While I was putting this list together, I was thinking about the books I’ve been wanting to read but never made time for them. Don’t you just hate having books you said you’ll read and then they languish on the shelf for years? Well, this #FallForFantasy I plan on busting my fantasy TBR with some backlisted fantasy and some new fantasy reads as well.
But I didn’t want to get caught with cramming my entire month with fantasy books. I love fantasy and I do dedicate a lot of time to reading fantasy books, but I need some other genres in my monthly TBRs just to keep things interesting. So instead of a formal TBR for October, November, and December, I decided to pick the top 15 fantasy books I want to read these upcoming months.
I thought a lot about this because not only did I want to read these fantasy books, but I also wanted to keep in the spirit of everything else going on around us. So I have some spooky fantasy reads, some Latinx authors for Latinx Heritage Month (it ends October 15th, so you still have time).
I’ll also be exploring Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun as well as catching up on Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive. I also wanted to finally read the first book in the Wheel of Time series as well as Robin Hobb’s famous Assassins series.
I also want to mention that these won’t be the only books I’ll read the next three months. I’ll be reading more, but dedicating five books from this list per month to give fantasy books the upper hand on my very delicate and balanced TBR. You’ve probably read some of these. You’ve probably been putting them off for years just like me! But if you take anything away from this blog post, it’s this: if you make the time to read the books, then you’ll read them.
Every fall, I dedicate the seasons finally cooling down and entering winter with some great fantasy reads. Personally, I’ve been calling it “Fall Fantasy.” I don’t dedicate my entire TBR to reading fantasy books, but there’s always an emphasis to read the fantasy books I’ve been meaning to read. There’s always a reread of some of my favorites. And there’s always something new and interesting being published.
This fall is no exception, but I did want to bring you along on the journey. That’s why I’m launching #FallForFantasy! It’s not really a hashtag, but a series of blog posts and Instagram posts about reading fantasy books. Fantasy is such a great genre and I couldn’t recommend it enough, but I know that it’s not easy to read and some books are so over your head that you’re clueless by the end of the book. What I want to focus on during these months is getting you into fantasy books that work for you. There’s tons of great stories that won’t slump you or frustrate you with its jargon and I want to highlight those books as we head into the holidays.
My objective this year is to give those new to the genre or those who are casual readers fantasy books that will match their tastes and bring them closer to enjoying this incredibly rich genre. There’s so much you can learn about the world through fantasy books and the funny thing is that it’s all made up. It’s incredible how deeply you’re able to relate to a character without fully knowing the world they live in. Also, it’s a great escape while we’re all stuck at home. I hope that I entice you with some great reads, good feelings, and a comfy cozy autumn.
Over the next three months, I’ll be sharing some fantasy recommendations for new and experienced fantasy readers. I’ll be cozying up to some yummy treats and seasonal fun moments. I’m also launching my fantasy book club on Patreon. You’re more than welcome to head over there and join my “Simone and Her Book Club” tier!
As for this hashtag, it’s for you! Share with me your favorite cozy moments, fantasy books you’re reading this season, or recommendations you started because of me. I will share all of it on my blog and Instagram to promote the season, the books, and the great moments we’ll be having together.
Hope you enjoy me this fall as we explore some incredible fantasy novels!
Wow, we’re here again. I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel like these months keep getting shorter and shorter. I welcome it, though because that means October is a day away and I’ve got some great books to read in October.
This month, I fell into a little bit of a reading slump and only read six books. I feel like I slumped myself with a big science fiction novel, but then kept on reading and did myself a disservice. It was rough. I went days without reading anything, which is completely fine and something we all should do if we’re not feeling like reading, but at the same time I was so desperate to fall in love with a book and get myself out of the slump. Sadly, all I did was read another book that made me slump even more.
But my friends were talking about how they like to craft and listen to audiobooks. Since I didn’t have any audiobooks lined up for my September TBR, I did a little diverging. This was my first real move away from my TBR to read by my mood. In one way, I’m a little upset with myself for not reading what I planned out. In another (and more important) way, I feel like I did myself a service by switching over to a historical romance audiobook while I picked up knitting again. I cannot agree more with my friends who have been crafting and reading. This is such a great way to keep busy and read books at the same time. It really saved me especially with my mental health a little on the grim side (six months in quarantine will definitely mess with you).
