EIGHT new books to be grabby-hands for this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Representation: Black cast
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
“[A] beautifully multifaceted story... Highly recommended.” —The New York Times
Andrea Hairston's historical fantasy Will Do Magic for Small Change presents a tale of alien science and earthbound magic and the secrets families keep from each other.
Cinnamon Jones dreams of stepping on stage and acting her heart out like her famous grandparents, Redwood and Wildfire. But she’s always been theatrically challenged. That won’t necessarily stop her! But her family life is a tangle of mysteries and secrets, and nobody is telling her the whole truth.
Before her brother died, he gave Cinnamon The Chronicles of the Great Wanderer—a tale of a Dahomean warrior woman and an alien from another dimension who perform at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. They are a story of magic or alien science, but the connection to Cinnamon's past is unmistakable.
When an act of violence wounds her family, Cinnamon and her theatre squad determine to solve the mysteries and bring her worlds crashing together.
I believe Will Do Magic For Small Change was published before through an indie press? But now it’s getting a trad-pub edition, and it’s gorgeous!
Plus, I absolutely adored her book Master of Poisons a few years back, so I’m very eager to read more of her work!
Genres: Fantasy, Sci Fi, Science Fantasy
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
Street magician Mavrin Leed doesn’t believe in what he can’t see or prove. His performances are mere tricks; the only true magic in Aelda comes from the benevolent, god-like Aspects circling it. As long as They keep the Lifesphere intact, he stays out of Their way.
Labeled a heretic, Eyasu Temergon is convinced that Aelda’s true history was hidden, even from the Aspects. He scours forgotten shadows for proof of the Raw, creatures of energy tied to the fracturing of his world. When their sudden emergence leads to destruction and chaos, Eyasu puts aside his estrangement with his old friend, and hopes Mavrin can do the same.
Ex-soldier Deyeri Renn has a mystery of her own: why are her city’s leaders so interested in the Raw? She spent too long fighting in the Winds to let a myth harm her city, and too many years alone to accept the life-worn man who bumbles back into her home, with no right to ask for her help.
As Deyeri, Mavrin, and Eyasu unpack the secrets that once drove them apart, every seal in their relationship means one more crack that could unravel Aelda’s very existence.
Catalyst is the stunning debut by Ottawa author Brandon Crilly, a fantasy tale of magic, friendship, and holding a broken world together.
Someone somewhere on one of my many feeds was very excited for Catalyst, and I don’t recall the exact reasons why, but I’m trusting in past!Sia’s judgement and including it here. Besides, the worldbuilding set-up definitely sounds interesting!
:edit: ahhhh, it was probably the genderfluidity and queernorm world that got me excited! Check out this interview with the author!
Genres: Sci Fi
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
Tesla Crane, a brilliant inventor and an heiress, is on her honeymoon on an interplanetary space liner, cruising between the Moon and Mars. She’s traveling incognito and is reveling in her anonymity. Then someone is murdered and the festering chowderheads who run security have the audacity to arrest her spouse. Armed with banter, martinis and her small service dog, Tesla is determined to solve the crime so that the newlyweds can get back to canoodling—and keep the real killer from striking again.
I’m curious as to whether this is going to be a fairly light-hearted mystery, or if it’s going to go hard, like several of Kowal’s other books! Either way, I’m definitely going to be picking it up; it sounds weirdly delightful, and I love the idea of a wife having to rescue her husband.
Genres: Horror
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
An unforgettable, surrealist gothic folk-thriller with commercial crossover appeal from a brilliant new voice.
1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood... unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight...
Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will... and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry.
Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover, once and for all, what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. Led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area (which is nearly 50 years old), Dr Christopher's group enters the wood ready for anything.
Or so they think.
Yes, let’s go check out The Occult with Science! I tend to enjoy that trope, so I’m willing to give this a go, even though it’s horror. It’s the spooky season, horror is very much allowed!
Genres: Queer Protagonists
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
The special Collector's Edition of Casey McQuiston's beloved New York Times bestselling novel, featuring illustrated endpapers, an all new Henry-POV chapter, and more!
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations.
Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.
Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my all-time faves, even if it isn’t SFF – so yes, I’m very excited for the collector’s edition! Especially because McQuiston promised us a WEDDING in the bonus content!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic Latina MC
Published on: 11th October 2022
Goodreads
For her entire life, the Name-Bearer’s sole purpose has been to receive and deliver the names of the future monarchy from the Flowers of Prophecy. But when the child is finally born and the Name-Bearer is sent to the Flowers, they refuse to name him. Instead they deliver a prophecy; another child was born who is more worthy of the Naming, and if they are found and brought before them it will usher in a reign of peace.
Having failed in her duties the Name-Bearer is considered a traitor to the crown, and must hide among an elite sect of warrior women where she experiences friendship, found family, and love. Her training as a warrior helps prepare her to embark on her quest to find the Unnamed Prince, clear her name, and bring peace to her realm.
A story of magia, warrior women, found family and love - and not accepting who you are told to be, but embracing who you are destined to become.
Between the stunning cover and the really interesting premise – imagine your purpose being to name the next monarch, presumably through magical methods, and you get it wrong! – I’m really looking forward to this one. Does not hurt at all that it’s queer too!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 13th October 2022
Goodreads
You have the power to make everyone in the world a good person. All it costs is the love of your life. Which do you choose?
At university they were best friends and boyfriends - Gabriel, a charming telepath obsessed with saving the world; Isaac, a lonely magnifier who quadruples the superpowers of anyone he touches.
It's happily ever after until Isaac fakes his death.
Five years later, a villain is bringing everyone's worst nightmares to life and Gabriel learns that Isaac is still alive. Isaac, who he never stopped loving. Isaac, with his secrets and strange connection with their dreamweaver enemy. Isaac, who might yet be the key to everything that Gabriel ever wanted...
Whether he wants to be or not.
‘You have the power to make everyone in the world a good person’ is the kind of thing baby!Sia used to think about a lot, so of course this caught my attention! But wow, that is some serious relationship angst! I need to know more…
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Representation: Queer amputee MC
Published on: 13th October 2022
Goodreads
In haunted York, even the dead have something to fear.
Sixteen-year-old Charlie has problems. He’s a seer-of-spirits in York, the most haunted city in Europe, and all his friends are ghosts. His sisters have glittered his prosthesis, again, and his crush is dating someone new.
On top of that, famous spirits are mysteriously vanishing from York’s alleys and snickleways. Charlie is determined to stay out of it, but Sam, the irritating new seer in town, expects him to track down who – or what – is responsible and uncover the dark purpose behind the disappearances.
When a ghost Charlie is indebted to also vanishes, he has no choice but to face the shadows. And his growing feelings for Sam. The boys must be willing to risk it all to save York’s spirits, because their adversary will stop at nothing to complete their devastating plan. Afterlives are at stake, and Charlie is running out of time…
With echoes of Anna Dressed in Blood, The Fell of Dark and Cemetery Boys, Rosie Talbot’s debut is an irrefutable must-have for all YA bookshelves.
You’ve got to pay attention when KD Edwards is championing a book, so obviously Rosie Tablot’s debut went on my auto-buy list! Plus, we see amputee rep so rarely. And I’m obscurely pleased that this is set in the UK, too.
Will you be reading any of these? Let me know!
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