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 (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.

Some rather intriguing books came in the mail recently, but first, here is the previous post in case you missed it:

  • Review of Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, a novel set in post-apocalyptic Asia focusing on a heroine belonging to one of the Orders of Peace that upholds justice throughout the land. I absolutely loved the world, but I thought the characters and story were held back by mechanical plot devices.

I’m almost finished with a review of Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch that should be going up in the next day or two. (You may have already seen that I rather liked this one and am looking forward to the sequel.)

And now, some upcoming releases!

84K by Claire North

84K by Claire North

This dystopian novel by award-winning author Claire North will released on May 22 (trade paperback, ebook, audiobook).

I’m rather curious about this one since I’ve been hearing great things about Claire North’s books, including The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and her 2017 World Fantasy Award–winning novel A Sudden Appearance of Hope. Claire North is also Carnegie Medal–nominated author Catherine Webb and Kate Griffin.

 

From one of the most powerful writers in modern fiction comes a dystopian vision of a world where money reigns supreme, and nothing is so precious that it can’t be bought….

The penalty for Dani Cumali’s murder: £84,000.

Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.

These days, there’s no need to go to prison – provided that you can afford to pay the penalty for the crime you’ve committed. If you’re rich enough, you can get away with murder.

But Dani’s murder is different. When Theo finds her lifeless body, and a hired killer standing over her and calmly calling the police to confess, he can’t let her death become just an entry on a balance sheet.

Someone is responsible. And Theo is going to find them and make them pay.

Perfect for fans of speculative fiction such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Never Let Me Go, Claire North’s moving and unnerving new novel will resonate with readers around the world.

A Veil of Spears by Bradley P. Beaulieu

A Veil of Spears (Song of Shattered Sands #3) by Bradley P. Beaulieu

This epic fantasy novel will be released on March 20 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook).

The publisher’s website has samples from the first two books in the series:

  1. Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
  2. With Blood Upon the Sand

There is also an excerpt from Of Sand and Malice Made, a companion novella.

 

The third book in The Song of Shattered Sands series—an epic fantasy with a desert setting, filled with rich worldbuilding and pulse-pounding action.

Since the Night of Endless Swords, a bloody battle the Kings of Sharakhai narrowly won, the kings have been hounding the rebels known as the Moonless Host. Many have been forced to flee the city, including Çeda, who discovers that the King of Sloth is raising his army to challenge the other kings’ rule.

When Çeda finds the remaining members of the Moonless Host, now known as the thirteenth tribe, she sees a tenuous existence. Çeda hatches a plan to return to Sharakhai and free the asirim, the kings’ powerful, immortal slaves. The kings, however, have sent their greatest tactician, the King of Swords, to bring Çeda to justice for her crimes.

But the once-unified front of the kings is crumbling. The surviving kings vie quietly against one another, maneuvering for control over Sharakhai. Çeda hopes to use that to her advantage, but whom to trust? Any of them might betray her.

As Çeda works to lift the shackles from the asirim and save the thirteenth tribe, the kings of Sharakhai, the scheming queen of Qaimir, the ruthless blood mage, Hamzakiir, and King of Swords all prepare for a grand clash that may decide the fate of all.

Additional Books:

Rati Mehrotra’s debut novel, Markswoman, is the first book in a duology set in the world of Asiana, a post-apocalyptic Asia in which Orders of Peace uphold justice throughout the land. This book primarily follows Kyra, a nineteen-year-old belonging to the Order of Kali, as she learns more about herself, her world, and being a Markswoman while honing her abilities so she can avenge her mentor. Though it can be entertaining and has a likable main protagonist, I did ultimately feel that prophecies and mysterious instructions were overused as a means of driving the plot and Kyra’s actions—and if I do read the next book, it will not be because of a desire to find out how the cliffhanger ending resolves but because I want to explore more of the fascinating world Rati Mehrotra has created.

Centuries ago, the Great War poisoned the earth and water and changed the world forever. Out of the death and destruction left in its wake was born the Order of Kali, a group of women wielding blades forged from a telepathic metal that the Ones had brought from the stars. Only these Markswomen could lawfully take a life, and they only killed those guilty of the worst crimes in order to maintain harmony. Approximately 850 years after this system was first conceived, five Orders of Peace operate throughout Asiana (though, even 400 years after its foundation, some do not consider the newest of these Orders to be valid given that it’s composed of Marksmen).

