Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne, Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews, & The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

    

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Fury of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga #3) by John Gwynne
Publication: October 22nd, 2024
Orbit
Hardcover. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF VIGRIÐ APPROACHES

Varg has overcome the trials of his past and become an accepted member of the Bloodsworn, but now he and his newfound comrades face their biggest challenge yet: slaying a dragon.

Elvar is struggling to consolidate her power in Snakavik, where she faces threats from within and without. As she fights to assert her authority in readiness for the coming conflict, she faces a surely insurmountable task: reining in the ferocity of a wolf god.

As Biorr and his warband make their way north, eager for blood, Gudvarr pursues a mission of his own, hoping to win Lik-Rifa's favour and further his own ambitions.

All paths lead to Snakavik, where the lines are being drawn for the final battle - a titanic clash that will shake the foundations of the world, and bear witness to the true fury of the gods."

The finale to this epic fantasy trilogy is finally coming and I'm really excited to see how Gwynne wraps it all up–although I may need some sort of recap because it's been a minute since I read the previous books, haha. Also, I've been obsessed with how epic all of the covers in this series have been. 

Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews
Publication: October 29th, 2024
Feiwel & Friends
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…"

I have such a good feeling about this book, and I think this premise from CG Drews will be so good.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
Publication: October 1st, 2024
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 224 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew."

The pitch that this is a fantasy city "in the tradition of Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin" is pretty much all I needed to make me want to read this, but I also  think it sounds like an incredible promising premise! I’ve really enjoyed Nghi Vo’s writing in some of her previous books, so I'm looking forward to checking out her work again. 

Review: Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi

Knopf

Publication Date: July 9th, 2024

Hardcover. 576 pages.

About Navola:

"'You must be as sharp as a stilettotore’s dagger and as subtle as a fish beneath the waters. This is what it is to be Navolese, this is what it is to be di Regulai.'

In Navola, a bustling city-state dominated by a handful of influential families, business is power, and power is everything. For generations, the di Regulai family—merchant bankers with a vast empire—has nurtured tendrils that stretch to the farthest reaches of the known world. And though they claim not to be political, their staggering wealth has bought cities and toppled kingdoms. Soon, Davico di Regulai will be expected to take the reins of power from his father and demonstrate his mastery of the games of Navolese knowing who to trust and who to doubt, and how to read what lies hidden behind a smile. But in Navola, strange and ancient undercurrents lurk behind the gilt and grandeur—like the fossilized dragon eye in the family’s possession, a potent symbol of their raw power and a talisman that seems to be summoning Davico to act.

As tensions rise and the events unfold, Davico will be tested to his limits. His fate depends on the eldritch dragon relic and on what lies buried in the heart of his adopted sister, Celia di Balcosi, whose own family was destroyed by Nalova’s twisted politics. With echoes of Renaissance Italy, The Godfather , and Game of Thrones , Navola is a stunning feat of world-building and a mesmerizing depiction of drive and will."

I'm a big fan of Bacigalupi's work, especially The Windup Girl, and when I first heard about Navola's upcoming release and  that it was an epic fantasy, I had a strong feeling it would be incredible. I was wrong—it's far beyond incredible and is truly exceptional. This is easily one of my new all-time favorite fantasy books and I can't stop thinking about it. To my knowledge, this is Bacigalupi's first foray into fantasy of this nature–though he's no stranger to the speculative fiction genre–and I dearly hope it won’t be his last. This is pitched as a "literary fantasy," and I feel this story fits that well, though I would also say you might enjoy it if you like historical fiction as well, as it's not heavy on the fantasy aspects (outside of a different world, though one still like our own).

Navola follows Davico di Regulai, a young boy in a Renaissance Italy-inspired fantasy world, who belongs to a high influential merchant banker family. The Navolese are known for being especially cunning, treating everything as a game of chess (or cartalegge, perhaps), and must carefully navigate and who you can and cannot trust. Throughout the tumultuous events of this novel, Davico's own loyalties and values are tested as he must navigate this labyrinthine-like world of political machinations and determine his own place in it. 

Bacigalupi’s portrayal of and ability to capture and convey Davico's emotions is on another level. I consistently felt the intricate complexities of Davico’s feelings toward the people and environment he was surrounded by as if I were in his place. I experienced his frustrations, anger, triumphs, and anxieties; Bacigalupi captured it all so well that I’m just in awe thinking about it. It was easy to feel emotionally connected to the story because of how effortless it was to understand and relate to Davico at every turn. There were only a couple moments when I felt frustrated with him and thought he was being stubborn, but even then, it felt fitting.