Next month, I think will be a better reading month for me. I have my spooky books for the Halloween spirit, my fantasy reads for my yearly Fall for Fantasy reading challenge, and I’ve added a couple of Latinx authors to celebrate the end of Latinx Heritage Month. I’ve also mixed it up with both audiobooks and physical books as well as a few women’s fiction novels in case I start to slump again. I think it’s safe to say I’ve got a big old list of books to read next month.
But let’s get into this month. Here’s what I read:
This was such a good book on audio. I think that the audiobook helped contribute to my overall feelings about this book. It read like a science fiction movie, but with military fantasy elements to it. I’m working on my review for this currently, so I haven’t finalized my thoughts. I just want to say that this is my second book by Tochi Onyebuchi this year and his versatility in writing for both young adults and adults is incredible. I hope to read more from him in the future.
I made some surprising moves this month with my TBR. Because of my slump from reading TSIASOS and Where Dreams Descend, I decided to read a historical romance that my friends have been telling me was good. They didn’t disappoint! I have a love/hate relationship with romance novels mostly because I need more story than just the two main characters’ relationship. This had a little bit of that especially with the main character who is a seamstress and a duke who wasn’t your classically handsome rake. It was also a slump buster because after this book, I felt like I could read again.
Probably one of my favorite books of the month. I can always count on Sabaa Tahir to soothe my slumping soul and bring me a book that I will devour. And yes, I devoured this book like I have with the other books in this series. I’m finally caught up with the series and I can’t wait to see what Tahir has in store for all of us.
I started getting spooky in late September because I couldn’t wait any longer for the best month of the year. And this was the perfect pick with all the horror and romance and fantasy you would want. I did have a few little issues with the book. Some did mess with my enjoyment of the story, but I think it was still a super strong start to a new YA fantasy series. I’ll be writing my review for this one in a couple of days, but it definitely exceeded my expectations and I would love to check out more work by Kerri Maniscalco. This book publishes on October 27, 2020.
I started off with super high hopes this month reading this big tome of a novel. I hoped it would be one of my favorites of the year, but truthfully it didn’t reach my expectations. It’s still a good novel and if you’re a fan of hard science fiction, then this is for you. It gets super detailed and doesn’t leave anything out, but at the same time that detail got so convoluted that it made the rest of the story difficult to read. There were many points where I didn’t understand why the details were important especially when they contributed nothing to the story.
I’ve been holding off on sharing my review of this book because this was my least favorite read of the month. It wasn’t the worst book (I DNF those books and not give them any more time), but it was just okay. Perhaps my issue was that I put too much expectation into this book because I loved stories like Phantom of the Opera and Caraval. It just read flat to me and needed a bit more in it to make it truly intriguing and magical. Also, I felt the romance was forced and a little unnecessary in the story.
Happy last Tuesday of September! I probably say this every month, but I can’t believe it’s the end of another one. While my reading life wasn’t that great (more on that in my wrap up), I’m excited for the new books coming out today. September is ending with some incredible new books and I’m excited about three! Here’s what I’ll be reading in the coming months:
My dark academia heart has been overflowing this year with the number of books taking place at some school. A Deadly Education is no exception and I’m so excited this one is out in the universe. I’m saving it for my Halloween weekend, but the book is out today and I’m so happy it’s in the world. I did get a gifted early copy of this book from the publisher and the cover alone is worth buying.
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.
I’m a sucker for anything Marie Lu writes. She’s one of the first Asian American authors I read writing science fiction and fantasy. And her stories are epic! I don’t expect anything less from Marie Lu and I’m so excited her next book, Skyhunter, is now out in the world. It already has so many positive reviews and a few of my bookstagram friends have already read the book and loved it. They don’t even read science fiction that often! Oh, and this is another book that’s got serious cover envy.
Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara.
A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts.
But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara’s capital, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? What secrets is he hiding?
Only one thing is clear: Talin is ready to fight to the death alongside her fellow Strikers for the only homeland she has left . . . with or without the boy who might just be the weapon to save—or destroy—them all.
I haven’t read anything Matt Haig has put out, but when I read the description of this book I was super intrigued. I knew he’s a person who likes to play with concepts of time and space, which is one of my favorites, but for some reason I haven’t read his books. Give me science fiction mixed with fantasy and a touch of philosophy any day. Even the description of this book is super enticing. I’m such a fan of books that discuss philosophical views on life and death and everything in between.
