Monthly Book Haul: November 2022

Well, the Orbit review box finally showed up, so I can no longer pretend that I’ve been restrained when it comes to ARC acquisitions! The 2023 review pile is starting to shape up, but I really can’t be tooo mad at it – they’re all awesome looking books. As for my purchases this month, they are all in the service of finishing series, which is always acceptable in my book! So let’s see what I got!

All covers link to Goodreads!

Bought/Gift

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THE LAST GRADUATE by Naomi Novik
Having absolutely loved A DEADLY EDUCATION, it should come as no shock that I had to pick up the sequel. This has already earned a spot on my December 2022 TBR, and I cannot wait to return to the world of SCHOLOMANCE, where studying magic is a necessity if you’re to survive the constant assault of monsters lurking in the hallways trying to kill you.

GIRLS OF FATE AND FURY by Natasha Ngan
As of writing this, I am almost finished with GIRLS OF STORM AND SHADOW, book 2 in the series that began with GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE. GIRLS OF FATE AND FURY will be book 3 in the series, and it’s my goal to finish this series before the year ends. This is a series that began with a girl being taken from her home to be forced into the harem of the Demon King, with her eventually joining up with a brewing rebellion to overthrow his reign. Book 2 has been a bit uneven, but I’m enjoying it enough that I want to finish out the series.

HEAVEN’S QUEEN by Rachel Bach
It has been increasingly grating on me that I have read only two out of three of Rachel Bach’s PARADOX Trilogy, a series I really enjoyed and never finished for no other reason than I never got around to getting the third book. 2023 is the year I change that! With the acquisition of book 3, I have no more excuses. I plan on rereading the first two books and then FINALLY closing out the series in 2023. For those unfamiliar, this is a space adventure that follows a female mercenary who joins on as security with a ship that’s paying an outrageous amount of hazard pay, only to find herself wrapped up in grand conspiracy.

ARCs/Review Copies

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THE INFINITE TOWER by Dorian Hart
This is the fourth book in a planned five book series that reads like an old-school classic fantasy adventure romp. While there are a lot of elements that will be familiar to any D&D player, it still has been a story with plenty of twists and turns. The author managed to pull the rug out from under me in a couple of ways at the end of book 3, so I’m looking forward to seeing where things go in book 4! The fifth and final book is due out in early 2023, so if this sounds like your cup of tea, now is the time to pick it up!

THE ARCHIVE UNDYING by Emma Mieko Candon
Look, I will be honest, I have only the vaguest idea of what’s going on in this book based on the synopsis. There’s robot gods, and mechs piloted by priests, and AI and someone on the run after a cataclysmic event? You know what, just based on the cover, I’ll give this book a shot, especially with an ARC set to me by Tordotcom.

ROOKS AND RUIN Trilogy by Melissa Caruso
I read and enjoyed Melissa Caruso’s SWORDS & FIRE trilogy earlier this year, so I was very happy that Orbit graciously sent me the entire follow-up trilogy! The final book, THE IVORY TOMB releases in December 2022, but I’ll be tackling book one, THE OBSIDIAN TOWER, next month instead. I really enjoyed learning about the Witch Lords in the first trilogy, so an entire trilogy following a character from that kingdom sounds amazing to me!

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THE FOXGLOVE KING by Hannah Whitten
While I had mixed feelings about FOR THE WOLF and FOR THE THRONE, I liked just enough of the lush writing to give Hannah Whitten’s new fantasy romance trilogy a shot. This first book follows a woman who possesses a kind of death magic, one that she’s been keeping secret for years. But when her power is finally revealed, she is dragged to the court of the king and charged with figuring out why entire nearby villages have had their inhabitants die overnight. If this manages to deliver on court politics and romance, I could end up VERY happy with the result.

RUBICON by J.S. Dewes (Hardcopy)
Yes, I squealed about this book last month, but I managed to convince Tor to send me a hard copy ARC of this upcoming sci-fi release, so I had to squeal about it again! For those just tuning in, this is a military sci-fi where one soldier has been brought back to life 96 times and she’s about to get a Virtual Intelligence that makes her life a whole lot more complicated. This is unrelated to Dewes’ previous books, so jump on in!