Hello everyone! Crazy to think that we're all the way done with January. I spent the first half of the month in Dubai with my family, and then the second half of the month recovering from COVID that I acquired from being in Dubai with my family. Nevertheless, I am back and ready to bring you some new releases!
I'm really excited for a bunch of these February releases. I have seven new books I wanted to share with you today. Let's dive in:
1. Your Shadow Half Remains - Suny Moraine (Feb. 6)
Synopsis:
Riley has
not seen a single human face in longer than she can reckon. No faces, no eyes. Not if you want to survive.
But when a new neighbor moves in down the road, Riley’s
overwhelming need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow, in this world where other
people can mean a gruesome, bloody death, Ellis makes her feel safe. As they grow closer, Riley’s grip on
reality begins to slip and she can no longer fight her deepest desires. All Riley wants to do is look.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, so by the end of the month I will have already read it! Check back in soon for my wrap-up reviews.
2. The Tainted Cup - Robert Jackson Bennett (Feb. 6)
Synopsis:
In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all
appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire,
where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once
terrifying and impossible.
Called in to investigate this
mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory.
His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as
among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the
walls of her home.
Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous
appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and
the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one
startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest
detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a
scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle
that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing
intellect.
Why I'm Excited: I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book, and I'm currently reading it right now! I won't finish it before my January wrap-up goes live, so check back in February for my review.
3. Past Crimes - Jason Pinter (Feb. 6)
Synopsis:
Welcome to Earth+. The year is 2037, and nearly all human interactions have migrated to the virtual world. Now, true
crime fans don't just listen to podcasts or watch documentaries - they participate in hyper-realistic simulations
and hunt for clues to solve the most famous and gruesome crimes in history. Criminal entertainment is a
multibillion-dollar industry, and at the forefront is Past known by its millions of fans as the Disneyland of
Death.
Cassie West licenses crimes for V.I.C.E, spending long
hours convincing grieving families to allow her to sell their tragedies to the highest bidder. Life is hard, and the
cost of living high, but she and her husband Harris have never been happier. After years of trying, Cassie is
finally pregnant.
But leaving work late one evening, Cassie
starts to worry. Harris isn't responding to texts or calls. Even worse, dozens of emergency drones seem to be
heading in the same direction as she straight to their home.
What
she finds there changes everything. Soon, Cassie finds herself in a fight for survival, becoming a target in both
the real and virtual worlds. But it's not just her own life at stake. If Cassie can't uncover the truth of what
happened to her husband, thousands more may die . . .
Why I'm Excited: Now THIS is a Sleeper Pick of the Month. Tomorrow is February and fewer than 200 people have added this book to their shelves. But that premise sounds amazing, doesn't it? I really love critiques of the true crime genre obsession and I just need to know more. I don't know how fast I'll be able to find this one, but I'll do it.
4. What Feasts at Night - T. Kingfisher (Feb. 13)
Synopsis:
Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.
After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex
Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead,
as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold,
damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.
In theory, one
can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the
caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers
whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows
better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in
their home. . . or in their dreams.
Why I'm Excited: I really enjoyed What Moves the Dead, and I'm lucky enough to have received an e-ARC of this book. I won't get to it until early February, so check back at the end of that month for my review!
5. An Education in Malice - S.T. Gibson (Feb. 13)
Synopsis:
Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated
and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange
ceremonies welcome students into the fold.
On her first day
of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla.
Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her
own dark obsession with Carmilla.
But as their rivalry
blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister
game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are
willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.
Why I'm Excited: First of all, what a stunning cover. I own A Dowry of Blood and haven't read it yet (shocker), but these two things together were enough to get me interested. And I hadn't even read the plot yet! We all know I'm a dark academia junkie, plus...horror and vampires? I need it now.
6. Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection - Charles Duhigg (Feb. 20)
Synopsis:
Come
inside a jury room as one juror leads a starkly divided room to consensus. Join a young CIA officer as he recruits a
reluctant foreign agent. And sit with an accomplished surgeon as he tries, and fails, to convince yet another cancer
patient to opt for the less risky course of treatment. In
Supercommunicators
,
Charles Duhigg blends deep research and his trademark storytelling skills to show how we can all learn to identify
and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.
Communication is a superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we
speak, we’re actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (
What’s this
really about?
), emotional (
How do we feel?
), and social (
Who are we?
). If you don’t know what
kind
of
conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect.
Supercommunicators know the importance of recognizing—and then matching—each kind of
conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held beliefs that color so much
of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives—and how we see ourselves, and
others—shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work. In this book,
you will learn why some people are able to make themselves heard, and to hear others, so clearly.
Why I'm Excited: This book is written by the guy who authored The Power of Habit which I haven't read (and don't have any intention to), but it's been very well-received. Supercommunicators is much more up my alley. I read a book called Never Split the Difference last year, and while I liked it I didn't really love the hardass sales negotiation tactics it paraded. This seems more like what I wanted that book to be - laden with more anecdotes and psychological explanations - so I'm here to give it another go.
7. The Other Valley - Scott Alexander Howard (Feb. 27)
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Odile is an awkward, quiet girl vying for a coveted seat on the Conseil. If she earns the
position, she’ll decide who may cross her town’s heavily guarded borders. On the other side, it’s the same valley,
the same town--except to the east, the town is twenty years ahead in time. To the west, it’s twenty years behind.
The towns repeat in an endless sequence across the wilderness.
When Odile recognizes two visitors she wasn’t supposed to see, she realizes that the
parents of her friend Edme have been escorted across the border from the future, on a mourning tour, to view their
son while he’s still alive in Odile’s present. Edme––who is brilliant, funny, and the only person to truly see
Odile––is about to die. Sworn to secrecy in order to preserve the timeline, Odile now becomes the Conseil’s top
candidate, yet she finds herself drawing closer to the doomed boy, imperiling her entire future.
Why I'm Excited: I am a tried-and-true time travel hater. However, I really did love Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility last year, so I'm not writing off the trope altogether anymore. And this plot sounds exactly like the next time-warp to dip my toe into. Such a cool and unique concept and I really want to see how it plays out.
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That's all for this month! I'm behind on reviews as per usual but my January wrap-up should be out soon!
Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!