The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight 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, along with series information and the publisher’s book description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
It’s been a while since I posted one of these features, mainly because it was extremely busy with the holidays, work projects, and a couple of large articles I was working on:
Since it has been some time, it would take far too long to go through all the books, so I’m highlighting three books that arrived since last time (one ARC and two Christmas gifts), followed by a link to last week’s one arrival.
Moontangled (A Harwood Spellbook Novella) by Stephanie Burgis
Stephanie Burgis’ delightful Harwood Spellbook series is set in an alternate magical version of England in which Boudicca’s rebellion against the Romans was successful—and led to a tradition of women handling politics and men handling magic. Moontangled, a novella about Juliana and Caroline set after the two books about Cassandra, will be released on February 3 (ebook, paperback).
The author’s website has an excerpt from Moontangled, as well as more information on The Harwood Spellbook. I’ve also reviewed the other books in the series:
- Snowspelled (Harwood Spellbook #1)
- Thornbound (Harwood Spellbook #2)
- “Spellswept” (a prequel about Amy that first appeared in the anthology The Underwater Ballroom Society)
Take one ambitious politician and one determined magician with wildly different aims for their next meeting.
Add a secret betrothal, a family scandal, and a heaping of dangerous fey magic in an enchanted wood…and watch the sparks fly!
For just one moonlit, memorable night, Thornfell College of Magic has flung open its doors, inviting guests from around the nation to an outdoor ball intended to introduce the first-ever class of women magicians to society…but one magician and one invited guest have far more pressing goals of their own for the night.
Quietly brilliant Juliana Banks is determined to win back the affections of her secret fiancée, rising politician Caroline Fennell, who has become inexplicably distant. If Juliana needs to use magic to get her stubborn fiancée to pay her attention…well, then, as the top student in her class, she is more than ready to take on that challenge!
Unbeknownst to Juliana, though, Caroline plans to nobly sacrifice their betrothal for Juliana’s own sake – and no one has ever accused iron-willed Caroline Fennell of being easy to deter from any goal.
Their path to mutual happiness may seem tangled beyond repair…but when they enter the fey-ruled woods that border Thornfell College, these two determined women will find all of their plans upended in a night of unexpected and magical possibilities.
Voyage of the Basilisk (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #3) by Marie Brennan
I adored A Natural History of Dragons (my review) and was excited to get the books in the series I didn’t have (#3–5) for Christmas. This entire series about a dragon naturalist and her experiences is complete, and a standalone sequel about Isabella’s granddaughter titled Turning Darkness into Light came out last year.
Marie Brennan’s website has more about the series with excerpts, including a sample from the first book.
The thrilling adventure of Lady Trent continues in Marie Brennan’s Voyage of the Basilisk . . .
Devoted readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoirs, A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey Ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed―until now.
Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella’s in ways both professional and personal.
Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella’s life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons.
The Lady Trent Memoirs
1. A Natural History of Dragons
2. The Tropic of Serpents
3. Voyage of the Basilisk
4. In the Labyrinth of Drakes
5. Within the Sanctuary of Wings
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Erin Morgenstern’s latest novel, which came out toward the end of last year, was another Christmas gift—a signed copy, no less! I haven’t yet read The Night Circus despite owning a copy (I know, the shame!), but I have heard such wonderful things about this book and that it has some thematic similarities to Alix E. Harrow’s amazing debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The publisher’s website has an excerpt from The Starless Sea.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
Additional Book(s):
- The Puzzler’s War (The Tarakan Chronicles #2) by Eyal Kless (Release Date: February 4)
