo Blue? interrogates celebrity culture, the thin line between admiration and obsession, and what it means to tell other peoples’ stories, all while ushering us on an unruly ride to find out what did become of Echo Blue.

I will be the first to admit that I tend to stick to my comfort genres: Fantasy, YA, romance and the occasional mystery thriller. Women's fiction is not usually a genre I find myself drawn to, but the synopsis of Where Are You, Echo Blue? sounds so intriguing that it has climbed to the very top of my TBR list. The early reviews promise a look into the downsides of fame, and I for one can't wait to dive into the seedy underbelly of Hollywood through the eyes of the two main characters of this book. 

Where Are You, Echo Blue? will be released on July 16, 2024.

Check out the early reviews on Goodreads, or preorder the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Review: Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

I have seen Butcher & Blackbird (the first book in The Ruinous Love Trilogy) by Brynne Weaver all over Bookstagram lately, and for every post and every review I came across, my curiosity only grew. Described as a serial killer dark romantic comedy, it certainly sounded unlike anything else I have read before. 

In this book we meet Sloane 'The Orb Weaver' Evans and Rowan 'The Butcher of Boston' Kane - two twenty-something young people who also just happens to be serial killers. They both specialize in hunting down and killing the scum of society - other serial killers, pedophiles/child molestors and drug dealers - and so it is only natural that their paths would one day cross. When a chance encounter leads them to meet face to face, Rowan proposes a friendly competition: An annual game of hunting down and disposing of an unknown monster chosen by an objective third-party. And so their bloody game begins. What neither of them expected was finding their soulmate along the way. But who better to understand a serial killer... than another serial killer.

The first thing that meets you when you crack this book open is a mile-long list of content and trigger warnings. These include (but are not limited to): Cannibalism, amateur surgery, eyeballs and eye sockets, skin ornaments and questionable use of a mummified corpse. That alone should probably tell you that this is no ordinary book. I was a huge Criminal Minds junkie back in the day, so I was not scared off by the promise of gore and messed-up murders. And while I understand that these triggers will probably scare off quite a few people, remember that the book is a romantic comedy. For instant, I cackled like a madwoman when I came to the scene with the questionable use of the mummified corpse. It was hilarious! And the unorthodox proposal scene? Pure comedy gold.

Because at the end of the day, this book is just a pure delight! I did not expect to have this much fun reading about two absolutely unhinged characters finding each other, but here we are. Butcher & Blackbird manages to be both cute, funny and romantic, despite the backdrop being anything but. Make no mistake, Sloane and Rowan are as batshit crazy as they come (Sloane's nickname 'The Orb Weaver' comes from her making these intricate webs of strings lined with skin pieces and eyeballs from her victims, and Rowan's 'Butcher' nickname does not come from him leaving neat murder scenes), but you just find yourself rooting for them anyway. Their chemistry is on point, and at one point I may or may not have screamed at my book to just let them kiss already. When they finally do get together, they're absolutely adorable (and also a little bit kinky - there's plenty of smut in this book).

The murder acts themselves were actually quite fun to read about, despite being a little gory. Am I allowed to say that? Because it sounds so wrong! I just mean that part of me enjoyed how creative the scenarios leading up the individual murders actually were. The yearly hunts were so silly and funny, and I can only imagine how much fun Brynne Weaver must have had when she planned out the individual cases - one of them more absurd than the next. The guy in the wall? The cannibal? Chainsaw dude? While I certainly do not condone murder in real life, I apparently don't have those same reservations when it comes to fictional book characters, because those guys definitely had it coming! And that is probably why it is so easy to root for Sloane and Rowan despite their weird, mutual hobby: They do not hurt innocent people.

With this being the first book in a trilogy of interconnected standalones, we are introduced to our other two couples in this book. The second book in the series, Leather & Lark (to be released on June 4, 2024), will be about Rowan's oldest brother (Lachlan), and Sloane's best friend (Lark), while the third book will follow the youngest Kane brother (Fionn) as he gets involved with a circus motorcycle performer (Rose). If you wonder if these characters knows about their friend's/brother's unconventional and murderous hobbies, the answer to that is yes. And from the hint we get throughout this book, it is pretty safe to say that these characters are no angels themselves. 