Davico feels inadequate and is unsure if he has what it takes to be a wealthy, influential Navolese businessman like his father, and that anxiety and pressure weighs on him every day. He’s a bit naive and more good-hearted than those around him, and this is gradually challenged more and more as time goes on.  I really enjoyed getting to explore this world and the myriad of complicated characters through Davico's eyes. I'm also not usually drawn to revenge stories (and Navola is not one!), but the events that occur in Navole, as well as Davico's reactions to them, are crafted so well that I felt such a deep connection to Davico's feelings and could understand in such details the mixed myriad of emotions he experienced that I could definitely understand a deep desire for revenge.

There is an exceptional cast of characters to support Davico and I was drawn into Bacigalupi's vivid portrayals of each one. Celia, Davico's adopted sister, is a bold and outspoken girl whose interactions with those around her were also interesting to observe. Additionally, we have Davico's father who is viweed by Davico as a sort of master in his own right and someone who is always making plans and moves that are calculated and essentially does not mess up. I also really loved getting to know characters like Cazzetta, Furia, Lugo, and so many more who all had distinct personalities and brought something compelling to the story in their own way. 

The depth of the political intrigue in Navola is exactly what I love. All the subterfuge, secrets, and plotting reminded me a bit of the style in Kushiel's Dart where everyone's clever and duplicitous, but it feels quite subtle–until it's not, of course. Everything is also very intense, in a way that kept me hooked and desperate to find out what was going to happen next. This also applies to the no-holds-barred approach to some of the more graphic moments. I appreciated that none of the violence or intense scenes felt over the top or done for shock value, but rather I think they fit seamlessly into the story and added emphasis where it mattered most. The world-building also bolsters the political intrigue by providing us with enough glimpses into the world outside of Navola, but doesn't delve too deeply into any other location just yet, though I'm holding out hope that we'll get to explore more of this rather harsh world in a future book.

Additionally, I loved how incredibly consistent the pacing and writing style were. We follow Davico's first person POV and there's  no jumping between characters, huge leaps in time, and chapters often pick up right where the last one left off. This may not sound like a big deal, but it kept me from feeling fatigued the usual jumps and shifts in time that are in so many fantasy novels these days. (And don't get me wrong, I don't dislike multiple POVs and time jumps at all--some of my favorite books have them--but sometimes you just want something more straightforward). I didn’t have to constantly be on my toes to remember where everyone was or what time period we were in, and it made the world feel that much more vivid and alive.

Lastly, I should mention the fantasy elements—beyond the world itself—particularly the dragon eye that features prominently on the cover. I can’t say much without giving away spoilers, but it's one of the most intriguing aspects of the story, despite the fact that it doesn't technically play an overly large role through much of the story (and don't take that to mean the rest of the story isn't intriguing, the eye is just really cool to me). While the entire book fascinated me, this eye grabbed me from the start, hinting at much deeper layers of mystery and power in the world than I could have predicted. Bacigalupi has crafted something that feels equally mysterious, dark, and full of unknown potential.

Overall, I think it's very clear that I loved Navola, and it is of course getting five stars from me. If you like historical fiction or thoughtfully written fantasy full of intrigue and strong characters, then you must give this one a read.

*I received a copy of Navola in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Friday Face-Off: Current Read #31

                       

 Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme at Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.  You can find a list of upcoming topics at Lynn's Books.

This week's topic is:

Current Read #31

I haven't done a Friday Face-Off in a while and I'm reading something that I correctly anticipated may have a nice variety of editions out there, so I figured it'd be a great time to revisit this weekly blog meme. This week, one of the books I'm reading is Stephen King's On Writing (and even though this book isn't horror, it feels like a good pick for Friday the 13th). I've heard for years how insightful this book has been for writers, so I decided to finally give it a go–and guess what? Everyone was right! I've been really enjoying this and appreciate all of King's thoughts and advice. I'll admit that I was a little uncertain at first because the first portion of this book feels more like a memoir before getting into discussing the craft itself, but then it all came together. But I digress–let's take a look at some of the different covers that exist for this book!

2000 US Paperback | 2000 US Hardcover | 2008 Polish

2007 Romanian | 2004 Spanish | 2011 German 

2017 Ukrainian | 2019 Arabic | 2023 Lithuanian

2018 Serbian | 2022 Romanian | 2019 Thai

2016 Romanian | 2017 Persian | 2020 Turkish

My favorite(s):

There were so many edition of this book so I couldn't include them all, but I tried to give a nice variety. I also felt compelled to include the three Romanian editions I saw because they were all unique and really stood out to me. My impression is that Romanians really love Stephen King since they have so many editions. The Turkish cover is a little funny to me because it looks like some sort of political poster or USA-style poster of Stephen King's face. The Spanish one does crack me up a bit because King's got a very fashion model pose going on, and I think the Thai edition is really fun and simple as well. My favorite is probably the 2000 US paperback because it's the edition I'm currently reading and I like the simplicity of it (and I love dogs, so...), but I like a lot of these. Which edition(s) do you like the best?