After the murder of the rest of her clan when she was five years old, Kyra was discovered by the Mahimata of the Order of Kali, who became a second mother to her, and trained to become a Markswoman. Fourteen years later, the Mahimata has decided it’s time for Kyra to attempt the final rite of passage for all Markswomen: taking her first life. Though she faces difficulty in completing the task, Kyra succeeds in the end and is promoted from apprentice to Markswoman. However, upheaval in the Order of Kali shortly thereafter forces her to leave it all behind on a quest to follow where the Mahimata leads her—seeking both the good of her Order and vengeance.

Markswoman has a fantastic premise and world, and the first few chapters are an intriguing introduction to the characters and setting. We first meet Kyra when she’s just found the man who will become her first mark if she passes the test. Though Markswomen are supposed to remain neutral in their pursuit of justice, Kyra has long wished to kill this particular person: the bloodthirsty son of the one who murdered the rest of her clan. However, Kyra quickly learns that her dreams of vengeance did not prepare her for the guilt she feels when she sees the terror in her mark’s eyes, and she hesitates—nearly failing her mission.

In the end, Kyra succeeds with the help of her telepathic blade, forged from a special metal brought to the planet by the Ones from the stars. In addition to having been changed by the Great War hundreds of years ago, the world was also shaped by this and other alien technology even older than that, though the Ones have long since returned to their home, and Kyra’s assignment shows some of this influence firsthand. While sneaking out of the camp after completing her task, Kyra hears the telepathic guns that enabled these people to destroy her clan in the first place, calling to her to use them to kill them all for what they did to her family. These weapons were created in an attempt to replicate the metal brought by the ones since they forbade people from using it to create guns, and though they managed to imitate its abilities, it was twisted and evil—and, unfortunately, indestructible. Fortunately for Kyra, her knife helps her resist their temptation, and it also allows her to use the Transport Hubs (another ancient gift from the Ones) to teleport to another Hub closer to the caves of the Order of Kali.

After the first couple of chapters about Kyra, we meet the second main character, Rustan. Though the story is primarily about Kyra and told from her third person perspective, there are also a significant number of chapters dedicated to Rustan’s viewpoint (and some about others from the Order of Kali, but not many). Like Kyra, we first see Rustan encountering difficulties in his role as executioner; unlike Kyra, this is not Rustan’s first or even second time killing a mark, although it has been some time since his last. Rustan finds it unusually difficult to ignore this man’s pleas and declarations of his innocence, but he reminds himself this man committed patricide, hardens his heart, and does his duty. However, after he returns to his Order, he learns that the man was telling the truth: he was framed for another’s crime.

Both characters started with great potential, and I did find the parallels and contrasts between them interesting. They both end up having reasons to lose faith in their Orders with one being instructed to unjustly take a life and the other encountering betrayal within her Order. Though Kyra hesitated in the very beginning, she is largely steadfast and dedicated: she may no longer have faith in some individuals within her Order, but she continues to believe in the Order herself, the goddess Kali, and her teacher. Rustan, on the other hand, goes from being dutiful to struggling with his role: though he never completely gives up, he does sometimes try to run from his problems or, at the very least, considers doing so.

Despite being able to appreciate the world and character arcs as a whole, I did feel that the novel was hindered by its reliance on prophecy to drive the plot and Kyra’s actions. The Mahimata of the Order of Kali and the seer of Rustan’s Order of Khur both appear to have some knowledge of the future—when it’s convenient, such as the seer not realizing the man sentenced for patricide was innocent until after it was too late—and how they want it to play out. I ended up feeling as though the plot progression was following a cryptic instruction manual since Kyra’s larger actions were driven by secretive messages and lessons that will become useful later. This was frustrating to me because this manipulation was not at all subtle, keeping the story from unfolding naturally, and it also prevented Kyra from being a fully developed character in her own right when so much of what she did was influenced by others pointing her in a specific direction. Of course, she does have a choice about whether to follow a path or ignore it, and the fact that she so easily follows her teacher shows the trust and reverence she has for her, plus Kyra is clearly shown to be courageous and determined. However, having Kyra follow a course directed by others prevents us from learning which choices she’d make if left to her own devices and doesn’t allow us to see the full breadth of her personality—and frankly, makes the story less exciting.

