My Latest Book Haul. #BookBloggers #BookBlogger #Books #Blogger #Bloggers

These are the latest books that I have received.

As always, my thanks to the publishers and publicists for the books. I am always grateful for each and every book I receive and always slightly baffled too that people choose to send me books!

I took a reading and blogging break for all of February and the beginning of March too and so, I have missed most of the release dates for the books. Simply, shit happens, I needed a break I ramble about it – here and it can’t be helped.

Books received for review consideration:

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The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #1) by K. S. Villoso.

Published by Orbit on February 6th, 2020.

This sounds fantastic, it got rave reviews when it was self-published and Orbit has now picked it up with a few little tweaks (from what I’ve read). However, recently I have read some less favourable reviews too and I have to admit that I’m less sure about the book now.

‘They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me.’

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves, which nearly tore her nation apart. But her arranged marriage with the son of a rival clan should herald peaceful days to come.

However, her fiancé’s sudden departure before their reign begins puts a quick end to those dreams, and the kingdom is fractured beyond repair.

Years later, Talyien receives a message, one that will send her across the sea. What’s meant to be an effort at reconciling the past becomes an assassination attempt. Stranded in a land she doesn’t know, with no idea whom she can trust, Talyien will have to embrace her namesake.

A wolf of Oren-yaro is not tamed.

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A Blight of Blackwings (Seven Kennings #2) by Kevin Hearne.

Published by Orbit on February 6th, 2020.

I loved the first Seven Kennings book, A Plague of Giants and I have high hopes for this, the sequel.

SOLDIER AND AVENGER
Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they’ve lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?

DREAMER AND LEADER
Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.

SISTER AND SEEKER
Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though her crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters. . . 

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Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes.

Published by Orbit on February 13th, 2020.

Sounds like it could be a crazy and fun read.

A debut space opera that features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her misfit crew . . .

Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister is kidnapped, Eva must undergo a series of dangerous missions to pay the ransom. But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship’s hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead, and her engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.

To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she’s built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.

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The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) by A. K. Larkwood.

Published by Tor Books on February 11th, 2020.

I received an ARC of this book at the back end of last year (November if I remember correctly) and have never gotten around to reading it. Colour me shocked when a finished hardback copy arrived a few days ago! 

What if you knew how and when you will die?

Csorwe does–she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.

But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin–the wizard’s loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.

But Csorwe will soon learn–gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.

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The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold.

Published by Orbit on February 4th, 2020.

I recently received an email from the publicist at Orbit asking if I had considered reading/reviewing this book. I had never received a copy of the book! That my friends is a simple enough mystery to solve, the proof copy that I should have received months ago never arrived! Case closed. I actually said no to her sending me another copy of the book as I am snowed under with books to read and told her that yet, here we are and I have a copy of the book, Orbit is too good to their bloggers. 🙂

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are three things you should know before you hire me:

1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal – I’m human myself. But after what happened, it’s not the humans who need my help.

I just want one real case. One chance to do something good. Because it’s my fault the magic is never coming back.

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There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1) by Katy Rose Pool.

Published by Orbit on March 5th, 2020.

I thought that Orbit had stopped sending out surprise book post when they started sending out there ‘publicity email thingy’ at the end of last year. But, lo and behold, a surprise Orbit book arrived on my door. I’ve read online that it is a YA book, me and YA don’t really mix but, the blurb is very enticing and I might have to give it a go.

THE AGE OF DARKNESS APPROACHES. FIVE LIVES STAND IN ITS WAY. WHO WILL STOP IT . . . OR UNLEASH IT?

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations – until they disappeared, one hundred years ago.

But they left behind one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As a dark new power begins to make war on the magically gifted, five souls are set on a collision course that will determine the fate of their world:

A prince exiled from his kingdom
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up

One of them – or all of them – could break the world. Will they be saviour or destroyer?

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Ravencaller (The Keepers #2) by David Dalglish.

Published by Orbit on March 19th, 2020.

Just like with the above book in my book haul, There Will Come a Darkness this was another surprise book courtesy of Orbit and again, I didn’t think that they sent out books anymore unless requested through there ‘publicity email thingy’. I quite enjoyed the first book, Soulkeeper but, I wasn’t overly enthused with it and certainly didn’t love it as much as many other reviewers did (it received an ‘it’s OK/3.5 star rating from me) which was why I didn’t request it on the ‘publicity email thingy’ when it was featured. Yes, I quite enjoyed the first book but, with so many other books out there I didn’t know if I wanted to continue with the series or not. But, as I now have a copy of Ravencaller I can give it a try if and when I feel like it. 😉

In Ravencaller, the action-packed sequel to Soulkeeper, a dark and ancient magic has risen. Monsters, once thought myth, have returned.

And only one warrior-priest can stand against them.

Magical creatures are attacking the capital city, seeking to retake what was once theirs, and no one is safe. Ancient cultists have cursed the highest members of the Church, turning them into twisted abominations. The only hope for a cure lies with Adria Eveson. To learn the cure, she must befriend an imprisoned cultist and guard her heart against his seductive promises and twisted logic.

The fate of all races, human and magical, rest in her hands, and in the choices she makes. Should she choose wrong, only one person stands in her way: her brother, the Soulkeeper Devin Eveson.

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The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Published by Tor on May 28th, 2020.

Another case of some stunning surprise book post, Tchaikovksy is an author that I really need to read!

