Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem, The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James, & House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig

  

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
Publication: July 18th, 2023
Orbit
Paperback. 523 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen."

An Egyptian-inspired fantasy sounds incredible and I'm really excited for another debut fantasy from new authors!

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James
Publication: July 25th, 2023
John Scognamiglio Book
Paperback. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In this beguiling midcentury historical fiction novel set in 1960s Italy, an ambitious American actress and single mother snags the starring role in a mysterious horror movie shooting on location in a crumbling medieval castle outside Rome...

Readers who enjoy the moody gothic allure of Kate Morton and Silvia Moreno-Garcia or the immersive settings of Lucinda Riley and Fiona Davis will be enthralled by Kelsey James' spellbinding web of intriguing mystery, family secrets, forbidden love, and midcentury Italian flair.

Rome, 1965: Aspiring actress Silvia Whitford arrives at Rome's famed Cinecitt Studios from Los Angeles, ready for her big break and a taste of la dolce vita. Instead, she learns that the movie in which she was cast has been canceled. Desperate for money, Silvia has only one choice: seek out the Italian aunt she has never met.

Gabriella Conti lives in a crumbling castello on the edge of a volcanic lake. Silvia's mother refuses to explain the rift that drove the sisters apart, but Silvia is fascinated by Gabriella, a once-famous actress who still radiates charisma. And the eerie castle inspires Silvia's second chance when it becomes the location for a new horror movie, aptly named The Revenge of the Lake Witch--and she lands a starring role.

Silvia immerses herself in the part of an ingenue tormented by the ghost of her beautiful, seductive ancestor. But when Gabriella abruptly vanishes, the movie's make-believe terrors seep into reality. No one else on set seems to share Silvia's suspicions. Yet as she delves into Gabriella's disappearance, she triggers a chain of events that illuminate dark secrets in the past--and a growing menace in the present . . ."

The premise for this one has absolutely grabbed me and I can't wait to dive into an ARC of this one! I love how mysterious this sounds. 

House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by Erin A. Craig
Publication: July 25th, 2023
Delacorte Press
Hardcover. 544 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . ."

I really adored House of Salt and Sorrows when I read it a number of years ago so I was really surprised and excited to see there was a sequel coming out! I really don't remember all that much from the first book, so maybe I'll have to do a re-read before getting to this one. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR Hopefuls

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's theme is: Summer TBR/Upcoming Summer Releases

It's been a while since I've been able to participate in a Top Ten Tuesday, so I'm excited to join in this week! This week's topic is actually about our anticipated summer 2023 releases, but I misread the dates and already made an entire post with last week's TTT post about our summer TBR, so... we're going with that, instead!  Plus, most of these are being published this summer, so it's sort of a combination of both topics, right? 😉

As I usually say, I don't typically make TBRs because I'm not great at following them in general. I'm a huge mood reader and also have been moving through things a little more slowly than usual lately, but I do have a pile of ARCs that continues to stack up, so I figured I would share some of those that I'm most excited to get to (hopefully) in the next couple months. (There will also be more than ten...)

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker - I actually started this one, but was struggling to get into it since it's quite dense. I'm hoping to pick it back up again sometime soon!

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz - Currently reading this! I'm really enjoying the world and am curious to see where it'll go. 

The Weaver and the Witch by Genevieve Gornichec - Gornichec's The Witch's Heart was a favorite of mine and I have high hopes that this is going t be just as beautifully written. 

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson - A Hercules story!? I'm genuinely surprised there haven't been more in recent years, but I do feel like Greek retellings have been focused on women more so maybe that's why? Regardless, I'm so keen to start reading this one.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem - I think this sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get started on it. 

The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma - I've been hearing a lot of great things about this book, so I'm excited to check it out. 

My Name is Iris by Brando Skyhorse - This is a literary dystopian novel that sounds right up my alley. 

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig - I'm currently reading this and not loving it as much as I expected to, but it's still very classic Chuck Wendig and full of creepiness and atmosphere. 

Camp Damascus by Chuck Wendig - I've been holding onto this ARC for a while to read during summer, and now summer is here so I better get to it. 

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen - I loved The Lavender House and cannot wait to revisit these characters!

