strange and random happenstance

Unnatural Creatures Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Beasts both natural and unnatural are all around us. What if there was a spot. It starts out on you tablecloth. Which is most vexing. But then it moves. It grows. And it's coming for you! But a spot as some sort of creature is definitely "unnatural." Wasps on the other hand... Everyone has had an experience with wasps. They bring terror with their painful stings. There nests seem nothing put paper, but what if that paper was something special. What if that paper was highly detailed maps of the surrounding area? Then they'd be an even bigger threat. A threat to the safety of humans. And maybe a threat to other insects too. A Griffin is a creature beloved by fantasy readers, but this griffin seeks a friend. But instead of the friend showing others that the Griffin isn't a monster he is tarred with the same brush. Which leads us back to a more recognized creature, snakes. Ozioma, despite being shunned from her community must help them with her unique powers with snakes. The creatures go back and forth from the mundane to the magical. Who doesn't want to learn about a tontine involving a sunbird? Though the sunbird might object when it learns what's on the menu. Did you know that dragons can be invisible? And that werewolves, even when seeming polite, might be very very dangerous. Then there's the Cockatoucan. A bird whose whims and whimsy become reality. And can a tree really be a beast? Also, what happens when in the future beasts are forgotten? Could a person from the future mistake a unicorn for a horse? Well, they are quite similar except for the whole horn... There are also different lands, lands of color! Back in the real world though magic can be everywhere, even at the National History Museum with a platypus turning into a mermaid. The manticore though is more worrying. As are werewolves that don't "have" to change... Because denying what you are is never a good idea. Humans themselves can even view themselves as monsters, even if they don't turn into a wolf at the full moon. Backpedaling to the monsters that might be more artifacts, what about bicycles? Bicycles could become sentient right? And the most deadly beast of all is death... Stories and creatures creepy and deadly, with small children being killed and timelines being messed up. If only someone would wrangle the creatures... But then again, there would need to be a consistent definition wouldn't there? And it might include you!

There comes a time when you realize that an author you like and respect might, just might, have shit taste in books. I remember seeing Erin Morgenstern speak with such fervor about The Secret History by Donna Tartt that as soon as I got home from Erin's event I ordered a copy to read immediately. The Secret History isn't one of my favorite books. I wouldn't even say I liked it just a little. I adore The Night Circus, and the opposite could be said for The Secret History. Now let's take another case study; Patrick Rothfuss. I love Pat, I can't wait for him to one day in the distant future finish Doors of Stone, I mean he's got a stronger chance of finishing than George R.R. Martin does at this point, but Pat, we need to have a talk about your taste in books. In particular comics. You have bad taste. Or at least taste that doesn't align with mine. It's so bad that if you recommend it I know to avoid it like the plague. So, in that regards, you are very very useful. Though we do appear to agree on The Chronicles of Narnia, but I call that a rare nostalgic outlier. Which brings me to the fact that this book is a selection of short stories chosen by Neil Gaiman, an author who, until recently, I respected. And he didn't lose my respect because of his selection of short stories, I'm not that critical of someone's taste in books, and I read this book long ago, he lost my respect due to the recent sexual assault allegations. The media isn't covering this case much but from everything I've read I believe the victims. Because we should always believe the victims. Especially when they have the receipts. So writing this review now is colored by this new knowledge. Someone I respected no longer deserves that respect, no longer deserves the odes I and others have written on this very blog. So I'll try to review this as impartially as I can, which, if I'm honest, isn't much at all. But it's just work he chose and only one he wrote, so I won't tar the other authors with the same brush. For all I know they were or are very nice people. But then again I thought the same of Neil Gaiman. And there's actually only one story I found worth the purchase price. Though one good story can make a book work. It just so happened it was the first story in the book so everything else paled in comparison to "●." Gahan Wilson's story is totally the inspiration for the Doctor Who episode "Blink," and is very British, scary, and interesting, with an abrupt and shocking ending. All the rest? Not so much.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Diana Wynne Jones, E. Lily Yu, E. Nesbit, Erin Morgenstern, For the Love of Book Clubs, Gahan Wilson, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter S. Beagle, Sexual Assault, Short Stories, Unnatural Creatures

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who've tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn't believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can't resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home - at the risk of losing her magic and her heart."

THE book I see everyone talking about this spring.

The Blue Maiden by Anna Noyes
Published by: Grove Press
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of Indie Next Pick and New York Times Editors' Choice Goodnight, Beautiful Women comes a transportive and chilling debut novel of two sisters growing up on an isolated Northern European island in the shadow of their late mother and the Devil.

It's 1825, four generations after Berggrund Island's women stood accused of witchcraft under the eye of their priest, now long dead. In his place is Pastor Silas, a widower with two wild young daughters, Beata and Ulrika. The sisters are outcasts: imaginative, oppositional, increasingly obsessed with the lore and legend of the island's dark past and their absent mother, whom their father refuses to speak of.