I'm ready for more murder and mayhem, so bring on Leather & Lark already!

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells

Mailbox Monday: March 18-24, 2024

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Last week was a pretty good week when it came to bookmail, as five brand new books showed up in my mailbox.

Pictured: Iron Flame (FairyLoot edition) by Rebecca Yarros, Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek (US edition), Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, Love Interest by Clare Gilmore, and Lonely for You Only by Monica Murphy.

Did you get anything interesting in your mailbox this past week?

Review: In the Orbit of You by Ashley Schumacher

Like I said in my Can't-Wait Wednesday post a couple of weeks ago, I've been a fan of Ashley Schumacher's writing since her beautiful debut novel, Amelia Unabridged. When I read the synopsis of her newest YA novel, In the Orbit of You, I was immediately intrigued. 

When they were children, Sam and Nova were inseparable. As the self-appointed king and queen of a little bug hollow they named Snailtopia, the two spent all their waking hours playing together by the hole in the fence that separated their yards. Growing up with alcoholic and physically abusive parents, Sam's only bright spot was Nova. Then he was suddenly sent away to live with his aunt and uncle, but not before he got to say goodbye to Nova and make her a promise: He would come find her when they turned eighteen.

Fast forward twelve years: Seventeen-year-old Nova lives a semi-transient lifestyle, moving from city to city because of her mothers job. When Nova starts her junior year at yet another new high school, the last person she expects to run into is her former childhood friend. Sam has built the perfect life for himself in his small Texas town: The perfect family, the perfect high school football career and the perfect cheerleader girlfriend. Despite having this gnawing feeling that he's not really happy, he does not want anything to change. Then Nova blows back into his life like a whirlwind, and suddenly he has to reevaluate everything. Nova is the only person who has ever truly known him, but is getting close to her again worth possibly upending the stable life he has built for himself? 

One of the things I really liked about this novel were how real the characters felt. Nova and Sam are both highly flawed characters with tons of personal issues to work through. For Sam this has has a lot to do with his traumatic childhood - he tries to go along with what everybody else wants for him, because not rocking the boat is how he survived as a young child in an abusive household. He has built up the life that he thinks he should have to please the people around him, not the life he truly wants for himself. Nova also struggles with figuring out who she really is, but for her this is largely because her mother keeps moving them around every few months. She has been to so many different schools, and tried out so many different styles, hobbies and social cliques that she is confused about her own identity. The thought of choosing a college major - choosing that one single path for her future - terrifies her. And this part of their individual characters really make sense based on the lives they have lived up until this point.

The relationship between the two of them has that magical meant-to-be feeling. You understand why these two people are so emotionally connected to one another, and you just find yourself rooting for them to work out their issues and get together. But boy do they play that push-and-pull game. I can't count all the times one of them tries to pull away from the other, only for them to immediatly go back on that. It's like they're planets constantly orbiting around eachother (which I suppose is where the title of the book comes in), or like magnets constantly being drawn together. It's raw and it's beautiful, but there's always this clock counting down to the end of their time together, as Nova is only staying at Sam's high school for two short months before her mother's job takes them away again. 

The side characters are wonderful, especially Sam's girlfriend Abigail. It can not be easy for Abby to understand Sam's relationship with Nova when he basically refuses to tell his own girlfriend anything about his past, but instead of acting catty like you would expect from an YA novel, she welcomes Nova into their circle with open arms. Even when she finds out about Sam and Nova's romantic entanglement, she acts super classy about it. She is just a genuinely good person, and I think we need to see more characters like her in fiction targeted at teenagers and young adults.

I was a bit scared when I reached the end of the story, but then the epilogue came along and made my heart whole again. And while the story technically is left open-ended, it is not difficult to guess what comes next for these wonderful characters. 

In the Orbit of You might not have usurped Amelia Unabridged's place as my favorite Ashley Schumacher novel, but it was a solid read that will stay with me for a long time.

Check out other reviews on Goodreads, or buy the book at Amazon US / Amazon UK / Blackwells