‘Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
The third book in the Ember in the Ashes series! With every book I read, I approach the ending of this series and I don’t know if I’m ready to let this one go. It’s been a long time since I’ve been enamored with an entire series (the last one being Throne of Glass, which didn’t work for me). I’ll be sad when the series is finally over, but I’m so ready for its exciting and twisty conclusion!
Here’s More About A Reaper at the Gates
Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister’s life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. Yet danger lurks on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor’s volatility to grow her own power—regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows that the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. During the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. However, in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender—even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.
My Thoughts
Once again, I’m just so impressed by Sabaa Tahir and this world she’s created. It’s a nonstop action-packed story that moves. I was worried with this one being the third book in a four-book series that it would be a filler between the second and the fourth book. However, there was so much happening in this one that I didn’t even imagine could take place.
In many ways, it is a filler. There’s the downfall of a major city that The Blood Shrike, Elias, and Laia are all working towards. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what will happen next. So you can say that this book fills the space between the second and the fourth novel, but it does it in a way that will entertain you and digs deeper into the world and the characters. I’ve read so many books in the middle of the series where it pushes you nowhere until the very last 50 pages and then it moves like fire.
I’m so glad Sabaa Tahir’s got that ability to tease and taunt you throughout the novel, make you keep reading her book, and then surprise you. She’s got a lot of tricks up her sleeve in this one and they didn’t disappoint.
I know many folks had issues with Laia and her involvement in the story, but at the same time it makes sense to her character. She doesn’t know how to fight. She’s not strong like Helene or Elias, but she has that will. I think her will to find her brother and her will to stop the Nightbringer is what really makes her interesting to me. I also love the fact that this doesn’t come easy for her. She’s losing friends left and right. Her plans never go perfectly. She tries her best, but I find I’d rather see a character fail and get back up then succeed at every attempt. She’s definitely no Mary Sue (thank God), but I love that despite her shortcomings she’s still able to keep her head up and use what she has available to her. She’s a very interesting character despite her not doing much.
And the surprises keep rolling out. Seriously, I feel like I’m watching a soap opera and every single turn there’s some bigger twist that shocks me to the point where I’m yelling at imaginary characters. They weren’t just devices to keep you guessing or surprise you, but really made the world much more complex.
I could not get enough Nightbringer. While he didn’t get a dedicated narration during the book, I absolutely loved how he popped up everywhere. It almost felt like this book showed you the dance the Nightbringer has been dancing for thousands of years. Knowing how important the story is with his specific story line made me keep a close eye on him. I think the final book will definitely have more Nightbringer and I think it’ll be really fudging good.
If a Star Trek episode met Ripley in Aliens and then drove across the stars to follow some old alien relic only to incite a war, uncover a history that’s never been unearthed, and have aliens and humans come together, then you get this book. It’s an epic adventure across the stars as Christopher Paolini pens his very first adult science fiction novel. Sorry, there’s no space dragons.
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .”
My Thoughts
Ok, I’m going to try my best to write this review without spoiling it. To be honest, the entire book is a spoiler and it starts when Kira discovers this “alien relic.” From that moment on, you’re following Kira through her journey looking for answers for what she’s discovered. Along the way, she makes friends with a civilian vessel called the Wallfish, which really felt like a ragtag team of misfits come together to traverse the stars. It reminded me a lot of Becky Chambers’s The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet even with a quirky ship’s mind named Gregorovich. I did love the representation Paolini added to this book as well. However, that’s where the similarities end.
In so many ways this book was such a great space opera; tons of action, lots of world building, traveling through space. I absolutely loved the maps. The action sequences didn’t keep anything back and there was so much going on. But there were things that I couldn’t overlook. I think the length of the novel and Paolini’s long-winded descriptions really put a damper on the book for me. But let’s get into the parts that I really loved.
The world building was INTENSE. It’s probably the most vivid science fiction novel I’ve read. It’s almost like Paolini didn’t want you to question any piece of the story that he’s sharing. There was such incredible nuance even creating a language for the aliens to speak (it’s telepathic and includes…smells). I think that the aliens themselves were also really interesting and I felt like their story was almost like a fantasy novel within itself. Space jellies! Feels better than dragons.
