I LOOK FORWARD TO READING AND REVIEWING THE FOLLOWING TITLES:)

Hey Friends! This month will be a little different for me, because I am about to go on vacation. YES!

So this is the plan: I will be catching up with a few books that I have been eyeing on my shelf for a long time and thanks to my super awesome friends and the twitter book community who have helped me to narrow down the choices (let it be known there are fantastic books still to be read from that list, but I can’t bring them all) , I am planning to read the following books:

This book right here was the absolute front runner recommended!

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy

Author: John Gwynne

Hardcover, 672 pages

Published December 6th, 2012

Publishing House: Tor (first published December 1st 2012)

A black sun is rising …

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors under King Brenin’s rule, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed shields in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.

High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Some are skeptical, fighting their own border skirmishes against pirates and giants. But prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

This book I need in the mix because I love historical backgrounds :)

Genre: Historical Fiction / Fantasy

Author: Jordanna Max Brodsky

Paperback, 544 pages

Published January 29th 2019

Publishing House: Redhook

A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.

"There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale."

Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people.

But the gods have stopped listening and Omat's family is starving. Alone at the edge of the world, hope is all they have left.

Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she meets a Viking warrior and his strange new gods, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world...or save it.

And of course…another MUST! Been eyeing it for a while now!

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy

Author: Sam Hawke

Paperback, 559 pages

Published July 3rd, 2018

Publishing House: Tor Books

This amazing epic fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Naomi Novik.

I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me... Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible Heir. Quiet. Forgettable. In secret, he's a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from treachery. When the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the Heir and save their city-state.
But treachery lurks in every corner, and the ancient spirits of the land are rising...and angry.

However

I am unfortunately not going on a beach vacation or other lovely retreat. I am traveling overseas to visit my mother and other family I have not seen in 7 years. As I am looking at it, this is turning out to be somewhat of a long reunion and I fear I won’t have as much time to read (understandably so) and may not achieve any reading goals. Therefore, I am keeping it casual and my options open :)

I just began Senlin Ascends as it was available on Overdrive, and I am already loving it!

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy

Author: Josiah Bancroft

Paperback, 448 pages

Published January 16th, 2018

Publishing House: Orbit (first published February 18th 2013)

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists, residents, and miscreants.

Senlin is determined to find Marya, but to do so he'll have to navigate madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just endure.

This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Netgalley

I read Amy Trueblood’s debut novel Nothing But Sky and am happy to be approved for her second novel that is due to publish in November. Check it out!

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Author: Amy Trueblood

Paperback, 360 pages

Expected publication: November 5th, 2019

Publishing House: Flux

The last thing eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy wants is to be a nun. It’s 1936, and as the only daughter amongst four sons, her Irish–Catholic family is counting on her to take her vows—but Willa’s found another calling. Each day she sneaks away to help Doctor Katherine Winston in her medical clinic in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Keeping secrets from her family only becomes more complicated when Willa agrees to help the doctor at a field hospital near the new bridge being built over the Golden Gate. Willa thinks she can handle her new chaotic life, but as she draws closer to a dashing young ironworker and risks grow at the bridge, she discovers that hiding from what she truly wants may be her biggest lie of all.