Can't-Wait Wednesday: Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin, Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen, & The Fire Within Them by Matthew Ward

       

 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.

Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin
Publication: June 18th, 2024
St. Martin's Press
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons. To cap off her shifts, she runs money for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most powerful gang in the city. A position her grandmother is pressuring her to inherit…

When a series of cabaret dancers are targeted―the attacker stealing their faces―Jingwen fears she could be next. And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price.

Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers―women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends―Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld. In this treacherous realm of tangled alliances and ancient grudges, silver-armed gangsters haunt every alley, foreign playboys broker deals in exclusive back rooms, and the power of gods is wielded and traded like yuan. Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones."

I've just finished an ARC of this and it's not quite what I expected, but still a really interesting premise! I'm excited for it to be released. 

Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Spiegel & Grau
Paperback. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"As a child in Beijing in the 1970s, Lai lives with her family in a lively, working-class neighborhood near the heart of the city. Thoughtful yet unassuming, she spends her days with her friends beyond the attention of her Her father is a reclusive figure who lingers in the background, while her mother, an aging beauty and fervent patriot, is quick-tempered and preoccupied with neighborhood gossip. Only Lai's grandmother, a formidable and colorful maverick, seems to really see Lai and believe that she can blossom beyond their circumstances.

But Lai is quickly awakened to the harsh realities of the Chinese state. A childish prank results in a terrifying altercation with police that haunts her for years; she also learns that her father, like many others, was broken during the Cultural Revolution. As she enters adolescence, Lai meets a mysterious and wise bookseller who introduces her to great works-Hemingway, Camus, and Orwell, among others-that open her heart to the emotional power of literature and her mind to thrillingly different perspectives. Along the way, she experiences the ebbs and flows of friendship, the agony of grief, and the first steps and missteps in love.

A gifted student, Lai wins a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University where she soon falls in with a theatrical band of individualists and misfits dedicated to becoming their authentic selves, despite the Communist Party's insistence on conformity-and a new world opens before her. When student resistance hardens under the increasingly restrictive policies of the state, the group gets swept up in the fervor, determined to be heard, joining the masses of demonstrators and dreamers who display remarkable courage and loyalty in the face of danger. As 1989 unfolds, the spirit of change is in the air…

Drawn from her own life, Lai Wen's novel is mesmerizing and haunting-a universal yet intimate story of youth and self-discovery that plays out against the backdrop of a watershed historic event. Tiananmen Square captures the hope and idealism of a new generation and the lasting price they were willing to pay in the name of freedom."

This sounds like some incredible historical fiction and I can't wait to have a chance to check it out. 

The Fire Within Them (The Soulfire Saga #2) by Matthew Ward
Publication: June 11th, 2024
Orbit
Paperback. 592 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"The second book in the action-packed new trilogy from epic fantasy author Matthew Ward, the Soulfire Saga is set in a world ruled by an immortal king, where souls fuel magic and a supernatural mist known as the Veil threatens to engulf the land. Perfect for readers of John Gwynne and Anthony Ryan.

The sprawling Kingdom of Khalad stands alone. Severed from the rest of the world by an ancient, arcane war, its folk toil behind a wall of living mist, beholden to an undead king and his barons.

But hope lies with two Kat, an accomplished thief, and Vallant, a rebel and folk hero. Together they will light a fire that will burn away the corruption and tyranny of King Diar's rule.

But only if they succeed . . ."

I need to catch up on this series because I'm excited to see what's next from Matthew Ward!

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward & The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor

     

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 Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward
Publication: November 7th, 2023
Orbit
Paperback. 576 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"The first in an exciting, action-packed new trilogy from epic fantasy author Matthew Ward,  The Darkness Before Them introduces readers to a world ruled by a dangerous immortal king, where souls fuel magic, and a supernatural mist known as the Veil threatens to engulf the land.

These are dark times for the Kingdom of Khalad. As the magical mists of the Veil devour the land, the populace struggles beneath the rule of ruthless noble houses and their uncaring immortal king.

Kat doesn’t care about any of that. A talented thief, she’s pursuing one big score that will settle the debt that destroyed her family. No easy feat in a realm where indentured spirits hold vigil over every vault and treasure room. However, Kat has a unique she can speak to those spirits, and even command them. And she has no qualms using her power to her advantage.

Kat’s not a hero. She just wants to be free. To have her old life back. But as rebellion rekindles and the war for Khalad’s future begins, everyone—Kat included—will have to pick a side."

I enjoyed Matthew Ward's previous trilogy, which was a pretty huge epic fantasy with tons of characters and really intricate world-building and magic system, so I'm excited to see what he comes up with for this next one!

The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor
Publication: November 28th, 2023
Park Row
Paperback. 304 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Last night I dreamt I went to Malibu again…

The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel—a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca—was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA.

At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.

With as many twists and turns as the California coast, The Fiction Writer is a page-turner that explores the boundaries of creative freedom and whose stories we have the right to tell."

I hear this one is a little crazy and ridiculous, which sounds like an entertaining time to me! I'm always a bit of sucker for premises like these, so I'm curious to see how it'll be.

