Siavahda's Blog, page 76

Monster Girls Coming For Your Heart: The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
Representation: Sapphic MCs, minor Muslim character, implied M/M
Published on: 28th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
ISBN: 1728210011
Goodreads

The Wicked Deep meets House of Salt and Sorrows in this new standalone YA fantasy set in a snow-cloaked kingdom where witches are burned, and two enchantresses secretly compete for the heart of a prince, only to discover that they might be falling for each other.

It's Karnawał season in the snow-cloaked Kingdom of Lechija, and from now until midnight when the church bells ring an end to Devil's Tuesday time will be marked with wintry balls and glittery disguises, cavalcades of nightly torch-lit "kuligi" sleigh-parties.

Unbeknownst to the oblivious merrymakers, two monsters join the fun, descending upon the royal city of Warszów in the guise of two innocent girls. Newfound friends and polar opposites, Zosia and Marynka seem destined to have a friendship that's stronger even than magic. But that's put to the test when they realize they both have their sights set on Lechija's pure-hearted prince. A pure heart contains immeasurable power and Marynka plans to bring the prince's back to her grandmother in order to prove herself. While Zosia is determined to take his heart and its power for her own.

When neither will sacrifice their ambitions for the other, the festivities spiral into a wild contest with both girls vying to keep the hapless prince out of the other's wicked grasp. But this isn't some remote forest village, where a hint of stray magic might go unnoticed, Warszów is the icy capital of a kingdom that enjoys watching monsters burn, and if Zosia and Marynka's innocent disguises continue to slip, their escalating rivalry might cost them not just the love they might have for each other, but both their lives.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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~gloriously monstrous monster girls
~you don’t need to eat your heart out, they’ll do it for you
~scythes are sexy now
~if the ice-masks melt, you’re soulmates
~dress to impress terrify
~Witches Do It Better

I cannot tell you how much I love the premise of two girls fighting to win the same prince’s heart…so they can eat it.

And Jasinska absolutely pulls it off. Marynka and Zosia are not-quite-witches – in fact, they’re the servants of witches; Red Jaga and Black Jaga respectively. But full-on witches, it seems, cannot touch the pure of heart – and yet it’s those pure hearts, when eaten, that strengthen a witch’s power. Which is why they take servants; girls who are born mortal, but who are given enough magic to be able to turn into monsters. To hunt and kill the pure-of-heart their mistresses desire.

To be honest, a normal human probably wouldn’t make the distinction between witches and their servants – Marynka and Zosia can ride the wind, summon fire or darkness, and transform into terrifying creatures with iron teeth and flashing claws. Even Beata, the softer servant of the gentler White Jaga, can unleash devastating light and rip soldiers to pieces with her talons.

The Jagas are sisters and competitive, always boasting about their servants, and although Marynka and Beata are friends, neither of them know Zosia as anything other than her nom-de-plume Midnight (just as Marynka is Midday and Beata is Dawn, titles that come from their mistresses powers). Marynka is obsessed with Midnight, in fact; when they’re sent after the same pure heart, Midnight almost always manages to get to it first and steal it away, but Marynka wins just often enough to make her fierce about it instead of resigned. It doesn’t help that Red Jaga is always criticizing Marynka for not being good enough and failing so often.

And then a prince of legendary goodness returns from exile, and all three girls are sent after him.

By the lakesides the green-skinned rusalki were busy singing sweetly with the frogs, luring men to watery graves, their voices mixing with the muezzin’s call to prayer carrying from the emerald minarets of nearby mosques.

The world Jasinska has created is heavily drawn from Polish myth and history, which I know almost nothing about – but I know that I absolutely fell in love with the kingdom of Lechija, where magic is not just believed in, but omnipresent; there are rusalkas in the lakes, and the Jagas in their forests (forests of eternal night, dawn, and midday, respectively), but there is also magic wielded by humans. The witches call this ‘divine’ magic, and it’s one of the only things that can really hurt them, but it’s woven into the fabric of human life, with priests and prophets and princes alike being able to use it, and enchant objects with it that anyone can then use. There are swords that burst into holy flame, masks of ice that melt when you see your soulmate, characters who can read the future in the stars. It’s not idyllic – Lechija is in a very tense political situation, and everyone is holding their breath lest one wrong move tip them over the edge into war – but it is really, really beautiful. It doesn’t hurt at all that Midnight Girls is set during Karnawał, which is one big carnival-holiday that allows for lots of gorgeous, opulent costumes and horse-drawn sleigh rides. The gift for description that was on full display in Jasinska’s debut The Dark Tide is given free and wonderful reign in her sophomore novel as well.

But more than anything, Midnight Girls is a character-driven story, and I will be amazed if any reader can resist Marynka and Zosia. Marynka is louder, bold and fierce and fiery; Zosia is cool and restrained and detail-oriented. The chemistry between them is instantaneous and searing, in the best take on the rivals-to-lovers trope I’ve yet seen; every time they clash, every time one of them ruins the other’s plan or chance at the prince, every time they go for each other with claws and teeth – it sizzles. But there’s more to each of them than their rivalry; Marynka is desperate for the approval of her witch, Red Jaga, whom she calls Grandmother; Zosia is just as desperate to run away from Black Jaga. Both their lives hinge on this prince’s heart; Marynka, because every failure might be the one that makes Red Jaga so fed up she kills her; and Zosia, because without the power it will give her, there’s no way she can escape Black Jaga and survive.

It’s not just about their rivalry as the servants of witches; they’re both fighting for their lives as well.

She needed her there. It went beyond desire, beyond ambition. Aiming to outdo the other girl gave Marynka a goal, a purpose, something to strive for, something to look forward to. … She hadn’t realised how much she’d come to rely on her presence. When had Midnight become so integral to her life, when had their constant clashes stopped feeling like an intrusion, a threat, and started to feel…vital.

But the rivalry is definitely a huge part of it.

Oh, how Marynka wanted to see her frustrated, furious, desperate, just once. She wanted to see her on her knees. She wanted to ruin Zosia as thoroughly as Zosia did her without even trying.

Probably my favourite aspects of both characters is their amorality – although that’s probably not the right word for it; what I love is that they revel in their monstrousness, are thrilled by their own strength and power, glory in it. Zosia is self-conscious about her monstrous form and believes it’s hideous, and she wants to stop taking hearts – but even she loves her magic, and both girls are excited, not afraid, by the other’s magic and monstrousness. They find each other’s monster-forms breathtaking and beautiful. The scene where they both see each other in those forms for the first time is one of my favourite in the book, especially because, in the same scene, we see how the regular humans react to their monstrous visages with utter horror. That contrast – the horror of normal people vs the awe and appreciation and attraction Marynka and Zosia feel at seeing each other in their full power – is just gorgeous.

Marynka stared at Zosia.

Zosia stared at Marynka.

Prince Jozef of Lechija snapped out of his trance, stared back and forth at them both, and screamed.

