On the Horizon | January 2020

Hi friends and happy Wednesday! One of my bookish resolutions for 2020 is to become more intentional with my reading without stifling the ability to choose books on a whim, so I’m going to start posting semi-regularly about books I’m hopeful to pick up in the near future. This doesn’t lock in anything concrete and still allows for mood reads, but gives me a sense of tackling arcs and my owned backlist under accountability from you all. ❤ As I’ve just finished compiling a riveting spreadsheet of all my current TBR advanced or review copies from publishers, I’m in the mood to focus on those today. I’m going to include the cover photo and synopsis for each book today below, and please let me know if you’ve read any of these yourself or are looking forward to them as well!

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I have an e-galley of this, but I also chose it for my Book of the Month #bookbassador choice. This will be my first read from the author, and it sounds like a perfect blend of historical mystery and magical realism!

SYNOPSIS:

Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.

 

Surprising to no one, I had to scoop up an arc of this one due to my love of all things YA murder mystery. This was recommended to fans of Karen M. McManus and Kara Thomas, two of my favorites, so I had to add this. This is the first installment in a new series, and it appears that it was published in the UK prior to the US, so the second book will be releasing across the pond soon.

SYNOPSIS:

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you’ll never expect.

 

Another NetGalley acquisition, because YA fantasy + pirates = trigger finger! My friend Candace gave this one 5 stars, so I’m confident that it’ll be a worthy start to a new series.

SYNOPSIS:

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.

 

Goodreads HQ sent me a package of books and this was one of them. It’s a short, dark read, and the cover is so intriguing!

SYNOPSIS:

Ada and her father, touched by the power to heal illness, live on the edge of a village where they help sick locals—or “Cures”—by cracking open their damaged bodies or temporarily burying them in the reviving, dangerous Ground nearby. Ada, a being both more and less than human, is mostly uninterested in the Cures, until she meets a man named Samson. When they strike up an affair, to the displeasure of her father and Samson’s widowed, pregnant sister, Ada is torn between her old way of life and new possibilities with her lover—and eventually comes to a decision that will forever change Samson, the town, and the Ground itself.

Follow Me to Ground is fascinating and frightening, urgent and propulsive. In Ada, award-winning author Sue Rainsford has created an utterly bewitching heroine, one who challenges conventional ideas of womanhood and the secrets of the body. Slim but authoritative, Follow Me to Ground lingers long after its final page, pulling the reader into a dream between fairytale and nightmare, desire and delusion, folktale and warning.

 

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