Book Reviews and Recommendations
Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I hope there are still those of you who will enjoy reading my posts again! There have been so many things going on lately that have contributed to my lack of posts, from my computer having issues, to me just not really feeling the motivation to sit down and type on yet another computer after spending 9 hours doing that at work. But I do really enjoy blogging so I’m hoping that I can get back into the habit of posting again! Today I’m going to be sharing some releases for November that sound interesting to me, and hopefully you’ll be able to find some new books to add to your TBR too!
Briar Girls
by Rebecca Kim Wells
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 2nd 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Lena has a secret: the touch of her skin can kill. Cursed by a witch before she was born, Lena has always lived in fear and isolation. But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again…
Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s sheltered world. Miranda comes from the Gather, a city in the forest brimming with magic. She is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler—and she offers Lena a bargain. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse.
Mesmerized by Miranda and her promise of a new life, Lena jumps at the chance. But the deeper into the Silence she goes, the more she suspects she’s been lied to—about her family’s history, her curse, and her future. As the shadows close in, Lena must choose who to trust and decide whether it’s more important to have freedom…or power.
Dreams Lie Beneath
by Rebecca Ross
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 2nd 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Perfect for readers of The Hazel Wood and The Night Circus, this lush and layered story about magic and the captivating power of dreams is delivered with acclaimed author Rebecca Ross’s signature exquisite style.
A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.
Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.
Gilded
by Marissa Meyer
Series: Untitled series #1
Release date: November 2nd 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.
Or so everyone believes.
When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.
Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.
Into the Bloodred Woods
by Martha Brockenbrough
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 2nd 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Once upon a time there was a kingdom and a forest that liked to eat men and a girl who would change everything, but not alone . . .
Except-
There’s no such thing as once upon a time.
In a far away land, populated by were beasts and surrounded by a powerful forest, lies a kingdom about to be sent into chaos. On his deathbed, King Tyran divides his land, leaving half to each of his two children-so they’ll rule together. However, his son, Albrecht, is not satisfied with half a kingdom. And even though his sister, Ursula, is the first born, he decides that as a girl and were bear, she is unfit to rule. So he invades her land, slaughtering her people and most of the were beasts, and claims it for himself. As King Albrecht builds his iron rule and an army of beasts to defend his reign, Ursula is gathering the survivors and making plans to take back the kingdom. Not just her half-the whole thing. Because Albrecht should have never been allowed to sit on the throne, and Ursula is going to take his crown. And if he’s not careful, he might not get to keep his head either.
Year of the Reaper
by Makiia Lucier
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 9th 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
The past never forgets . . .
Before an ambush by enemy soldiers, Lord Cassia was an engineer’s apprentice on a mission entrusted by the king. But when plague sweeps over the land, leaving countless dead and devastating the kingdom, even Cas’ title cannot save him from a rotting prison cell and a merciless sickness.
Three years later, Cas wants only to return to his home in the mountains and forget past horrors. But home is not what he remembers. His castle has become a refuge for the royal court. And they have brought their enemies with them.
When an assassin targets those closest to the queen, Cas is drawn into a search for a killer…one that leads him to form an unexpected bond with a brilliant young historian named Lena. Cas and Lena soon realize that who is behind the attacks is far less important than why. They must look to the past, following the trail of a terrible secret—one that could threaten the kingdom’s newfound peace and plunge it back into war.
Skin of the Sea
by Natasha Bowen
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 9th 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
An unforgettable fantasy debut inspired by West African mythology, this is Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid, in which a mermaid takes on the gods themselves.
A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata–a mermaid–collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi does the unthinkable–she saves his life, going against an ancient decree. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy it.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But something is amiss. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she doesn’t, then she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
The Hidden
by Melanie Golding
Series: Standalone
Release date: November 9th 2021
Genre: Adult, Thriller, Mystery
One dark December night, in a small seaside town, a little girl is found abandoned. When her mother arrives twenty frantic minutes later, authorities release the pair, believing it to be an innocent accident of a toddler running off.
But when a man is found beaten and left for dead in his apartment and a bedroom is discovered to contain a padlock and–most worryingly of all–children’s toys, DS Joanna Harper begins to suspect the little girl on the seafront was not who her mother claimed. Worse, when CCTV footage reveals an image of the pair, Harper realizes she knows the woman almost as well as she knows herself: it’s her estranged daughter, Ruby.
Desperate to reach Ruby before the police find her, Harper knows her deception might just cost her everything. But if it means choosing between her daughter or her career, Harper knows there’s no question. She’ll protect her daughter no matter what. But what Harper doesn’t know is that someone–or something–else is searching for Ruby and the little girl, too. Waiting to bring them home . . . once and for all.
The Bone Shard Emperor
by Andrea Stewart
Series: The Drowning Empire #2
Release date: November 11th 2021
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+
The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.
Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.
But can she trust them?
Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone
by Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander #9
Release date: November 23 2021
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. . . .
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1743, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.
It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible.
Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.
Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family.
Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity—and thus his own—and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his son’s behalf, and his own.
Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have more at stake than ever before.
King of Battle & Blood
by Scarlett St. Clair
Series: Adrian X Isolde #1
Release date: November 30th 2021
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Their Union Is His Revenge.
Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. ⠀
But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. ⠀
Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrain. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort. ⠀
The answer will shatter her world.
What books are you looking forward to in November? I’d love to chat!
I can’t wait for the Bone Shard Emperor!
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Into the Bloodred Woods sounds like it might be interesting.
Amy Campbell’s second in the Tales of the Outlaw Mages series, Effigest, which I read as an ARC, came out November 1st. So I really enjoyed that one, but I’m not exactly looking forward to it! I’ve a number of books on my TBR list, or at least check-out-list (if I can remember them all), but none of them are November releases.
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Just checked, and it looks like another book I’ve been waiting for is coming out in November! Yeah!! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sovereigns-c-e-page/1140472826?ean=9780992554880
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How do some people manage to show cover images in the comments? I was hoping the link would show as the cover image, like it does on some Social Media websites.
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I just looked that series up because I’ve never heard of it before, it sounds interesting!
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It’s been a really fun and interesting read! Not my favourite read ever, but I am very exacting when it comes to placing things in that category, even though I never have favourites. The characters are very human, and that can mean being noble and self-sacrificing, as well as being flawed, and there’s so much depth to them that one sees more and more of as the story progresses. And the pegasi are awesome! And there’s a lot of thoughtfulness on the part of the author that shows in how she presents and works through several key things.
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