As the girls come of age, and the strictures of the community shift but never wane, their rebellions twist and sharpen. Ever capable Ulrika shoulders the burden of keeping house, while Bea, alone with unsettling visions and impulses, hungers for companionship and attention. When an enigmatic outsider arrives at their door, his presence threatens their family bond and unearths - piece by piece - a buried history to shocking ends. All the while Berggrund's neighboring island The Blue Maiden beckons, storied home of the Witches' Sabbath and Satan's realm, its misted shore veiling truths the sisters have spent their lives searching for.

A Nordic Gothic laced with the horrors of life in a patriarchy both hostile to and reliant on its women, The Blue Maiden is a starkly beautiful depiction of lost lineage and resilience."

Nordic Gothic, yes please!

Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black
Published by: Hodderscape
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Til Death Do Us Bard is a charming queer fantasy, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and Nettle and Bone.

Marriage isn't always sunshine and unicorns...sometimes it's monsters and necromancy.

It's been almost a year since Logan 'The Bear' Theaker hung up his axe and settled down with his sunshiny bard husband, Pie. But when Pie disappears, Logan is forced back into a world he thought he'd left behind.

Logan quickly discovers that Pie has been blackmailed into stealing a powerful artifact capable of creating an undead army. With the help of an old adversary and a ghost from his past, Logan sets out to rescue his husband.

But the further the quest takes him, the more secrets Logan uncovers. He'll need all his strength to rescue his husband - but can he save their marriage?"

I like to think that the surprise hit that is Legends and Lattes didn't spawn all these imitators but that all these books were out there waiting for an audience so that the authors could finally tell their tales that had been brewing in them for years.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
Published by: S and s/Saga Press
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Unicorn comes a new novel with equal amounts of power and whimsy in which a loveable cast of characters trapped within their roles of dragon hunter, princess, and more must come together to take their fates into their own hands.

Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, coming in sizes from mouse-like vermin all the way up to castle-smashing monsters. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) has recently inherited his deceased dad's job as a dragon catcher/exterminator, a career he detests with all his heart in part because he likes dragons, feeling a kinship with them, but mainly because his dream has always been the impossible one of transcending his humble origin to someday become a prince's valet. Needless to say, fate has something rather different in mind..."

I mean, I just want to read the story for Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, AKA Robert!

The Wolf's Eye by Luanne G. Smith
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Under the full moon of World War I, a baleful curse threatens to tear apart a witch's found family in a novel by the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Raven Spell.

Petra Kurková - a witch who wields magic worth its weight in gold - is tasked with combating the undead on World War I's eastern front. The battlefield has yielded a newfound closeness for her spellbound team, especially for Josef Svoboda, a recruiter for the Order of the Seven Stars. But Josef was bitten at the start of the war, leaving his blood tainted by a strain of the vlkodlak curse, which makes him a target of the Order's latest mission: slay the werewolves prowling the eastern front under the moonlight.

Petra refuses to give up on one of their own. From the hasty kill order of a clandestine society to the long-lost spells in an old grimoire to the unraveling mysteries of Petra's own past, the urgency to save Josef grows, particularly as his feral impulses become harder to control. The werewolves are closing in. So, too, are the bounty hunters eager to collect. As Petra's team finds itself at a magical crossroads, Josef devises an ambush of his own - one that could wipe out the cursed threat forever or endanger everything and everyone he loves."

Usually I avoid WWI and II, but there's something about adding in the supernatural that makes me drawn to it like a werewolf to a very juicy rabbit.

Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese
Published by: Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Get ready to solve the mystery at the heart of this captivating new middle grade adventure about family - and a house with a mind of its own - from the award-winning author of Game of Fox and Squirrels and Every Bird a Prince, Jenn Reese.

Twelve-year-old Perigee has never met a problem they couldn't solve. So when their Dad's spirits need raising, Perigee formulates the Plan: a road trip to Dad's childhood home to reunite him with his estranged mother.

There's something in it for Perigee, too, as they will finally get to visit "Eklunds' Puzzle House," the mysterious bed and breakfast their grandparents built but never opened.

They arrive ahead of a massive storm and the House immediately puts Perigee's logical, science-loving mind to the test. Corridors shift. Strange paintings lurk in the shadows. Encoded messages abound. Despite Perigee's best efforts, neither the House nor Grandma will give up their secrets. And worse, prickly Grandma has outlawed games and riddles of any kind.

Even the greatest of plans can crumble, and as new arguments fill the air, the House becomes truly dangerous. Deadly puzzles pop up at every turn, knives spin in the hallways, and staircases disappear. The answer lies at the heart of the House, but in order to find it, Perigee and their new friend Lily will need to solve a long-lost, decades-old riddle... if the House itself doesn't stop them first."

I mean, come on! Stuck in a house during a storm and then the house tries to kill you? My dream read!

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a librarian moves to a quaint Irish village where her favorite novelist lives, the last thing she expects is to fall for the author's prickly son...until their story becomes one for the books, from the New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading.

Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha's Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan's novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.

Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series - after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer's block - is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn't have to deal with Siobhan's son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan's bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn't want Em around.