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen, Polostan by Neal Stephenson, & Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

   

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen
Publication: October 8th, 2024
Redhook
Paperback. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A spine-tingling, queer gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul.

'A gothic masterpiece. A devastating exploration of humanity's capacity for evil.'​ – Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters

John Sackville will soon be dead. Shadows writhe in the corners of his cell as he mourns the death of his secret lover and as the gnawing hunger inside him grows impossible to ignore.

He must write his last testament before it is too late.

The story he tells will take us to the darkest part of the human soul.

It is a tale of otherworldly creatures, ancient cults, and a terrifying journey from the stone circles of Scotland to the icy peaks of Tibet. It is a tale that will take us to the end of the world."

This sounds so good and delightfully dark, I can't wait to check it out!

Polostan by Neal Stephenson
Publication: October 15th, 2024
William Morrow
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock and Cryptonomicon, the first installment in a monumental new series—an expansive historical epic of intrigue and international espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age.

The first installment in Neal Stephenson’s Bomb Light cycle, Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora. She spends her early years in Russia but then grows up as a teenager in Montana, before being drawn into gunrunning and revolution in the streets of Washington, D.C., during the depths of the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB.

Set against the turbulent decades of the early twentieth century, Polostan is an inventive, richly detailed, and deeply entertaining historical epic, and the start of a captivating new series from Neal Stephenson."

I've been hit or miss with Neal Stephenson, but I think this premise sounds like it could be amazing in the hands of Stephenson, so I'm all for it!

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs Trilogy) by Maiga Doocy
Publication: October 15th, 2024
Orbit
Paperback. 416 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them."

This sounds really fun, and who doesn't love a curmudgeonly rival?

Review: Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Scholastic Press

Publication Date: September 17th, 2024

Hardcover. 368 pages.

About Ruin Road:

"Sometimes a little fear is a good thing...

Cade Webster lives between worlds. He's a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood--if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he's too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.

Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted...

At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it's not just Cade that people no longer fear--it's everything. With Cade spreading this newfound "courage" wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. Something monstrous is clearly at work and it's up to Cade to stop it. But just what did he buy and what's the price to undo the damage? After all, the devil's in the details."

 If anyone knows how to write a young adult thriller, it's clearly Lamar Giles!

First, is this not an incredibly striking cover that absolutely sets the tone for this book?  As soon as I saw that cover, I knew I was in for a ride. 

We mainly follow the POV of our protagonist, Cade, with a few chapters throughout that cover some background and provide insight into things going on with some other mysterious and dangerous characters in this book. Cade is an incredible kindhearted character who has genuine compassion and empathy for his friends and family, and this made it so much more interesting to follow him on this harrowing journey to see how he made his decisions and attempted to keep everything under control. He's an easy character to root for, and I think that's what made this a thriller that I felt more connected to, as I had someone to actually care about and want to succeed. Cade struggles with a lot in his life, and his resilience as a teenager is what really sets him apart. 

Ruin Road packs a lot into it in a short amount of time, touching on issues of class, race, family struggles, medical issues, supernatural elements, and more. This is a strong thriller with hints of horror sprinkled throughout, and it's one that is sure to keep you hooked and even a little on edge as you wait to find out what's going to happen next. The best part about Giles' inclusion of so many different topics and themes is that he manages to do so in a way that weaves them all together into a seamless narrative that tells a compelling and addictive story. I especially appreciated how well Giles captured the disparities in how Cade is viewed compared to other people at his high school, as well as the many additional layers of complications that follow him around as a black teenager, such as an incident that occurs on a bus and following interactions with police.

One of the big themes explored int his book is that of fear and how it can affect lives, both positively and negatively. I'll be honest that initially it wasn't entirely clear to me how Cade's wish for people to stop fearing him was being enacted in the real world, and the actions from various people didn't entirely make sense. I think Iw as focusing a little too heavily on the logical aspects of this and had a lot of questions, such as: how close did people have to be to Cade to be affected? does it last forever? what exactly happens and are they just not afraid of Cade or not afraid of everything? As the story progressed, It hik Giles did a pretty good job of exemplifying what it meant, but there were still a few things that didn't make sense to me. Fortunately, the nitty-gritty of this wasn't the crux of things, so I had no issues with still enjoying the story and understanding everything else going on. I also particularly appreciated how Giles did such an excellent job of showing how a lack of fear or burst in confidence can have a variety of effects, and while some may be positive, many more ended up having some stronger deleterious effects.

