Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi & The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller

   

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi 
Publication: March 21st, 2023
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 96 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"They say there is no water in the City of Lies. They say there are no heroes in the City of Lies. They say there are no friends beyond the City of Lies. But would you believe what they say in the City of Lies?

In the City of Lies, they cut out your tongue when you turn thirteen, to appease the terrifying Ajungo Empire and make sure it continues sending water. Tutu will be thirteen in three days, but his parched mother won’t last that long. So Tutu goes to his oba and makes a deal: she provides water for his mother, and in exchange he will travel out into the desert and bring back water for the city. Thus begins Tutu’s quest for the salvation of his mother, his city, and himself.

The Lies of the Ajungo opens the curtains on a tremendous world, and begins the epic fable of the Forever Desert. With every word, Moses Ose Utomi weaves magic."

I always enjoy checking out the new Tordotcom novellas and this one sounds like it has a great general premise. Can't wait to check it out!

The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller
Publication: March 28th, 2023
Chicken House
Hardcover. 256 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"On Prospect Hill, you can get nearly anything you want from the Fae—if you know how to ask and if you can pay the price.

There is no magic on Prospect Hill—or anywhere else, for that matter. But just on the other side of the veil is the world of the Fae, and all their magic. Generations ago, the first farmers on Prospect Hill learned to bargain small trades to make their lives a little easier—a bit of glass to find something lost, a cup of milk for better layers in the chicken coop.

Much of that old wisdom has been lost as the riverboats gave way to the rail lines and the farmers took work at the copper works and the cotton mill. Alaine Fairborn’s family, however, was always superstitious, and she still hums the rhymes to find her lost shoe and ensure dry weather on her sister Delphine’s wedding day.

But when Delphine confides her new husband is not the man she thought he was, Alaine will stop at nothing to help her sister escape his abuse. Small bargains buy them time, but the progress of locomotives and factories hasn’t given way to equitable laws for women. A major bargain is needed, but the price for sweeping change may be more than they’re willing to pay."

I absolutely adored Miller's Unraveled Kingdom trilogy and I've been really excited for anything new from her. I love the sound of this one and I have a good feeling that this premise will be amazing in Miller's hands.  

What books are you looking forward to?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Marvelous by Molly Greeley, Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones, & Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood

 

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Marvelous by Molly Greeley
Publication: February 28th, 2023
William Morrow & Company
Hardcover. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe. When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France’s royal court. There “Monsieur Sauvage,” as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de’ Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro… and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father’s betrayal, she soon finds herself christened “Madame Sauvage” by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de’ Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of The Clergyman’s Wife and The Heiress. Gorgeously written, heartbreaking and hopeful, Marvelous is the portrait of a marriage, the story of a remarkable, resilient family, and an unforgettable reimagining of one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales."

This sounds like such a unique and compelling historical fiction and fantasy retelling and I can't wait to have a chance to check it out myself!

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Publication: February 7th, 2023
Gallery/Saga Press
Hardcover. 464 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"December 12th, 2019, Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author, Stephen Graham Jones.

Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.

Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over."

Don't Fear the Reaper is the sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, which was a brilliant horror novel and homage to slashers. I can't wait for the sequel to see what's in store for Jade. 

Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood
Publication: February 28th, 2023
Bloomsbury YA
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Eighteen-year-old Victoria is a Wildblood. Kidnapped at the age of six and manipulated by the Exotic Lands Touring Company, she’s worked as a tour guide ever since with a team of fellow Wildbloods who take turns using their magic to protect travelers in a Jamaican jungle teeming with ghostly monsters.

When the boss denies Victoria an earned promotion to team leader in favor of Dean, her backstabbing ex, she’s determined to prove herself. Her magic may be the most powerful on the team, but she’s not the image the boss wants to send their new client, Thorn, a renowned goldminer determined to reach an untouched gold supply deep in the jungle.

Thorn is everything Victoria isn't - confident, impossibly kind, and so handsome he leaves her speechless. And when he entrusts the mission to her, kindness turns to mutual respect, turns to affection, turns to love. But the jungle is treacherous, and between hypnotic river spirits, soul-devouring women that shed their skin like snakes, and her ex out for revenge, Victoria has to decide - is promotion at a corrupt company really what she wants?"

