March 2021 Book Haul

I clearly had very little success with restraint this month. I mean, VERY LITTLE. ARCS EVERYWHERE. But with covers like these, how was I to stop myself? And after landing a healthy amount of sci-fi ARCs, my pile is very clearly taking a fantasy bent this month. We’ve got Vikings, we’ve got sapphic romance, we’ve got fairy tale retellings. So let’s dive in!

Bought

THE THIEF WHO KNOCKED ON SORROW’S GATES by Michael McClung
In my quest to read a self-published book every month, I decided to continue on with the AMRA THETY series, which meant buying the third book! This series has been great for keeping up with my self-published goal since they’re fairly short and therefore easy to squeeze into the middle of the 500+ page tomes I somehow keep finding myself reading. In this one, Amra finds herself drawn back to her home town to settle some old debts. I’ve already read the book and had a great time!

Physical ARCs

  

THE SHADOW OF THE GODS by John Gwynne
Here it is, my first John Gwynne! One day I will go back and read his other books, but for now, jumping into his new trilogy full of dragons and Viking-inspired warriors seemed like the perfect place for me to start. The jacket description is a bit vague, but from what I can gather, the gods have all but destroyed themselves, leaving new powers to rise in their wake as three humans pursue quests of vengeance and fame. I’m sure I’m doing an inadequate job of describing the plot, so instead just…look at that cover. LOOK at it!!

THE JASMINE THRONE by Tasha Suri
And now for some fantasy with sapphic romance vibes! Tasha Suri already wrote a delightful fantasy romance duology (EMPIRE OF SAND and REALM OF ASH), though the books were only loosely connected. Now she’s kicking off a full trilogy, this time starring an imprisoned princess and a handmaiden with a secret power. When the princess finds out what her handmaiden can do, she decides it’s the perfect tool to overthrow her despotic brother. This book is THICK, but I really enjoyed Suri’s writing previously, so I expect a lot of sinking into prose in my future.

   

FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Witten
I also have a fantasy romance retelling of Red Riding Hood on the docket! Except this time, the Red analogue is a second daughter who is to be sacrificed to a creature known as the Wolf in the Wood. Except the Wolf in the Wood turns out to be a man, and Red has a dangerous power she can’t control. Yeah, this sounds exactly like something I need in my life.

THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF by Christopher Buelman
I tried so very very hard to cut myself off for ARC requests in May, but this book kept slipping into my feed as a fantastic fantasy adventure, and so I cracked and requested it on NetGalley. And then because I always prefer hardcopy if I can get it, I wrote to Tor and asked for a physical ARC and by Jove, it actually showed up! In this one, a thief and a knight cross paths and become entangled in each others problems. Sounds like a good starting point!

eARCs

   

HALL OF BONES by Tim Hardie
A new self-published book to my pile! This is a review copy for a book that’s already out, so if the cover and premise intrigue you, go seek it out! Seven ruling clans have fought with each other for decades, but one has recently fallen to a dark, evil presence, one that threatens to spread to the other clans. The second book, SUNDERED SOULS, will be out in June 2021.

SIX CRIMSON CRANES by Elizabeth Lim
I haven’t been picking up a lot of YA lately, more due to lack of time than anything else. But when I saw that Elizabeth Lim had a new book coming out, I slammed that request button! SIX CRIMSON CRANES is set in the same world as SPIN THE DAWN, a fantasy that pulled from both Chinese and Arabian mythology and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Look for a review (and this release) in Summer 2021!

And that’s my haul!! What did you pick up this month?