The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). 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.
This week’s books are mainly purchases made with the remainder of the gift card I got for my birthday (all three of which are young adult fantasy). Before getting to these books, a quick update:
- Last week, I posted an excerpt from chapter two of the upcoming re-issue of Leanna Renee Hieber’s Prism Award-winning novel Perilous Prophecy.
- I’m still working on my review of Assassin’s Fate, but I just finished this month’s Patreon book, The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier, and will be putting together a review of it to post before the end of the month.
A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi
This companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen focusing on Maya’s sister Gauri was released earlier this year (hardcover, ebook). Entertainment Weekly has a chapter one excerpt from A Crown of Wishes.
I enjoyed The Star-Touched Queen, especially Maya and her personal journey, and am quite curious about Gauri’s story! The publisher’s website has an excerpt from The Star-Touched Queen.
From the author of The Star-Touched Queen comes a beautiful lush fantasy, Roshani Chokshi’s A Crown of Wishes.
Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Faced with a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes – a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor.
Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Once they arrive, danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans and mischievous story birds, a feast of fears and twisted fairy revels.
Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire.
The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco
The first book in The Bone Witch series was released earlier this year (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). The publisher’s website has an excerpt from The Bone Witch.
I absolutely love this cover, and the main protagonist sounds quite interesting! Rin Chupeco discussed Tea in her guest post on changing the definition of “strong” heroines and the importance of flawed heroines during last month’s Women in SF&F Month series.
In the captivating start to a new, darkly lyrical fantasy series for readers of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir, Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price…
Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.
Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!
Thick as Thieves (Queen’s Thief #5) by Megan Whalen Turner
Thick as Thieves was just released earlier this month (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). I love the Queen’s Thief books, especially The Queen of Attolia, so I knew that I had to save some of my birthday gift card for this one!
Megan Whalen Turner also wrote a guest post during Women in SF&F Month.
Discover the world of the Queen’s Thief
Thick as Thieves is the eagerly anticipated new stand-alone novel set in the world of the Queen’s Thief. New York Times-bestselling author Megan Whalen Turner’s entrancing and award-winning Queen’s Thief novels bring to life the world of the epics and feature one of the most charismatic and incorrigible characters of fiction, Eugenides the thief. Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief novels are rich with political machinations and intrigue, battles lost and won, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R. R. Martin.
Kamet, a secretary and slave to his Mede master, has the ambition and the means to become one of the most powerful people in the Empire. But with a whispered warning the future he envisioned is wrenched away, and he is forced onto a very different path. Set in the world of the Queen’s Thief, this epic adventure sees an ordinary hero take on an extraordinary mission. The Queen’s Thief novels have been praised by writers, critics, reviewers, and fans, and have been honored with glowing reviews, “best of” citations, and numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Newbery Honor, the Andre Norton Award shortlist, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Discover and rediscover the stand-alone companion stories The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings, all epic novels set in the world of the Queen’s Thief. Thick as Thieves includes two maps, a map of the world of the Queen’s Thief, and a map of Kamet’s journey.
Additional Book(s):
- The Fifth Doll by Charlie N. Holmberg (ARC: coming July 25, 2017)