My biggest issue was that this kept the characters from fully coming to life, but I also found the romantic subplots rather lackluster. Kyra’s journey takes her to the Order of Khur where she’s relentlessly pursued by a young Marksman who refuses to accept that she just wants to be friends, and of course, she and Rustan are attracted to each other. Rustan is charged with training Kyra in their ways of fighting (I did really like that each Order had different beliefs and ways of doing things), and there’s not a lot showing the development of those feelings before each of their thoughts are consumed with dreams of kissing the other. Though it’s not unrealistic since they did spend a lot of time together, I do prefer to read about relationships that show why two people are drawn together instead of seeming as though they are drawn together because they’re the two main characters (or because one of them doesn’t know any other women).

Markswoman is not at all a complete story so perhaps the second installment will address some of the problems I had, but as it is, I found it lagged at times after a strong beginning. The world is spectacular—my favorite parts were the brief sections between each part containing records of the Orders and world history—but the mechanical plot devices held back the characters and story. Though it was entertaining enough to finish reading, the setting was the only aspect that I found memorable—and if I do read the next book, it will mainly be because I want to spend more time in Asiana with its rich history and variety of Orders of Peace.

My Rating: 6/10

Where I got my reading copy: ARC from the publisher.

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 (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.

Before getting to the most recent books in the mail, here are last week’s posts in case you missed either of them:

Into the Fire by Elizabeth Moon

Into the Fire (Vatta’s Peace #2) by Elizabeth Moon

The second book in Nebula Award–winning author Elizabeth Moon’s Vatta’s Peace series, which follows her Vatta’s War series, will be released on February 6 (hardcover, ebook). The publisher’s website has an excerpt from Cold Welcome, the first Vatta’s Peace novel.

Goodreads also currently has a US only giveaway of Into the Fire running through February 6.

 

In this new military sci-fi thriller from the Nebula Award–winning author of Cold Welcome, Admiral Kylara Vatta is back—with a vengeance.

Ky beats sabotage, betrayal, and the unforgiving elements to lead a ragtag group of crash survivors to safety on a remote arctic island. And she cheats death after uncovering secrets someone is hell-bent on protecting. But the worst is far from over when Ky discovers the headquarters of a vast conspiracy against her family and the heart of the planet’s government itself.

With their base of operations breached, the plotters have no choice but to gamble everything on an audacious throw of the dice. Even so, the odds are stacked against Ky. When her official report on the crash and its aftermath goes missing—along with the men and women she rescued—Ky realizes that her mysterious enemies are more powerful and dangerous than she imagined.

Now, targeted by faceless assassins, Ky and her family—along with her fiancé, Rafe—must battle to reclaim the upper hand and unmask the lethal cabal closing in on them with murderous intent.

Child of a Mad God by R. A. Salvatore

Child of a Mad God (A Tale of the Coven #1) by R. A. Salvatore

The first book in a new fantasy series by New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore will be released on February 6 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). Tor.com has an excerpt from Child of a Mad God.

 

From R. A. Salvatore, the legendary creator of Drizzt Do’Urden, comes the start of abrand new epic journey.

When Aoleyn loses her parents, she is left to fend for herself among a tribe of vicious barbarians. Bound by rigid traditions, she dreams of escaping to the world beyond her mountain home.

The only hope for achieving the kind of freedom she searches for is to learn how to wield the mysterious power used by the tribe’s coven known as the Song of Usgar. Thankfully, Aoleyn may be the strongest witch to have ever lived, but magic comes at price. Not only has her abilities caught the eye of the brutish warlord that leads the tribe, but the demon of the mountain hunts all who wield the Coven’s power, and Aoleyn’s talent has made her a beacon in the night.

Additional Books:

Today I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for Beneath the Haunting Sea! This young adult fantasy debut novel was just released on January 9, and Joanna Ruth Meyer describes her new book as follows on Goodreads:

This book is for you if you like:
Betrayal, true love, heartbreak, adventure, a boy who plays piano, a mysterious library, an immortal tree, and an intensely malicious evil sea goddess. Basically, Jane Austen meets The Silmarillion, with kissing.

If that sounds like a book you want to check out, you can keep reading for an excerpt from chapter 9 of Beneath the Haunting Sea (and check out the lovely cover)!

Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer

About BENEATH THE HAUNTING SEA:

Can’t you hear it, Talia?
Can’t you hear the waves singing?

Sixteen-year-old Talia was born to a life of certainty and luxury, destined to become Empress of half the world. But when an ambitious rival seizes power, she and her mother are banished to a nowhere province on the far edge of the Northern Sea.

It is here, in the drafty halls of the Ruen-Dahr, that Talia discovers family secrets, a melancholy boy with a troubling vision of her future, and a relic that holds the power of an ancient Star. On these shores, the eerie melody of the sea is stronger than ever, revealing long-forgotten tales of the Goddess Rahn. The more dark truths that Talia unravels about the gods’ history—and her own—the more the waves call to her, and it may be her destiny to answer.


The door opened again. A tall man stood there, dressed in a smart black coat and crisp cravat. He was somewhat past middle age, with the shockingly pale skin Talia was growing used to seeing in Ryn, and dark hair shot through with silver, tied back at the nape of his neck.

“Good afternoon,” he said, addressing the driver, though his glance rested briefly on Talia. “You have word from the empress? I’m Ahned, the baron’s steward.”

The driver jabbed his thumb at Talia. “Was paid to deliver her here. You did receive notice of her arrival?”

“We were expecting two ladies. Weeks ago.”

The driver shrugged. “There’s just her. Ship was delayed on account of weather.”

“I see.”

Talia kept chewing on her cheek, trying not to feel like an unwanted horse at an auction.

“Well then.” The driver handed Ahned the leather chest. “Payment, as promised. The annual installments will of course be forthcoming. You may inform the baron.”

“Of course.” Ahned looked at Talia again. “Do you have trunks? Any luggage to bring in?”

She shook her head.

“Ah, well. Best get out of the wet.” He opened the door wider.

The driver tipped his cap to Ahned and dashed back to the coach.

Talia took a deep breath and went into the house.

She stepped into a grand entrance hall made of stone, dim light slipping through the windows set high in the vaulted ceiling. It was just as cold in here as it was outside, if less damp. Talia shivered, dripping water on the floor like a half-drowned cat.

Ahned came in behind her and shut the door. “Welcome to the Ruen-Dahr, Miss Dahl-Saida. Give me a moment, and I’ll see if your room is ready.”

She nodded and he disappeared up the sweeping staircase on the far end of the foyer. Underneath the curve of the stairs was a large pair of double doors, the dark wood carved into shapes she couldn’t distinguish from this distance. Across the room to her left an open doorway led into a carpeted hall.

As she stood there waiting for Ahned, she became gradually aware of a faint thread of music, winding its way from somewhere deep in the house. She’d never heard anything quite like it: soft and sad and beautiful, too. The rain pounded overhead and the music seemed to twist into the scattered rhythm, like the melody was just as natural as the weather.

Minutes ticked by and Ahned didn’t return. Talia’s toes and fingers grew numb with cold. She fidgeted, anxious and impatient, wanting just to sit down with a cup of tea or curl up by a warm fire or—gods above—take a hot bath. She wished Ayah were here—she’d have found some way to get into mischief already.

Talia cast an irritated eye up the stairs, but Ahned still didn’t appear.

The music wound on, tugging at her strangely as she waited, and after a few more moments she couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to find out what it was. With one last glance at the staircase, she crossed the foyer and stepped into the hall. The music grew a little louder. She passed a doorway that looked into a small dining room and kept going. The hall turned to the right, drawing her past a few more doors, all shut, and then at last to the source of the music—a room in the back of the house spilling light and melody into the corridor. She stopped in front of the door and peered in.

The room was small, but comfortable. A pair of armchairs were pulled up to a small fire; a window in the back wall looked out into the rain. Haphazard shelves, overflowing with books and sheet music, lined the walls. Between them hung all kinds of instruments—viols and miniature harps, flutes and recorders of various sizes, a half dozen drums, and more that Talia had no names for.

Underneath the window stood another instrument she didn’t know. It looked like a harpsichord—same shape and strings, same black-and-white keys marching up and down its widest part—but it had a completely different sound.

