Magical glass, goblins, and of course New Orleans are just three of this week’s nine new books!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.
A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.
Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.
We’ve been warned that Juniper and Thorn is going to be much darker than Reid’s debut The Wolf and the Woodsman – but I don’t think that’s going to stop me from reading it! It just sounds so interesting, and I loved the excerpt (which you can read by checking out the hardcover edition of the book on Amazon). Plus a comp to Catherynne Valente?! Yep, definitely going to let this one traumatise me!
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
Magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.
Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.
Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.
It’s been a while since I read McClellan, but I’m ready to start again! I read the sneak peek of this one and enjoyed it a lot, and I adore the premise of magic running out (even if it also sounds horrifying – I suspect that’s the point). Looking forward to seeing how this one goes!
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black cast, Black trans MC
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut.
Nola is a city full of wonders. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women keep the order, and where songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. To those from Far Away, Nola might seem strange. To failed magician, Perilous Graves, it’s simply home. Then the rhythm stutters.
Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat and without them, Nola will fail. Unexpectedly, Perry and his sister, Brendy, are tasked with saving the city. But a storm is brewing and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Even if they capture the songs, Nola’s time might be coming to an end.
New Orleans is always the perfect setting for anything magical! I got to read this one early, and I loved the magical NOLA – Jennings’ imagination is amazing.
Genres: Fantasy, Secondary World Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black cast, F/F
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
In the first book of a visionary African and Arabian-inspired fantasy trilogy, three women band together against a cruel Empire that divides people by blood.
Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the Empire from the red-blooded ruling classes' tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.
Anoor has been told she's nothing, no one, a disappointment by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the Empire. But dust always rises in a storm.Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution.
As the Empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.
There has been much hype for The Final Strife, and I’m definitely curious to see if the book can live up to it!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Sapphic MC
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
‘Salem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”
Seventeen years ago, May and Laura Wickett fought their way out of the goblin market but the scars will never fade from May’s heart. After all, the market was more than the sum of the bodies it left behind: it was also the home of her first love. But when the price of freedom is blood and marrow, some heartbreaks are better left buried.
In present-day Boston, Louisa Wickett-Stevens does not believe in magic, despite Mom’s and Aunt May’s superstitions. But after Lou’s teenage aunt, Neela, goes missing, Lou realizes that their superstitions have been handed down to protect them from York’s bloodthirsty goblin market. It’s up to Lou, Mom, and May to infiltrate the market and steal Neela back before the goblins disappear. But the market has its fair share of secrets, and this time, the goblins do not only want death: they seek vengeance.
I’ve always loved stories about the Goblin Market, and I’ve been excited for this one since the pub deal was announced! It’s another one we’ve been warned about, though – apparently it’s going to have some INTENSE horror vibes…
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer Indian-Muslim MC
Published on: 21st June 2022
Goodreads
Your wish is granted! This YA debut is equal parts broken-hearted love story, epic myth retelling, and a world-journey romp to find home.
Sy is a timid seventeen-year-old queer Indian-Muslim boy who placed all his bets at happiness on his boyfriend Farouk...who then left him to try and "fix the world." Sy was too chicken to take the plunge and travel with him and is now stuck in a dead-end coffee shop job. All Sy can do is wish for another chance.... Although he never expects his wish to be granted.
When a mysterious girl slams into (and slides down, streaks of make-up in her wake) the front entrance of the coffee shop, Sy helps her up and on her way. But then the girl offers him three wishes in exchange for his help, and after proving she can grant at least one wish with a funds transfer of a million dollars into Sy's pitifully struggling bank account, a whole new world of possibility opens up. Is she magic? Or just rich? And when his father kicks him out after he is outed, does Sy have the courage to make his way from L. A., across the Atlantic Ocean, to lands he'd never even dreamed he could ever visit? Led by his potentially otherworldly new friend, can he track down his missing Farouk for one last, desperate chance at rebuilding his life and re-finding love?
This sounds super sweet and fun, and I can’t wait to give it a go!
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Published on: 23rd June 2022
Goodreads
The gods play their games, looking down on the mortal realm and moving men as pawns. Sacrificing lives, towns, even civilisations as they make moves against each other, oblivious to and uncaring of the suffering it causes.
They are above it all: worshipped, emulated and admired.
Yet there is one among them who exists to sow chaos, to challenge the way of things, and to stir up trouble. One who sees the gods growing indolent and contented and selfish . . . and who is ready to meddle in the world of men. Not as part of the immortal game, but because they believe it's possible for men to challenge . . . and even topple . . . the gods themselves.
An epic which draws on the Greek mythology of gods and heroes, this new trilogy is a must read for fans of Dan Simmons and Madeline Miller alike.
I loved Cameron’s previous book Artifact Space, but I’m DELIGHTED to be getting Fantasy from him again! This is one of the books I’ve been most excited about this year – I can’t wait!
Genres: Fantasy
Published on: 23rd June 2022
Goodreads
Before she was betrayed and left for dead, Tenny was many things: prodigal daughter of the Driftwood City underworld. Leader of the Thorn Orphans, the gang fighting for a better tomorrow. City shaman, able to bend her home's boroughs to her will. Partner-in-crime to Cole, the runaway rich boy with powers just like hers.
But that was all before.
Four years later, Tenny is an exile, sleepwalking through life and waiting to die. But a chance encounter puts her on a bloody path back to the life she left behind. Friendless and powerless, she returns to Driftwood City, only to find a world where the Thorn Orphans have finally won. A better tomorrow, today.
And all that progress tethered to the heartbeat of the friend who ordered her death.
Her city. Her vengeance. It's an impossible choice.
But if Tenny wants to survive, she'll have to choose one.
I read Krueger’s Steel Crow Saga very late, but I loved it, and I love the sound of this new book! City shamanism? Sign me up!
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Gay MC, nonbinary MCs, queernorm cultures
Published on: 23rd June 2022
Goodreads
Two armies will clash - led by two fearsome generals. Rumour claims one is a demon, and the other is a god reborn...
In the West, Marin and Alazar are in the army of the Godsworn following Tyrun, who claims to be Nari Reborn. In the East, the demon known as The Golden lands with Tjakorsha at its back, looking to slay a god. In the City of Islands, Jeya and Bulang try to survive as factions seek to use Bulang's ancestry for their own gain. In the South, Daimon and Saana fight to keep the peace they brokered alive amid the onset of war. And in amongst it all is Tila Narida, the Divine Princess, who has always turned chaos to her own advantage...
The legacy of Narida's God-Kings spans a continent, and will end in blood.
Experience the battle-filled finale to the God-King Chronicles, an epic fantasy series by Mike Brooks.
I was really disappointed by book two of this trilogy, so I’m not sure I’ll pick up the third book – at least not any time soon. But it does warrant featuring here for those who want to finish the series!
Will you be reading any of these? Let me know!
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