Welcome to What I’ve Been Reading Lately, a feature where I’ll be giving short reviews of what I’m currently reading:
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? (Credit: Gallery/Scout Press)
I am finding this unsettling but it is so engrossing and dark that I am having a hard time putting this one down. For readers who enjoy dark and compelling thrillers, you want to pick this one up. And listening to the audiobook of this is also a plus!
The Society For Soulless Girls by Laura Steven
Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in the infamous unsolved North Tower murders at the elite Carvell Academy of the Arts, forcing the school to close its doors.
Now Carvell is reopening, and fearless freshman Lottie Fitzwilliam is determined to find out what really happened. But when her beautiful but standoffish roommate, Alice Wolfe, stumbles upon a sinister soul-splitting ritual in a book hidden in Carvell’s library, the North Tower claims another victim. Is there a killer among them . . . or worse, within them? (Credit: Delacorte Press)
I am loving this YA sapphic retelling of Jekyll and Hyde. Steven has just a way with words and creating a mysterious and relatable story that reflects that it’s ok to be angry. Look for your fall read no further!
Two Graves: Wish You Were Here by Genevieve Valentine and illustrated by Annie Wu and Ming Doyle
A dark, contemporary interpretation of the Persephone myth for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and The Sandman.
Death stole Emilia – the first time in his very long life that he hasn’t carried over the soul he was assigned to carry over. It would be romantic, except that they’re being hunted. And as Emilia and the man with the veil of smoke set out for the ocean in a stolen truck, there is a bloody handprint on his neck and she’s beginning to worry it’s hers.
Illustrated in competing points of view, narration comes from both Death and Amelia, giving the story conflicting, yet unique perspectives. (Credit: Image Comics)
I am loving these recent retellings of Hades and Persephone and this one adds to the pot. It is such a great and thought provoking story, combined with beautiful illustrations that is a must read for retelling fans.
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
When an elderly priest is murdered, the killer searches the victim so roughly that his already ragged cassock is torn in the process. What was the killer looking for? And what had a dying woman confided to the priest on her deathbed only hours earlier?
Mark Easterbrook and his sidekick Ginger Corrigan are determined to find out. Maybe the three women who run The Pale Horse public house, and who are rumored to practice the “Dark Arts,” can provide some answers? (Credit: William Morrow and Company)
I need to get back into reading Agatha Christie and I figured since this is Halloween season and it has the element of the “Dark Arts”, I thought that this title would be the perfect fit.
The Last Murder At The End of the World by Stuart Turton
Expected Publication Date: May 24
Solve the murder to save what’s left of the world.
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.
On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.
Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island–and everyone on it.
But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer–and they don’t even know it.
And the clock is ticking. (Credit: Sourcebooks Landmark)
Ever since this title was announced, I have been DYING to read it and I finally got my hands on it! The premise is spine tingling and the plot puzzling that only Turton can deliver!
What I Plan to Read Next:
Let Him In by William Friend
“Daddy, there’s a man in our room…”
Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.
He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins’ mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away…
Alfie calls upon Julia–Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist–to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters’ minds, with dark and violent consequences.
Whatever this “friend” is, he doesn’t want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality–or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy. (Credit: Poisoned Pen Press)
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“Welcome to the first ever Junior Irish Baking Show!”Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.
Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.
Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives–even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.
Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.
As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies. (Credit: Del Rey Books)
Outcasts by Claire McFall
US Publication Date: October 31
Dylan and Tristan have finally found their place in the world of the living, guarding it from any wraiths that manage to break through from the wasteland. But it seems that in escaping death, they have upset a careful balance–more and more wraiths are appearing in their world, causing destruction. The wasteland itself is changing as well, with safe houses becoming less safe and wraiths acting more human than ever. When two innocent souls are taken by the wasteland in place of Dylan and Tristan, they must choose: let others be unjustly sentenced to death, or sacrifice themselves and be separated forever. Will Dylan and Tristan risk everything for their love? Or is there another way for them to set the world right? This final book in their unforgettable story, which began with Ferryman and Trespassers, invites readers to share in the power of first love as two soulmates fight to stay together for eternity. (Credit: Walker Books US)
The List by Yomi Adegoke
Expected Publication Date: October 3
Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, and successful–she and her fiancé Michael are considered the “couple goals” of their social network and seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message: “Oh my god, have you seen The List?”
It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list–she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.
Compulsively readable, wildly entertaining, and filled with sharp social insight, The List is a piercing and dazzlingly clear-sighted debut about secrets, lies, and the internet. Perfect for fans of Such a Fun Age, Luster, and My Dark Vanessa, this is a searing portrait of these modern times and our morally complicated online culture. (Credit: William Morrow and Company)
Kaya by Wes Craig
Kaya, a young girl with a magic arm and a fighting spirit is tasked with delivering her little brother to a far away safe harbor. There he’s destined to find the answer to overthrowing the all-powerful empire that destroyed their home. Starting out on their journey, they’ll face lizard-riders, monstrous beasts, and secrets that could tear brother and sister apart.
From writer-artist WES CRAIG (Deadly Class, Gravediggers Union) comes an astonishing new fantasy-adventure about siblings surviving in a world of monsters and mutants. (Credit: Image Comics)
Discover more from cup of tea with that book, please
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