Stacking the Shelves – August 11, 2018

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature all about sharing your good luck in book acquisitions! So here’s what came my way since my last post!

It’s been another couple of great weeks for book additions!

Received for Review

 

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This book is monstrous in size!! I still have to read the first volume, but it sounds like a really fun series. So many thanks to Saga Press for sending this one my way!

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, #2) by Theodora Goss
Published by Saga Press on July 10, 2018
Pages: 720

   

In the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Mary Jekyll and the rest of the daughters of literature’s mad scientists embark on a madcap adventure across Europe to rescue another monstrous girl and stop the Alchemical Society’s nefarious plans once and for all.

Mary Jekyll’s life has been peaceful since she helped Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the Whitechapel Murders. Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, and Mary’s sister Diana Hyde have settled into the Jekyll household in London, and although they sometimes quarrel, the members of the Athena Club get along as well as any five young women with very different personalities. At least they can always rely on Mrs. Poole.

But when Mary receives a telegram that Lucinda Van Helsing has been kidnapped, the Athena Club must travel to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to rescue yet another young woman who has been subjected to horrific experimentation. Where is Lucinda, and what has Professor Van Helsing been doing to his daughter? Can Mary, Diana, Beatrice, and Justine reach her in time?

Racing against the clock to save Lucinda from certain doom, the Athena Club embarks on a madcap journey across Europe. From Paris to Vienna to Budapest, Mary and her friends must make new allies, face old enemies, and finally confront the fearsome, secretive Alchemical Society. It’s time for these monstrous gentlewomen to overcome the past and create their own destinies.

 

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This is another series I am behind on, but am really curious about. My thanks to Pyr for sending me an early copy!

No Sleep till Doomsday (Dru Jasper, #3) by Laurence MacNaughton
Published by Pyr on October 9, 2018
Pages: 288

   

An inexperienced sorceress must retrieve a priceless artifact from the enchantress who stole it, break the curse on her half-demon boyfriend, and stop her friends from turning on each other before the enchantress calls down doomsday.

When a deadly enchantress steals an amulet of unimaginable power, crystal sorceress Dru Jasper must risk everything to get it back. With this amulet in hand, the enchantress could break the sixth seal of the apocalypse scroll. If she does, the seas will boil, the stars will fall from the sky, and the earth itself will split apart. Overall, bad news.

There's only one way to stop doomsday: find the apocalypse scroll first. But Dru's attempts to track down the scroll run smack up against the dark secrets of her half-demon boyfriend, Greyson. His uncanny connection to the demon-possessed muscle car Hellbringer could threaten the fate of the world--unless Dru can find a way to break his curse for good.

Which isn't easy, since one of her friends has decided to solve the problem by eliminating Greyson. As her boyfriend battles her best friends, Dru is locked in a high-speed chase with the enchantress, fighting a fierce magical duel she cannot win alone. Can Dru save Greyson's soul, salvage her friendships, and find the apocalypse scroll in time to stop doomsday?

 

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I find that I don’t tend to pick out Science Fiction on my own very often, but I do usually enjoy it. I hope I get a chance to read this one. Thanks to Harper Voyager for the copy!

Noumenon Infinity by Marina J. Lostetter
Published by Harper Voyager on August 14, 2018
Pages: 576

   

Travel to the remotest reaches of deep space in this wondrous follow-up to the acclaimed Noumenon—a tale of exploration, adventure, science, and humanity with the sweep and intelligence of the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Neal Stephenson, and Octavia Butler.

Generations ago, Convoy Seven and I.C.C. left Earth on a mission that would take them far beyond the solar system. Launched by the Planet United Consortium, a global group formed to pursue cooperative Earth-wide interests in deep space, nine ships headed into the unknown to explore a distant star called LQ Pyx.

Eons later, the convoy has returned to LQ Pyx to begin work on the Web, the alien megastructure that covers the star. Is it a Dyson Sphere, designed to power a civilization as everyone believes—or something far more sinister?

Meanwhile, Planet United’s littlest convoy, long thought to be lost, reemerges in a different sector of deep space. What they discover holds the answers to unlocking the Web’s greater purpose.

Each convoy possesses a piece of the Web’s puzzle . . . but they may not be able to bring those pieces together and uncover the structure’s true nature before it’s too late.

 

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I was so excited about this package! I really can’t thank the author enough. Not only was it completely unexpected, it was also sent overseas, and signed and came with amazing art cards. Thanks so much to Anna Smith Spark for sending this to me!!!