Emily persists, and spending her days bantering with the annoyingly handsome mercurial Irishman only makes her fall more deeply in love with the new life she's built - and for the man who seems to soften toward her with every quip she throws at him. But when she discovers the reason for Kieran's initial resistance, Em finds herself torn between helping Siobhan find closure with her series and her now undeniable feelings for Kier. As Siobhan's novel progresses, Emily will have to decide if she's truly ready to turn a new page and figure out what lies in the next chapter."

There's two ways it can go when helping a famous author, murder or romance. This is definitely romance.

The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest installment in the warm and welcoming 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents of Scotland's most celebrated address navigating their enchanting and eventful lives.

Angus Lordie is approached in the park by a shadowy, Deep Throat-like figure with government secrets to share, who mistakes him for a journalist. Now Angus is privy to some controversial plans of the Scottish Parliament - but just what is he meant to do about it? Elsewhere, Big Lou's husband Bob hires a personal trainer who changes his entire outlook on life, much to Lou's dismay. At the schoolhouse, young Bertie Pollock's class has a new ringleader, Galactica MacFee, who quickly comes between Bertie and Olive. All this proves too much for Bertie to bear, and he flees to Glasgow with best friend Ranald Braveheart MacPherson in tow. And the indomitable Irene again finds herself in Edinburgh...and it looks like there might be romance in the air.

Meanwhile, Matthew, too, is keeping busy. He invests in a brand new Pictish Experience Centre, meant to allow residents to experience what life was like for Scotland's mysterious early people, the Picts. And they may have made a fantastic discovery - the earliest known work of Scottish literature! But what exactly do those mysterious Pictish runes say? As always, McCall Smith draws on his seemingly unlimited stores of goodwill and generosity in describing the goings-on of this beloved cast of characters."

This was my mom's favorite. What does it say that all her favorite series were Scottish?

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcee, three rich wives, two tycoons, a pair of miniature sausage dogs and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny Wives Like Us, the new novel from the best-selling author of Bergdorf Blondes and Party Girls Die In Pearls, Plum Sykes.

If you think the English countryside is all green wellies, muddy Land Rovers and grey-haired ladies in tweed, then you've never visited 'The Bottoms.'

Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire, and the tony Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.

Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to The Old Coach House to teach her husband Bryan a lesson.

But things don't go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, is refusing Tata's overtures at friendship; Tata's best friends, Sophie Thompson and Fernanda Ovington-Williams, are distracted by their own heartache, and the posh Pennybacker-Hoare sisters are plotting to prevent Tata regaining her crown as Queen of the Bottoms. Worst of all, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.

Will Tata ever return to the comforts of the Manor? Will Selby find her Prince Charming? Will the Pennybacker-Hoares prevail? With the help of a pig farmer-ess moonlighting as a Personal Assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand and a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, can Ian restore harmony to The Bottoms?"

A very Tottering by Gently vibe.

The Thunder of Stones by Andrea Penrose
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 284 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Athens. A city where the ancient past and present tangle in a web of intrigue. As Saybrook and Arianna seek to unravel the truth about her brother's disappearance while on a clandestine mission for the Crown, they find themselves threatened by shadowy enemies - and a mysterious ancient talisman...

The winds of change have brought great joy to Lady Arianna and Saybrook, who have recently welcomed an infant son to their family. They are still adjusting to their new life when a letter arrives from Arianna's dearest friend and former comrade-in-chicanery inviting them to a gala 50th birthday celebration in Switzerland. With the blessing of their surgeon friend, they decide to make the trip, only to find themselves once again drawn into a dangerous web of political intrigue that may ignite war throughout Europe.

However, once in Geneva, Arianna and Saybrook learn that her half-brother is missing and feared dead while on a clandestine government mission to Greece, where revolutionary fervor - stirred by outcries from the infamous poet Lord Byron over Lord Elgin's "Marbles" and whether he is guilty of cultural looting - is rising against the rule of the Ottoman Empire. What to do? They are saved from having to make an agonizing choice when their friends offer to care for their son while they undertake the perilous journey to learn the truth...

But Truth proves dauntingly difficult to unravel. Unknown forces appear intent on sparking mayhem and the list of possible villains keeps growing - a traitor within the British consulate or local Turkish government; a woman claiming to be a reincarnation of the Oracle of Delphi; thieves who may be illegally selling antiquities...Nothing is as it seems, leaving Arianna and Saybrook uncertain of whom to trust as they seek to help the British government prevent war from breaking out in the region. And when explosives go missing from the armory atop the Acropolis, they are in a race against time, with their lives hanging in the balance..."

Sigh. I've been waiting for this book for eons! OK, two years, but it felt like eons! In fact typing this is the first time I've read the blurb, I preordered without reading it!

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A deliciously haunting debut for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Penner set in 19th-century Paris, blending Gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance as two estranged sisters - celebrated (and fraudulent) spirit mediums - come back together for one last con.