Review: Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward
Orbit

Publication Date: April 9th, 2020

Hardcover. 320 pages

About Legacy of Ash:

"A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

While the armies of the Hadari Empire invade the borderlands, the Republic's noble families plot against each other, divided by personal ambition. 

But as Tressia falls, heroes rise.

Viktor Akadra is the Republic's champion and conqueror of the rebellious south. A warrior without equal, he also hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic. Josiri Trelan would gladly see Viktor condemned to the flames - vengeance for a rebellion crushed and a mother slain. And while Josiri plots fresh insurrection, his sister, Calenne, is determined to escape their tarnished legacy and break the shackles of the past. 

As dark days beckon, these three must overcome their differences to save the Republic. Yet decades of bad blood are not easily set aside. Victory - if it comes at all - will command a higher price than they could have imagined."

I really wasn't sure what to expect from Legacy of Ash--an epic fantasy debut that's nearly 800 pages is no joke--and although it took a little while to get fully acquainted with the world, once I was hooked I didn't want to stop reading it. This is a perfect example of modern epic fantasy in my opinion: it has some classic fantasy vibes and general ideas, but it's incredibly innovative and has some really exciting characters and storylines.

Legacy of Ash has a wide cast of characters and POVs that jump around a decent bit. The main focuses are Viktor, Josiri, Calenne, Melnna, and possibly a few more that I'm overlooking. I was a bit intimidated at first by all of the different character viewpoints, but as I started to get more into the story I found myself being able to more easily distinguish between each character and become more invested in their storylines. It did take a while to get to this point, as there are so many names and details to remember, but it was worth it for me personally once I got to that point. I think one of my favorite things about this book is that we get to see POVs from almost all sides (though it is a bit lacking in viewpoints from the more 'regular' classes of people), so we get a good understanding for the motivations behind the battles and discord, as well as an ability to become invested in both sides for various reasons--and maybe lost some support for certain sides!

Without getting into too many unneeded details for a review, Legacy of Ash centers around the Tressia, the Southerners, and the Hadari. The Tresia and Southerners have a long history of hatred between one another, and then the Hadari are essentially a third external threat that is threatening to attack the other two. We get to see characters from all three sides, which I appreciate, and I love how Ward made each section so well-developed that you can mostly understand motivations from all sides. By the end of the book I had really grown to be invested in the lives of most of the characters and it has made me really curious to find out what's going to be next, especially after the epic events of this book.

Ward's world-building was vast and exceptionally well-done. There's plenty of myth and history to give this world background and grounding, as well as current tensions and conflicts to keep the story going. I'm not sure that I fully understood how the magic system worked, but I was immersed in it nonetheless and am curious to see how it continues to develop. If you like your epic fantasy filled with politics and conflicts of all types, then you will have a great time with this book because it is overflowing with political intrigue and some captivating conflicts between characters and territories. There are also some truly epic battle scenes that were far extremely compelling and really added to the impact of other story events.

Ward has a very clear prose style that makes this book easy to fall into, though I will say that there was still something just a little bit rough around the edges about the writing. There were occasional places where dialogue or description felt awkward, but over 800 pages those ended up being less noticeable than they would've been in another book. That being said, since this is an epic fantasy debut it definitely just feels like Ward is figuring out his voice and I have the highest of hopes for the sequel.

Overall, I've given Legacy of Ash four stars! I look forward to seeing what Ward will bring next to this series.

*I received a copy of Legacy of Ash courtesy of Orbit in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the novel.*

Amazon | Book Depository  | IndieBound

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward & A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price

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: 

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward
Publication: November 7th, 2019

Orbit

Hardcover. 784 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

**Please note that the above are affiliate links!

From Goodreads:

"A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

While the armies of the Hadari Empire invade the borderlands, the Republic’s noble families plot against each other, divided by personal ambition. 

But as Tressia falls, heroes rise.

Viktor Akadra is the Republic’s champion and conqueror of the rebellious south. A warrior without equal, he also hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic. 

Josiri Trelan would gladly see Viktor condemned to the flames – vengeance for a rebellion crushed and a mother slain. And while Josiri plots fresh insurrection, his sister, Calenne, is determined to escape their tarnished legacy and break the shackles of the past. 

As dark days beckon, these three must overcome their differences to save the Republic. Yet decades of bad blood are not easily set aside. Victory – if it comes at all – will command a higher price than they could have imagined."

As usual, I am always up for checking out some big new epic fantasy and Legacy of Ash sounds like that's exactly what it is!

and...

A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price

Publication: November 5th, 2019

Tor

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

**Please note that the above are affiliate links!

From Goodreads:

"10 Years. 3 Gangs. 1 Girl’s Epic Quest… 

An extraordinary debut set in San Francisco and inspired by The Iliad… 

Valerie Simons knows the city's gang wars are dangerous—her own brother was killed by the Boars two years ago. But nothing will sway her from joining the elite and beautiful Herons to avenge his death—a death she feels responsible for. 

But when Valerie is recruited by the mysterious Stags, their charismatic and volatile leader Jax promises to help her get revenge. Torn between old love and new loyalty, Valerie fights to stay alive as she races across the streets of San Francisco to finish the mission that got her into the gangs."

I'm typically not drawn to fantasy set in our modern world, but there's something about this premise that just really intrigues me.

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?