Must-Have Monday #214
Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.
Just TWO books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Kalyna the Cutthroat (Failures of Four Kingdoms, #2) by Elijah Kinch Spector Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Bisexual MC
Published on: 26th November 2024
Goodreads
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The Daughters of Izdihar meets The Foxglove King: An ex-soothsayer and stranded scholar of curses upend a Utopian community that has no love for refugees.
Radiant Basket of Rainbow Shells, scholar of curses and magical history, has spent several years on a research expedition abroad in Quruscan, one of the four kingdoms of theTetrarchia. When Tetrarchia and Radiant’s home country of Loasht suddenly revoke their tenuous peace, Quruscan is no longer the safe haven for Radiant that it once was. He needs someone to help him a bodyguard, perhaps, or someone with the sheer cunning to escort him to safety. The perfect candidate is Kalyna a crafty, mysterious mercenary with an uncanny reputation.
But the political situation in Loasht is far more volatile and dangerous than Radiant left it; it soon becomes clear that he may never be able to return home to his family. With a little of Kalyna’s signature guile, she finds Radiant asylum in a utopian community on the border between Loasht and the Tetrarchia, and, for a moment, it seems like they might finally have a safe place to stay. But when the group’s charismatic leader grows wary of the refugees flocking to his community—and suspicious of Kalyna in particular—that sense of safety begins to unravel once more.
Kalyna the Cutthroat deftly imagines how the pressures of heroism can warp even the most unshakeable of survivors, asking what responsibilities human beings have to one another, and whether one good deed—of any magnitude—can absolve you of your past for the sake of a future.
I admit to not loving book one, Kalyna the Soothsayer, but I actually have high hopes for the sequel! Cutthroat sounds much more interesting – here’s hoping it will be!
Titanchild (Talon Duology, #2) by Jen Williams Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MCs
Published on: 26th November 2024
Goodreads
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The stunning sequel to Talonsister, full of romance and treachery, powerful magic and devastating choices. Perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, John Gwynn and Samantha Shannon.
The Othanim have conquered Brittletain. Their murderous leader, Icaraine, plans to feed Brittletain's queens to her monstrous son. But total victory over the othanim's ancient enemy, the griffins, still eludes her. If Brittletain's resistance can secure an alliance with the griffins, they may still stand a chance of defeating the othanim.
Envoy Kaeto has returned to the Imperium, hiding Felldir and Belise in a ruined castle. He believes both his friends and his attempt to murder Gynid Tyleigh have escaped the Empress's notice. Yet secrets are not so easy to keep in the Imperium. Kaeto will do anything to protect Felldir and Belise – and so finds himself en route to Brittletain as ambassador to the Othanim.
Leven, Cillian, and Ynis have spent the last two years tracking Ynis's griffin sister, T'rook, a prisoner of Gynid Tyleigh. But Ynis has secondary motives for pursuing Tyleigh. Meanwhile, Leven's health is deteriorating, and Cillian – exiled and disgraced – is tormented by strange voices, who tell him of the return of the mythic Green Man to Brittletain.
There is no hope for humanity in a world ruled by Icaraine. But the price of defeating her might be almost too heavy to bear.
I’ve very carefully not read the blurb, because I haven’t made it through book one yet – but I’ve read enough that I know Titanchild deserves a spot on my weekly feature!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
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