It underlines the girls’ otherness, how they’re different, how they don’t fit with other humans – and that makes them frightening. But because we also see each girl through the other’s eyes, we also see them as glorious and beautiful, wild and magical. Their otherness is something to celebrate; certainly something they celebrate, unrepentantly. And I just flat-out loved that so much.

These are literal monster girls who are completely unashamed of their monstrousness, and that is exactly the kind of monster girls I want.

Marynka didn’t dress to please people. She dressed to startle them, to make them uneasy. She didn’t dress so that they would look at her and see something they wanted to touch and taste. She wanted them to look upon her and be afraid. She wanted their knees to tremble when they beheld her. She wanted their voices to crack with visceral fear at her approach.

And I loved their relationship, and how it developed. I suspect some readers might get a little bit ‘hurry up and kiss already!!!’, but I found it funny and almost kind of adorable how Marynka, especially, refused to acknowledge that what she was feeling went a fair bit beyond rivalry. It’s cute! I realise they’re fighting with scythes and throwing avalanches at each other, but I’m sorry, they are cute. Even if it would be a coin toss to see which of them ripped me apart for calling them that, it’s still true. I’m a sucker for romances where the reader can see quite clearly how emotions and FEELS are developing, but the character or characters take longer to put it together, and that’s very much the case here. It’s all so believable, and intense; Jasinska builds it up carefully and deliberately, so that their falling for each other feels inevitable. It’s wonderful.

Marynka swallowed around the sudden tightness in her throat. She’d always believed Midnight thought of her as someone weak and unworthy, someone beneath notice. But now she was looking at Marynka like she truly meant what she was saying, like she really did want her to come with her. Like Marynka was a prize, as rare and unobtainable as a prince’s pure heart.

Speaking of relationships: initially, I was a bit concerned that Beata, aka Dawn, the servant of the third witch White Jaga, was going to get sidelined and forgotten about; that she’d been stuck into the story just because three is a better number than two, especially for witches and magic. But while Marynka and Zosia are absolutely the headliners, Marynka and Beata’s friendship is an important thread woven through the story. I’m not sure Marynka makes the best best friend, but events make it very clear that the relationship goes both ways; Beata may mostly serve as Marynka’s support, but when push comes to shove, Marynka is willing to do anything to help Beata and keep her from being hurt. I never got the sense that their friendship was as intense or important as the relationship between Zosia and Marynka (even before the rivalry starts to develop into something else) but it didn’t feel tacked on to the story either.

One thing that did bother me was all the politics going on in the background – Dawn, Midday and Midnight are going after a prince, so politics plays a part in the narrative, even if it’s one that’s of virtually no interest to them (after all, human politics don’t and can’t affect witches). There are a lot of overheard conversations, a few lectures-via-dialogue at the reader, tension between some of the secondary characters, and honestly? That did feel contrived and unnecessary. Especially when it’s set up as being so incredibly important to the humans…but doesn’t affect the narrative, and thus the main characters, at all. I wish it had either been made more important, so that it played a real part in the story, or removed, because as-is it’s just…meaningless clutter.

And I have to admit that I didn’t love the ending. Things are mostly resolved, but a few important things kind of aren’t. This was the case with The Dark Tide as well; I’m crossing my fingers that Jasinska is leaving herself room to write sequels, because damn it, I am pining for a Dark Tide sequel, and I would joyfully pounce on a follow up to The Midnight Girls too!

Those are pretty minor gripes, though, and the latter especially is easy to fix: buy the book, flail about how amazing it is, and then go buy Dark Tide as well. If they sell enough, we’ll get sequels – and I promise, after reading The Midnight Girls (and/or Dark Tide, tbh) you’ll want to do everything you can to make sure Jasinska gets to write more sapphic witchy books!!!

The post Monster Girls Coming For Your Heart: The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

An Intricate World To Sink Into: The Garden of Stones by Mark T. Barnes

[image error]The Garden of Stones (Echoes of Empire, #1) by Mark T. Barnes
Representation: Cast of colour, bi/pansexual love interest
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy
ISBN: 1611098939
Goodreads

An uneasy peace has existed since the fall of the Awakened Empire centuries ago. Now the hybrid Avān share the land with the people they once conquered: the star-born humans; the spectral, undead Nomads; and what remains of the Elemental Masters.

With the Empress-in-Shadows an estranged ghost, it is the ancient dynasties of the Great Houses and the Hundred Families that rule. But now civil war threatens to draw all of Shrīan into a vicious struggle sparked by one man’s lust for power, and his drive to cheat death.

Visions have foretold that Corajidin, dying ruler of House Erebus, will not only survive, but rise to rule his people. The wily nobleman seeks to make his destiny certain—by plundering the ruins of his civilization’s past for the arcane science needed to ensure his survival, and by mercilessly eliminating his rivals. But mercenary warrior-mage Indris, scion of the rival House Näsarat, stands most powerfully in the usurper’s bloody path. For it is Indris who reluctantly accepts the task of finding a missing man, the only one able to steer the teetering nation towards peace.

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~dragon eyes!
~sky-ships!
~quills-for-hair is my new favourite look
~would you want all the memories of all your ancestors in your head???
~everything is crystal and everything is beautiful
~if nothing else, read it for the gorgeous Aesthetic

Everyone who’s already read this book will probably think I’ve lost the plot (see what I did there?) for saying this, but: I found Garden of Stones such a wonderfully easy book to sink into. I found it easy, full stop, at a time when I was struggling to focus, unable to concentrate enough to read anything – I thought.

But Garden of Stones welcomed me in, and I could disappear into it no matter how frazzled or static-brained I felt.

I am not at all sure anyone else on the planet will feel the same: Barnes has gone in hard on the worldbuilding, with dozens and dozens of fantasy terms and titles to keep straight; an extremely convoluted set of relationships and dynamics between different families, species, political parties, and various other movers-and-shakers; and millennia of history that predates the story but is still very relevant to it. There are lots of Capital Letters. On top of that, the prose is very heavy on the description; not purple, but going right down to describing the smallest detail at thorough length – and there’s no getting around the fact that Barnes does a lot of info-dumping/lecturing, mostly with regards the worldbuilding.

Honestly, I got the vibe that Barnes is more in love with the world he’s created than the story – which is not something I have a problem with. Especially not when so much of that world is beautiful the way I reflexively imagine Fantasy to be beautiful: spiralling crystal towers, sky-ships, elaborate clothing in sumptuous fabrics, glowing eyes, soaring architecture…the list goes on. Garden of Stones immediately feels like Fantasy in a way I haven’t encountered in a long time; everything about the aesthetic of the book howls magic and wonder and strangeness. And I was very, very happy to let that just…wash over me. It was deliciously easy to get lost in. It was soothing, somehow, even though nothing about the events of the story should have been relaxing.

Indris is very much the main character – even though he really doesn’t want to be. He’s an excellent swordsman and was trained in what we would call magic by the Seq – a prestigious, powerful, secretive order of scholar-mages who are feared and respected in equal measure. But Indris left the Seq years ago, forming a troupe of not-quite-mercenaries, a band of adventurers all wildly different from one another but who consider themselves family. Which is great, because Indris’ wife is long since lost, presumed dead by all, and Indris’ father-in-law is…way too naive for his own good.

