The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound like they may be interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration (the latter of which are mainly unsolicited books from publishers). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along with series information and the publisher’s book description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Last week brought two books I added to the TBR—one of my most anticipated 2020 releases and an ebook deal that I couldn’t resist!
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Alix E. Harrow’s sophomore novel, which is about three suffragette witch sisters in the late 1800s, will be released on October 13 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook).
The Orbit website has an excerpt from The Once and Future Witches.
I was incredibly excited when this book showed up since Alix E. Harrow’s debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, was my favorite book of last year. It’s an ode to stories and imagination, outsiders and dreamers, and daring to write one’s own story, and it’s a beautifully written, memorable novel that I cannot recommend highly enough. (And if you missed it during last year’s Women in SF&F Month, Alix E. Harrow wrote about the gift she was given by growing up with stories by and about women in “My Mother’s Sword.”)
In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in Alix E. Harrow’s powerful novel of magic and the suffragette movement.
In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters — James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna — join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote — and perhaps not even to live — the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.
For more from Alix E. Harrow, check out The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The Tiger at Midnight (The Tiger at Midnight #1) by Swati Teerdhala
This YA fantasy novel inspired by Indian history and Hindu mythology is now available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook—and the ebook version is currently $1.99 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I couldn’t resist buying a copy!
Bustle has a text excerpt from The Tiger at Midnight, and Harper Collins has an excerpt from the audiobook. Swati Teerdhala also discussed “unlikable” heroines and writing Esha, the main character in The Tiger at Midnight, in her Women in SF&F Month guest post last year.
The second book in this trilogy, The Archer at Dawn, is coming out in a couple of days (May 26!) and will be available in hardcover, ebook, and paperback. Hypable has an excerpt from The Archer at Dawn.
The first book in an epic heart-pounding fantasy trilogy inspired by ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Renée Ahdieh.
* A Book Riot Most Anticipated Novel of 2019 * B&N Top 50 Most Anticipated Novels *
A broken bond. A dying land. A cat-and-mouse game that can only end in bloodshed.
Esha lost everything in the royal coup—and as the legendary rebel known as the Viper, she’s made the guilty pay. Now she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha.
Kunal has been a soldier since childhood. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path—even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has only been growing more volatile.
When Esha and Kunal’s paths cross one fated night, an impossible chain of events unfolds. Both the Viper and the soldier think they’re calling the shots, but they’re not the only players moving the pieces.
As the bonds that hold their land in order break down and the sins of the past meet the promise of a new future, both the soldier and the rebel must decide where their loyalties lie: with the lives they’ve killed to hold on to or with the love that’s made them dream of something more.