Paris, 1866. When Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a house call from Charlotte Mothe, the sister she disowned, she fears her shady past as a spirit medium has caught up with her. But with their father ill and Charlotte unable to pay his bills, Sylvie is persuaded into one last con.

Their marks are the de Jacquinots: dysfunctional aristocrats who believe they are haunted by their great aunt, brutally murdered during the French Revolution.

The scheme underway, the sisters deploy every trick to terrify the family out of their gold. But when inexplicable horrors start to happen to them too, the duo question whether they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit. And what other deep, dark secrets may come to light?"

Fake mediums dealing with a real haunting? Oh, my, yes.

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fourth instalment in Ashley Weaver's delightful series, Locked in Pursuit follows safecracker Electra McDonnell fighting Nazis at every turn as World War II looms over London.

Safecracker Ellie McDonnell hasn't seen Major Ramsey - her handsome but aloof handler in the British government - since their tumultuous mission together three months before, but when she hears about a suspicious robbery in London she feels compelled to contact him. Together they discover that a rash of burglaries leads back to a hotbed of spies in the neutral city Lisbon, Portugal, and an unknown object brought to London by a mysterious courier.

As the thieves become more desperate and their crimes escalate, it becomes imperative that Ellie and Ramsey must beat them at their own game. Fighting shadowy assailants, enemy agents, and the mutual attraction they've agreed not to acknowledge, Ellie and Ramsey work together to learn if it truly takes a thief to catch a thief."

Yes, because it always works when you agree to not acknowledge chemistry...

She Left by Stacie Grey
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Twenty years ago, she survived. This time she may not be so lucky.

On the night that changed everything, Amy Brewer walked out of a house party, trudging angrily away from the friends who made her feel like she didn't belong. Within the next hour, all five of those friends would be dead.

The Memorial Day Massacre, as it came to be called, rocked their small California community and Amy - the girl who had walked away just in time - couldn't escape the media circus...or the guilt.

Twenty years later, ten people with connections to the crime have been invited to a remote cliffside house by a journalist looking to do a story on the murders. But the group quickly learns the event is not what it seems. As a storm closes in and guests begin to die, Amy realizes there is someone in the house who knows more than they admit about what happened that night long ago... and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets."

Murder reunion! The only kind of reunion I'm all for!

Man's Best Friend by Alana B. Lytle
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A failed actress must decide how much she will give up - and what lies she will overlook - in order to live a life of luxury, in this irresistibly suspenseful and slightly surreal debut that is The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Nightbitch.

Ever since her year as a scholarship student among the ultra-wealthy at a Manhattan private school, El knows what it is like to feel rich - to feel chosen. And being not chosen is her current living nightmare: at age thirty, she has given up her dream of becoming a famous actress, she has no passions, no great love, nothing to look forward to.

Then El meets a mysterious trust-fund Cambridge grad who holds the keys to the world she has long dreamed of. Bryce may not be particularly good-looking, charming, or interesting, but he has chosen her. El allows herself to be lulled by the ease and safety that his wealth provides, becoming Bryce's little pet, and giving up her job, friends, and apartment in short order. But when a series of disturbing and slightly surreal events reveal that Bryce is not quite what he seems, but something entirely more sinister, El must face the consequences when his darkness - and her own - are unleashed."

Always question those who you give up everything for...

The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A hypnotic, sinister debut mystery about a seemingly good cop who is secretly the daughter of a notorious serial killer.

Anna Koray escaped her father's darkness long ago. When she was a girl, her childhood memories were sealed away from her conscious mind by a controversial hypnosis treatment. She's now a decorated sheriff's lieutenant serving a rural county, conducting an ordinary life far from her father's shadow.

When Anna kills a man in the line of duty, her suppressed memories return. She dreams of her beloved father, his hands red with blood, surrounded by flower-decked corpses he had sacrificed to the god of the forest.

To Anna's horror, a serial killer emerges who is copying her father - and who knows who she really is. Is her father still alive, or is this the work of another? Will the killer expose her, destroying everything she has built for herself? Does she want him to?

But as she haunts the forest, using her father's tricks to the hunt the killer, will she find what she needs most...or lose herself in the gathering darkness?"

I love the Hannibal vibe of this. To be clear I mean the television show not the book.

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth - strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries - is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who - or what - is at fault or lose everything she holds dear."

Rule number one that I adhere to, never go to an estate with a family chapel. Nothing good can come of it.

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A single mother working in the Gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don't Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it's not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences - until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.

Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe - she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can't ignore."

And what about that scandal!?!

Cloaked Deception by Timothy Zahn
Published by: Aethon Books, LLC
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 546 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award winner and # New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, comes this pulse-pounding political thriller.

A tactical nuclear weapon is stolen from an Indian research facility, setting off a chain of events that spans the globe.

Those behind the heist plan to use it to take out thousands of innocent people-all to assure death of a single man who they believe is too dangerous to be left alive.

What are the lives of thousands compared to the safety of the world?

At the same time, scientists have invented the world's first cloaking device, able to render its user almost completely invisible. It's the epitome of hidden-in-plain-sight-a game changer for any military. At least until three of the lead scientists are murdered and their work is stolen the night before their first demonstration.

