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| A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson BennettIn this third in the Ana and Din Mysteries series, the great detective Ana Dolabra and her assistant Din have to de-escalate a conflict between rival families by exonerating one family's eldest son of murder before all-out war erupts.
Fans of the immersive setting and sharp character writing of the previous series entries will want to keep digging for more. Read next: Malka Older's Mossa and Pleiti series or Melissa Caruso's Echo Archives series.
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The Witches of Cambridge (a Read with Jenna Pick)
by Alice Hoffman
The brand-new series from the bestselling author of Practical Magic, following two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.
Review: "Hoffman’s (The Invisible Hour, 2024) latest sagely bewitching immersion in New England history, magic, misogyny, and resistance incisively parallels the colonial assaults against women accused of witchery with McCarthyism and its witch hunts targeting communists, educators, creatives, and gay men. Spiked with fascinating facts, incandescent with lush evocations of nature and the supernatural, and propelled by ravishing and suspenseful struggles for love against all odds, this is an enrapturing, illuminating, and slyly relevant saga." ~Donna Seaman, Booklist
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| Witch Daughter by Tanaz BhathenaWith her father, the king, in failing health, and rumors of witchcraft hampering her marital prospects, Princess Tahmineh's situation is precarious. She seeks to fulfill a prophecy that she will marry and bear the son of a great warrior, but when tragedy strikes, Tahmineh is caught in the crossfire and must choose what to protect most.
For fans of: female-focused mythical retellings with complex characters such as Louisa Morgan's The Faerie Morgana.
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| Palaces of the Crow by Ray NaylerIn this speculative alternate history of World War II, the blitzkrieg of 1941 brings together a Polish deserter, a Roma horse trader, a nonspeaking boy of unknown history, and a Jewish village girl with a strong connection to a murder of crows. Together, they work to survive the winter wilderness while evading enemy forces, guided by the crows who are more intelligent than they seem.
This "impassioned paean to togetherness" (Publishers Weekly) and resilience will please fans of Kira Jane Buxton's similarly corvid-centric Hollow Kingdom. |
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Daggerbound
by T. Kingfisher
Learned Edmund, a disillusioned scholar, is transporting yet another precious relic from one stuffy temple to a different stuffy temple. Another great adventure for the ages... But when Edmund is set upon by bandits, he breaks the cardinal rule and grabs for the relic, an ancient sword. To his surprise, instead of unsheathing a rusty, ancient weapon, an alarmingly handsome man appears, wielding daggers of blue steel and cutting the thieves down. This man is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who's been trapped for centuries in a sword of enchanted steel. But while the Dervish may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, and dragons, he may find it harder to protect his own heart.
For fans of Marie Roche's Bromantasy, Ruby Dixon's Bull Moon Rising and E.B. Asher's This Will Be Fun.
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| A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole LemonSalomé has long been plagued by her spiritual visions and uncontrollable magic powers. When she flees the convent she was raised in to find her missing sister, her path intertwines with Lord Death. The Lord takes her to his home and promises to help her control her magic -- but any promise from Death must come with a price.
Readers who enjoy gritty and dark fantasy stories about heroes reclaiming their power from abusive environments will be eager to read A Dark and Wild Wood. Try this next: Teagan Olivia King's Bitterbloom. |
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Between Two Fires
by Christopher Buehlman
After a Black Plague orphan predicts a coming apocalypse, Thomas, a disgraced knight, finds himself in the middle of a second war on heaven as angels fight demons.
Review: "Buehlman, who drew upon his love of Fitzgerald and Hemingway in his acclaimed Southern horror novel, Those Across the River (2011), slips effortlessly into a different kind of literary sensibility, one that doesn't scrimp on earthy humor and lyrical writing in the face of unspeakable horrors. The power of suggestion is the author's strong suit, along with first-rate storytelling talent. An author to watch, Buehlman is now two for two in delivering eerie, offbeat novels with admirable literary skill." ~staff, Kirkus Reviews
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The Everlasting
by Alix E. Harrow
Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion's greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children's books and recruiting posters--but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory--failed soldier, struggling scholar--falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives--and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.
Review: "Harrow (Starling House) once again skillfully writes a story of love, loss, and choosing one's own path, no matter what anyone else says (or writes). Her epic worldbuilding balances the intimate lives of remarkable characters to create another immersive novel." ~Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal
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Ninth House
by Leigh Bardugo
Surviving a horrific multiple homicide, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks is unexpectedly offered a full scholarship to Yale, where her mysterious benefactors task her with monitoring the university’s secret societies.
Review: " This atmospheric contemporary novel steeped in the spirit of a mystical New Haven is part mystery, part story of a young woman finding purpose in a dark world, and is the first in a potential series." ~Anna Mickelsen, Booklist
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The Library at Mount Char
by Scott Hawkins
Carolyn and a dozen other children being raised by "Father," a cruel man with mysterious powers, begin to think he might be God, so when he dies, they square off against each other to determine who will inherit his library, which they believe holds the power to all Creation.
Review: "Hawkins has created a fascinating, unusual world in which ordinary people can learn to wield breathtaking power and he's also written a compelling story about love and revenge that never loses sight of the human emotions at its heart. A wholly original, engrossing, disturbing, and beautiful book. You've never read anything quite like this, and you won't soon forget it." ~staff, Kirkus Reviews
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Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir
Lesbian swordswoman Gideon Nav, indentured servant in the House of the Ninth; and her nemesis, necromancer Lady Harrowhark Nonegesimus, who may be her best shot at freedom. This edgy, irreverent debut boasts a foul-mouthed, snarky heroine; an enemies-to-not-quite-lovers plot; a murder mystery in the midst of an interplanetary competition; and necromancy.
For fans of the revenge plot of Jay Kristoff's Nevernight Chronicle; the protagonist and atmosphere of Nicole Kornher-Stace's Archivist Wasp.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665forsythlibrary.org |
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