Does this not sound so fun and original? I'm honestly way more excited for this than I expected to be, especially given the fact that I don't tend to read too much YA anymore, but... this may need to be another exception!

What do you think of these upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran, The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz, & The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang

  

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Publication: February 28th, 2023
Bloomsbury YA
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A house with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. 

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound, while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house—the home her family has always wanted—will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all."

I love a house that's alive, and the comparison to Mexican Gothic has me knowing I shouldn't get my hopes up.. but the hopes are already up. Really excited for the Vietnam setting as well! I think this cover is incredible as well. 

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Publication: February 21st, 2023
Atria
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself."

I'm such a sucker for a locked room mystery at any level, and this sounds like it will be quite a ride. 

The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang
Publication: February 21st, 2023
HarperCollins US
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"France, 1918. In the final days of the First World War, a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle’s home in Paris to evade a marriage being arranged for her in Shanghai. To prevent the union, she needs the help of her cousin Theo, who is working as a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. In the town of Noyelles-sur-Mer, Camille Roussel is planning her escape from an abusive marriage, and to end a love affair that can no longer continue. When Camille offers Pauline a room for her stay, the two women become friends. But it’s not long before Pauline uncovers a perilous secret that Camille has been hiding from her. As their dangerous situation escalates, the two women are forced to make a terrible decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives.

Set against the little-known history of the 140,000 Chinese workers brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during WWI, The Porcelain Moon is a tale of forbidden love, identity and belonging, and what we are willing to risk for freedom."

I've really enjoyed Janie Chang's historical fiction in the past and I'm so glad to see a new release from her coming up. I'm really curious about the premise for The Porcelain Moon. 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire & What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

 

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week, we're diving in early to take a peek at some of January's upcoming releases!
This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children #8) by Seanan McGuire
Publication: January 10th, 2023
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 160 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Welcome to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go. 

If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here. 

If you ever wondered about favorite toy from childhood... it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back. 

And the headphones that you swore that this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it…. 

Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the shop, and she’ll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she finds that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds. 

And stepping through those doors exacts a price. 

Lost in the Moment and Found tells us that childhood and innocence, once lost, can never be found."

I have found that the books in this series can be a little hit or miss sometimes at this point, but I'm always so excited to read the new installments, and Lost in the Moment and Found sounds very promising! I love diving into McGuire's seemingly boundless imagination. 

and...

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Publication: January 17th, 2023
Flatiron
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison . . . They were heroes . . . but they were liars. 

Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes. 

And they were liars. 

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be."

I've really enjoyed what I've read from Kate Alice Marshall so far, and although I'm behind on a couple of her releases, I'm really looking forward to this one now as well!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: A History of Fear by Luke Dumas & The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are:

A History of Fear by Luke Dumas
Publication: December 6th, 2022
Atria Books
Hardcover. 368 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Grayson Hale, the most infamous murderer in Scotland, is better known by a different name: the Devil’s Advocate. The twenty-five-year-old American grad student rose to instant notoriety when he confessed to the slaughter of his classmate Liam Stewart, claiming the Devil made him do it. 

When Hale is found hanged in his prison cell, officers uncover a handwritten manuscript that promises to answer the question that’s haunted the nation for years: was Hale a lunatic, or had he been telling the truth all along? 

Unnervingly, Hale doesn’t fit the bill of a killer. The first-person narrative that centers this novel reveals an acerbic young atheist, newly enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to carry on the legacy of his recently deceased father. In need of cash, he takes a job ghostwriting a mysterious book for a dark stranger, but has misgivings when the project begins to reawaken his satanophobia, a rare condition that causes him to live in terror that the Devil is after him. As he struggles to disentangle fact from fear, Grayson’s world is turned upside-down after events force him to confront his growing suspicion that he’s working for the one he has feared all this time—and that the book is only the beginning of their partnership.​​ 

A History of Fear is a propulsive foray into the darkness of the human psyche, marrying dread-inducing atmosphere and heart-palpitating storytelling."

