October 2019 – Page 4 – A Take from Two Cities

NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo

The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Title : Ninth House
Author : Leigh Bardugo
Series : Ninth House Series/Alex Stern (book one)
Format : ARC
Page Count : 480
Genre : adult fantasy
Publisher : Flatiron Books
Release Date : October 8, 2019

Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

Hollis’ 4 star review

Like so many people, NINTH HOUSE was one of my top top anticipated titles of 2019 (in fact, I had added it to my GR tbr back in 2016.. yikes, fangirl, calm down). Opening the envelope that contained a copy of this ARC was just.. my brain was instant-white noise. And then I sat on it for, like, three weeks because I was terrified of jumping in. What if it didn’t live up? What it is was too dark? What if I only liked Bardugo as a YA writer?

“Look, you seem like a nice girl–“
“No, I don’t.“

Well, I don’t know what to tell you or how to reassure you. Because my experience with this one was strange.

Darlington liked to say that dealing with ghosts was like riding the subway : do not make eye contact. Do not smile. Do not engage. Otherwise, you never know what might follow you home.

I (admittedly, stupidly) started reading this book mid-week when I knew I didn’t have time. I chipped away at sixty pages a day here, twenty the next day, and then found no real drive to push through or pick it up during my week-day exhaustion. The size of the book, the complexity of these secret society houses, the hop-skipping timeline, it was all setting me up to fail. But then the weekend came and I c r u s h e d 80% of this book in one sitting. So if nothing else.. there’s that.

“I thought salt kept [ghosts] out.“
“Did you see that on television?“
“Would it make you happier if I say I learned it from an ancient book?“
“Actually, yes.”
“Too bad.“

Did I love this book? As a whole, I couldn’t say. Am I desperate for book two? Yes. Where I am, and how I feel, about Alex Stern and this world at the end vs the beginning is/are vastly different. Maybe I went in expecting one thing, maybe the set-up even has us set up to have certain expectations, but the way things unravel..? Not remotely what or where I would’ve thought. I also can’t say if there’s a pacing issue at the beginning or if it was because I was stuck there for a few days due to life. So I’m not quite willing to punish the experience, or the book, by rounding down.

That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible.

This is dark, it’s occasionally violent, there are moments where Bardugo pushes the envelope.. but maybe that’s coming at things from the “I loved The Grisha Trilogy!” side of things. Had this been a debut, from an unknown author, there’d be no comparison to make, no preconceived notions to have. Nonetheless this is complex and rich and bizarre and fascinating and I didn’t predict anything. Or at least not correctly.

You couldn’t keep sidling up to death and dipping your toe in. Eventually it grabbed your ankle and tried to pull you under.

NINTH HOUSE is a tough book to review because I want to reveal, well, nothing. I want you to have an open mind. I do want you to be mindful, as I’m sure you are, that there is subject matter you may want to research trigger warnings for if you have any triggers you’re worried might go off.

We all have spaces we keep blank.

I think what makes this tough to pin down, too, is it might be a book that requires multiple readings. Not only because of how this read started for me but because of how this story is told. The complexities, the bits that went over my head or were too much to process in the early unfoldings of the chapters.. it might flow differently a second time around. Or maybe not. But I’ll be able to tell you before book two comes out because you know I’m going to break out a reread for that honour! Also I’m writing this review in July, this book isn’t out until October, so, y’know. It’s going to be a while..

“I’m pretty sure when my mother was talking about the devil, she had you in mind.”
“I’m a delight.”

Would I recommend? Cautiously. I think if you’re interested to begin with, you should go for it. For the rest who are put off by the occult and the explicitly-warned-of darker themes, wait for more reviews to roll out. Find your trusted buddies and pick their brains. Then grab an excerpt and dive in to test the waters. The book opens with a bang and it’s only (hah) getting started. And I think book two will be even bigger, badder, and better (stronger).

“I class profanity with declarations of love. Best used sparingly and only when wholeheartedly meant.“

Also, just want to say, having not really read much of the blurb — or if I did, it was a long long time ago — I might actually suggest not refreshing your memory before going in (or making sure to do so, depending on your reading preference). The summary gives a structure to the plot that you sorta have to earn the further you read (infact, I found myself kind of comforted by reading it after finishing the book because it’s like.. oh, it was all right there, at my fingertips, if I was only that sort of reader). But if you find yourself liable to DNF because of plot and timelines that jump around, it might ground you. So. Something to consider.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

MAGIC TRIUMPHS by Ilona Andrews

Mercenary Kate Daniels must risk all to protect everything she holds dear in this epic, can’t-miss entry in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling urban-fantasy series.

Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She’s made friends and enemies. She’s found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.

Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate’s doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows her time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

For Atlanta.

For the world.

Title : Magic Triumphs
Author : Ilona Andrews
Series : Kate Daniels #10
Format : Library ebook
Page Count : 327
Genre : Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher : Ace
Release Date : August 28, 2018

Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

Micky’s 4 star review but I declare this series a 5 star series overall!

I could have read this book a month ago but I have been putting off getting to the end. I have loved the whole reading experience of Kate Daniels and her world and I did not want it to end. Now it has ended, it is bittersweet but I am immensely fond of the world and the characters and remain in hatred with the monsters, bugs, creatures and evil things. There might be the odd, mild spoiler but nothing beyond what is revealed in the synopsis

MAGIC TRIUMPHS starts with an addition to the family. It was amazing to me how this weaved into the world and family so naturally. I found this element such fun and somewhat anxiety-provoking. Kate and Curran remained themselves through these changes, until they didn’t.

Roland was a definite menace in this book (like he hasn’t been for many of the books, eye roll) but it seemed to be coming to a head. There was, however a more impending threat and I really enjoyed the story/quest to this book. Apart from the soup, no one can enjoy the soup.

Bringing back characters and tying up storylines was a joy to read. In this book, Hugh finally moved a centimetre or two in my esteem, marginal but it was there. There were some reveals that gave me final understanding moments about characters and others that just made my heart sing. But do not be fooled, there was angst, terror and menace galore as usual.

I have given this read 4 stars because it wrapped up oh so fast. I was at 92% thinking how can this finish in time and there was a lack of detail and depth in that final ending for me. BUT I am satisfied completely in the final feeling of completing the series. This is my favourites series ever for these reasons: longevity, character development and kickass characters. Watch out for my blog feature coming with kudos and homage to all things Kate Daniels. I am determined to pass on the favour and make even more Kate Daniels fans of some bookworms.

THE END AND OTHER BEGINNINGS by Veronica Roth

Bestselling Divergent and Carve the Mark author Veronica Roth delivers a stunning collection of novella-length stories set in the future, illustrated with startling black-and-white artwork.

No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems.

In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.

With tales of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe, this collection has something for new and old fans alike. Each story begins with a hope for a better end, but always end with a better understanding of the beginning.

With beautifully intricate black-and-white interior illustrations and a uniquely designed package, this is the perfect gift for book lovers.

Title : The end and other beginnings
Author : Veronica Roth
Format : eARC
Page Count : 352
Genre : SFF
Publisher : Harper Collins UK Children’s
Release Date : October 1, 2019

Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★.5

Micky’s 3. 5 star review

This whole book of short stories has a futuristic feel, sometimes a little dystopian and sometimes a little Sci-fi. One story I loved, some I liked and some I didn’t. What is special about this book of shorts is that it is illustrated. The illustrations are gorgeous, so much so that I bookmarked most of them so that I could go back and look at them again. They add a lot to the story and definitely help with visualisation. Here is a flavour of three of the stories.

Inertia was a story steeped in some mental health issues, grief, loss and things unsaid. This story gripped me immediately as two friends were confronted with mortality. It was both hopeless and hopeful. This story of firsts and friendships in a backdrop of futuristic death rituals was my favourite.

The Spinners had a feel of the THE HOST but executing the world in a short story was a tall order. So this one crashed and burned a bit for me. I found it a little boring and I didn’t feel the connection between the siblings or other character.

Harken was a super interesting concept but it felt a bit unfinished. I wanted to know so much more about the world, the bio bombs and the giftings. A longer story would have done this more justice.

Overall this was a book that you could dip in and out of. Not all the stories appealed to me but they might to some. Considering how stunning the illustrations are in the ebook, I am only imagine how they will translate even better into a physical book.

Thank you to Harper Collins for this early review copy.

CLOSER by Kylie Scott

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kylie Scott comes a new story in her Stage Dive series…

When a stalker gets too close to plus-size model Mae Cooper, it’s time to hire some muscle.

Enter former military man turned executive protection officer Ziggy Thayer. Having spent years guarding billionaires, royalty, and rock n roll greats, he’s seen it all. From lavish parties through to every kind of excess.