A young man sat behind the not-harpsichord, lost in creating the mesmerizing music that Talia had heard from the entrance hall. He looked to be about her age, with a wiry build and arms too long for his sleeves. He had light brown hair and skin paler than Ahned’s. The inhabitants of Ryn clearly didn’t spend much time in the sun, although—Talia glanced at the rain running down the window—maybe there wasn’t much sun to spend time in.

She stood there and watched him play, his hands running so easily up and down the keys that she wondered whether the music controlled him.

And then he lifted his head and saw her in the doorway. His fingers froze over the instrument and the music cut off abruptly. He blinked at her, his bright blue eyes owlish behind a pair of silver spectacles, and seemed to grow paler than he already was.

He jerked to his feet, still staring, and slammed a cover over the keys so hard it made Talia jump. “Who are you?” he demanded.

She suddenly wondered what she must look like to him: a half-drowned stranger who hadn’t had a real bath in half a year.

“I’m Talia.” Her voice came out in an undignified high squeak. “Talia Dahl-Saida,” she added, more firmly, “heiress of Irsa.”

“No, no, no.” He shook his head, stepping around the instrument to come over to her. Up close he was several inches taller than Talia, his thatch of hair falling into his eyes and curling a little around his ears. A spattering of freckles ran across his nose and a cravat hung loose around his neck.

He grabbed her arms. “You can’t be here. You have to leave.” He turned her about and propelled her back into the hallway.

She jerked free. “I beg your pardon?”

He unhooked his spectacles and rubbed his eyes, pacing a few steps down the hall before coming back to her. He shoved his spectacles into his shirt pocket and swore, vehemently, by all nine gods and a handful of spirits Talia had never heard of before. “I don’t believe this.” He finally looked at her again.

She liked him a little better after all that swearing. “Who are you?”

He shrugged. “I’m Wen.”

That was not exactly enlightening.

“But you really can’t stay. You have to leave. Tonight, maybe. Tomorrow at the latest. It’s not safe, do you understand?”

No. No, she didn’t understand. She wanted to strangle him with his cravat. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through to get here? Of course you don’t. How could you? In the last six months I was arrested, shoved onto a boat, and watched my mother die. I just got here and I am not leaving, damn you!”

His eyebrows lifted nearly to the top of his head and he took an involuntary step backwards. “I’m so sor—” he began.

But then Ahned stepped up beside her and offered her his arm. “Ah,” he said, his glance flicking between her and Wen, “I see you two have . . . met. Miss Dahl-Saida, your room is ready. So sorry for the delay.”

Talia took his arm and allowed him to lead her down the hall, casting a baffled look at Wen over her shoulder as she went.

Excerpted from BENEATH THE HAUNTING SEA © Copyright 2018 by Joanna Ruth Meyer. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.


Joanna Ruth Meyer About the Author

Joanna Ruth Meyer is a writer of Young Adult fantasy. She lives with her dear husband and son in Arizona, where it never rains (or at least not often enough for her!). When she’s not writing, she can be found teaching piano lessons, drinking copious amounts of tea, reading thick books, and dreaming of winter.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Visit the other stops on the Tour!

December 19: Mother Daughter Book Club
December 20: YA Books Central
December 21: Fantasy Book Critic
December 22: Brittany’s Book Rambles
December 27: SFFWorld
December 28: Short & Sweet Reviews
December 29: SciFiChick
January 2: The Cover Contessa
January 3: Seeing Double in Neverland
January 4: All Things Urban Fantasy
January 9: Mundie Moms
January 18: YA Interrobang

It looks like 2018 will be a year filled with excellent books, and this is my longest anticipated release list yet with almost 30 books! Each and every one of them sounded too fantastic not to be on such a list, but I’m only showing the first 10 books on the main page due to the length of this blog post. You can click the title of the post or the ‘more…’ link after the tenth book to read the entire article.

This list only includes books that are currently scheduled for publication in 2018 (in publication order). If I couldn’t find news of the book’s release date on the author or publisher’s website, I did not include it even though I might continue to hope for its 2018 release (this includes The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor and Monstress, Volume 3 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda).

Without further ado, here are several books coming out this year that sound especially excellent!