That’s where the book opens: with Indris and Shar, one of his adventurer-companions, standing with Indris’ father-in-law on the field of battle. Which is not supposed to be a battle: the rules of war say this conflict is meant to be decided by single combat. Indris’ father-in-law trusts in the system.

The system breaks. Mostly because Corajidin, a royal-caste politician and head of one of the great Houses, smashed it with a hammer; he’s dying, and has no intention of doing so. And Indris’ father-in-law – as well as several other less naive, very good men – are in his way.

Imagine politics, if most of the major players had the memories of hundreds of their ancestors and could remember grievances from generations ago like they were yesterday. And if those players were divided between wanting to remake the old empire, and those who want to focus on what lies within their borders, not outside it. Now throw in death-trap swamps that house the immensely powerful artifacts of species that have gone before, artifacts it is completely illegal to go anywhere near. Top it off with an Imperialist who believes his rise to Emperor has been foretold – even when his own witches all but beg him to stop obsessing over prophecies and focus on making the future he wants, instead of just assuming it will come.

With a description like that, it would be easy to mistake Corajidin for a two-dimensional villain, but he’s not. I mean, he is a villain, don’t get me wrong – but he’s also living in constant agony and is desperate for a cure; he genuinely (because he’s a terrible bigot) believes empire and a separation from other species is what’s best for his nation; he loves his children; he adores his wife. We hate him before we even meet him – because we see his forces at work very early on, and it’s horrific – but over the course of Garden of Stones, the reader watches him spiral into a darker and darker place, backing himself into a worse and worse corner, turning away from every chance to put things right or do better that he’s offered. It’s not the best depiction of that self-destructive spiral that I’ve seen, but it’s something that lingers with me after I turned the final page.

Whereas Indris… Indris is pure wish-fulfilment: he’s a genius at literally everything, to the point that it eventually stopped being fun wish-fulfilment – nothing wrong with a Mary Sue/Gary Stu if you keep it interesting and give me plenty to like! – and started being eye-rolling. I think it grated especially because Barnes has fallen into the trap of so many fantasy authors: despite writing an apparently gender-equal society, the cast is almost wholly male, and a sprinkling of powerful women aren’t so effective at mitigating that when they’re all tripping over themselves to say how much better Indris is at whatever their special skill is.

Which is a shame, because otherwise Indris is pretty interesting – I definitely want to know more about his adventures pre-Garden – and it’s hard not to sympathise with a decent person trying to do the right thing, while also trying to avoid being sucked into the machinations (political and otherwise) of everyone around them. I could have accepted him as the lead just fine – even as being more powerful than anyone else – if the book wasn’t so…in-your-face about it. Like, did we really need one of the founding members of the Seq order, Indris’ teacher, to declare that Indris is to her as she is to her usual students? No, no we did not. Tone it down, please, gods.

Aside from Indris and Corajidin, the other main POV character is Mari, Corajidin’s only daughter and an immensely skilled warrior-poet. Her arc is probably the most complicated, as she’s pulled between her love for her father and family (as well as not wanting her dad to die!) and what she knows is right. It’s a messy storyline, and by that I mean it was probably the most human; Mari was the character who felt the most like a real person, with her mistakes and her conflicted values and loves. I’m not in love with the romance she gets, and I would have liked more than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to her being bisexual, but she was my favourite of the main cast, easily.

While I thought Barnes was pretty good at creating characters, one area I can’t defend is the dialogue. The dialogue is terrible. There is so much exposition-through-dialogue, with characters lecturing each other on things they all already know just to clue the reader in, and it was like Barnes couldn’t figure out the…the rhythm of how these people – most of whom come from the same species, the same caste, the same country – talk. Rhythm isn’t the right word, but I don’t know what is. But so much lecturing, and going over and over the same arguments and talking-points, and, gah.

All of you stop talking!!!

…Except that, I found I didn’t mind that much. Usually flaws like this make me DNF a book; in Garden of Stones, it was oddly easy to just…skim over them. Not mind them. They didn’t itch at me the way these kinds of things usually do. As I’ve said, I found the entire book…peaceful. Soothing. The only book I could focus on, the only thing I could concentrate on properly, for the better part of two weeks. That’s not nothing. That’s pretty huge, actually. Sword fights and magical duels and monsters and politics and betrayal and murder and everything else you can think of…and it was nice. It was easy.

I keep saying that because I can’t emphasise it enough. And because I’m grateful for it. Whatever Garden of Stones‘ flaws, I am very, very grateful it exists, and that it was there to be solace when I needed it.

Would I recommend it to anyone else? Well…maybe only if you love worldbuilding more than you love characters. But if you do? You’ll love this!

The post An Intricate World To Sink Into: The Garden of Stones by Mark T. Barnes appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…Begin the World Over by Kung Li Sun

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis 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 is Begin the World Over by Kung Li Sun!

Begin the World Over by Kung Li Sun
Representation: Black MC, Black and Indigenous cast, nonbinary/genderqueer secondary character
Published on: 3rd May 2022
Goodreads

Begin the World Over is a fictional alternate history of how the Founders’ greatest fear—that Black and indigenous people might join forces to undo the newly formed United States—comes true.

In 1793, as revolutionaries in the West Indies take up arms, James Hemings has little interest in joining the fight for liberté—talented and favored, he is careful to protect his relative comforts as Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved chef. But when he meets Denmark Vesey, James is immediately smitten. The formidable first mate persuades James to board his ship, on its way to the revolt in St. Domingue. There and on the mainland they join forces with a diverse cast of characters, including a gender nonconforming prophetess, a formerly enslaved jockey, and a Muskogee horse trader. The resulting adventure masterfully mixes real historical figures and events with a riotous retelling of a possible history in which James must decide whether to return to his constrained but composed former life, or join the coalition of Black revolutionaries and Muskogee resistance to fight the American slavers and settlers.

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I am so here for this.

I discovered this via Margaret Killjoy’s Country of Ghosts – when checking out the publisher, I found that AK Press is ‘a worker-run collective that publishes and distributes radical books and other media to expand minds and change worlds.’ That is something I can absolutely get behind, and while browsing their catalogue I found Begin the World Over – which I am officially head-over-heels in love with, despite it not being released until next May!

I mean – come on! What part of that description does not sound incredible?! I love alternate history, but I rarely find premises that interest me; this one? I LOVE THIS ONE. This is exactly the kind of alternate history I crave, thank you!!! I can’t WAIT to get my mitts on it!

Immediately pre-ordered and scribbled into my book-releases calendar – and now I’ll just pine for it until May…

The post I Can’t Wait For…Begin the World Over by Kung Li Sun appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

In Short: November

Well, this wasn’t a great month on the mental health front, but I have my first session with a new therapist tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes. Books-wise things didn’t go too badly, though!