I also really loved Kira’s character. She wasn’t a bad ass that leapt head first into the fire. She was a thinker, a person who studied the alien relic. She made some pretty big mistakes with the relic as well, which made her so much more human. I really loved that she wasn’t a Mary Sue and that this didn’t come easy to her. I wanted there to be more conversations with her and the other crew members (outside of Falconi and Gregorovich), but I just loved that this was her story and it really humanized the entire piece.
I think the war between humans and jellies were probably the most interesting part of the story. There was that interesting dichotomy between the two species and I wondered how Paolini would approach this situation. And there were some scary sounding space creatures. First off, they’re called “jellies,” as in jellyfish. They had the same shape as a jellyfish or even a squid. Then there were crab monsters, but the worst were the “nightmares;” half-human, half-jelly monstrosities that were indiscriminately killing everything. I loved as you moved through the story and you learn more about the jellies, you get to relate to them a little more. And the ending felt like Kira was finally meeting the big boss in a video game. It’s time to defeat the big guy!
Speaking of the end, I think the ending is where it kind of falls apart for me. Granted, it was definitely a wild show during that final battle, but it almost felt like Paolini couldn’t figure out how to finish the novel. There were things being introduced right at the end and doesn’t even get explored because it was over. It was beautiful and the language in this part of the book read more lyrical and metaphorical, but it felt different from the rest of the book.
Overall, I liked it but it truly was an investment in my time and energy. You’ll be enamored by the world and the adventures Kira and the Wallfish take across the stars. You’ll love the little lines about life and death and hearing the conversations throughout the story. You’ll love their friendships and how they show up for each other. I think you’ll even love the jellies! I would recommend this to folks who love a good science fiction novel. It’s definitely got jargon and some things did go over my head, but you don’t need a degree in astrophysics to understand it. But you’ll need to make the space in your life to read it.
Thanks to Tor.com and Netgalley for the gifted copy of this book.
Over the years, I’ve told you about my reading journal. It’s a physical journal I kept while I read to jot down notes, put my thoughts down, and have a single place I can turn to see what I’m reading.
But I have a confession to make. I’ve gone digital…and I love it.
The reason I switched from analog to digital is really simple. I type faster than I can write, which means my thoughts get written down faster. I think A LOT and having a page or two dedicated in my notebook made the entire process really messy. So I created a Trello board for myself and I organized it in a way that keeps me up-to-date with my reviews, gives me space to write my endless thoughts on a book, and organizes my blog, my Instagram, and my Patreon content. There’s a lot of stuff I put out into the world and this allows me to do just that.
Before I get into it, I do want to mention this wasn’t my idea. I got the inspiration for my Trello board and how to set it up from Book Bumblings. Their Trello board is more extensive than mine and you can check out their blog posts for the original idea.
What is Trello?
A screenshot of my Trello page. Some of the cards are blanked out because they are upcoming blog posts.
Trello is basically an organizational tool used by many companies to keep track of what projects to work on. They’re are these columns you can make with each column representing a group of tasks. It could be a big project with smaller tasks that you need to manage. This allows you to manage that, collaborate with your coworkers, assign tasks, make comments, and keep your projects on track.
For my reading needs, I’m a one woman show so I don’t need most of the tools they provide (and most of those tools require payment). Instead, I use this to organize the reads I’m reading, the books I need to review, blog posts that I want to write, and other tidbits related to content work on social media.
Creating one board is free. I think adding more boards requires more money, but if you’re working on your blog solo then this might be perfect to keep you organized.
How I Organize My Trello Board
What works for me is this assembly-line system. Each column represents a step in my writing process and each card either represents a book or a blog post I want to write about. You can move cards either by dragging and dropping them or you can choose the column to move the card. I really like this method because then you see the cards move from section to section. It’s like a perfectly coordinated symphony. Everyone knows exactly what they need to do and where to go, so there’s no guesswork. It just flows!
On the far left, I keep all the books I plan on reading that month. Each book I read gets a card with the title and the number of pages in parenthesis. When I start to read the book, I move it to the Currently Reading section. Each card has a description section where I basically jot down my notes on the story and my thoughts. This is the most convenient part of the entire process. Because instead of setting up a page in my journal to write these notes, I have this digitally. This also works great on the go because you can download the Trello app to your phone and make notes when you’re not close to your notebook.