There’s no reason some Instagram stylista should throw him off his game. Even if she does have the most dangerous curves he’s ever seen…

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Title : Closer
Author : Kylie Scott
Series : Stage Dive #4.6
Format : eARC
Page Count :
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Publisher : Evil Eye Concepts
Release Date : September 24, 2019

Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

I had a bad day one friday before release of this book and needed an easy, complete story to drift into and away with. CLOSER took me from my life and wrapped me up in the engaging story of Mae and Ziggy. Following on from Strong, the precursor novella from 1001 Dark Nights, it has a bodyguard context with plenty of Stage Dive characters for good measure.

Mae was a model with a nasty package waiting for her when she returned from an assignment. Ziggy was the stoney-faced, gorgeously suit-clad close protection officer ‘bodyguard’ assigned to her. He was all ‘Miss Cooper’ and never cracked a smile. I really don’t want to say more than this about the actual story as this is a novella you can read in an hour and half, so you want all the good bits without any spoilers.

Bonus elements to this novella included a dash of this and a dash of that. There was chemistry for days with lots of uncertainty. There was slight suspense element and in the length of a novella there was slow burn, but not necessarily in days. Scott manages to avoid insta-love very well.

This is a novella on the shorter side yet it feels to be a complete story with detail and satisfaction as a reader. There is definite skill pulling this length of book off and Kylie Scott did. I will definitely re-read this when I need a quick, easy and satisfying romance.

Thank you to the author and Social Butterfly PR for the review copy.

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS by Charlotte Nicole Davis – double review!

Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis.

Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS

The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls–they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a “welcome house” as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.

When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta’s most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It’s going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

Title : The Good Luck Girls
Author : Charlotte Nicole Davis
Series : The Good Luck Girls (book one)
Format : ARC
Page Count : 346
Genre : YA fantasy
Publisher : Tor Teen/Hot Key Books
Release Date : October 1, 2019

Reviewer : Hollis/Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ / ★ ★ ★

Hollis’ 3 star review

This is a YA fantasy unlike almost anything I’ve read. This also feels both dystopian and historical and yet is set in a fantasy world, so is truly neither of those things.

It’s about strong women and daring stakes. It’s about learning to trust when no one has ever given you reason to. It’s about sacrificing your own chance at a happily every after for the benefit of others. It’s a whole lot of things. It’s also diverse, a little queer, and is all sorts of magical; though not in ways I expected.

Despite my obvious enjoyment, there is still something holding me back a bit on this one. And I don’t even know really know why. This was unique and brutal with characters both tough as nails and hella vulnerable with plenty of issues mirrored in this unusual world that are also present in our own. It’s a scary possible reality that makes you, as a reader, and a human, and, in my case a woman, want to fight back.

And yet again, I don’t know why I just didn’t love it. I wasn’t bored by anything, necessarily, though I did find sometimes that I would skim a passage or two. I didn’t always love Aster, our main POV, and yet could also totally understand why she wasn’t always likeable. And.. yeah, I don’t know. This one is just a bit of a mystery for me, I think.

But I would definitely recommend it if anyone was already interested in picking it up!

** I received a finished copy from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

Micky’s 3 star review

I am very close to Hollis in my experience of reading this book. It’s a curious context that has a fresh feel, slicing dystopia with an old time world, almost like a western. The start of the book was super strong for me with a compelling narrative that brought all my compassion to the surface. That strong start waned at times but this was a series starter that I will definitely finish.

What worked for me were the sisters (Aster and Clementine) and the group of young women, sometimes very polarised against one another, but with a common goal of escapism and freedom. There were analogies to contemporary themes such as traficking and oppression that were appealing. What I found less appealing were the fantastical developments such as raveners and vengeants. I didn’t bond with that aspect of the world.

I moved between reading avidly to feeling a slowing of the pace of the story that left me wanting to feel more involved. Despite the fleeing, chases and general tension, I wanted a bit more attachment to the book than I felt and I can’t quite explain why I didn’t feel this. Maybe I wasn’t connected to Aster and Clementine enough, but I do still want to know where this goes after book one.

Thank you to Readers First and Hot Key Books for this finished review copy.

THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA by Julia Drake

The Larkin family isn’t just lucky—they persevere. At least that’s what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great-grandmother didn’t drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer.

But wrecks seem to run in the family: Tall, funny, musical Violet can’t stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life.

Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family’s missing piece-the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century.

She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes-and the bridges she builds along the way-may be the start of something like survival.

Epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic, The Last True Poets of the Sea is an astonishing debut about the strength it takes to swim up from a wreck.

Title : The Last True Poets of the Sea
Author : Julia Drake
Format : eARC
Page Count : 400
Genre : YA contemporary
Publisher : Disney Hyperion
Release Date : October 1, 2019

Reviewer : Hollis
Rating: ★ ★ ★ .5

Hollis’ 3.5 star review

This is such a lovely, and rather hard-hitting, story (and from a debut no less!) that it feels a little strange to not rave about it and slap it with a high rating. But while there was so much good, so much of it moving, some of it also left me a little unmoved, too.

I became a bad sister and a bad daughter in an hour; an exile in just under two. By comparison, the Titanic sunk in two hours, forty minutes. Pretty impressive, to have sunk to the bottom even faster than the twentieth century’s greatest shipwreck.

Tackling issues of depression, anxiety, self-harm, grief, and self-destructive behaviour, the story takes place against the backdrop of a small seaside town in Maine, featuring the mystery of a shipwreck, a romance that bloomed after, and focusing on the ancestors of the sole survivor of that long-ago tragedy.

I didn’t think it was possible to be blindsided by a truth you’ve always suspected, but there you have it. As it turns out, it’s devastating.

The story is queer, and lyrical, and funny, with quirky weirdness and awkwardness and charm. All from the perspective of a tall girl — woo! It’s got a lot of things going for it and I really did love the writing, too. So while this one maybe, for whatever reason, didn’t quite hit the mark, I will totally be keeping an eye on this new author and definitely picking up her next book.

There wasn’t going to be magic healing; there’d be only a string of ands on which we’d thread our survival.

This is definitely going to be a hit for a lot of people, I think. I just wish I could count myself among them.

** I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

MONTHLY WRAP UP – SEPTEMBER 2019

To close out each month, we’ll be posting a break down of everything we reviewed, beginning with the reads we loved.. and ending with the reads we didn’t. Not only does this compile all our reviews in one handy summary for you to peruse, or catch up on, it also gives us an interesting birds eye view of the month and our reads. And maybe, even, our moods.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ star reads

BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE by Evie Dunmore– see Micky’s (!) review here
THE BEST THING by Mariana Zapata — see Micky’s review here
THROWN OFF THE ICE by Taylor Fitzpatrick — see Hollis’ review here
LOVE HACKED by Penny Reid — see Micky’s review here

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ star reads

WELL MET by Jen DeLuca — see Hollis’ review here
BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE by Evie Dunmore — see Hollis’ (!) review here
THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK by Adrienne Young — see Hollis’ (!) review here
THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS by Katy Rose Pool — see Hollis’ review here
DARKDAWN by Jay Kristoff — see Hollis’ review here
THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E. Harrow — see Hollis’ review here
THE BONE HOUSES by Emily Lloyd-Jones — see Hollis’ review here
GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir — see Hollis’ review here
YOU COULD MAKE A LIFE by Taylor Fitzpatrick — see Hollis’ review here
BEARD WITH ME by Penny Reid — see Micky’s (!) review here
NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff — see Micky’s (!) review here
SLAY by Brittney Morris — see Hollis’ review here

☆ ☆ ☆ star reads

THE INFINITE NOISE by Lauren Shippen — see Hollis’ review here
GOALIE INTERFERENCE by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn — see Hollis’ review here
BEARD WITH ME by Penny Reid — see Hollis’ (!) review here
THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK by Adrienne Young — see Micky’s (!) review here
GIVE THE DARK MY LOVE by Beth Revis — see Hollis’ review here
BID MY SOUL FAREWELL by Beth Revis — see Hollis’ review here

☆ ☆ star reads

AMERICAN ROYALS by Katharine McGee — see Hollis’ review here
THE LADY ROGUE by Jenn Bennett — see Hollis’ review here
THE TENTH GIRL by Sara Faring — see Hollis’ review here

☆ star reads

THE YEAR I LEFT by Christine Brae – – Micky’s review here
A TREASON OF THORNS by Laura E Weymouth — see Hollis’ review here

additional reads not reviewed for blog : one
total reads by Micky : nine (I hang my head in shame)
favourite read of the month : THE BEST THING by Mariana Zapata
least favourite read of the month : THE YEAR I LEFT by Christine Brae
most read genre : fantasy/contemporary split

total reviews by Hollis : twenty
favourite read of the month : THROWN OFF THE ICE by Taylor Fitzpatrick
least favourite read of the month : A TREASON OF THORNS by Laura E Weymouth
most read genre : very close fantasy/contemporary split

WAR OF HEARTS by S. Young

New York Times Bestselling author Samantha Young writing as S. Young.