Read[image error][image error]

14 books in a month ain’t bad! Although quite a few of these (Drawing Blood, Garden of Stones, Artifact Space, Bone Shard Daughter, Cold Iron, and Unnatural Magic) were re-reads. Of the new-to-me reads, Comfort Me With Apples and Transgressions of Power knocked it so far out of the park ‘it’ is currently somewhere in orbit around Pluto! I don’t think I could possibly review Comfort without major spoilers, but I’m determined to get Transgressions (and the first book in the series, Mazes of Power) reviewed.

Out of 12 authors this month, I read

3 cis men, 7 cis women, 2 trans authors2 BIPOC and 10 white authors

That means 16% of this month’s reading was by BIPOC authors. Not cool. I still need to do better.

Reviewed[image error]

I’m so happy with how many reviews got written this month!!! Even if five of them were mini-, DNF-reviews, ten is still pretty awesome. (Although you won’t see my review of Garden of Stones until this Thursday – but I wrote it in November, so it counts!)

DNF-ed

None of these worked for me – except for The Lost Dreamer, which I adore, but which I decided to set aside until I could read the finalised version. I’m hoping the issues I had with the book are problems with the ARC and won’t be present in the ‘real’ copy!

ARCs Received[image error][image error]

I was so lucky with ARCs this month!!! I ended up completely devouring Hell Followed With Us, and I did not expect to be approved for Age of Ash at all – but the worst they can say if you request it is ‘no’, right? In a Garden Burning Gold is absolutely breathtaking so far – I already suspect it’s going to end up on my Best of 2022 list! The Circus Infinite and Bluebird are both unknowns – in the sense that I hadn’t heard much about them before I requested them – and Azura Ghost, well. I loved the first book in the series, and think I’m going to have to reread it before diving into Azura!

ARCs Outstanding

I managed to get my Outstanding down from last month’s 9 to my usual 8. The Midnight Girls is definitely a priority, since it releases next month, but I’m having a hard time dragging myself away from Dark Breakers and Saint Death’s Daughter!

Rec Lists & Misc

I’ve been working on my two Best of 2021 lists (one of books published this year, and one of books published earlier but that I only read this year). Neither of them are ready yet, but I’m excited to get them finished!

Looking Forward[image error]

The book I was most looking forward to in December – The Scratch Daughters by Hannah Abigail Clarke – has been pushed back again; this time to November 2022. I’m gutted, honestly. The release has been delayed over and over, and now it’s going to be another year before I can read it. So I’m feeling a bit miserable.

There are still a few releases in December I’m looking forward to, though: The Midnight Girls, of course, whether or not I’ve had an ARC already; and Plum Duff, the latest book in the Greenwing and Dart series, is currently scheduled for the 21st. There’s some queer YA books I’d like to try, and Daughter of the Sea is allegedly about selkies and therefore has my immediate attention.

We’re also getting volume one of the official English translation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation – possibly better known by the name of the tv adaption, The Untamed. I haven’t watched it, but only because I’m terrible at sitting down and watching things; it looks gorgeous and I’ve heard nothing but love for it. So I’m Very Interested Indeed to read the book – especially since, while the show hasn’t been able to be explicitly queer because of China’s censorship laws, the book very much is canonically queer. Or so I’ve been told.

And that wraps up November. May December be gentle and kind to all of us!

The post In Short: November appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #62

This week we have SIX releases-of-interest, mostly Fantasy but with a contemporary Romance thrown in too, because it looks like too much fun not to try!

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands by Sonia Nimr, Marcia Lynx Qualey
Representation: Palestinian MC
Published on: 30th November 2021
Goodreads

Award-winning historical fantasy and literary folktale. Winner of the presigious Etisalat award.

In a tent at the foot of a mountain in Palestine, hundreds of years ago, our storyteller and her twin sister are born. Her newlywed parents name her Qamr (Moon) and her sister Shams (Sun). Their small caravan is journeying from the mother's city back to the father's remote ancestral village atop the mountain. This village suffers from isolation and a curse, which her young family tries to undo. But when both her parents' lives are cut short, Qamr and her sister are left orphans. And so, Qamr decides to pursue her mother's and father's dreams of discovering the world--its people and places, ideas and stories.

With the red book in hand that brought her parents together, she sets out on a daring journey, on caravans and ships, across empires. Telling stories to survive, Qamr crosses deserts and seas: to Jerusalem and Gaza; Egypt, Tangier, Andalusia and Genoa; Abyssinia, India, the Maldives and Yemen. Kidnapped by bandits, sold as a slave to the House of a mad King, studying with a polymath, disguising as a man and falling in love for the first time--with a pirate: Qamr searches irrepressibly for life, in endless stories within stories.

Like the famous travel narratives of the 14th century Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, Sonia Nimr's award-winning Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands is a richly imagined feminist fable and a captivating, adventure-filled historical novel.

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I can’t tell you exactly why, but when I learned of this book I was captivated by it, and I’m so glad and excited that the translated, English edition is going to be an ebook! I plan on diving into this one the moment it downloads tomorrow.

Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper and Fire, #3) by Natasha Ngan
Representation: Sapphic East Asian-coded MCs, East Asian-coded cast
Published on: 30th November 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan delivers a stunningly beautiful, heartbreaking finale to the epic Girls of Paper and Fire series.

"Don't struggle, Lei-zhi. It's time to take you back to the Hidden Palce. You're going home."

The final pages of Girls of Storm and Shadow brought a jaw-dropping conclusion that had the fates of Lei and Wren hanging in uncertainty. But one thing was certain - the Hidden Palace was the last place that Lei would ever consider home. The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls would plague her forever. She could not be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren.

The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever?

Girls of Fate and Fury is the epic conclusion to the "glittering" and "adrenaline-soaked" series by Natasha Ngan, hailed as "a stunning, new talent" for her "beautiful, lush, lyrical" writing.

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If you somehow missed out on this series, this is the final book, and there’s no good excuse for not picking up the series now it’s finished! And if you have been reading these…OMG IT’S GOING TO BE ENDING!!! I officially do not know how to deal.

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
Representation: East Asian-coded cast
Published on: 30th November 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

"Lee’s series will stand as a pillar of epic fantasy and family drama." —Library Journal (starred review)

The Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an East Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis in Jade Legacy, the page-turning conclusion to the Green Bone Saga.

Jade, the mysterious and magical substance once exclusive to the Green Bone warriors of Kekon, is now coveted throughout the world. Everyone wants access to the supernatural abilities it provides, from traditional forces such as governments, mercenaries, and criminal kingpins, to modern players, including doctors, athletes, and movie studios. As the struggle over the control of jade grows ever larger and more deadly, the Kaul family, and the ancient ways of the Kekonese Green Bones, will never be the same.

Battered by war and tragedy, the Kauls are plagued by resentments and old wounds as their adversaries are on the ascent and their country is riven by dangerous factions and foreign interference. The clan must discern allies from enemies, set aside bloody rivalries, and make terrible sacrifices… but even the unbreakable bonds of blood and loyalty may not be enough to ensure the survival of the Green Bone clans and the nation they are sworn to protect.

