Stacking the Shelves – September 29, 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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I was very happy to get a physical copy of this one, if you missed my review, I really enjoyed it! And the cover is gorgeous. Many thanks to Ace!

Phoenix Unbound (Fallen Empire, #1) by Grace Draven
Also by this author: Phoenix Unbound
Published by Ace Books on September 25, 2018

   

A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.

But this year is different.

Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.

To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.

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I’ve not read anything by Czerneda yet, but have wanted to. This may be a great chance as this is the first in a new series. My thanks to DAW books!

Search Image by Julie E. Czerneda
Published by Daw Books on October 2, 2018
Pages: 448

   

The first book in the Web Shifter's Library series returns to the adventures of Esen, a shapeshifting alien and member of an ancient yet endangered race, who must navigate the perils of a hostile universe.

Esen's back! And the dear little blob is in trouble again.

Things began so well. She and her Human friend Paul Ragem have opened the doors to their greatest accomplishment, the All Species' Library of Linguistics and Culture. They're prepared for clients to arrive, but trouble comes knocking instead.

First is Paul's family, who'd mourned his supposed death years ago. Understandably, feelings are bent. But what matters? Paul's father has gone missing.

Before he can convince Esen to help him search, a friend shows up to use the Library. A crisis in the Dokeci System is about to explode into violence. To have a hope of stopping it, Evan Gooseberry needs answers.

Unfortunately, the artifact he brought in trade holds its own distracting secret. A touch of very familiar blue. Lesy's "signature," left on all her creations. Web-flesh.

The race is on. Paul, to find his father. Esen, to search for the rest of her Web-sister while helping Evan stop a war. What none of them realize is the price of success will be the most terrible choice of all.

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I find Maresca’s books to be fun (you can see my quote on the publicity insert), and here is yet another new series (he has published a lot in a relatively short time frame). I’m looking forward to reading it. Again, my thanks to DAW!

The Way of the Shield (Maradaine Elite, #1) by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Also by this author: The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages
Published by Daw Books on October 2, 2018
Pages: 368

   

The first novel in the Maradaine Elite series blends fast-paced high fantasy and political intrigue.

Dayne Heldrin always dreamed of being a member of the Tarian Order. In centuries past, the Elite Orders of Druthal were warriors that stood for order, justice, and the common people. But now, with constables, King's Marshals, and a standing army, there is little need for such organizations, and the Tarian Order is one of the last remnants of this ancient legacy. Nevertheless, Dayne trained his body and mind, learned the arts of defense and fighting, to become a candidate for the Tarian Order.

When a failed rescue puts Dayne at fault for injuring the child of a powerful family, his future with the Tarians is in jeopardy. The Parliament controls the purse strings for the Order, and Dayne has angered the wrong members of Parliament. He returns to the capital city of Maradaine in shame, ready to be cast out of the Order when the period of his candidacy ends.

Dayne finds Maradaine in turmoil, as revolutions and dark conspiracies brew around him, threatening members of Parliament and common people alike. Dayne is drawn into the uproar, desperate not to have one more death or injury on his conscience, but the Order wants him to stay out of the situation. The city threatens to tear itself apart, and Dayne must decide between his own future and his vow to always stand between the helpless and harm.

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Harper Voyager was really good to me again! Both The Accidental War is a fourth in series, and The Shattered Sun is a third in series,  so I’m not likely to get to them real soon, but both series sound good and I do hope to get to them. I am hoping to make the time for Barren since its so short. Many thanks to Harper Voyager for the copies!

The Accidental War (Dread Empire's Fall #4) by Walter Jon Williams
Published by Harper Voyager on September 4, 2018
Pages: 496

   

It’s been seven years since the end of the Naxid War. Sidelined for their unorthodox tactics by a rigid, tradition-bound military establishment, Captain Gareth Martinez and Captain the Lady Sula are stewing in exile, frustrated and impatient to exercise the effective and lethal skills they were born to use in fighting the enemy.

Yet after the ramshackle empire left by the Shaa conquerors is shaken by a series of hammer blows that threaten the foundations of the commonwealth, the result is a war that no one planned, no one expected, and no one knows how to end.

Now, Martinez, Sula, and their confederate Nikki Severin must escape the clutches of their enemies, rally the disorganized elements of the fleet, and somehow restore the fragile peace—or face annihilation at the hands of a vastly superior force.

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Barren by Peter V. Brett
Also by this author: The Daylight War, The Skull Throne
Published by Harper Voyager on September 25, 2018
Pages: 144

   

New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett returns to his groundbreaking Demon Cycle series with this enthralling novella—the latest story set in his much-loved fantasy world.

Each night, the world is overrun by bloodthirsty demons. For centuries, humanity survived only by hiding behind defensive wards—magical symbols with the power to repel the demons. Now, the rediscovery of long-forgotten combat wards has given them the magic they need to fight back.

