Hiya!

It’s been a while since I did one of those, isn’t that right? I think the last one was back in February? I might be wrong but that’s the last one I remember. In any case, since then I have read quite a lot of ARCs and reviewed them too but now I think it’s high time I talked about the ones that I have yet to read or am currently reading.

I have four e-ARCs to talk about this time and I am so happy they are all different and unique in their own way. Generally, I tend to read fantasy and maybe other genres if I am not totally reading fantasy. I doubt that would ever really change. Oh well.

In any case, let’s not dawdle over it and just dive into the books, yes?

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Gods of Jade and Shadow

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but it’s passing Casiopea Tun by. She’s too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather’s house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own.

This dream is impossible, distant as the stars – until the day Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather’s room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death. He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires. Success will make her every dream come true, but failure will see her lost, for ever.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.

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Mythology and folklore is something I am always a sucker for and I doubt that’s ever gonna change. For a change, this is about Mayan folklore so it’s certainly different and I am hoping that it would be just as interesting as it sounds. I mean, magical chests, god of death and odysseys across country? Sign me up!

It is published by Quercus Books and it will be released on July, 23, 2019.

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Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

A FRESH AND DELIGHTFUL RETELLING OF THE JANE AUSTEN CLASSIC

When Alys’s family is invited to the wedding of the century in their town, her mother, the indomitable Mrs Binat, excitedly coaches her five unmarried daughters on the art of husband hunting. Alys’s eldest sister Jena quickly catches the eye of a wealthy entrepreneur. But his friend Valentine Darsee doesn’t conceal his unfavourable opinion of the Binat family.

As the days of lavish festivities continue, the Binats wait breathlessly to see if Jena will land a proposal – and Alys realises that Darsee’s brusqueness hides a very different man to the one she judged at first sight.

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So I have already started reading this one and I am enjoying it immensely. To see Pakistani background with Pride and Prejudice retelling sounded amazing and I am happy to report that it is indeed as amazing as I hoped it would be. So far. Expect a review soon.

It is published by Allison & Busby (Random House) and it will be released on July, 18, 2019.

(EDIT: Finished it this week and really, really enjoyed it. Review will be up soon!)

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New Horizons by Various

The citizens of Karachi wake up and discover the sea missing from their shores, the last Parsi on Earth must escape to other worlds when debt collectors come knocking, and a family visiting a Partition-themed park gets more entertainment than they bargained for.

These stories and others showcase the epic scope of science fiction from the South Asian subcontinent. Offering a fresh perspective on our hyper-global, often alienating and always paranoid world, New Horizons brings together tales of masterful imagination where humanity and love may triumph yet.

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A collection focusing on South Asian science fiction? Hello? It’s only one of the best things I could have asked for. Of course, I absolutely wanted it and I was lucky enough to be granted an early reading copy. I didn’t realise at the time that it was going to be released in 2020 though. I might have to push my reading plans for this one. Let’s see how that goes.

It is published by Orion Publishing Group (Gollancz) and it will be released on Jan, 23, 2020.

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Shelf Life by Livia Franchini

Launching an intelligent, perceptive new voice in fiction, Shelf Life is the exquisite, heart-wrenching story of a woman rebuilding herself on her own terms.

Ruth is thirty years old. She works as a nurse in a care home and her fiancé has just broken up with her. The only thing she has left of him is their shopping list for the upcoming week.

And so she uses that list to tell her story. Starting with six eggs, and working through spaghetti and strawberries, and apples and tea bags, Ruth discovers that her identity has been crafted from the people she serves; her patients, her friends, and, most of all, her partner of ten years. Without him, she needs to find out – with conditioner and single cream and a lot of sugar – who she is when she stands alone.

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I think I saw this one on one of Hannah’s posts from I Have Thoughts On Books and immediately knew if possible I had to request it because just read the blurb, doesn’t that sound super interesting? It certainly does to me. I was lucky to get approved so yay for that.

It is published by Random House UK, Transworld Publications and it will be released on Aug 29th, 2019.

Do these sound interesting to you? Have you heard about any of them? Tell me about them in the comments! My e-ARC game is still going strong, by the way. I am very proud of myself for restraining myself and not getting over my head nowadays.