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Another mega trilogy is coming to a close with Jade legacy; I guess this is the week for it! There’s been so much love and hype for this series, and I’m willing to bet we’re all going to freak over the ending. (And it’s 700+ pages??? AWESOME!)

Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters by Jordan Ifueko, Amal El-Mohtar, Jonathan Rivera
Published on: 30th November 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Four tales of the greatest rogues up to mythological mischief inspired by visionary Jim Henson’s beloved television series.

WHO IS THE GREATEST MISCHIEF MAKER OF ALL TIME? Is it the King of Stories, Anansi? Or Eshu, the Nigerian trickster god? Perhaps Thor’s infamous brother, Loki? Or cunning Reynard the Fox? Discover these legendary tricksters and judge for yourself through the lens of The Storyteller as he regales his faithful canine companion… and you!

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters showcases four clever tales of mischief makers and the lessons they teach us. Each one inspired by folklore from around the world and told in the spirit of Jim Henson’s beloved television series by some of today’s most exciting voices including New York Times bestselling author Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer) and artist Erin Kubo (The Christmas Creature), Nebula and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar (This is How You Lose the Time War) with illustrations by Isa Hanssen, graphic novelist Robin Robinson (The City on The Other Side) and artist A.L. Kaplan (Full-Spectrum Therapy), and comic book writer Jonathan Rivera (Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye) and illustrator Jade Zhang.

Collects Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Tricksters #1-4.

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This is a collection of comics – graphic stories? – where some of my favourite authors write about trickster gods! The art looks incredible, and though I’m not familiar with the tv show (it aired before I was born!) I’ve been waiting for this collected edition for ages!

Maybe after reading it, I’ll go check out the tv series…

Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
Representation: F/F
Published on: 1st December 2021
Goodreads

From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes a playful romance about a Manhattan bookstore owner and a reclusive author who love to hate—and hate to love—each other.

Books are Rosie Taft’s life. And ever since she took over her mother’s beloved Manhattan bookstore, they’ve become her home too. The only thing missing is her own real-life romance like the ones she loves to read about, and Rosie has an idea of who she might like to sweep her off her feet. She’s struck up a flirty online friendship with lesbian romance author Brie, and what could be more romantic than falling in love with her favorite author?

Jane Breslin works hard to keep her professional and personal lives neatly separated. By day, she works for the family property development business. By night, she puts her steamier side on paper under her pen name: Brie. Jane hasn’t had much luck with her own love life, but her online connection with a loyal reader makes Jane wonder if she could be the one.

When Rosie learns that her bookstore’s lease has been terminated by Jane’s family’s business, romance moves to the back burner. Even though they’re at odds, there’s no denying the sparks that fly every time they’re together. When their online identities are revealed, will Jane be able to write her way to a happy ending, or is Rosie’s heart a closed book?

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This sounds like it could be a lot of sweet fun, and what reader doesn’t enjoy a peak at the lives of booksellers and authors?

Innate Magic by Shannon Fay
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC
Published on: 1st December 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

From debut author Shannon Fay comes the first novel in the enchanting Marrowbone Spells series featuring Paul Gallagher, a lower-class magician who aspires to high society through spells, wits, and irresistible charm.

Delightfully cheeky, unquestionably charming, and sometimes maddeningly naive, cloth mage Paul Gallagher is desperately trying to make a name for himself in a reimagined postwar London. But in a world where magic is commonplace, sewing enchanted clothes is seen as little more than a frivolous distraction. Paul is hiding a secret, however: he possesses a powerful--and illegal--innate magic that could help him achieve his wildest dreams.

Unfortunately, Paul confides in the wrong person--his latest crush, Captain Hector Hollister--and is drawn into a sinister plot that risks reigniting the machinery of war. To make matters worse, the pretty American gossip reporter Paul just met reveals her personal quest to expose a government cover-up may be related to Hollister's magical goals. When Hollister threatens the life of Paul's dearest friend, he realizes that his poor judgement has put not only his family and friends in danger, but also the whole world.

The only way to set things right may be for Paul to undergo the dangerous ritual to become Court Magician--the most powerful magician in the country. But is becoming part of the institution the best way to enact change in a terribly unjust society?

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Having read an excerpt of this a while back, I’m very on board to read the whole thing: the whole concept of cloth magic is both intriguing and whimsical, and I think a lot of us are suckers for that combination of historical fiction + magic. Plus, who doesn’t love an MC that’s cheeky and charming???

That’s it for this week! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any books I should know about? Let me know!

The post Must-Have Monday #62 appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

More DNFed ARCs

Two more ARCs that just didn’t work for me.

The Beholden by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Representation: Brown cast
Published on: 18th January 2022
Genres: Fantasy
ISBN: 1645660257
Goodreads

Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage, Celestia’s perfect manners, and Izara’s nascent magic to their aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact a dangerous plan—using a spell she doesn’t fully understand, Izara summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their land. But a favor from the river goddess always comes at a cost . . . 

Now, five years later, rumors of war and disease are spreading, Celestia’s husband has been called away on a secret mission for the Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay their debt to the Lady—embarking on a mission that will put them on a collision course with Celestia’s husband, the Emperor, and a god even more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine. 

Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn’t want to be found and prevent the end of the world.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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I give up.

I made it to 62% this time, and I seriously considered forcing my way through to the end – but the thought of it is just exhausting. I don’t ever want to turn reading into a task rather than a pleasure, which is why I’m calling it on The Beholden.

I enjoyed several of Clarke’s YA books, and in combination with that stunning cover, I didn’t hesitate a second in requesting this book. But ultimately, this was a drag. It’s a quest plot, which has the characters travelling back and forth in pursuit of their goal…and pretty much nothing but travelling happens. I thought Clarke might use all the travelling to show off the worldbuilding – I was so interested in the gorgeous jungle setting! But you could have picked up this whole story, dropped it into a fake-Medieval Europe setting, and it wouldn’t have changed the story in any fundamental way. The jungle’s not important, and the bits of worldbuilding we get are either tiny, lectured at us, or nonsensical (do not get me started on the magical hidden city). The impression of beauty comes from the cover, not the writing, which had an odd rhythm and not nearly enough description. And frankly, I couldn’t stand any of the characters. Ico was the most sympathetic – a pretty normal guy who’s been dragged into magical shenanigans that he shouldn’t be on the hook for, and now he just wants to get it all done and go home. But I didn’t enjoy reading the passages that were from his PoV, and I couldn’t care less about the sisters.

I thought the worldbuilding re the sort-of-gods had a ton of potential, but again, we barely saw any of it, and what we saw made no sense. One of them sends the three characters on a quest…despite none of them being in any way suited for the task??? Maybe that’s explained in the last 40% of the book, but it was just infuriatingly stupid to send an ex-pirate, a pregnant noblewoman, and a mage who hasn’t finished her training after the most powerful wizard ever. Come on!