When I’m ready to write my review, I move it to the To Review column. This is more organizational for me so I can keep track of what needs a review and what I’ve already worked on. On each card, there’s a section to add a description. I literally use the description section to start my review. It’s all super rough mixed in with pieces of the story I wanted to keep in mind, but when it’s finally time to write my review I’ve already got something started and can easily add or edit from there.
An example of how I write my reviews for a book before they go on the blog
The To Post section is where I keep all my blog ideas. I didn’t want to mix them in with the book reviews because my book reviewing process and my blog post writing process are quite different. Each card is a different blog post idea I had. In the description section, I start off with the bigger parts of the blog post I want to write. I eventually just copy and paste what I have there and use that to start the blog post. It makes putting these posts together much easier than sitting with a blank page trying to make it work. It’s also great when you’re worried your work will suddenly disappear while you’re writing it.
When I’m done posting my blog post or if I’ve finished my review, I’ll move all those cards to my Done pile. It’s the most exciting thing to put things in the Done category. It’s like a checklist where you satisfyingly put that checkmark on your To Do. You get stuff done and to see them physically move off your plate really helps psychologically. The best part of the Done pile is that none of those cards get deleted. They accumulate there so I can always go back and visit the messy thoughts I had about a book.
I also have a section for anything Extra. This includes things I might have skipped from months before, work I plan on doing in the future, or ideas that don’t really flow with the theme of what I’m creating.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, this Trello board has become one of my favorite tools for blogging, writing, and creating content for you all. I’m able to keep track of what I want to write, I never run out of ideas (maybe more steam for writing things), and it’s all neatly organized in one place, which is so important for me. As much as I loved keeping a physical journal of all my book thoughts, I found myself getting lost a lot. I had ideas written in tiny margins and reviews that spanned over four pages and onto post it notes. It was so messy that I felt my life was messy because of it. Now my physical journal is an actual journal and To Do list for my day. This also keeps my To Dos super simple because I know exactly what needs to be worked on.
You can use this Trello board in any manner you’d like! If you mostly work on your own or if you have a team of people working with you, this is a great way to keep track of everything. The best part is that I can download the app to my phone and make changes on the go. That’s always good when ideas strike me at any time. I would highly recommend checking out that post from Book Bumblings. It’s pretty comprehensive and shows you how to use tools like the calendar or labels. I tried using labels but I kept forgetting what each label meant lol.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how a digital journal might benefit you over a physical one. I won’t stop journaling (that’s physically impossible, I believe), but at least the book part of my journaling life is a bit more organized.
Happy Pub Day! Does it feel like September is just flying by this month? I’m not mad about it because next month is the start of Fall Fantasy! I have a lot of plans for the upcoming months and some of the books on this list might be showing up as well. What are you most excited about publishing today?
I’ve been waiting for this sequel to The Gilded Wolves all year long! I mean, I read The Gilded Wolves at the beginning of 2019 and anticipated Silvered Serpents to be published earlier this year, but I think with publishing issues and COVID, it got pushed back to the best season for fantasy books; the fall! I can’t wait to get back to 19th century Paris as the gang goes on another wild adventure.
Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.
I absolutely loved Well Met and discuss the wench life with my friends on a regular basis. I’m so excited for the second book in this series and I’m so surprised. I’m mostly surprised because I never get this excited about romance novels being published. For this one, I make an exception.
Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it’s been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she’ll even find The One.
When Stacey imagined “The One,” it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she’s not sure what to make of it.
Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey’s shock, it isn’t Dex—she’s been falling in love with a man she barely knows.
I’ve only read Sabriel by Garth Nix, but it was really one of my favorite books of the year. I really loved the story and I couldn’t believe he was releasing a new book this year. This one isn’t about teenage necromancers, but it’s definitely something I want to check out!
In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.
Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.
Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.
Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.
What’s my favorite fantasy creature? Vampires, of course. When I heard about this vampire short story collection edited by Zoraida Cordova, I knew I had to get it. It publishes today, so that means it’ll be ready for reading during the spooky months. I would highly recommend checking out the list of authors who contributed to this collection. It’s like the famous YA authors who’s stories you can never get enough of. I love a good spooky vampire story! I may have already pre-ordered this one and waiting patiently for it to arrive!
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire―and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
There’s this mythological creature that lives within the East Asian countries. China, Korea, and Japan all have myths about this wild beast and so many interpretations. I’ve seen Chinese, Korean, and Japanese tv shows including this character. It is the nine-tailed fox. And this story written by Korean American, Kat Cho, is most definitely that tale come to the States. I couldn’t be more excited.