The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman
The Lost Plot (Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman
US Release Date: January 9
(Published in the UK in Late 2017)

Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series is so much fun, and I always look forward to each new installment. It follows Irene as she travels to various alternate worlds to acquire books (usually by posing undercover and then stealing them) for the organization known as the Library, which exists outside of time and space. I confess that calling this an “anticipated book” may be a bit of a stretch since it just came out and I recently finished it, but leaving it off the list didn’t seem right, either, considering it was a 2018 release I had been very much looking forward to reading. (And in case you’re wondering since I haven’t reviewed it yet—it is delightful and filled with dragons!)

 

After being commissioned to find a rare book, Librarian Irene and her assistant, Kai, head to Prohibition-era New York and are thrust into the middle of a political fight with dragons, mobsters, and Fae.

In a 1920s-esque New York, Prohibition is in force; fedoras, flapper dresses, and tommy guns are in fashion: and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon political contest. It seems a young Librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can’t extricate him, there could be serious repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.

Irene and Kai are locked in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They’ll face gangsters, blackmail, and the Library’s own Internal Affairs department. And if it doesn’t end well, it could have dire consequences on Irene’s job. And, incidentally, on her life…

Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
Markswoman (Asiana #1) by Rati Mehrotra
Release Date: January 23

The description of Rati Mehrotra’s debut novel Markswoman immediately piqued my interest by mentioning “an order of magical-knife wielding female assassins.” After I finished The Lost Plot, I picked up this novel and was immediately hooked by Kyra’s test to become a Markswoman, and I continue to find the world and the different orders intriguing after having read about 80 pages. (I promise, this is the last book on this list that I’ve read or am currently reading!)

 

An order of magical-knife wielding female assassins brings both peace and chaos to their post-apocalyptic world in this bewitching blend of science fiction and epic fantasy—the first entry in a debut duology that displays the inventiveness of the works of Sarah Beth Durst and Marie Lu.

Kyra is the youngest Markswoman in the Order of Kali, a highly trained sisterhood of elite warriors armed with telepathic blades. Guided by a strict code of conduct, Kyra and the other Orders are sworn to protect the people of Asiana. But to be a Markswoman, an acolyte must repudiate her former life completely. Kyra has pledged to do so, yet she secretly harbors a fierce desire to avenge her dead family.

When Kyra’s beloved mentor dies in mysterious circumstances, and Tamsyn, the powerful, dangerous Mistress of Mental Arts, assumes control of the Order, Kyra is forced on the run. Using one of the strange Transport Hubs that are remnants of Asiana’s long-lost past, she finds herself in the unforgiving wilderness of desert that is home to the Order of Khur, the only Order composed of men. Among them is Rustan, a young, disillusioned Marksman whom she soon befriends.

Kyra is certain that Tamsyn committed murder in a twisted bid for power, but she has no proof. And if she fails to find it, fails in her quest to keep her beloved Order from following Tamsyn down a dark path, it could spell the beginning of the end for Kyra—and for Asiana.

But what she doesn’t realize is that the line between justice and vengeance is razor thin . . . thin as the blade of a knife.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
Release Date: February 27

Tess of the Road is set in the same world as Seraphina and its sequel Shadow Scale. That’s a pretty good reason to read it in and of itself, but it also sounds fantastic.

 

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is. . . different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can’t seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she’s done is so disgraceful, she can’t even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess’s family decide the only path for her is a nunnery.

But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She’s not running away, she’s running towards something. What that something is, she doesn’t know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else—a life where she might belong.

Returning to the spellbinding world of the Southlands she created in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling novel Seraphina, Rachel Hartman explores self-reliance and redemption in this wholly original fantasy.

If Tomorrow Comes by Nancy Kress
If Tomorrow Comes (Yesterday’s Kin #2) by Nancy Kress
Release Date: March 6

Nancy Kress is one of my favorite science fiction authors since she excels at writing books with both interesting ideas and characters. Tomorrow’s Kin, an expansion of the Nebula Award–winning novella Yesterday’s Kin, is smart and compulsively readable with a compelling main protagonist, and I can hardly wait to read the next book in the trilogy!

 

Nancy Kress returns with If Tomorrow Comes, the sequel of Tomorrow’s Kin, part of an all-new hard SF trilogy based on a Nebula Award-winning novella

Ten years after the Aliens left Earth, humanity has succeeded in building a ship, Friendship, in which to follow them home to Kindred. Aboard are a crew of scientists, diplomats, and a squad of Rangers to protect them. But when the Friendship arrives, they find nothing they expected. No interplanetary culture, no industrial base—and no cure for the spore disease.