The Tower of Living and Dying (Empires of Dust #2) by Anna Smith Spark
Also by this author: The Court of Broken Knives
Published by Orbit on August 7, 2018
Pages: 480

   

A powerhouse story of bloodshed, ambition, and fate, The Tower of Living and Dying is a continuation of Anna Smith Spark's brilliant Empires of Dust trilogy, which began with The Court of Broken Knives.

Marith has been a sellsword, a prince, a murderer, a demon, and dead. But something keeps bringing him back to life, and now there is nothing stopping him from taking back the throne that is rightfully his.

Thalia, the former high priestess, remains Marith's only tenuous grasp to whatever goodness he has left. His left hand and his last source of light, Thalia still believes that the power that lies within him can be used for better ends. But as more forces gather beneath Marith's banner, she can feel her influence slipping.

Read the second book in this "gritty and glorious!" (Miles Cameron) epic fantasy series reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence where the exiled son of a king fights to reclaim his throne no matter the cost.

Empires of DustThe Court of Broken KnivesThe Tower of Living and Dying

 

 

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I love the cover on this one, and am curious about how Estep will do with epic fantasy (I haven’t read her other books) I actually started this one last night and am enjoying it so far. Thanks to Harper Voyager for the early copy for review!

Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards, #1) by Jennifer Estep
Also by this author: Kill the Queen
Published by Harper Voyager on October 2, 2018
Pages: 480

   

Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.

In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.

But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.

Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.

But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.

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This was a bit of an impulse request for me. I have been in a slump lately, but I feel like its been a while since I’ve read a horror or thriller and loved the sound of this one. Many thanks to Doubleday books!

Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach
Published by Doubleday Books on August 7, 2018
Pages: 400

   

Reddit horror sensation Dathan Auerbach delivers a devilishly dark novel about a young boy who goes missing, and the brother who won't stop looking for him.

Eric disappeared when he was three years old. Ben looked away for only a second at the grocery store, but that was all it took. His brother was gone. Vanished right into the sticky air of the Florida Panhandle.

They say you've got only a couple days to find a missing person. Forty-eight hours to conduct searches, knock on doors, and talk to witnesses. Two days to tear the world apart if there's any chance of putting yours back together. That's your window.

That window closed five years ago, leaving Ben's life in ruins. He still looks for his brother. Still searches, while his stepmother sits and waits and whispers for Eric, refusing to leave the house that Ben's father can no longer afford. Now twenty and desperate for work, Ben takes a night stock job at the only place that will have him: the store that blinked Eric out of existence.

Ben can feel that there's something wrong there. With the people. With his boss. With the graffitied baler that shudders and moans and beckons. There's something wrong with the air itself. He knows he's in the right place now. That the store has much to tell him. So he keeps searching. Keeps looking for his baby brother, while missing the most important message of all.

That he should have stopped looking.

 

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This is one of my highly anticipated debuts for the year. I love the entire premise and really look forward to reading this one! Thanks to Tor Books!

City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender
Published by Tor Books on November 20, 2018
Pages: 400

   

Mirah Bolender's fast-paced, adventure fantasy debut, City of Broken Magic, features a bomb squad that defuses magic weapons.

Five hundred years ago, magi created a weapon they couldn't control. An infestation that ate magic--and anything else it came into contact with. Enemies and allies were equally filling.

Only an elite team of non-magical humans, known as sweepers, can defuse and dispose of infestations before they spread. Most die before they finish training.

Laura, a new team member, has stayed alive longer than most. Now, she's the last--and only--sweeper standing between the city and a massive infestation.

 

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This is an audio copy for review. I am a huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, and loved Fevre Dream, so while I don’t tend to read novellas very often, I couldn’t turn down the chance to read a completed story by Martin. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio!

Nightflyers Published by Penguin Random House Audio on August 28, 2018

   

On a voyage toward the boundaries of the known universe, nine misfit academics seek out first contact with a shadowy alien race.

But the real enigma is the Nightflyer itself, a cybernetic wonder with an elusive captain no one has ever seen in the flesh.

Soon, however, the crew discovers that their greatest mystery – and most dangerous threat – is an unexpected force aboard the ship wielding a thirst for blood and terror…

Dark and beautiful art by David Palumbo brings the words of George R.R. Martin to life in a story of horror, murder and outer space that you do not want to miss.

 

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