In Tibbet’s Brook, the fighting wards have brought change, but the factions and grudges of a troubled past remain. Selia Square, the woman they call Barren, has long been the force that holds the Brook together. As a terrifying new threat emerges, she rallies her people once again.

But Selia has a past of her own. And in a small community the personal and the political can never be divided. If Tibbet’s Brook is to survive, Selia must uncover memories she has buried deep—the woman she once was, the woman she once loved—and retell their story.

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The Shattered Sun (Bound Gods, #3) by Rachel Dunne
Published by Harper Voyager on December 4, 2018
Pages: 496

   

The epic sword-and-sorcery Bound Gods fantasy series comes to its dark conclusion in this thrilling story of a vibrant world whose fate lies in the hands of vengeful gods and bold warriors

The world has been plunged into darkness . . . and only the scheming priest Joros might be able to bring back the sun.

With his ragtag band of fighters—a laconic warrior, a pair of street urchins, a ruthless priestess, and an unhinged sorcerer—Joros seeks to defeat the ancient gods newly released from their long imprisonment. But the Twins have champions of their own, and powers beyond knowing . . . and the only sure thing is that they won’t go down without a fight.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance as the Twins aim to enact revenge on the parents that imprisoned them, and the world that spurned them. The Long Night has begun, and the shadows hide many secrets—including that the Twins themselves may not be as powerful as they would have everyone think.

Joros and his allies must strike now—before the Twins can consolidate their power . . . and before they are allowed to shape the world in their vision.

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Inhuman Resources sounds like a great concept! I am initrigued and hope to get a chance to read it. Many thanks to MacLehose Press.

Inhuman Resources by Pierre Lemaitre
Published by MacLehose Press on November 6, 2018
Pages: 384

   

When Alain Delambre lost his job four years ago, he lost everything. Now he's breaking all the rules for one last shot at the life he thinks he deserves.
"Lemaitre has dared everything here." Le Parisien


"A really excellent suspense novelist." Stephen King

Alain Delambre is a fifty-seven-year-old former HR executive, drained by four years of hopeless unemployment. The only job offers he gets are for low-level, demoralizing positions. He has reached rock bottom and can see no way out.So when a major company finally invites him in for an interview, Alain is ready to do anything--borrow money, shame his wife and his daughters, and even participate in the ultimate recruitment test: a role-playing game that involves taking hostages.

Alain vows to commit body and soul in this struggle to regain his dignity. But if he had realized that the odds were stacked against him from the beginning, he never would have tried to land the position. Now, his fury is limitless. And what began as a role-playing game could quickly become a bloodbath.

My next two books are compliments of Mogsy from The Bibliosanctum. She had some duplicates and was kind enough to send them my way. I’m particularly happy for Priest of Bones as I’ve been eyeing that one.

Temper by Nicky Drayden
Published by Harper Voyager on August 7, 2018
Pages: 385

   

Two brothers.Seven vices.One demonic possession.Can this relationship survive?

Auben Mutze has more vices than he can deal with—six to be exact—each branded down his arm for all the world to see. They mark him as a lesser twin in society, as inferior, but there’s no way he’ll let that define him. Intelligent and outgoing, Auben’s spirited antics make him popular among the other students at his underprivileged high school. So what if he’s envious of his twin Kasim, whose single vice brand is a ticket to a better life, one that likely won’t involve Auben.

The twins’ strained relationship threatens to snap when Auben starts hearing voices that speak to his dangerous side—encouraging him to perform evil deeds that go beyond innocent mischief. Lechery, deceit, and vanity run rampant. And then there are the inexplicable blood cravings. . . .

On the southern tip of an African continent that could have been, demons get up to no good during the time of year when temperatures dip and temptations rise. Auben needs to rid himself of these maddening voices before they cause him to lose track of time. To lose his mind. And to lose his . . .

TEMPER

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.Priest of Bones (War for the Rose Throne #1) by Peter McLean
Published by Ace Books on October 2, 2018
Pages: 352

   

It's a dangerous thing, to choose the lesser of two evils.

The war is over, and army priest Tomas Piety finally heads home with Lieutenant Bloody Anne at his side. When he arrives in the Stink, Tomas finds that his empire of crime has been stolen from him while at war. With his gang of Pious Men, Tomas will do whatever it takes to reclaim his businesses. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, and is forced to work in secret for the sinister Queen's Men, everything gets more complicated.

When loyalties stretch to the breaking point and violence only leads to violence, when people have run out of food, and hope, and places to hide, do not be surprised if they have also run out of mercy. As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the backstreet taverns and gambling dens of Tomas's old life it becomes clear; the war is not over.

It is only just beginning.

 

 

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