Ruin Road is also a surprisingly intense thriller that has some very dark angles that I didn't really expect–although having previous read Giles' thriller The Getaway, I really should expected it! Because of this, everything int his book felt like much higher stakes than I expected, and this really lent itself to the more highly charged atmosphere and curiosity to find out how everything would pan out. And let me tell you,  I was definitely not disappointed by the climactic moments of this book and eventual discoveries of everything happening. Giles doesn’t shy away from exploring the dark undercurrents of human nature and the lengths people will go to in desperate situations. There is also an incredibly bittersweet ending that I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about, but that I think was very brave and bold of Giles to do and left me appreciating his storytelling choices. 

Overall, I've given Ruin Road four stars!

*I received a copy of Ruin Road in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Month in Review: August 2024

Well, I've had some blog issues this week so this is the first post that's actually going up, but something's better than nothing! I know I''m a broken record with how often I say I'm shocked that the year is going by so quickly, but it really is crazy that it's September already! (I am so ready to get into the Halloween season, but I'm also still enjoying summer activities–it's still plenty warm, so my husband and I have been visiting the beach whenever we can, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.) But before we can dive into September, let's talk about August.

It was a very busy month–once again–for a number of reasons, but the most fun reason was because I performed in my very first aerial performance a couple weeks ago! It was a group routine where we had some solo and partner pieces and it was an absolute blast (and if you're interested in seeing any photos/video from it, you can check some out here). I am so glad I had the opportunity to try it out and I was somehow not as paralyzingly anxious as I thought I would be. Based on this experience, I think I would definitely be open to doing another performance sometime in the future if I had the opportunity. :) 

In reading news, I read some really great books in August, including The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter, which was a highly anticipated release of mine. I also finally started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and I am so hooked it's not even funny (although the books themselves are actually really funny and I'm having a great time).

How was your August?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

   

# books read: 11

Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I had a blast with this and am now kicking myself not starting the series sooner! I've been seeing people rave about this book for so long now and I finally had a chance to and it was the best decision. I listened to the audiobook version and I can't recommend it enough--the narrator is fantastic.

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: I really loved Heather Walter's Malice duology and have been eagerly anticipating something new from her, and this did not disappoint! This time it's a dark Snow White-inspired story, which I don't think I've seen yet (?), and it was a really great journey. I can't wait for the sequel!

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a really interesting sci-fi and I loved the concepts it explored, but unfortunately it didn't work for me as much as I'd hoped. Still, I'm curious enough to read the sequel when it's out.

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a really fun story that puts readers in the shoes of the villain--a villain who doesn't really remember that he's the villain--and it was such an enjoyable adventure. Rozakis' writing is full of wit and cleverness and made for a very entertaining time. 

Pay the Piper by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a really immersive horror that takes a deep dive into the culture of Louisiana and explores some interesting ideas. There's also a very colorful cast of characters to keep you company. 

Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman

Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a very solid sequel and just left me even more excited for the next book!

Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I liked this literary novel that explores the life of a translator and the somewhat odd events that takes place. This was a really thoughtful book and I'd definitely read more from Ledia Xhoga.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was fascinating! For years I've seen people raving about Mary Roach and I always mentally put her books on my TBR, but I recently saw the audiobook available while scrolling through Libby and thought now was the time, and I can't believe I put her books off for so long! Her voice is so vibrant in her writing and made this somewhat morbid topic absolutely fascinating. I will definitely be diving into more books by Mary Roach in the future.

Ruin Road by Lamar Giles

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I enjoyed one of Giles' previous thriller/horror books, The Getaway, and thought this was another solid addition to his work. It didn't grab me quite as much, but it still had some really great messaging and explored some really thought-provoking ideas. 

Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of America's Opioid Epidemic by Billy Jensen

Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I have no idea how I got this book, but I saw it on my Audible account while looking for something new (maybe it was an Audible deal at some point and I grabbed it and forgot?) and decided to give it a go. It was really fascinating, and although I think the author strays around to different topics sometimes, it had really great insights into murders associated with the opioid epidemic and a whole host of issues associated with those topics. 

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was really cute! I definitely see it for a slightly younger crowd than I anticipated, and I think younger me would have absolutely loved it. It's so creative and unpredictable and never gives you a moment to rest. 

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

None!

 

Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter
The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
Pay the Piper by George A. Romero, Daniel Kraus
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

 Posts:

Month in Review: July 2024
Anticipated September 2024 Releases

Blog Memes:

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
8/7: The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry, The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, & We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman
8/14: William by Mason Coile, Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker, & Evil in Me by Brom
8/21: The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart & Bitter is the Heart by Mina Hardy
8/28: Dearest by Jacquie Walters & Entitlement by Rumaan Alam