A timeslip in the apparently instantaneous travel between worlds has occurred and far more than ten years have passed.

Once again scientists find themselves in a race against time to save humanity and their kind from a deadly virus while a clock of a different sort runs down on a military solution no less deadly to all. Amid devastation and plague come stories of heroism and sacrifice and of genetic destiny and free choice, with its implicit promise of conscious change.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi
Release Date: March 6

It was the striking cover of Children of Blood and Bone that first caught my eye, and now I desperately want to read it because of the description. Everything about it sounds fantastic, including a heroine and rogue princess working together to outwit another!

Fierce Reads has an excerpt from Children of Blood and Bone if you want to take a peek at it while waiting for March.

 

Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers―and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Quietus by Tristan Palmgren
Quietus by Tristan Palmgren
Release Date: March 6

Once again, I was first drawn to this cover with its beautiful colors, but I now want to read it because of its description: a transdimensional anthropologist chooses compassion over neutrality.

 

A transdimensional anthropologist can’t keep herself from interfering with Earth’s darkest period of history in this brilliant science fiction debut

Niccolucio, a young Florentine Carthusian monk, leads a devout life until the Black Death kills all of his brothers, leaving him alone and filled with doubt. Habidah, an anthropologist from another universe racked by plague, is overwhelmed by the suffering. Unable to maintain her observer neutrality, she saves Niccolucio from the brink of death.

Habidah discovers that neither her home’s plague nor her assignment on Niccolucio’s world are as she’s been led to believe. Suddenly the pair are drawn into a worlds-spanning conspiracy to topple an empire larger than the human imagination can contain.

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins
Daughters of the Storm (Blood and Gold #1) by Kim Wilkins
US Release Date: March 6

Australian author Kim Wilkins’ Aurealis Award–nominated novel Daughters of the Storm will be published in the US this year, and it sounds fantastic: five very different sisters must work together for the sake of their kingdom.

 

Five very different sisters team up against their stepbrother to save their kingdom in this Norse-flavored fantasy epic—the start of a new series in the tradition of Naomi Novik, Peter V. Brett, and Robin Hobb.

FIVE ROYAL SISTERS. ONE CROWN.

They are the daughters of a king. Though they share the same royal blood, they could not be more different. Bluebell is a proud warrior, stronger than any man and with an ironclad heart to match. Rose’s heart is all too passionate: She is the queen of a neighboring kingdom who is risking everything for a forbidden love. Ash is discovering a dangerous talent for magic that might be a gift—or a curse. And then there are the twins—vain Ivy, who lives for admiration, and zealous Willow, who lives for the gods.

But when their father is stricken by a mysterious ailment, these five sisters must embark on a desperate journey to save him and prevent their treacherous stepbrother from seizing the throne. Their mission: find the powerful witch who can cure the king. But to succeed on their quest, they must overcome their differences and hope that the secrets they hide from one another and the world are never brought to light. Because if this royal family breaks, it could destroy the kingdom.

The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco
The Heart Forger (Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco
Release Date: March 20

The Bone Witch is the story of a powerful necromancer who had no idea that she had these abilities until she unwittingly raised her brother from the dead, as told to a bard by Tea herself. Part of what makes Tea such a compelling protagonist is discovering the differences between her character in the past and the harder young woman met by the bard, and I’m looking forward to learning more about what happened to her to cause these changes. (Also, both books have gorgeous covers!)

 

In The Bone Witch, Tea mastered resurrection―now she’s after revenge…

No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life…and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the royals who wronged her―and took the life of her one true love.

But there are those who plot against her, those who would use Tea’s dark power for their own nefarious ends. Because you can’t kill someone who can never die…

War is brewing among the kingdoms, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe.

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
Release Date: March 27

Tessa Gratton’s upcoming fantasy novel inspired by King Lear sounds wonderful! (I am usually intrigued by fantasy books inspired by Shakespeare.)

