Sunday, May 1, 2022

New Speculative Book Releases for May 2022!

 


05/01/22
A Thousand Steps into Night
by Traci Chee
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-035846998
Pages: 384
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From New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, Traci Chee, comes a Japanese-influenced fantasy brimming with demons, adventure, and plans gone awry.
 
In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe, if uneventful, existence as an innkeeper’s daughter. But when Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving magpie spirit and continuously thwarted by a demon prince, Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home again. But with her transformation comes power and freedom she never even dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her… and perhaps never did.




05/03/22
Book of Night
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250812193
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books
Pages: 320
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus.

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences―but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings―and memories―but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden―a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms.

And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires.

But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear―and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister―all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

With sharp angles and prose, Holly Black is a master of shadow and story stitching. Remember, in Book of Night, light isn’t playing tricks, the people are.

05/03/22
Book of Night
ISBN-13: 978-1250862839
Edition description: B&N Exclusive Edition
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This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition features an exclusive, alternative cover, and includes the exclusive original short story, “The Witch and the Unlucky Brother," a hauntingly deceptive folktale from the universe of Charlie Hall.




05/03/22
The Hacienda
Publisher: ‎ Berkley
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0593436691
Pages: 352
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Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
 
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda.
 
Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.


05/03/22
The Valkyrie's Daughter
The Helheim Prophecy, Book #1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Entangled: Teen
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1649371485
Pages: 400
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A thrilling, intricate, and romantic LGBTQ fantasy that builds on Norse mythology into a beautiful story all its own.

Teenage stable hand Sigrid wants to become one of the mighty and fearless valkyries. But with only a wingless gelding as her bonded pair, there’s no chance in Hel of that happening.

When a vision shows Sigrid leading a valkyrie charge on the legendary eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, a greater destiny becomes possible. Determined to fulfill it, she makes an alliance with an enemy valkyrie who has nothing to lose, who seems to have an agenda all her own, and who leaves Sigrid more than a little flustered.

Together, they cross the nine worlds, battling night elves, riding sea serpents, and hurtling into fire to learn the truth about Sigrid’s birthright. An unexpected but powerful friendship forms, and Sigrid hopes even something more.

In the deepest realms of the cosmos, Sigrid must decide between a destined fate or a chosen path.




05/03/22
When Women Were Dragons
by Kelly Barnhill 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385548229
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The first adult novel by the Newbery award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a rollicking feminist tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman’s place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.
 
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this disturbing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and 
watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.




05/10/22
Siren Queen
by Nghi Vo
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tordotcom
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250788832
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From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes a dazzling new novel where immortality is just a casting call away.

It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic.

No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers.” Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill—but she doesn’t care. She’d rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli’s world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes—even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Siren Queen offers up an enthralling exploration of an outsider achieving stardom on her own terms, in a fantastical Hollywood where the monsters are real and the magic of the silver screen illuminates every page.



05/10/22
The Woman in the Library
by Sulari Gentill
Publisher: ‎Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN-13: ‎978-1728261942
Pages: 288
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In every person's story, there is something to hide...

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers sitting at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.


05/11/22
A Special Place for Women
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN-13: 978-1984806260
Pages: 368
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It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose bewitching members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business. From the author of Happy and You Know It.

For years, rumors have swirled about an exclusive, women-only social club where the elite tastemakers of NYC meet. People in the know whisper all sorts of claims: Membership dues cost $1,000 a month. Last time Rihanna was in town, she stopped by and got her aura read. The women even handpicked the city's first female mayor. But no one knows for sure. 

That is, until journalist Jillian Beckley decides she's going to break into the club. With her career in freefall, Jillian needs a juicy scoop, and she has a personal interest in bringing these women down. But the deeper she gets into this new world—where billionaire "girlbosses" mingle with occult-obsessed Bohemians—the more Jillian learns that bad things happen to those who dare to question the club's motives or giggle at its outlandish rituals.  

The select group of women who populate the club may be far more powerful than she ever imagined. 

And far more dangerous too.



05/17/22
Just Like Mother
by Anne Heltzel
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Nightfire
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250787514
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A girl would be such a blessing...

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything―and everyone―at a safe distance. No dwelling in the past.

When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry―baby fever comes with the territory.

The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…

Spine-chilling and sharp, Just Like Mother is a modern gothic from a fresh new voice in horror.



05/17/22
Twin Crowns
Twin Crowns, Book #1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Balzer + Bray
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063116139
Pages: 480
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A high-stakes fantasy rom-com about twin princesses separated at birth—one raised as the crown princess, and the other taken as an infant and raised to kidnap her sister, steal the crown, and avenge the parents' murders—the first novel in a new YA duology from bestselling UK authors Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. Perfect for fans of The Selection, My Lady Jane, and Caraval.

Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents’ murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn’t have a habit of causing trouble…

Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.

Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?


05/17/22
The Witness for the Dead
The Cemeteries of Amalo, Book #1
by Katherine Addison 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books
Paperback Edition‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765387431
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"At once intimate and literally operatic, it's everything I love about Katherine Addison's writing, in ways I didn't know to expect. I loved it." ―John Scalzi

Katherine Addison returns to the glittering world she created for her beloved novel, The Goblin Emperor, in this stand-alone sequel

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.

Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead, he can, sometimes, speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. It is his duty use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.

Celehar’s skills now lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness.

Katherine Addison has created a fantastic world for these books – wide and deep and true.







