Pub Day Picks // August 18, 2020

Hi hello! We’re in the middle of a heat wave, which is not good for us delicate readers who so easily fall asleep in the heat with the book on our chest and our glasses falling off our faces.

But it’s Publishing Day! And there’s some great books publishing today. Today, there’s only two books that caught my eye that I can’t wait to read. I’ve already received a finished copy of one and I also picked up the audiobook of the other. I’m most definitely adding both of these to my TBR for next month, so I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you.

Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho

This month, I plan on finally reading Wicked Fox by Kat Cho. I don’t know why I sat on this book for so long, but reading that it has that Kdrama vibe plus Korean folklore and takes place at a South Korean high school has definitely caught my attention. I’m almost mad at myself that I didn’t think to read this sooner. Also, there’s a nine-tailed fox and since I just finished watching so much Naruto I need to get some nine-tailed fox stories in as well.

However, Vicious Spirits is a companion novel to Wicked Fox. If you’ve already read Wicked Fox and need a little more of that universe, then this is the book for you. While it doesn’t follow the two main characters from Wicked Fox, you’ll find some fun with these two. Here’s more about the book:

As Vicious Spirits begins, Miyoung and Jihoon are picking up the pieces of their broken lives following the deaths of Miyoung’s mother, Yena, and Jihoon’s grandmother. With the support of their friend Somin, and their frenemy, Junu, they might just have a shot at normalcy. But Miyoung is getting sicker and sicker by the day and her friends don’t know how to save her. With few options remaining, Junu has an idea but it might require the ultimate sacrifice and, let’s be honest, Junu isn’t known for his “generosity.” Meanwhile, the events at the end of Wicked Fox have upended the forces that govern life and death and there are supernatural entities lurking in the background that will stop at nothing to right their world.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

This book was on my radar after Libro.fm offered it as a gifted audiobook to its influencers. From the moment I saw the beautiful rays of light, I knew this is something that I needed to look up and get excited about. And now that I have the audiobook on hand, I’ll definitely be adding this to my TBR for next month as well. Here’s more about the book:

Nothing is more important than loyalty.
But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.

What are you excited about being published today?