The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I discuss books I got over the last week—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration (most of which are 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.
Last week brought a few books, but first, here’s last week’s review in case you missed it:
- Unraveling by Karen Lord — This is a wonderfully done mythic mystery novel that journeys through time and memory, but as much as I appreciated the thought and skill that went into its creation, I didn’t love it since it engaged my head much more than my heart.
And now, the latest book mail!
The Bone Ships (The Tide Child Trilogy #1) by RJ Barker
The Bone Ships, the first book in a new adventure fantasy series by Gemmell Morningstar Award– and British Fantasy Award–nominated author RJ Barker, will be released on September 24 (trade paperback, ebook, audiobook).
A crew of condemned criminals embark on a suicide mission to hunt the first sea dragon seen in centuries in the first book of this adventure fantasy trilogy.
Violent raids plague the divided isles of the Scattered Archipelago. Fleets constantly battle for dominance and glory, and no commander stands higher among them than “Lucky” Meas Gilbryn.
But betrayed and condemned to command a ship of criminals, Meas is forced on suicide mission to hunt the first living sea-dragon in generations. Everyone wants it, but Meas Gilbryn has her own ideas about the great beast. In the Scattered Archipelago, a dragon’s life, like all lives, is bound in blood, death and treachery.
The Tide Child Trilogy
The Bone Ships
For more from RJ Barker, check out:
The Wounded Kingdom
Age of Assassins
Blood of Assassins
King of Assassins
Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2) by Jennifer Estep
Protect the Prince, the second novel in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep’s epic fantasy series Crown of Shards, will be released on July 2 (trade paperback, ebook, audiobook).
The publisher’s website has samples from the first two books in the series:
Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.
Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.
Dark forces are also at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, her immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes Evie wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.
Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s … well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.
Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…
Additional Books:
- Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove (Release Date: July 2)
- Eye Spy (Valdemar: Family Spies #2) by Mercedes Lackey (Release Date: July 9)