I feel like I've been seeing this book for as an anticipated release for months and months by now, and it's only made me want to read it more each time I see it! 

and...

The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi, trans Emily Balistrieri
Publication: December 6th, 2022
Harpervia
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"An unfulfilled college student hurtles through four parallel realities to explore the what-might've-been and the what-should-never-be in this Groundhog Day meets The Midnight Library-esque novel from one of Japan's most popular authors. 

Our protagonist, an unnamed junior at a prestigious university in Kyoto, is on the verge of dropping out. After rebelling against the dictatorial jock president of the film club, he and his worst and only friend, the diabolical creep Ozu, are personas non grata on campus. For two years, our protagonist has made all the wrong decisions, and now he's about to make another mistake. He and Ozu are preparing for revenge--a fireworks attack at the film club's welcoming party for new members. Then, a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed god sets the confused and distraught young man on a new course. Destiny will bring him together with Akashi, the blunt but charming sophomore he has a crush on--if he's brave enough to make a move. Yet our protagonist cannot get beyond his profound disillusionment and the moment is lost. But what if there's a universe where he did join the club of his dreams, ditched Ozu for good, and was confident enough to get the girl? A realm of possibility opens up for our protagonist as time rewinds, and from the four-and-a-half-mat tatami floor of his dorm room, he is plunged into a series of adventures that will take him to four parallel universes. In each universe, he is given the opportunity to start over as a freshman, in search of a rose-colored campus life."

How fun does this premise sound? I think this would make for a perfect lighter speculative fiction read!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard, The Cloisters by Katy Hays, & The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
Publication: November 24th, 2022
Gollancz
Paperback. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Book Depository

From Goodreads:

"Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates' enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xích Si and herself. 

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xích Si's help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xích Si means Rice Fish can offer Xích Si protection, in exchange for Xích Si's technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it. 

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xích Si find themselves falling for each other. As the interstellar war against piracy intensifies and the five fleets start fighting each other, they will have to make a stand-and to decide what kind of future they have together..."

I realized while putting this post together that this appears to be a UK release, just as a head's up to my fellow US readers! This sounds like quite an adventure and I've been meaning to check out more of Aliette de Bodard's work.

and...

The Cloisters by Katy Hays
Publication: November 1st, 2022
Atria Books
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"In this “sinister, jaw-dropping” (Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary) debut novel, a circle of researchers uncover a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York’s famed Met Cloisters. 

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination. 

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs. 

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat."

Everything about this sounds perfect and I'm particularly excited about the fact that we are following some researchers! I'm just loving this premise. 

and...

The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick
Publication: November 1st, 2022
Park Row
Paperback. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"What if you could write a new ending for yourself?

England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer’s block, and he becomes jealous of Evelyn’s writing talent. When he commits the ultimate betrayal—stealing a draft of her novel and passing it off as his own—Evelyn decides to write her way out of their unhappy marriage. 

California, 2006. Abigail always wondered about her father, his identity forever lost when her mother unexpectedly died. Or so Abigail thought, until she stumbled upon his photo and a message that her great-great-grandmother was the author Evelyn Aubrey, leading Abigail on a journey to England in search for answers. There, she learns of Evelyn’s shocking disappearance and how London society believed she was murdered. But from what she uncovers about Evelyn, Abigail believes her brilliant great-great-grandmother had another plot up her sleeve. 

Rich in atmosphere and emotion, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey tells the story of literary secrets, a family curse and the lengths women will go to take charge of their future."

This sounds like a really interesting dual timeline story that's going to have so much mystery to explore and uncover. 

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Wayward by Chuck Wendig, The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton, & To Each This World by Julie E. Czerneda

 

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Wayward (Wanderers #2) by Chuck Wendig
Publication: November 15th, 2022
Del Rey Books
Hardcover. 816 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Five years ago, ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country to a destination only they knew. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect them. 

Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world--and the birth of a new one. 

The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd--and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again. 

Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse. 

Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together."

I loved Wanderers and I've been so eagerly anticipating this sequel! I'm really curious where Wendig will take this storyline. I just got approved for this yesterday after waiting in NetGalley limbo for months, so I'm very excited to read it soon!

and...

The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton
Publication: November 1st, 2022
Peachtree
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"It was a day for finding things . . . 

On the morning Twain, a lonely boy with a knack for danger, discovers a strand of starlight on the cliffs outside Severon, a mysterious curiosity shop appears in town. Meanwhile, Quinta, the ordinary daughter of an extraordinary circus performer, chases rumors of the shop, The Vermilion Emporium, desperate for a way to live up to her mother’s magical legacy. 

When Quinta meets Twain outside the Emporium, two things happen: One, Quinta starts to fall for this starlight boy, who uses his charm to hide his scars. Two, they enter the store and discover a book that teaches them how to weave starlight into lace. 

Soon, their lace catches the eye of the Casorina, the ruler of Severon. She commissions Quinta and Twain to make her a starlight dress and will reward them handsomely enough to make their dreams come true. However, they can’t sew a dress without more material, and the secret to starlight’s origins has been lost for centuries. As Quinta and Twain search the Emporium for answers, though, they discover the secret might not have been lost—but destroyed. And likely, for good reason."

This sounds like an amazing winter read full of magic and great characters! 

and...

To Each This World by Julie E. Czerneda
Publication: November 15th, 2022
DAW Books
Paperback. 480 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Biologist Julie E. Czerneda's new standalone science fiction novel, To Each This World follows a desperate mission to reconnect with long lost sleeper ships, sent centuries earlier from Earth to settle distant worlds. 

A trio of Humans must work with their mysterious alien allies to rescue any descendants they can find on those worlds. Something is out there, determined to claim the cosmos for itself, and only on Earth will Humans be safe. 

Or will they? 

The challenge isn't just to communicate with your own kind after generations have passed. It's to understand what isn't your kind at all. 

And how far will trust take you, when the truth depends on what you are?"

I still haven't read anything from Czerneda and have always heard good things, and I think this sounds like a great place to start! I am really liking the sound of this sci-fi premise. 

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Leech by Hiron Ennes & The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Leech by Hiron Ennes
Publication: September 27th, 2022
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"MEET THE CURE FOR THE HUMAN DISEASE 

In an isolated chateau, as far north as north goes, the baron’s doctor has died. The doctor’s replacement has a mystery to solve: discovering how the Institute lost track of one of its many bodies. 

For hundreds of years the Interprovincial Medical Institute has grown by taking root in young minds and shaping them into doctors, replacing every human practitioner of medicine. The Institute is here to help humanity, to cure and to cut, to cradle and protect the species from the apocalyptic horrors their ancestors unleashed. 

In the frozen north, the Institute's body will discover a competitor for its rung at the top of the evolutionary ladder. A parasite is spreading through the baron's castle, already a dark pit of secrets, lies, violence, and fear. The two will make war on the battlefield of the body. Whichever wins, humanity will lose again."

This sounds intense and a little weird and I'm 100% here for it. 

and...

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
Publication: September 6th, 2022
Knopf Publishing
Hardcover. 448 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and to devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Moderna and Regio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. 

Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now make her way in a troubled court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble? 

As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court’s eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess’s future hangs entirely in the balance."

I have been needing some incredible new historical fiction and I have pretty strong reason to believe that this upcoming release from Maggie O'Farrell will fit that criteria!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore & Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Publication: September 20th, 2022
Ace
Hardcover. 432 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men. 

As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves. 

As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine. 

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman."

I'm hoping to start an ARC of this from NetGalley soon and I'm so excited. I really love fantasy based on Russian myth and history, and I always enjoy a Baba Yaga-related tale. 

and...

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Publication: September 6th, 2022
Sourcebooks Fire
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve. 

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive. 

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race. 

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns."

I am really intrigued and excited about the setting of this world! I also actually haven't read a competition story in a while, so I' excited about that aspect.

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?