The whole thing was about moving from Point A to Point B to Point C, with everything being too convenient – they happen upon this secret, or that clue, or this house, or exactly the right person. Clarke made an attempt to explain this – by saying that magic creates coincidences – but…it didn’t work for me. It was a chore to read. Even the Big Reveal about the wizard they’re looking for? Didn’t make me blink. Not because I saw it coming – I didn’t – but because I didn’t care. I just wanted the book to be over already – which made me realise there was nothing stopping me from putting it down and walking away.

TL:DR: it doesn’t live up to the cover.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Representation: Japanese MC
Published on: 7th December 2021
Genres: Fantasy
ISBN: 0063095742
Goodreads

The #1 Japanese bestseller—a celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the heartwarming spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for—or rather, demands—the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and Tiger and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge—the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . .

An enthralling tale of books,first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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I just bounced right off this one. The premise is lovely, but I found the writing very blunt and bare, and thought the story jumped around too much too quickly. And I felt absolutely no interest in the characters at all. (It doesn’t help that I have no interest in the Great Literary Classics or people who revere them.) I can see why it is + is going to be massively appealing to some readers; I’m just not one of them.

The post More DNFed ARCs appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Trade Routes, Sword-Ships & Aliens: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron

Highlights

~the future is socialist
~mostly
~starfish aliens!
~do not mess with spaceships shaped like swords
~a military of merchants
~officers get cake; spacers get cookies

I have never been able to describe – or even pinpoint – exactly what it is that makes Cameron’s writing so unbelievably compelling, so effortlessly readable. Because he doesn’t use small words, doesn’t flinch away from getting technical, is at any moment keeping dozens of different balls in the air.

But I’ve yet to meet a book of his I haven’t passionately adored.

Which is why I took the leap and followed Cameron even when his new book was Sci Fi instead of Fantasy, and folx – I do not follow many authors across that divide. But I’m so glad I did this time, because Artifact Space blew me away. To the point that it is the only book I have read twice, cover to cover, this year.

That’s how much I loved it.

Artifact Space is set 400 or so years on from what the characters refer to as the ‘Age of Chaos’, aka the breakdown of the environment and human society on ‘Old Terra’. Humans have spread across space, terraforming some planets, colonising others, building habitats that aren’t attached to a planet at all. In the process, they came across the aliens humans call the Starfish, with whom almost no communication is possible, but upon whom basically the entire interstellar human economy depends. The Starfish are the creators of xenoglas, a material that goes in everything from body armour to spaceships to handheld technology – at this point, if the supply were cut off, a big chunk of human space would collapse.

But it’s fine, because humans have the Greatships – absolutely enormous spaceships shaped like swords and capable of ‘jumping’ through space, effectively teleporting between galaxies. For centuries, the Greatships have gone round and round the trade route between human space and the Starfish, regular as clockwork. No Greatship has ever been captured, lost, or destroyed.

Marca Nbaro has been raised in the Orphanage, a horrific institution where she saw friends sold into slavery and had to fight to stay alive. When the book opens, she’s making her way onto the Greatship Athens – with forged credentials. Her training and skills are the real deal, but the head of the Orphanage had her blocked from entering the Service – the merchant-and-sorta-military branch of the DHC, the consortium that runs (not rules) a big chunk of human space – so to make it, she had to fake it. Once on the Athens, she’s far outside her old enemy’s reach, finally living her dream.

But of course, things don’t stay that simple.

Artifact Space is a book that you can just sink into – and it’s surprisingly feel-good. Nbaro, as she’s referred to most of the time, is a main character I clicked with immediately, and the changes she goes through over the course of the book were believable, interesting, and handled really well. In the opening pages, she’s ruthless and closed-off and trusts no one, traits that are the pretty natural result of her fucked-up childhood; but over the course of the book, her defences start to come down, bit by bit, as it’s made clear to her that she no longer needs them – not like she once did. The fulfilment she finds in the Service, as well as the awe and love she feels for the Athens, are wonderful and endearing; she’s not at all perfect, but I loved her and can’t wait to see more of her in the sequel!

The cast of secondary characters is massively impressive, with each and every one feeling fully fleshed-out and real, from Morrosini, the AI of the Greatship Athens, to Drake, Nbaro’s roommate and eventual best friend, and Dorcas, whose position on the Athens is mysterious, and the power he wields – despite not being Service – even more so. Those three were my favourites, but there’s at least a dozen others to admire, ranging from Nbaro’s commanding officers to the Marines she has reason to work with.

And of course, there’s the worldbuilding. Cameron introduces us to numerous planets and habitats that are part of Human Space, all of which are different, most of which were settled by a particular segment of humanity; one planet was colonized by Muslims, for example, and there’s a frontier planet (on the edge of Human Space) called Texas, which made me laugh. It means each place the Athens visits has its own culture, each place distinct from the next, which I really appreciated. Since Nbaro only gets small glimpses of each world, so do we, but I think Cameron gives us just enough of a look at each place to get a feel for it, to recognise its uniqueness, before the Greatship and Nbaro move on. It’s a good balance. To say nothing of the culture of the Service, and by extension the DHC, which is mostly socialist and egalitarian – except for the ways in which it’s not.

What about the story, then? A lot of the book is concerned with Nbaro’s day-to-day life as a midshipper, learning and performing her duties, making connections with her fellow Service members, figuring out the culture and traditions of the Athens and how a Greatship is run. I’m sure that could make for very boring reading in the hands of another author; in Artifact Space, it just has this bizarrely feel-good vibe I mentioned earlier. It’s oddly relaxing and pleasurable to read about fuel flights and Tactics classes, and I can’t put my finger on why. It’s a quirk of Cameron’s writing style that I’ve found in all of his books so far; somehow he can write about what should be dull minutiae, and make it, not exciting exactly, but warm and moreish. And then there’s the character development, and the relationships Nbaro forms; those are all plot too.

But that’s not to say there isn’t a much more dramatic, flashier storyline weaving through all the quieter ones! Firstly, there’s the head of the Orphanage, who is absolutely not done with Nbaro, and has no intention of letting her escape his grasp. Second, and much more importantly…someone is out to destroy the Athens. Lab-born plagues, suicide pills, hacking attempts and nukes are only a handful of what the enemy throws at Nbaro and her ship – and no one even knows who the enemy is.

Like Cameron’s latest Fantasy series – the Masters & Mages trilogy, which I strongly recommend as well – classism and privilege and socialism are all big themes, but so is overcoming the harsh training of a terrible childhood, learning to emote and recognise that most people are basically decent – and quite a lot of them are really, really good. I think that’s where a lot of the feel-good vibes come from: Nbaro’s gradual realisation that most people are not evil and/or out to get you. It’s an intrinsically heart-warming character arc.

Basically, it’s totally awesome, one of my favourite books of the year, and I can’t recommend it enough!

The post Trade Routes, Sword-Ships & Aliens: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

I Can’t Wait For…A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Can’t-Wait Wednesdayis 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 is A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows!

