Iiiiiiit’s Wednesday! As per usual, I’m looking at some of the newest releases of the month and predicting what they will be about purely by looking at the cover. It’s time to judge that book by the cover! Other new releases of March can be found right here on Goodreads.
As it’s the third Wednesday of the month, we’re delving into the fantasy genre. So we’ve got something Games of Thrones-y, with a (to-be)queen as main character. Then another female-dominated fantasy, this time with werewolves, and it seems to be quite brutal. Third up is something weirder. I see something mermaid-y? An evil sea creature perhaps? Sea-witches? Sirens? The fourth is also a bit of a mystery: a sexy woman with roller skates and knee pads, leaning on a roller coaster that seems to be abandoned and there’s firework? I’m guessing a bad-ass female main character, who works as a P.I. or in the police or something to solve crimes. And last but not least, something thriller-y, on the creepier side of paranormal – sirens, merpeople, with a human falling for one of them? Those are my guesses, let’s see how I did!
- The Queen of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
Publication date: March 27th, 2018
A kingdom at risk, a crown divided, a family drenched in blood. The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes. The king’s three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted. Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided. - Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #5)
Publication date: March 6th, 2018
They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm. With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn… - The Merry Spinsters: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg
Publication date: March 13th, 2018
From Mallory Ortberg comes a collection of darkly mischievous stories based on classic fairy tales. Adapted from her beloved “Children’s Stories Made Horrific” series, “The Merry Spinster” takes up her trademark wit. Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children’s stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief. Readers will instantly recognize Ortberg’s boisterous good humor and uber-nerd swagger: those new to Ortberg’s oeuvre will delight in her unique spin on fiction, where something a bit mischievous and unsettling is always at work just beneath the surface. Unfalteringly faithful to its beloved source material, The Merry Spinster also illuminates the unsuspected, and frequently, alarming emotional complexities at play in the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, as we tuck ourselves in for the night. Bedtime will never be the same. - Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire (InCryptid #7)
Publication date: March 6th, 2018
Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her–including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course. Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It’s one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire…but for Annie, it’s a place to hide. She’s just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she’s rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time. Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her–although their help, like everything else, comes with a price. No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie’s about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she’s lucky, she’ll survive the experience. - Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (The Others #6)
Publication date: March 6th, 2018
Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others–vampires, shapeshifters, and paranormal beings even more deadly. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget… After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns like Vicki’s have no distance from the Others, the dominant predators that rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what’s out there watching you. Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe–one of the shapeshifting Others–discovers a dead body, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the man’s death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, things get dangerous–and it’ll take everything they have to stay alive.
Hah, I was right about the first one. Though it’s not about one struggling queen-to-be, but about three of them. And maybe more magic-focused than Game of Thrones (I have to admit, I’ve never read or watched GoT…). I was kind of right about the second one, though probably less female-focussed than I thought. There are apparently two main characters, Charles and Anna. And the story also moves more beyond the werewolves themselves, than I would have thought based on the cover alone. Hmm, okay, so even after reading the blurb, I still don’t know what book 3 is about. What I’ve gleaned: a dark retelling of classic children’s stories, with psychological horror thrown in… What is the target audience for this, kids or adults? I can assure you, I’m not in the target! Okay, what in the heck is that fourth book about? A girl on the run, without her mice? This is definitely a series that you need to read from book one, and not jump in on book five. And it sounded good too, until I read about the mice. I think I’ll pass, next! I’ve been reading too much paranormal romance lately, there’s certainly no love involved in this book. But I do like the premise, it reminds me a little bit of that recent TV-show Midnight Texas (which I loved), though maybe a little less dark than that.
I like how I did, I hit two right on the head, two dead-misses and one where I got the setting right. None added to the to-be-read list though. So far, I’m keeping to my goal of not adding to it unless it’s something I really, really want to read.
Happy reading,
Loes M.