They thought we were safe. They were wrong.

Four years ago, two girls went looking for monsters on Bodmin Moor. Only one came back.

Lee thought she’d lost Mal, but now she’s miraculously returned. But what happened that day on the moors? And where has she been all this time? Mal’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by MI5 officers either, and Lee isn’t the only one with questions.

Julian Sabreur is investigating an attack on top physicist Kay Amal Khan. This leads Julian to clash with agents of an unknown power – and they may or may not be human. His only clue is grainy footage, showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

Dr Khan’s research was theoretical; then she found cracks between our world and parallel Earths. Now these cracks are widening, revealing extraordinary creatures. And as the doors crash open, anything could come through.

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Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida.

Published by Quirk Book son May 5th, 2020.

Some more surprise book post and I have to admit that I’m not entirely sure what to make of the book as it really doesn’t sound like something that I would read!

When Mia wakes up in a Long Beach hospital with a head wound, she knows everything there is to know about the Kardashian-Jenner family but almost nothing about herself. The only items in her possession are her torn party dress which immediately begs the question, what kind of girl parties on a Tuesday night? a tube of Chanel lipstick, and an iPhone with a shattered screen. She might not remember where she lives but she can use her Instagram account to work backward to piece together the basic facts of her identity. Easy enough, right? Instagram tells her that she lives in a Millennial-pink duplex that would make Kylie Jenner jealous. But when she arrives, she discovers a cute housesitter named Max who tells her the house actually belongs to JP, a French billionaire and he has no idea how she s connected to him. After some sleuthing, she discovers she s the owner of a high-end matchmaking service. Could JP be one of her investors? As Mia works backward through her Instagram to figure out who she really is and find anyone who knows anything about her she discovers an ugly truth buried within her perfect social media image. Is it too late to undo her lies online and become an IRL good person?

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Mother of Daemons (The Sunsurge Quartet #4) by David Hair.

Published by Jo Fletcher on March 5th, 2020.

A surprise ARC and then, a couple of weeks later a surprise finished copy of this arrived too. I haven’t read the previous books, I’m fairly sure that I have an ARC of the third book somewhere and didn’t read it as I hadn’t read the first two books in the series. Truth be told, I hadn’t actually heard of the series until the third book arrived and now I have the fourth and final book in the series too.😂

She’s the Empress of the Fall . . . and her empire is falling apart.

Lyra, Queen of Rondelmar, has fought enemies without and within, dealt with grief and loss, embraced forbidden magic, found her father and borne a child – and still it isn’t enough. Her enemies are on the march and the Rondian Empire is collapsing.

But a more dangerous adversary is out there . . . and he is winning.

Ervyn Naxius, amoral genius, has unleashed war on two continents and is now laughing as the world of Urte tears itself apart. Kings and priests dance to his tune and his daemonic followers are spreading through the lands, but still he isn’t satisfied. His ultimate goal – absolute control of all life – is finally within his reach . . .

Are these the Last Days, when the daemons rise up to claim the world?

From snowbound Mollachia to the beleaguered walls of Norostein, from the poisonous court of the new sultan to the deadly intrigues of Pallas, the omens are clear. Only Lyra and a handful of other heretical dwymancers have grasped the true danger – and they won’t give up until every last hope is buried . . .

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Competition win:

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann (translated by Jamie Bulloch).

Published by Quercus on May 14th, 2020.

I think that this sounds like it could be a really good thriller.

You escaped. But your nightmare has just begun.

This thriller starts where others end.

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena’s life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.

One day Lena manages to flee – but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called ‘Lena’, who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena’s family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn’t quite seem to fit.

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From the charity bookcase:

The Guardians by John Grisham.

I’ve never read Grisham before but this caught my eye and the blurb sounds really good.

He was framed for murder.
Now he needs a miracle.

22 years ago Quincy Miller was sentenced to life without parole. He was accused of killing Keith Russo, a lawyer in a small Florida town. But there were no reliable witnesses and little motive. Just the fact that Russo had botched Quincy’s divorce case, that Quincy was black in a largely all-white town and that a blood-splattered torch was found in the boot of Quincy’s car. A torch he swore was planted. A torch that was conveniently destroyed in a fire just before his trial.

The lack of evidence made no difference to judge or jury. In the eyes of the law Quincy was guilty and, no matter how often he protested his innocence, his punishment was life in prison.

Finally, after 22 years, comes Quincy’s one and only chance of freedom. An innocence lawyer and minister, Cullen Post, takes on his case. Post has exonerated eight men in the last ten years. He intends to make Quincy the next.

But there were powerful and ruthless people behind Russo’s murder. They prefer that an innocent man dies in jail rather than one of them. There’s one way to guarantee that. They killed one lawyer 22 years ago, and they’ll kill another without a second thought.

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Purchased:

No One Home by Tim Weaver.

Published in paperback by Penguin on February 20th, 2020.

I love the sound of this. It is the tenth in the series, I haven’t read any of the previous books but, I do have the previous book, You Were Gone to read too.

Nine neighbours gather for a dinner party. But by the next morning, they have all disappeared without a trace.

No bodies, no evidence, no clues.

Two and a half years later, it remains a mystery. Desperate for answers, the families of the missing turn to investigator David Raker.

How did an entire village vanish overnight?

And is he looking for nine missing people, or nine dead bodies?

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