Thea Quinn has no idea what she is. All she knows is that her abilities have been a plague upon her life since she was a child. After years of suffering at the hands of a megalomaniac, Thea escaped and has been on the run ever since.

The leadership and protection of his pack are of the utmost importance to Conall MacLennan, Alpha and Chief of Clan MacLennan, the last werewolf pack in Scotland. Which is why watching his sister slowly die of a lycanthropic disease is emotional torture. When Conall is approached by a businessman who offers a cure for his sister in exchange for the use of Conall’s rare tracking ability, Conall forges an unbreakable contract with him. He has to find and retrieve the key to the cure: dangerous murderer, Thea Quinn.

Thea’s attempts to evade the ruthless werewolf are not only thwarted by the Alpha, but by outside dangers. With no choice but to rely on one another for survival, truths are revealed, intensifying a passionate connection they both fight to resist. At war with themselves and each other, Conall and Thea’s journey to Scotland forces them to face a heartrending choice between love and betrayal.

War of Hearts is a standalone paranormal romance.

Title : War of Hearts
Author : S. Young
Series : True Immortals #1
Format : eARC
Page Count : 447
Genre : Paranormal Romance
Publisher : Indie
Release Date : October 1, 2019

Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

This was an interesting paranormal world created by Samantha Young that was overall something I could invest in for this book but also for a series ahead. It’s been a while since she’s written in this genre and since I’ve read her older fantasy/PNR but I guess it’s like riding a bike because it worked for me.

WAR OF HEARTS focuses on Thea, a human type of being from unknown descent and difficult to label. She was a loner and she’d been on the run for a long time. I really liked how her character, powers and abilities were constructed; she was exciting to read about. I felt like it took a bit of time to get to know her, but she was kind of mysterious so this fitted in with the story.

Conell was a shifter, a Scottish wolf and the alpha of his pack, sent to literally sniff Thea out. The story of Connell and Thea, in opposition to one another and grudgingly developing changes in perception, was superb to observe. I got very absorbed and involved. At the heart of this was a great romance and rode with the tide on this one.

The story straddled Europe and that element made for engaging reading. I struggled a bit initially to get on board with the fae element of the storyline and the narrative of the past. I did come to appreciate parts of that, however.

There’s so much to this story, needing world building and that was delivered. The characters were well developed and on top of enjoying this first story of the series, I think there’s lots of good reading to come with characters from this story merging into the next book.

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY – OCTOBER 1, 2019

Happy “where’d all my money go?” new release Tuesday, everyone!
As you know, the most exciting day of the week in this community is the day that follows the one we all dread (Mondays for the nope) and today we’re going to highlight some of the new books chipping away at our bank accounts — but each one is so worth it.

I never expected to see more of the Legend universe but here we are! Today REBEL, Marie Lu’s expansion to her first series, is out. My understanding is this takes place ten years after the end of the original final book and man am I feeling nostalgic for this world all of a sudden. Can’t wait to read this one!

CRIER’S WAR by Nina Varela is a f/f fantasy debut about the forbidden love between a human and a robot. This is an #ownvoices title, book one in a duology, and I’m so excited for it.

WAR OF HEARTS by S Young is a turn back to paranormal romance for Samantha Young of contemporary romance fame. This is a world of immortal beings with shifters, vampires and fae. The romance is strong in this one and look out for Micky’s review.

THE END AND OTHER BEGINNINGS by Veronica Roth is a collection of six short stories, all with a futuristic feel. There are two stories from the Carve the Mark world, but it is possible to read the them all without prior knowledge. Micky has a review coming for this collection.

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS by Charlotte Nicole Davis gets a double review from us so keep an eye out for that later this week! This debut has a fresh feel, slicing dystopia with an old time world, almost like a western.

NOW ENTERING ADDAMSVILLE by Francesca Zappia is not only a new release by the author of ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS, one of my favourite contemporaries, but is also being pitched as, “Stranger Things meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Obviously here for itttttt.

TEN BLIND DATES by Ashley Elston sounds like the most adorable holiday YA romance. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. I expect much cuteness AND hilarity.

Are there any titles out today you’re excited for? Let us know in the comments below!