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.
Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway.
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
My Thoughts
I’m going to be honest with you, this book read like a K-drama. That’s not a bad thing! I absolutely love a good K-drama. It was filled with its tropes, but it also has one of my favorite Asian folklores; the nine-tailed fox! There were even moments in this book where I thought I was watching a dramatic moment in a K-drama. If you’re a fan of K-dramas, this might be the book for you. As much as I love the tropes in K-dramas, I’m not sure if they worked in this particular fantasy story.
In many ways, it felt like this book was grappling between being a Korean drama and being a YA fantasy story. The juxtaposition took me out of the story a few times especially when the focus became more about Jihoon and Miyoung’s budding romance. In those instances, it felt like a drama; getting drunk at the children’s playground in the middle of the night (no children present), almost being hit by a car with the headlights beaming right before the dude pushes her out of the way of the car. Even Jihoon’s grandma owning a stew shop was so reminiscent of the older “rich girl/poor boy” trope.
As for the YA fantasy components, I really liked them. I wasn’t a fan of how Kat Cho presented the world building through truncated stories between chapters, but it did give you an idea of where this particular nine-tailed fox story came from. I was definitely intrigued by that part of the story and I really wanted more world building and more development in this area. I think my main issue with this story is that it felt like it didn’t know what it was itself. In some cases, it was a story about mythical beasts among us, but in other instances it felt like a budding romance between Jihoon and Miyoung. And it felt like jumps between story. One minute they’re concerned about some mythical thing happening, but then the next minute they’re getting drunk at a children’s playground in the middle of the night.
That all being said, I did really enjoy the story and the immersion into a story that took place in Seoul. There aren’t many Korean-based YA fantasy stories out there, so I’m glad that this one is included. While I wish this didn’t read so much like a debut novel, I’m very excited for the books in the series after this. I think Kat Cho’s potential can only go up from here.
Let me first start off by saying this is the book that’s solidified my love of Sabaa Tahir and her ruthless writing. I don’t think I’ve even read an author as brutal as she is with her characters. And I’ve read some “evil” authors in my time.
Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.
Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.
But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.
My Thoughts
I really thought this was going to be just another typical fantasy series from another YA author, but I was extremely wrong and I want to personally apologize to Sabaa Tahir for doubting her ability to write some really good fantasy. This series is everything I’m looking for in a good book. It’s got a lot of action, but also some political/royal/court intrigue, some romance (not a huge fan of this, but I’m also not going to hate a book for it), and settings that you can immerse yourself and imagine yourself in. Sabaa delivers and she delivers it so damn well.
First off, I’m a huge fan of Helene and her POV in this novel really brings an extra piece to the story. I think that Laia and Elias’s perspectives were great, but to have Helene; a person dedicated to her job and succeeding, but still grappling with the fact her best friend (and personal crush) is now someone she has to murder. Wow. This is what I’ve come here for. Helene’s story was definitely one of the reasons why I kept reading this book because the addition of this perspective truly made the story way more dynamic.
But it wasn’t the only reason. I think Sabaa Tahir’s ability to get “real” with her story and not only give her characters depth, but also struggle is what made me keep reading. Nothing came easy for her characters and that’s what I find intriguing. For example, this book is a prison break story. I absolutely love these kinds of stories with elaborate prison systems and trials for the characters to endure before finally finding freedom. There was a ruthless warden and enslaved subordinates planning their coup. If the subject wasn’t so serious, I would be delighted like a pig in mud with how that story played out.
And the reveal at the end, OMG! I feel like there’s definitely the reveal of magic in this book and I’m loving the villain. I know I should hate them, but there’s something intriguing about the Nightbringer from the first book that is explored a lot more in this book. I don’t want to spoil it more than I already have, but bringing in the magical elements and the intrigue around the Commandant was one of my favorite parts of this book.
The ending, though. WOW. I think that was the most surprising part (and reminded me a little bit of a movie that had a similar premise? Maybe?) Seriously, this entire book has impressed me so much. There was so much action, but also a lot of growth and heart from the characters. It doesn’t leave you on a cliffhanger, but it will definitely make you pine for the next book. And I can’t wait to read the next one because I need answers. I’m satisfied until then.
Simone and Her Books 