The Witches at the End of the World by Chelsea Iversen - I don't actually know all that much about this one, but it sounds really interesting.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James - I've been in desperate need of more historical fiction lately, so I'd love to get to this one sometime soon!

The Sinister Secrets of Singe by Sean Ferrell - I've also been in desperate need of more middle grade. I'm currently reading this as well and it has been much-needed and so much fun. 

And a few that I need to catch up on...

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

Have you read any of these/do you plan on reading any of these? What books are on your summer TBR?

Anticipated July 2023 Releases!

  

Another month, more amazing releases! This year has just been packed with incredible new books, and July is not going to disappoint. I've had the chance to read a number of ARCs from July already and I am so excited to see them all released. I'm currently reading The Sun and the Void and I am loving it so far. I doubt I'll ever catch up on all my ARCs and new releases, but I'm going to try my best. :) What books are you all most excited for in July?

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz  || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Militia House by John Milas  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei  || July 18th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Horses of Fire by A.D. Rhine  || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec  || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem  || July 18th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Sea Elephants by Shastri Akella  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  || July 18th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig  || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle  || July 18th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James  || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James  || July 4th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter  || July 11th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington || July 25th -- Amazon | Bookshop.org

What are your anticipated July releases?

Blog Tour: The Savage Rebellion Trilogy by Matt Wallace, ft. Savage Crowns (#3)

Today I'm thrilled to share my stop on the blog tour for the latest and final installment book in the Savage Rebellion, Savage Crowns! I have been absolutely loving this trilogy, and I'm pleased to say that Savage Crowns is the perfect conclusion to what has been an incredible story. Below you'll find some information about Savage Crowns, a short review, some praise for the entire series, and a bit of information about the author. Huge thanks to Cassidy Sattler at Gallery Books for including me on this blog tour and sending me copies to read!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: SAVAGE CROWNS
Author:  Matt Wallace
Pub. Date: June 13th, 2023
Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press
Pages: 336
Find it: Bookshop.org | Amazon

SYNOPSIS:

"The final installment in Hugo Award–winning author Matt Wallace’s epic and spellbinding Savage Rebellion trilogy about a utopian city with a dark secret—and the underdogs who will expose it, or die trying.

The final war for the nation of Crache has begun.

At the helm of the people’s rebellion is Evie, the Sparrow General. She has been captured by the Skrian, Crache’s vicious army, and is being brought back to the Capitol for punishment. But reinforcements are coming for her.

Dyeawan, who has climbed from street urchin to Crache’s highest seat of power through clever schemes and ruthless bloodshed, finds trouble on every front once she arrives. The rebellion approaches, and there are whispers of a martyr within the city who holds enough sway to stage a coup. If she doesn’t act quickly, her rule will be short-lived.

As the women who hold the nation’s future meet each other from different sides of the battlefield, will they be able to find a shared vision of Crache, or will they destroy each other first?"

     Review:

You can find my reviews for the first two books below:
Savage Legion (#1)
Savage Bounty (#2)

The Savage Rebellion has been a whirlwind of a trilogy and Savage Crowns has proved to be an excellent conclusion to the story. I was sorry to have to say goodbye to all of these characters that I've grown to love so much. 

Savage Crowns picks up pretty quickly after all the tumultuous events of Savage Bounty, and if you, like me, ever struggle to remember some of the finer details of previous books then you'll be please to find out that Matt Wallace provides a quick recap at the beginning of this book. This was the perfect refresher before I was ready to get back into this world. 

When I first read Savage Legion, I was immediately captured by the world and characters that Matt Wallace developed. This world and characters have remained just as strong and compelling as they ere from the start, and I loved getting to see their development and individual arcs. This series is packed with some truly incredible women as the leading protagonists and I think Wallace did a consistently wonderful job of showcasing their individual strengths in a variety of ways that really highlighted them as unique people with their own motivations and goals in place. This series also has had abundant representation from the start, including featuring characters with disabilities and queer rep in ways that felt both natural and proud, and this continues into Savage Crowns. 

This book felt the most action-packed out of all of them, which makes perfect sense since everything that the previous two books have been building up to has finally come to fruition. The pacing is a bit faster in this book than previous ones, but it works well for the story and really helped to keep me on the edge of my seat–I actually ended up flying through this book even faster than I anticipated that I would. I loved how well everything was wrapped up, but at the same time I feel like there is still plenty of possibility for the future if Wallace ever chose to return to this world and/or these characters.

If you haven't had a chance to start reading this series yet, then I highly recommend you pick up Savage Legion and let yourself become immersed in this compelling fantasy series. It's perfect for anyone who loves fantasy with strong characters, an interesting world, and plenty of political intrigue (and especially if you prefer your fantasy <400 pages!). 

So I accidentally took this picture in backwards order for some reason, but regardless of that–how amazing are these covers? I love how bold and strong they are.

Praise for the trilogy:

Praise for Book 1, SAVAGE LEGION: “Impressive tale of swords and super-science [with] multifaceted characterization… Wallace masterfully subverts readers’ expectations, [who] will be left thoroughly satisfied and eager to know what’s to come.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW *

Praise for Book 2, SAVAGE BOUNTY: “Fast-paced action, emotional choices, and non-stop tension through the last page will leave readers immediately clamoring for the trilogy’s final book.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW *

Praise for Book 3, SAVAGE CROWNS: “The captivating finale… features an epic world and showcases hidden power structures, family secrets, and women who believe in a better life for all.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW *

Photo credit:
Edward Earl Norton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Matt Wallace is the Hugo nominated author of Rencor: Life in Grudge City and the Sin du Jour series, and he won a Hugo Award alongside Mur Lafferty for the fancast Ditch Diggers. He’s also penned more than a hundred short stories in addition to writing for film and television. In his youth, he traveled the world as a professional wrestler and unarmed combat and self-defense instructor before retiring to write full time. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki (bio from Simon & Schuster).

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Instagram 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz, Horses of Fire by A.D. Rhine, & The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

     

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz
Publication: July 25th, 2023
Orbit
Paperback. 511 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In a lush world inspired by the history and folklore of South America, a sweeping epic fantasy of colonialism, ancient magic, and two young women's quest for belonging unfolds.

Reina is desperate.

Stuck living on the edges of society, her only salvation lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never known. But the journey is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster.

Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.

Eva Kesare is unwanted.

Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries her best to be perfect and to hide her oddities. But Eva is hiding a secret: magic calls to her. Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet, it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you.

Eva is walking a dangerous path, one that gets stranger every day. And, in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined."

Isn't that cover gorgeous!? I am also so excited about this South American folklore-inspired setting and think this entire premise sounds like it'll make for an incredible new fantasy.

Horses of Fire by A.D. Rhine
Publication: July 25th, 2023
Dutton Books
Paperback. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"I know the stories they will tell. I've heard the echoes of their songs--songs that will outlive us all. But this song is not theirs. It is mine.

Behind the timeless tale you know is the captivating story you never heard: a sweeping epic in which Troy's strong, yet misunderstood women take center stage in the most famous war in history.

Andromache is cast as the doting wife of Prince Hector, yet her Amazon warrior name means "battler of men." The only one with the cunning to outwit the invading Greeks, she must gather a band of outcasts and become the military commander she was born to be before the life she and Hector have built is reduced to ashes. Rhea is a war refugee and a horse whisperer who finally earns a place and sense of belonging in Hector's stables. To save her new home, she must become an unlikely spy and face down a forbidden love that will test all her loyalties. Helen is blamed by all for starting the Trojan War, but no one knows her real story. To escape her tormentor and foil a plot to undermine Hector, Helen must risk everything by revealing her true face to the one who despises her most.

Set in the wider landscape of the late Bronze Age collapse, this realistic and immersive Troy is a perilous battleground for warriors and politicians alike, not a playground where the fate of men and women make sport for gods and goddesses. It's a harrowing novel of palace intrigue, the transcendent bond of female friendship, and the everyday bravery of invisible heroes in times of war.

The women of Troy are threads spinning on a single loom. Can they reweave the tapestry of fate?"

Do we really need more stories focused on the women of Troy? The answer is yes. I love the sound of this one and can't wait to see A.D. Rhine's take on this!

The Sint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
Publication: July 11th, 2023
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 368 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.

Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.

He walked among invisible devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.

Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world."

I've had an ARC of this sitting around for a while now because I've been waiting til closer to its release, but my curiosity is getting far too high for me to wait much longer. This sounds like a really unique story and I have no idea what to expect from it.