Authorities have no idea the two crimes are connected.

There are ten days before the bomb is set to go off.

Can they unravel the trail of red herrings in time?

The clock is ticking..."

FYI this is a reprint of Cloak. But admit it, you actually don't care. You want the pretty new copy.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: May 14th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Among Crows is swift and striking, drawing from the deep well of Slavic folklore and asking if redemption and atonement can be found in embracing what we most fear.

We bear the sword, and we bear the pain of the sword.

Pain is Dymitr's calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he's tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he's sworn to kill.

Pain is Ala's inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree.

Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr's secrets - and his true motives - may be the thing that actually destroys them."

Look. At. That. Cover. Seriously. Look. At. It. It's divine.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alana B. Lytle, Alexander McCall Smith, Andrea Penrose, Ashley Weaver, Christina Henry, Johanna Van Veen, Nicola Solvinic, Peter S. Beagle, Plum Sykes, Stacie Grey, Sydney J. Shields, Timothy Zahn, Veronica Roth

The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The suspenseful sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which sees Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney reunited, and with another mystery to solve: the dreadful poisoning of the scoundrel Willoughby's new wife.

Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey are not entirely pleased to be sending their eligible young daughter Juliet out into the world again: the last house party she attended, at the home of the Knightleys, involved a murder - which Juliet helped solve. Particularly concerning is that she intends to visit her new friend Marianne Brandon, who's returned home to Devonshire shrouded in fresh scandal - made more potent by the news that her former suitor, the rakish Mr. Willoughby, intends to take up residence at his local estate with his new bride.

Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley are thrilled that their eldest son, Jonathan - who, like his father, has not always been the most socially adept - has been invited to stay with his former schoolmate, John Willoughby. Jonathan himself is decidedly less taken with the notion of having to spend extended time under the roof of his old bully, but that all changes when he finds himself reunited with his fellow amateur sleuth, the radiant Miss Tilney. And when shortly thereafter, Willoughby's new wife - whom he married for her fortune - dies horribly at the party meant to welcome her to town.

With rumors flying and Marianne - known to be both unstable and previously jilted by the dead woman's newly made widower - under increased suspicion, Jonathan and Juliet must team up once more to uncover the murderer. But as they collect clues and close in on suspects, eerie incidents suggest that the killer may strike again, and that the pair are in far graver danger than they or their families could imagine."

I mean, why think it's Marianne when Willoughby is RIGHT THERE!?!

The Seven Dials Affair by Tracy Grant
Published by: NYLA
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Kindle
To Buy

The official patter:
"London, 1821. Former spies Malcolm and Mélanie Rannoch have been friends with Bow Street runner Jeremy Roth since they all met in the intrigues of the Peninsular War. Now settled in London, they frequently collaborate. On a chilly night, an urgent summons from Roth takes Malcolm to a tavern in the slums of Seven Dials. He finds Roth standing over the body of a murdered woman. Malcolm offers his assistance with the case, but Roth says Malcolm must investigate alone. When Malcolm asks why, Roth replies - because this is my wife."

Oooh, the Seven Dials neighborhood and an unknown wife!?!

The Essential Peter S. Beagle, Volume 1 by Peter S. Beagle
Published by: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The essential first volume of bestselling author Peter S. Beagle's (The Last Unicorn) short stories demonstrates why he is one of America's most influential fantasists. With his celebrated versatility, humor, and grace, Beagle is at home in a dazzling variety of subgenres. Evoking comparison to such iconic authors as Twain, Tolkien, Carroll, L'Engle, and Vonnegut, this career retrospective celebrates Beagle's mastery of the short-story form.

An unlikely friendship based on philosophy develops between an aging academic and a mythological beast. A mysterious, beautiful attendee who attends a ball thrown in her honor chooses whether or not to become mortal. A dysfunctional relationship is not improved by the consequences of lycanthropy. One very brave young mouse questions his identity and redefines feline wiles.

From heartbreaking to humorous, these carefully curated stories by Peter S. Beagle show the depth and power of his incomparable prose and storytelling. Featuring an original introduction from Jane Yolen (Owl Moon) and gorgeous illustrations from Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (Shadowscapes), this elegant collection is a must-have for any fan of classic fantasy."

I am so happy this lovely set is now available with volume one... 

The Essential Peter S. Beagle, Volume 2 by Peter S. Beagle
Published by: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The essential second volume of bestselling author Peter S. Beagle's (The Last Unicorn) short stories, including one previously unpublished and four uncollected stories, shows again that Beagle is one of America's most influential fantasists. With his celebrated versatility, humor, and grace, Beagle is at home in a dazzling variety of subgenres. Evoking comparison to such iconic authors as Twain, Tolkien, Carroll, L'Engle, and Vonnegut, this career retrospective celebrates Beagle's mastery of the short-story form.