 

Inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear, dynasties battle for the crown in Tessa Gratton’s debut epic adult fantasy The Queens of Innis Lear, a story of deposed kings and betrayed queens

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king’s three daughters―battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Regan, and restrained, starblessed Elia―know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war―but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
The Tea Master and the Detective (Xuya Universe) by Aliette de Bodard
Release Date: March 31

Aliette de Bodard described The Tea Master and the Detective on Twitter as “a gender-swapped Sherlock Holmes in space, with Holmes as an eccentric scholar, and Watson as a grumpy discharged war mindship.” I love this idea, the title, and the book cover and am eager to read more by Aliette de Bodard after being captivated by her latest Dominion of the Fallen novel, The House of Binding Thorns.

 

Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appareance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.

A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Childnow ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow’s Child with her.

As they dig deep into the victim’s past, The Shadow’s Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau’s own murky past…and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars…

(more…)

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 (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.

It’s been a couple of weeks since one of these posts largely due to the holidays, and I was fortunate to receive a few books as Christmas gifts to include here along with some other books that sound intriguing.

In case you missed it, I posted a list of my favorite books of 2017 last week. This includes both 2017 releases and books I read published before 2017, and it was a great year of reading!

The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang

The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate #1) by JY Yang

The Black Tides of Heaven is one of two novellas that were both released on the same day last year. Though they are each supposed to stand alone, this one comes before The Red Threads of Fortune in chronological order.

You can read an excerpt from The Black Tides of Heaven on Tor.com, and you can learn more about the series from an interview with JY Yang on io9.

Both novellas have absolutely gorgeous cover art, and I’ve thought it sounded like an interesting series since I first heard of it. I did read The Black Tides of Heaven shortly after I received it for Christmas and now want to read The Red Threads of Fortune as well.

 

The Black Tides of Heaven is one of a pair of unique, standalone introductions to JY Yang’s Tensorate Series, which Kate Elliott calls “effortlessly fascinating.” For more of the story you can read its twin novella The Red Threads of Fortune, available simultaneously.

Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as infants. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While Mokoya received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What’s more, they saw the sickness at the heart of their mother’s Protectorate.

A rebellion is growing. The Machinists discover new levers to move the world every day, while the Tensors fight to put them down and preserve the power of the state. Unwilling to continue as a pawn in their mother’s twisted schemes, Akeha leaves the Tensorate behind and falls in with the rebels. But every step Akeha takes towards the Machinists is a step away from Mokoya. Can Akeha find peace without shattering the bond they share with their twin?

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir

The first two books in this series, An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night, are available now. The third book in the series, A Reaper at the Gates, is scheduled for release in June.

The publisher’s website has an excerpt from An Ember in the Ashes.

This is another book I’ve been wanting to read since I first heard about it, and I was thrilled to receive a copy for Christmas!

 

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust #1) by Philip Pullman

La Belle Sauvage, the first book in a new series set in the same world as His Dark Materials, was released last year. The publisher’s website has an excerpt from La Belle Sauvage.

I enjoyed His Dark Materials so I was excited to receive a signed copy of La Belle Sauvage for Christmas!

 

Philip Pullman returns to the parallel world of his groundbreaking novel The Golden Compass to expand on the story of Lyra, “one of fantasy’s most indelible characters.” (The New York Times Magazine)

Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy….

Malcolm’s parents run an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors. Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.

He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust—and the spy it was intended for finds him.

When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon. All are asking about the same thing: a girl—just a baby—named Lyra.

Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm.

Torn by Rowenna Miller

Torn (The Unraveled Kingdom #1) by Rowenna Miller

This fantasy debut novel will be released on March 20 (trade paperback, ebook).

I read the first 50 pages and it piqued my curiosity.

 

TORN is the first book in an enchanting debut fantasy series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions, for fans of The Queen of the Tearling.

Sophie is a dressmaker who has managed to open her own shop and lift herself and her brother, Kristos, out of poverty. Her reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself — and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke.

Meanwhile, Kristos rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes him hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s Midwinter costume — or Kristos will die at their hand.

As the proletariat uprising comes to a violent climax, Sophie is torn: between her brother and the community of her birth, and her lover and the life she’s striven to build.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold, which follows events in the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Rising trilogy (Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star), will be released on January 16 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook).

Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt from Iron Gold.

 

In the epic next chapter of the Red Rising Saga, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Morning Star pushes the boundaries of one of the boldest series in fiction.

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-third of his life.

A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk all he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?

And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:

A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.

An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.

And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the Sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe. Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one. Witness the beginning of a stunning new saga of tragedy and triumph from masterly New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.

Additional Books: