Hello everyone!
I have seven new books I wanted to share with you today. Let's dive in:
1. Thirst - Marina Yuszczuk (Mar. 5)
Synopsis:
It is the
twilight of Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end. In the nineteenth century, a vampire
arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires and, for the second time in her life, watches as villages
transform into a cosmopolitan city, one that will soon be ravaged by yellow fever. She must adapt, intermingle
with humans, and be discreet.
In present-day Buenos Aires, a
woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother's terminal illness and her own relationship
with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women—and
they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.
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. Pelican Girls - Julia Malye (Mar. 5)
Synopsis:
A sweeping
epic in the vein of Philipp Meyer’s The Son and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko and inspired by a true story, this
stunning US literary debut captures the never-before-told journey of the Baleine a ship full of young women
plucked from a Paris asylum and sent to marry settlers in North America's rough Louisiana Territory.
Paris, 1720. La Salpêtrière hospital is in too many occupants, not enough beds. Halfway
across the world, France's colony in the wilds of North America has space to spare and needs families to fill
it. So the director of the hospital rounds up nearly a hundred female “volunteers” of childbearing age—orphans,
prisoners, and mental patients—to be shipped to New Orleans. Among this group are three unlikely a sharp-tongued
twelve-year old orphan, a mute ‘madwoman,’ and an accused abortionist. Charlotte, Pétronille, and Geneviève,
along with the dozens of other women aboard La Baleine, have no knowledge of what lies ahead and no control over
their futures.
Strangers brought together by fate, these brave and fierce young women will face
extraordinary adversity—pirates, slavedrivers, sickness, war—but also the private trauma of heartbreak and
unrequited love, children born and lost, cruelty and unexpected pleasure, and a friendship forged in fire that
will sustain through the years.
Why I'm Excited: I really enjoy historical fiction based on true stories, and I've never heard of this historical event before. This synopsis also talks about themes of female friendships, which I'm realizing isn't something I read a lot of and would like to change!
3. The Devil and Mrs. Davenport - Paulette Kennedy (Mar. 5)
Synopsis:
Missouri,
1955. Loretta Davenport has led an isolated life as a young mother and a wife to Pete, an ambitious assistant
professor at a Bible college. They’re the picture of domestic tranquillity—until a local girl is murdered and
Loretta begins receiving messages from beyond. Pete dismisses them as delusions of a fevered female imagination.
Loretta knows they’re real—and frightening. Defying Pete’s demands, Loretta finds an encouraging supporter in
parapsychologist Dr. Curtis Hansen. He sees a woman with a rare gift, more blessing than curse.
With Dr. Hansen’s help, Loretta’s life opens up to an
empowering new purpose. But for Pete, the God-fearing image he’s worked so hard to cultivate is under threat. No
longer in control of his dutiful wife, he sees the Devil at work. As Loretta’s powers grow stronger and the
pleading spirits beckon, Pete is determined to deliver his wife from evil. To solve the mysteries of the dead,
Loretta must first save herself.
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.
4. Baby X - Kira Peikoff (Mar. 5)
Synopsis:
In the
near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells,
celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace
Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying
ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological
safety.
Ember will do anything she can to protect
her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks–discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes–and has prevented
countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows
she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant
woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.
Why I'm Excited: This is such an absolutely buck-wild concept that I would love to explore the implications of this type of science fiction. It's also being marketed as a mystery/thriller and I just really need to know more right this second.
5. Fruit of the Dead - Rachel Lyon (Mar. 5)
Synopsis:
Camp
counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no
longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a Fortune 500
pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When
Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to
his private island. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself
she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter
seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Rachel
Lyon’s Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The
result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos. Lyon’s
reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for
a haunting and
ecstatic novel that vibrates with lush abandon.
Why I'm Excited: I always do a last minute new release check before finalizing my lists for these blog posts; I usually don't find anything else to add, but this one caught my eye this month. The fact that this is a mythology retelling doesn't make me more or less excited, but the synopsis reminds me a little of Dead Eleven, which I read and enjoyed last year.
6. Diavola - Jennifer Marie Throne (Mar. 26)
Synopsis:
Anna has only two rules for the annual
Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly, and survive.
It
isn’t easy, when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite seem to fit. Her twin brother Benny goes with
the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister Nicole is so used to everyone—including her
blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question.
Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who has paid for
this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.
The gorgeous,
remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness–including Benny’s
demanding new boyfriend (it’s Christopher, not Chris). That is, until things start going off the rails–the strange
noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and, oh, the dark, violent past of the villa
itself.
Why I'm Excited: Okay first we need to acknowledge the absolute chokehold this cover has me in. It's so CREEPY and DREADFUL and it sucked me right in. This blurb says this book is a "wickedly funny vacation Gothic" and I've never heard of that before but the synopsis made me laugh so I'm in. I'm also going to call this my Sleeper Pick of the Month, but it's a Tor Nightfire publication so I don't anticipate any trouble tracking this one down.
7. The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones (Mar. 26)
Synopsis: It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity. But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand.
Why I'm Excited: Horror master Stephen Graham Jones is blessing us with TWO new releases this year. I loved the first book in this trilogy, and bought but haven't read Don't Fear the Reaper . Nevertheless, I just know this book is going to slap and therefore must tell everyone it's coming out this month.
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That's all for this month! I'm excited to get this review out nice and early so you have plenty of time to get excited for March!
Let me know if there are any books you're looking forward to in the comments!