A dilapidated dragon, a frustrated cop, and an unapologetic author square off over a dangerously abandoned narrative. The seemingly perfect addition to a weekly card game hides a dark secret from everyone but her teammate. A deeply respected judge meets his match in Snow Ermine, a gorgeous pickpocket.

From heartbreaking to humorous, these carefully curated stories by Peter S. Beagle show the depth and power of his incomparable prose and storytelling. Featuring a newly published story, "The Mantichora," an original introduction from Meg Elison (Find Layla), and gorgeous illustrations from Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (Shadowscapes), this elegant collection is a must-have for any fan of classic fantasy."

And volume two arriving on the same day!

The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien De Castell
Published by: Jo Fletcher
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We're going to kill them first.'

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like...but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job..."

I mean, you read that description and you just HAVE to read this book right? It can't be just me who thinks this sounds legendary.

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's contemporary YA Gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we'll cross for love.

The Sleeping House was very much awake...

Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace - an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin's mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the family's coastal Maine estate.

Marin accepts and soon finds herself minding Alice's peculiar girls. Thea buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, while Wren does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice's eldest daughter returns home unexpectedly. Evie Hallowell is every bit as strange as her younger sisters, and yet Marin is quickly drawn in by Evie's compelling behavior and ethereal grace.

But as Marin settles in, she can't escape the anxiety that follows her like a shadow. Dead birds appear in Marin's room. The children's pranks escalate. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its secrets before they consume her."

Oh yes, definite The Haunting of Bly Manor vibes, I love me a dark Gothic nanny tale!

The Disenchantment by Celia Bell
Published by: Pantheon Books
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This radiant and thrilling debut follows a passionate love affair between two noblewomen who wish to free themselves from their repressive society, whatever the cost.

In 17th century Paris, everyone has something to hide. The noblemen and women and writers consort with fortune tellers in the confines of their homes, servants practice witchcraft and black magic, and the titled poison family members to obtain inheritance. But for the Baroness Marie Catherine, the only thing she wishes to hide is how unhappy she is in her marriage, and the pleasures she seeks outside of it. When her husband is present, the Baroness spends her days tending to her children and telling them elaborate fairy tales, but when he's gone, Marie Catherine indulges in a more liberated existence, one of forward-thinking discussions with female scholars in the salons of grand houses, and at the center of her freedom: Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess who steals Marie Catherine's heart and becomes her lover. Victoire possesses everything Marie Catherine does not - confidence in her love, and a brazen fearlessness in all that she's willing to do for it. But when a shocking and unexpected murder occurs, Marie Catherine must escape. And what she discovers is the dark underbelly of a city full of people who have secrets they would kill to keep.

The Disenchantment is a stunning debut that conjures an unexpected world of passion, crime, intrigue, and black magic."

Lately I am all about historical fiction set in France, and this book isn't an exception.

The Garden of Lost Secrets by Kelly Bowen
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Based upon a remarkable true story, The Garden of Lost Secrets is the riveting tale of one woman's secrets lost in the chaos of war.

1940 - Stasia always found comfort in the idyllic French countryside where she spent her childhood summers, roaming the gardens of an old chateau and finding inspiration for fairy tales full of bravery and adventure. But these days are much darker, and with Nazis storming across Europe, she soon finds herself one of the most hunted agents of the Resistance. The only safe haven she can think of is Chateau de Montissaire. But she's about to discover that it just may be the center of her biggest mission yet.

Present day - When Isabelle purchases a crumbling chateau in Rouen, it's not just a renovation project - it's a chance to reconnect with her sister, Emilie, the only family she has left. What she uncovers instead is an intriguing mystery... As the siblings piece together the incredible truth behind the books written by their great-grandmother Stasia, they discover an exciting story of courage in the face of treachery and an explosive secret that will change everything they believed about their family."

A very Kate Morton vibe!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences...Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn't write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American - in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author R. F. Kuang.

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena's a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song - complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable."

This is THE BOOK that everyone is talking about this spring.

We'll Never Tell by Wendy Heard
Published by: Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hachette
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An ambitious and juicy whodunit doused in Hollywood lore, perfect for readers of sexy summer thrillers like The Twin by Natasha Preston and The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson. No one at Hollywood High knows who's behind We'll Never Tell - a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA's most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.

Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini "murder house," which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it's a mad dash to get out before the police arrive - at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?

A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don't, the house will claim more victims."

Old Hollywood murder house!?! YES!

Blink by Christopher Sebela, Hayden Sherman, and Nick Filardi
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eisner-nominated Christopher Sebela (Dirtbag Rapture), Hayden Sherman (Dark Spaces: Wildfire), and Nick Filardi (Rogue Planet) team up for a found-footage horror where uncovering your past will leave you trapped inside it.

Wren Booker was three when she was found alone and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she's been haunted by the childhood she can't remember...until decades later when she finds a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building. Something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she's seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks in and finds herself lost in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as BLINK...which she quickly discovers is not abandoned at all. But what should be a foreign nightmare-scape feels all too familiar for Wren as she follows her obsession all the way down, piecing together the story of BLINK - as well as her own ties to it."