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
Representation: M/M
Published on: 26th July 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

“Many a reader longing for a sense of homecoming in the realm of romantic fantasy will find it in A Strange and Stubborn Endurance.”—Jacqueline Carey

“Stolen me? As soon to say a caged bird can be stolen by the sky.”

Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead.

Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock.

With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love—as both will learn—is quite another.

Byzantine politics, lush sexual energy, and a queer love story that is by turns sweet and sultry. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is an exploration of gender, identity, and self-worth. It is a book that will live in your heart long after you turn the last page.

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Meadows’ Manifold Path duology is one of my favourite series ever, so I was BEYOND excited when I heard they had written another book! The Manifold Path books had the most incredible worldbuilding, and an amazing, diverse cast, and I’d bet good money that A Strange and Stubborn Endurance will have both as well.

I’d be perfectly happy if this is ‘just’ a lovely romance novel, but the regal vibe of the cover has me thinking that the politics might be a bigger part of the plot than ‘excuse to get the couple together’. A sword! An arrow! Silky red leaves and gold! (And don’t think I missed the two rings!) Colour me intrigued!

It doesn’t hurt in the slightest that another of my all-time favourite authors, Jacqueline Carey, is quoted on the cover and in the description. ‘Many a reader longing for a sense of homecoming in the realm of romantic fantasy will find it in A Strange and Stubborn Endurance‘??? That sounds pretty wonderful.

Have you preordered this yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

The post I Can’t Wait For…A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

10 Happily Ever Afters I Want a Peek At

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!

Today’s prompt is Characters I’d Love An Update On – in other words, which characters do I wonder about now that their book/s is/are over?

It’s not that the authors wrote bad endings, or even that I necessarily want a new book about these characters. (Although I’d never say no to one!) But sometimes you’d just like to take a peek in at the happily ever after, you know? See how these characters you love so much are doing now that the Big Bad is defeated or the adventure is over. What are their lives like now?

Choosing 10 characters – or casts – that I’d love an update on turned out to be surprisingly easy!

Spoilers for every book listed!!!

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Genres: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

“What’s your name?”

“Serene.”

“Serena?” Elliot asked.

“Serene,” said Serene. “My full name is Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.”

Elliot’s mouth fell open. “That is badass.”

The Borderlands aren’t like anywhere else. Don’t try to smuggle a phone or any other piece of technology over the wall that marks the Border—unless you enjoy a fireworks display in your backpack. (Ballpoint pens are okay.) There are elves, harpies, and—best of all as far as Elliot is concerned—mermaids.

Elliot? Who’s Elliot? Elliot is thirteen years old. He’s smart and just a tiny bit obnoxious. Sometimes more than a tiny bit. When his class goes on a field trip and he can see a wall that no one else can see, he is given the chance to go to school in the Borderlands.

It turns out that on the other side of the wall, classes involve a lot more weaponry and fitness training and fewer mermaids than he expected. On the other hand, there’s Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elven warrior who is more beautiful than anyone Elliot has ever seen, and then there’s her human friend Luke: sunny, blond, and annoyingly likeable. There are lots of interesting books. There’s even the chance Elliot might be able to change the world.

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Has Elliot been able to bring peace to the Borderlands? How is Luke’s relationship with his Harpy relatives? How are Serene and Golden getting along? QUESTIONS I HAVE THEM

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) by Naomi Novik
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

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I can’t be the only one curious to see how England has taken to the dragon revolution???

The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Imprisoned for 'inflammatory writings' by the totalitarian Theocracy, shy intellectual Ashleigh Trine figures his story's over. But when he meets Kieran Trevarde, a hard-hearted gunslinger with a dark magic lurking in his blood, Ash finds that necessity makes strange heroes... and love can change the world.

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DID THELYAN COME BACK??? DID THEY TEACH REAL MAGIC TO THE RESISTANCE? DID ASH KEEP HIS PROMISE TO MEDAIR??? HI MY FEELS DIDN’T GET THE MESSAGE THAT THE STORY’S OVER

Sea Change by S.M. Wheeler
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

The unhappy child of two powerful parents who despise each other, young Lilly turns to the ocean to find solace, which she finds in the form of the eloquent and intelligent sea monster Octavius, a kraken. In Octavius’s many arms, Lilly learns of friendship, loyalty, and family. When Octavius, forbidden by Lilly to harm humans, is captured by seafaring traders and sold to a circus, Lilly becomes his only hope for salvation. Desperate to find him, she strikes a bargain with a witch that carries a shocking price.

Her journey to win Octavius’s freedom is difficult. The circus master wants a Coat of Illusions; the Coat tailor wants her undead husband back from a witch; the witch wants her skin back from two bandits; the bandits just want some company, but they might kill her first. Lilly's quest tests her resolve, tries her patience, and leaves her transformed in every way.

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BUT ARE THEY FRIENDS AGAIN?

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

A gripping, dark enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.

Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen’s attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.

Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. She's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas’s freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other as water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice.

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DO THEY EVER FIGURE IT OUT???

ENQUIRING MINDS NEED WANT TO KNOW

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
Genres: Queer Protagonists, Sci Fi
Goodreads

Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy?

 As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured.  And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.

So, of course, then she gets laid off.

With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.

Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing.  And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.

It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.

A sharp, witty, modern debut, Hench explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of Millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics. 

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Their love is amazing and unquestionable…and I want to see more of what they can accomplish together!!!

Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
Genres: Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

In the Cities of Coin and Spice and In the Night Garden introduced readers to the unique and intoxicating imagination of Catherynne M. Valente. Now she weaves a lyrically erotic spell of a place where the grotesque and the beautiful reside and the passport to our most secret fantasies begins with a stranger’s kiss.…
Between life and death, dreaming and waking, at the train stop beyond the end of the world is the city of Palimpsest. To get there is a miracle, a mystery, a gift, and a curse—a voyage permitted only to those who’ve always believed there’s another world than the one that meets the eye. Those fated to make the passage are marked forever by a map of that wondrous city tattooed on their flesh after a single orgasmic night. To this kingdom of ghost trains, lion-priests, living kanji, and cream-filled canals come four travelers: Oleg, a New York locksmith; the beekeeper November; Ludovico, a binder of rare books; and a young Japanese woman named Sei. They’ve each lost something important—a wife, a lover, a sister, a direction in life—and what they will find in Palimpsest is more than they could ever imagine.

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What is it like actually LIVING in Palimpsest? Not just going there in your dreams but forever! For good! HOW IS THE HIVE???

The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

A dinosaur detective in the land of unwanted ideas battles trauma, anxiety, and the first serial killer of imaginary friends.

Most ideas fade away when we're done with them. Some we love enough to become Real. But what about the ones we love, and walk away from? Tippy the triceratops was once a little girl's imaginary friend, a dinosaur detective who could help her make sense of the world. But when her father died, Tippy fell into the Stillreal, the underbelly of the Imagination, where discarded ideas go when they're too Real to disappear. Now, he passes time doing detective work for other unwanted ideas - until Tippy runs into The Man in the Coat, a nightmare monster who can do the impossible: kill an idea permanently. Now Tippy must overcome his own trauma and solve the case, before there's nothing left but imaginary corpses.

