Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Thank you Disney Publishing, Tundra Books, Inkyard Press, and Penguin Teen Canada for providing copies of these books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1)
Author: Chloe Gong
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★
The first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai.
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
Shanghai, 1931: Four years ago Rosalind Lang was brought back from the dead, with a drug that stops her from aging, sleeping, and allows her to heal quickly from any wound. She uses her new abilities to work as an assassin for the Nationalists under the code name Fortune. However, when there are a series of strange murders throughout the city, Rosalind’s mission changes. She must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong. Rosalind doesn’t trust him with her true identity, but she’s willing to work with him for the mission. As they investigate the murders, they discover they both have secrets that are connected to the bigger conspiracy happening in the city.
This book was an exciting beginning to this duology set in the world of These Violent Delights. I loved seeing the characters again. Rosalind and her sister Celia were intriguing in These Violent Delights but they weren’t the main characters, so I’m glad they get a larger role in this series. At the beginning, it was a little confusing to figure out who was on which side of the Nationalists and Communists, especially since there were many double agents with multiple identities. However, there were so many twists near the end of the story that I didn’t want it to end! I’m so excited to read the next book!
Foul Lady Fortune is another great story by Chloe Gong!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book!
Content warnings: death, stabbing, gun violence, death of sibling (mention), parental abandonment
Have you read Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1)? What did you think of it?
Title: DeadEndia: The Broken Halo
Author: Hamish Steele
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, LGBTQ
Publisher: Union Square and Co.
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Rating: ★★★★
Norma Khan has been split in two . . . literally! Dead End, the haunted hotel attraction at Phoenix Parks, has been rebuilt following the epic destruction that occurred there when Norma and her friends Barney and Pugsley saved the world. Unfortunately, Norma can’t keep herself together as a result. Not only is her friendship with Barney on the rocks, but she can’t seem to keep her own ghost inside her body. When Norma feels like she’s about to lose it all, her irksome friend and demon, Courtney, steps in to provide some unexpected support—though they are battling their own issues with identity and sense of belonging.
Meanwhile, Barney can’t face going back to Phoenix Parks and is mourning the loss of his beloved friend Pugsley. When his boyfriend, Logan, urges him to get a job, an opportunity from the demon planes comes knocking, and soon Barney is climbing the ladder of success in the Demon Wrestling Federation. Barney’s glory in the ring quickly comes crashing down when the friends discover they’ve stepped into an eons old battle between the demons and the angels. Can they keep their relationships and sense of self intact while doing battle with the forces of good AND evil?
Part workplace comedy, part supernatural horror adventure, with a splash of LGBTQ+ romance, The Broken Halo is perfect for fans of author Hamish Steele’s TV series Dead Paranormal Park who are in search of more adventures, for graphic novel lovers who want more diversity in their reads, or for anyone who has finished The Watcher’s Test and is ready for the next entry in the zany, creative, and laugh-out-loud funny world of DeadEndia.
Dead End, the haunted house at Phoenix Parks, was rebuilt after the tragic end of The Watcher’s Test. Norma can now split into a ghost and her relationship with Barney is still rocky. Barney isn’t ready to return to Phoenix Park yet, but he becomes a fighter in the Demon Wrestling Federation which earns him a lot of money. His success comes to a crashing halt when he’s set up for a dangerous fight. Norma, Barney, and their other friends must reunite to save the multi-planes of angels and demons.
This was a great second book in the DeadEndia series. I really liked seeing the characters again. Barney is trans, but that wasn’t as big of a plot point in this book as in the first. When the story went to the multi-planes and the battles between the angels and demons, the story drifted away from the main plot of Barney and Norma dealing with demons at the haunted house. I would have liked to see more of the fun stories that were in the first book. However, I loved the cliffhanger ending. I hope there will be another book in the series!
DeadEndia: The Broken Halo is a great graphic novel!
Thank you Union Square and Co. for sending me a copy of this book!
Have you read DeadEndia: The Broken Halo? What did you think of it?
Happy Pub Day to these authors!
Thank you Inkyard Press, Forever, Simon Teen, Union Square and Co., Simon and Schuster Canada, Penguin Random House Canada, Penguin Teen Canada, Dundurn Press, Frenzy Books, Wednesday Books, Tor Books, and Raincoast Books for providing copies of these books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: Athena’s Child
Author: Hannah Lynn
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mythology, Retelling
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★
For readers of Madeleine Miller and Claire Heywood comes the story of the most infamous monster of Greek mythology: Medusa.
First, they loved her. Then, they abused her. Finally, they made her a villain.
Gifted and burdened with stunning beauty, young Medusa seeks sanctuary with the Goddess Athena. But when she catches the eye of the lecherous but mighty Poseidon, she is beyond protection. Powerful men rarely answer for their actions, after all.
Meanwhile, Perseus embarks on a seemingly impossible quest, equipped with only bravado and determination…
Medusa and Perseus soon become pawns of spiteful and selfish gods. Faced with the repercussions of Athena’s wrath, blamed for her assault, Medusa has no choice but to flee and hide. But can she do so without becoming the monster they say she is?
Medusa’s truth has long been lost. History tells of conquering heroes, of men with hearts of gold. Now it is time to hear the story of how history treats women who don’t comply.
Medusa was a beautiful human girl who was sent to Athena’s temple to be a priestess to save her from an early marriage. One day, she was visited by the god Poseidon, who raped her. When Athena discovered that, she punished Medusa by cursing her to turn anyone she looks at to stone. Perseus was born to a human mother as the son of Zeus. When his mother was sent to marry a horrible King, Perseus was given the quest to get the head of Medusa to earn his mother’s freedom. Medusa and Perseus are used as pawns for the gods, but they end up having more in common than expected.
This was a great retelling of Medusa’s story. She is often made to be the villain in stories, but she is actually a victim of the gods. In this story, she was born as a human and made into a Gorgon rather than being born one. I really liked the twist at the end. I didn’t expect it, but it was a nice way to bring the story full circle and connect Medusa and Perseus in an original way.
Athena’s Child is a beautiful retelling of Medusa’s story.
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: rape, spousal abuse, death, death of parents
ead Athena’s Child? What did you think of it?
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