I love Oni Press. That is all.

Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: May 16th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new blockbuster science fiction adventure from world-wide phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller Christopher Paolini, set in the world of New York Times and USA Today bestseller To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

July 25th, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly.
On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII: a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide.
Its curve not of nature, but design.
Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why.
But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space.
For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.
Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last.
And the ghosts of their past follow."

Yes, I'm excited for this book. No I won't be buying it. Because the cover is done by AI. Do not support AI. DO NOT!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Blink, Celia Bell, Christopher Paolini, Claudia Gray, Kelly Bowen, Kyrie McCauley, Peter S. Beagle, R.F. Kuang, Sebastien De Castell, The Late Mrs. Willoughby, The Murder of Mr. Wickham, Tracy Grant, Wendy Heard

Homecoming by Kate Morton
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The highly anticipated new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Clockmaker's Daughter, a sweeping novel that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations.

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of the grand and mysterious house, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.

Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.

At Nora's house, Jess discovers a book that chronicles the police investigation into a long-buried crime: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous event - a murder mystery that has never been resolved satisfactorily.

An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today."

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book and you DO NOT want to miss it!

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright
Published by: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a position as housemaid at a midwestern Wisconsin castle and finds that the reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that may threaten to steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of American aristocratic family the Tremblays to help his matriarchal grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stashes of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Fan-favorite Jaime Jo Wright draws readers into a seamlessly woven dual-time tale of suspense, mystery, romance, and redemption."

What's this about a castle in Wisconsin!?! Even if it's fictional I NEED TO KNOW!

The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library by Hester Fox
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In post-World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets...

With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she's descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.

The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.

Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey's previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library's mysteries in order to reclaim her own story - before it vanishes forever.

Lush, atmospheric and transporting, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a skillful reflection on memory and female agency, and a love letter to books from a writer at the height of her power."

Why can't I be left a library in a creepy Abbey? I mean, I'd take it ghosts and all!

A Cruel Light by Cyndi MacMillan
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hidden away and decaying for decades, a cryptic mural holds deadly clues in this intoxicating mix of art, murder, and buried secrets, perfect for fans of Simone St. James.

It was a blood-curdling crime that rocked the town to its core, leaving some with permanent scars and others with deep regrets. A young girl had been brutally slain. Memories were beginning to fade, but during the renovation of the old parsonage, the murder rears its ugly head again when workers discover a time-ravaged portrait of the young victim. Conservator Annora Garde is hired by the local police to clean the painting and expose what lies buried within it.

Inspector Scott 'Mac' MacGowan is convinced the mural is a cryptic confession that will solve the cold case - but it's looking more and more like someone will do whatever it takes to keep the past in the past. Together, Mac and Annora struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, in order to provide closure to surviving family members.

Toxic mold obscures blood-chilling clues, and the painting has an eerie life of its own. Annora is haunted by what she reveals, by the dirt she digs up, by her own tragic losses, and perhaps even by the young victim herself. As she closes in on the killer, the killer inches ever closer to her, and she will come face to face with a brutal truth: some murderers never come clean."

Art as confession? Oh yes, just like Patricia Cornwell's theories about Walter Sickert!

The Way Home by Peter S. Beagle
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Renowned author Peter S. Beagle returns to the world of The Last Unicorn in this resonant and moving two-novella collection, featuring the award-winning "Two Hearts" and the brand-new "Sooz."

The Last Unicorn is one of fantasy's most revered classics, beloved by generations of readers and with millions of copies in print. Revisiting the world of that novel, Beagle's long-awaited Hugo and Nebula-Awards-winning "Two Hearts" introduced the irrepressible Sooz on a quest to save her village from a griffin, and explored the bonds she formed with unforgettable characters like the wise and wonderful Molly Grue and Schmendrick the Magician.

In the never-before-published "Sooz," the events of "Two Hearts" are years behind its narrator, but a perilous journey lies ahead of her, in a story that is at once a tender meditation on love and loss, and a lesson in finding your true self.

The Way Home is suffused with Beagle's wisdom, profound lyricism, and sly wit; and collects two timeless works of fantasy."

I met Peter S. Beagle once. He's awesome.

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore comes a stunning new Arthurian fantasy - the tale of a teenage girl who seeks her destiny in the cursed ruins of Avalon, driven by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

Born without a trace of magic, Tamsin Lark is no match for the sorceresses and Hollowers who populate the magical underground of Boston. But when the only parent she's ever known disappears without so much as a goodbye, she has no choice but to join in their cutthroat pursuit of enchanted relics to keep herself - and her brother, Cabell - alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian found a powerful ring from Arthurian legend just before he vanished. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin's hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren't the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers' nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother...."

I am here for ALL THINGS Arthurian!

The White Knight by Jes Battis
Published by: ECW Press
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Arthurian legends are reborn in this upbeat queer urban fantasy with a mystery at its heart.