File Unders: Fantasy [ Fuzzy Fiends - Death to Imagination - Hardboiled but Sweet - Not Barney ]

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HI, I NEED TO KNOW IF A CERTAIN SOMEONE WILL BE OKAY.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

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If you’ve read this, and THAT ENDING, then you know EXACTLY why I’d like an update on these characters, please and thank you!!!

The Kingdom of Gods (Inheritance, #3) by N.K. Jemisin
Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

For two thousand years the Arameri family has ruled the world by enslaving the very gods that created mortalkind. Now the gods are free, and the Arameris' ruthless grip is slipping. Yet they are all that stands between peace and world-spanning, unending war.

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Okay okay BUT WHAT IS THE NEW UNIVERSE LIKE???

That’s my 10! What are yours???

The post 10 Happily Ever Afters I Want a Peek At appeared first on Every Book a Doorway.

Must-Have Monday #61

Can you believe I’ve officially done sixty of these posts now?! Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess!

Anyway, this week I have SEVEN releases-of-interest for you, ranging from bone-magic to Yuletide stories!

The Bone Shard Emperor (The Drowning Empire, #2) by Andrea Stewart
Representation: Asian-coded cast, biracial MC, sapphic MCs, F/F
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Goodreads

Andrea Stewart returns with The Bone Shard Emperor, the second installment of this unmissable, action-packed, magic-laced fantasy epic.

The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.   

Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.   

Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.   

But can she trust them?  

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I finished rereading The Bone Shard Daughter this weekend so I could jump right into this tomorrow!!! I’m ridiculously excited to see where the story’s going to go, and what’s going to happen to all the characters. AND THE ALANGA ARE BACK??? EEEEEEEE!

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
Representation: First Nation asexual MC
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Goodreads

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She's always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.

Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he's been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.

Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven't been in centuries.

And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.

Darcie Little Badger introduced herself to the world with Elatsoe. In A Snake Falls to Earth, she draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure to weave another unforgettable tale of monsters, magic, and family. It is not to be missed.

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The ebook released last week, but this week the hardcover comes out! So anyone who wants a paper copy can get one from tomorrow-onwards!

Fated Blades (Kinsmen, #3) by Ilona Andrews
Published on: 23rd November 2022
Genres: Sci Fi
Goodreads

An uneasy alliance between warring families gets heated in this otherworldly novella from bestselling author Ilona Andrews.

At first glance, the planet Rada seems like a lush paradise. But the ruling families, all boasting genetically enhanced abilities, are in constant competition for power―and none more so than the Adlers and the Baenas. For generations, the powerful families have pushed and pulled each other in a dance for dominance.

Until a catastrophic betrayal from within changes everything.

Now, deadly, disciplined, and solitary leaders Ramona Adler and Matias Baena must put aside their enmity and work together in secret to prevent sinister forces from exploiting universe-altering technology. Expecting to suffer through their uneasy alliance, Ramona and Matias instead discover that they understand each other as no one in their families can―and that their combined skills may eclipse the risks of their forbidden alliance.

As the two warriors risk their lives to save their families, they must decide whether to resist or embrace the passion simmering between them. For now, the dance between their families continues―but just one misstep could spell the end of them both.

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I love the Kinsmen series, and it was a lovely surprise to discover that we’re getting a new installment! It sounds like this probably works as a standalone, but I do recommend you read the other novellas in the series too, just because they’re kinda awesome!

Forging a Nightmare by Patricia A. Jackson
Representation: Black MC, Black secondary characters
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads

Unknown to Humanity, the descendants of Fallen Angels live among us. After millennia of living in anonymity, a serial killer has discovered their secret and has marked them for death. FBI Agent Michael Childs is brought in to investigate a series of grisly murders in New York City. The only link between the victims is they were all born with twelve fingers and twelve toes, known in occult circles as the Nephilim, a forsaken people.

A break in the case leads to Marine Corps sniper Anaba Raines who is listed as killed in action in Syria. Michael finds the hardened soldier alive and well, but no longer Human. After getting too close to the truth, Michael refuses to be an unwitting pawn in a 3000-year old vendetta. With the killers closing in, he is forced to confront his own unique heritage or die. Only Anaba can save his life, but at a terrible cost – her freedom.

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This one didn’t work for me, but hopefully it’ll work for someone else!

A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Dimos Horacki is a Borolian journalist and a cynical patriot, his muckraking days behind him. But when his newspaper ships him to the front, he’s embedded in the Imperial Army and the reality of colonial expansion is laid bare before him. His adventures take him from villages and homesteads to the great refugee city of Hronople, built of glass, steel, and stone, all while a war rages around him. The empire fights for coal and iron, but the anarchists of Hron fight for their way of life.

A Country of Ghosts is a novel of utopia besieged that challenges every premise of contemporary society.

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If the name Margaret Killjoy sounds familiar, it might be because you’ve heard of their Danielle Cain series (The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion + The Barrow Will Send What It May)! A Country of Ghosts was originally published in 2014, but it’s getting a new edition and, I hope, a lot more attention than it did the first time around, now that the Cain series was such a hit!

The Night the Stars Fell by Amber D. Lewis
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

"My name is Astra Downs, and in three days I may destroy the word."

The earth trembles and the stars fall. Things that were long forgotten return and Astra and her twin, Kato, are at the center of it all. Magic has been dead for centuries, but when Astra and Kato are born, it's a sign that something is about to happen. No twins have ever been born before--not in their kingdom of Callenia or anywhere else on their continent. Beneath their skin prowls an unknown, ancient power and the closer they get to their eighteenth birthday, the closer it comes to breaking free.

When a handsome young stranger with connections to the crown prince appears in their nothing town of Timberborn, they may finally have access to the answers they've been seeking their entire lives. Soon, they're running for their lives from a fearful king and the trust of strangers and new friends may be their only chance at survival and controlling their manifesting powers.

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I don’t know much about this book, but the early reviews are glowing, so I want to check it out!

Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology by H.L. Macfarlane, Caroline Logan, Rebecca F. Kenney, Laila Amado, Jake Curran-Pipe, Katherine Shaw, Ella Holmes, Bharat Krishnan, Jenna Smithwick, M.J. Weatherall, Adie Hart, R.A. Gerritse, A.J. Van Belle, Kate Longstone, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, S. Markem, Josie Jaffrey
Published on: 23rd November 2021
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

A shape-shifting spirit haunts a family in England during the depths of winter. A woman must locate a snowflake for a magical trickster to save her frozen true love. A witch knocks upon a young man’s door to take his life on Christmas day. A small boy meets a faerie housed within a snow drop.

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few. In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!

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Anthologies are often hit and miss for me, but seasonal stories from all over the world? I am intrigued. Hopefully it’s wonderful, and I can keep an eye out for the Spring/Summer/Autumn collections the publisher is planning!

That’s it from me! Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any books I should know about? Let me know!

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