05/18/22
The Stone Road
by Trent Jamieson
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Erewhon
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1645660187
Pages: 320
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The Stone Road is a haunting, lyrical fantasy set in a harsh world of grit and monsters. In Casement Rise, a dusty town at the end of days, Jean is a young girl with an innocent but timeless voice that will call to all of us. The day Jean was born a mysterious force named Furnace awoke a few miles out of town that mysteriously calls people to it, never to be heard from again. Jean’s father has been called to it and so many others besides.

The novel revolves around Jean, and her relationships both with her stern and overprotective grandmother, and the ancient evil that is Furnace. Jean’s grandmother has always kept Casement Rise safe from monsters, but in protecting Jean, she may have left it too late to teach her how to face the demons on her own, and now it’s time to grow up.
 
With the lyrical cadence of The Last Unicorn and intense imagery of Wizard of EarthseaThe Stone Road is a powerful novel of hope and belonging.



05/19/22
Glow
The Plated Prisoner, Book #4
Publisher: Raven Kennedy LLC
ASIN: ‎B095G183J6
Pages:
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Rot may bring death.

...But gold will come alive.
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05/23/22
The Godborn and the King
The Raven and the Dove Quartet, Book #4
by Kaitlyn Davis 
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B096HBQQZM
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Pages:
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Return to the world of The Raven and the Dove, where winged people rule the skies, a lost kingdom lives at sea, and two star-crossed lovers hold the fate of each in their palms. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!

A love written in the stars...

Thrown into a world of claws and flame, Lyana and Rafe must work together to survive. Dragons abound. Danger lurks. And the hybrids are out for blood. But perhaps more terrifying are the questions in their hearts. Are they ready to lead? Were they ever truly in love? Or with the prophecy realized, will everything they thought they had fall apart?

A clash five hundred years in the making...

With the isles now returned to the sea, two worlds have become one. The avians will do anything to protect their homes. The mages will do anything to take them. And without a king or queen of prophecy to guide them, peace is no longer an option. Xander must decide where his loyalties lie—with the ravens he's sworn to serve or the woman he can't help but love.

Find the chosen one or face the end of everything...

Deep in the skryr's dreams, Cassi bears witness to the prophetess's final vision. A rift mage lives and Cassi is the only one with the power to find her. She'll sacrifice anything to save the world, including her future with Xander, but even the queen of secrets never anticipated the mysteries waiting for her in the mist.

Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to The Raven and the Dove! Scroll up and click buy now to finish the adventure!





05/24/22
A Cruel and Fated Light
The Hollow Star Saga, Book #2
by Ashley Shuttleworth 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Margaret K. McElderry Books
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1534453708
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Half-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this gripping sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.

After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it’s Arlo they’re
Book One

going to use to do it.

When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she’s just been greatly misunderstood.

With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she’ll soon be faced with a choice that won’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.








05/24/22
Echoes of Grace
by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Publisher: Tu Books
ISBN-13: 978-1643794259
Pages: 400
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In this triumphant new novel, Pura Belpré Award-winning author Guadalupe García McCall explores sisterhood, family secrets, intergenerational trauma, life, and love in a modern Gothic setting with a magical realist twist.

A tragic accident in the young lives of sisters, Graciela (Grace) and Mercedes (Mercy) Torres, sets off a chain of events in which Grace flounders to restore her relationship with her sister while swimming against a current of strange, bewildering echoes she inherited from her mother--visions which often distort her reality. 

Flashbacks, premonitions, and visitations from the other side all weave a mysterious tapestry that weighs heavily on Grace’s shoulders as she tries to navigate memories of a time three years earlier when she ran away from home and lost a week of her life.

In the present—amidst the mundanities of college homework and dating—Grace tries to figure out if the things happening in her world are memories or premonitions, warnings of things yet to unfold. As she recovers time lost, Grace comes closer to reconciling with Mercy, even as she remembers, bit by bit, the horrible thing that happened to her when she spent a week with her maternal grandmother in Mexico—a grandmother she had been told was long gone.

The things her regained memory reveals shed light on old family secrets.




05/21/22
The Inadequate Heir
The Bridge Kingdom, Book #3
by Danielle L. Jensen
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Context Literary Agency LLC
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 558 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1737924821
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Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah's people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she's given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she's perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground-and fiery passion-in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace... or march to the drums of war.





05/31/22
Deepwater King
The Monstrous Heart Trilogy, Book #2
by Claire McKenna
Publisher: ‎HarperVoyager
ISBN-13: 978-0008337216
Pages: 352
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The sensational follow up to MONSTROUS HEART; a magical tale of intrigue on dark waters and a love story for the ages. The perfect gothic, gaslamp fantasy – ideal for fans of V.E. Schwab and China Mieville

Since losing her great love to the Queen of the Sainted Isles, Arden must fulfil an impossible promise before she can return home – she must complete the dangerous Rite that will return Jonah’s spirit to the
Book One

abyssal Court of the Deepwater King.

This sets her off on a journey far out at sea to find believers of the old religion on the oil-slick and mysterious islands beyond the horizon. But such a responsibility will not come without sacrifice, for the Deepwater folk who worship the King require the most desperate payments the soul, and with one man Arden may have to pay the greatest price of all…

Astonishingly original, with world-building to rival the depths of the ocean, McKenna has drawn a rich tale of longing and courage – penning the perfect oceanic steampunk fantasy.




05/31/22
Together We Burn
by Isabel Ibañez
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wednesday Books 
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250803351
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An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.

Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see him fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.

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