The knights of the round table are alive in Vancouver, but when one winds up dead, it's clear the familiar stories have taken a left turn. Hildie, a Valkyrie and the investigator assigned to the case, wants to find the killer - and maybe figure her life out while she's at it. On her short list of suspects is Wayne, an autistic college student and the reincarnation of Sir Gawain, who these days is just trying to survive in a world that wasn't made for him. After finding himself at the scene of the crime, Wayne is pulled deeper into his medieval family history while trying to navigate a new relationship with the dean's charming assistant, Bert - who also happens to be a prime murder suspect. To figure out the truth, Wayne and Hildie have to connect with dangerous forces: fallen knights, tricky runesmiths, the Wyrd Sisters of Gastown. And a hungry beast that stalks Wayne's dreams.

The Winter Knight is a propulsive urban fairy tale and detective story with queer and trans heroes that asks what it means to be a myth, who gets to star in these tales, and ultimately, how we make our stories our own."

As you see, all things Arthurian! But this adds a little urban fantasy!

Blood Debits by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Published by: Tor Teen
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"GODS MEDDLE AND MAGIC WILL BETRAY YOU, BUT THIS TIME JUSTICE WILL REIGN.

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau - the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family - are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn't sick - she's cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

Cristina and Clement used to be each other's most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they'll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse."

I am here for magical murder mysteries!

Not of This World by Simon R. Green 
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This might be his biggest coup yet! Legendary master thief Gideon Sable is on the hunt for the ghost of an alien-possessed man in this fast-paced supernatural heist thriller.

The Preserve in Bath - the British Area 51 - is the secret government dumping ground for all things supernatural and out of space. It is one of the most heavily-guarded places in the world. However, it's not what protects it that makes it so dangerous but the things that are inside...

Gideon Sable - master thief, con artist and self-proclaimed vigilante - faces a challenge he can't refuse. His client, the former Head of the British Rocketry Group, Professor Neil Sharpe, wants him to break into the Preserve. Once inside, Gideon and his crew of supernatural misfits can get any mystical artefact they desire out of the Preserve's collection. The catch? To reach it, they must go through the treacherous Box Tunnel complex and not only face trained guards and booby traps but steal something that can't normally be stolen - a ghost!

Sharpe's obscure motive leaves Gideon uncertain and suspicious. The only thing he knows for sure is that he can steal anything with just the right amount of preparation - but will he be prepared enough to face whatever the Preserve holds, or will he find himself a permanent part of the government's collection?

Not of This World is the fourth supernatural heist thriller featuring master conman Gideon Sable from British SFF veteran and New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green, following The Best Thing You Can Steal, A Matter of Death and Life and What Song the Sirens Sang."

I know I can't be the only one who wanted more Gideon Sable!

Fateful Words by Paige Shelton
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Fateful Words, the eighth Scottish Bookshop Mystery from beloved author Paige Shelton, bookseller Delaney Nichols stakes her reputation - and her life - when a literary tour turns deadly...

When Edwin, Delaney's boss at the Cracked Spine bookstore, leaves town on secret business, Delaney is called upon to guide his yearly literary tour around Edinburgh. But on the first night of the tour, at the inn where the tour group is staying, the inn manager falls - or is pushed - off the roof of the inn, and killed. Then, one of the tour members disappears, leaving a trail of puzzles in her wake.

In a race against the clock, Delaney sets out on the expedition of her life, following clues around Edinburgh to get to the bottom of this mystery. Exploring sights from Greyfriars Bobby to the Royal Mile to the Sir Walter Scott Monument, she'll have to put the pieces together quickly, or the bookstore's survival could be on the line...as well as her own."

You know, to work in a bookshop in Scotland I'd be willing to risk my life and the occasional murderer, just saying...

Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman....

Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline's death. But that didn't stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.

While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked....

Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.

Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what if she doesn't like what she finds?"

Now this is The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants I can get behind!

This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: April 4th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Music. Fate. Redemption. Love.

Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song - written by world-famous superstar Jonesy - but Jane hasn't had a breakout since. Now she's living out of four garbage bags at her parents' house, reduced to performing to Karaoke tracks in Las Vegas. Rock bottom.

But when her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to regroup, she's seated next to an intriguing stranger on the flight - the other Tom Hardy, an elegantly handsome Oxford professor of literature. Jane is instantly smitten by Tom, and soon, truly inspired. But it's not Jane's past alone that haunts her second chance at stardom, and at love. Is Tom all that he seems? And can Jane emerge from the shadow of Jonesy's earlier hit, and into the light of her own?

In turns deeply sexy, riotously funny, and utterly joyful, This Bird Has Flown explores love, passion, and the ghosts of our past, and offers a glimpse inside the music business that could only come from beloved songwriter Susanna Hoffs."

And if it gets adapted we get the real Tom Hardy right?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandra Bracken, Arthurian, Cyndi MacMillan, Ella Berman, Hester Fox, Homecoming, Jaime Jo Wright, Jes Battis, Kate Morton, Paige Shelton, Peter S. Beagle, Simon R. Green, Susanna Hoffs, Terry J. Benton-Walker