Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week my Can’t-Wait-For Book is The Moonstone Covenant by Jill Hammer!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F/F/F polyamory/group marriage
Published on: 5th November 2024
Goodreads
The story of four women who set out to uncover the secret origins of an intricate, magical city—and to change its fate.
Istehar Sha'an, whose unique powers allow her to communicate with trees and books, has led her community of refugee forest people to a remarkable place. In the archipelago-city of Moonstone, the Sha'an people find themselves in an extraordinary, multicultural metropolis that houses the the world's all-encompassing repository of wisdom. But in their search for a new home, the refugees soon garner the suspicion of Moonstone's locals, who forbid their magical practices. And when a hostile prince makes a bid to inherit the city's rule from his father, Istehar and her people realize they may be faced with exile—or worse. Meanwhile, Istehar has married three wives of Moonstone—a brave warrior librarian, a subtle-minded former concubine, and a tenacious apothecary who has spent years trying to solve her parents' murder. Driven by magical intuition and guided by a mysterious book, Istehar and her wives embark on a journey that will transform not only their lives, but the city of Moonstone itself.
Readers of Ursula K. LeGuin and Guy Gavriel Kay will delight in The Moonstone Covenant's richly imagined world of mysterious archives, bookboats, and divinations—and its tales of both betrayal and healing.
I have been SO excited for this one since I first learned about it, and can you blame me??? A magical archipelago-city! (I love archipelagos in fantasy, no please don’t ask me to explain, because I can’t.) A four-women group marriage! (Made up of SERIOUSLY AWESOME-SOUNDING ladies!) An all-encompassing library! And, although it’s not mentioned in this blurb, Istehar’s magic allows her to talk to trees – which also means with books! Because books are made of trees!!!
I’m sorry, I HAVE NEVER WANTED A MAGIC POWER SO BADLY!!!
To be clear, the books don’t seem to be alive and they don’t talk back with words. But still! Being able to know what a book says just by touching the cover? That would be so wonderful. (I wonder if the book has to be written in a language you know?)
The praise I’ve seen compares Hammer to Le Guin, which is actually not a plus for me – I love her nonfiction, but I’ve never gotten along with Le Guin’s stories for some reason – but I’ve read the excerpt and loved it. Just a few more weeks until we can read the whole thing!
You can read an excerpt here, and learn more about the worldbuilding of Moonstone here!
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