Bookworms!
It’s been a while since I talked about the e-ARCs I have on my Kindle. NetGalley and publishers in general have been very kind to me lately, I have a limited number of books I want to request and almost always, I am lucky enough to be granted permission. So yay for that! Needless to say that they are SFF books because I can’t seem to read anything else nowadays. Oh, well. I also have managed to bring the number to a managaeble level where I am not becoming anxious about the books in my netgalley so yay for that.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.
+++++
I read House in the Cerulean Sea and I fell in love with that story and I hope to repeat the experience with this one. I also hope to read more from this author in general because that book made such an impression on me that I only associate cozy vibes with the books written by him. I don’t know if I am setting high expectations for the books but let’s see.
Far from the Light of the Heaven by Tade Thompson
A tense and thrilling vision of humanity’s future in the chilling emptiness of space from rising giant in science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Tade Thompson
The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake.
Answering Campion’s distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths. Soon a sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, one that will have repercussions for the entire system—from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed to Earth itself.
+++++
I fell in love with Tade Thompson’s writing with the Wormwood trilogy and the ideas were so unique that I can’t help but expect the same kind of weird and interesting concepts in this one too. Also, it sounds epic from the little summary itself. So, yeah, I am very glad that the publishing gods decided to bless me with this one.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
+++++
Considering the fact that These Violent Delights ended the way it did, it was obvious that I would be requesting the sequel and concluding novel this year. I am not expecting anyone to be safe from the author, Chloe Gong is cruel but I am still here for it. What can you do? Once I am in, I am in for all the pain and destruction and heartbreak, I guess.
I am not too sure if I will be requesting a ton more books before the year ends but we never know. I have been fairly good with the reviewing them on time. Sort of. That is all I can expect this year. My reading hasn’t been on track or a lot and my blogging has also suffered accordingly. I think more than 2020, this year brought that dark hole-ish feeling in me but fear not! I have been watching TV shows if I am not reading and I have managed to catch up on a lot of K-dramas and C-dramas because of the not-so-great reading year. So, it balances out. Sort of. I have also discovered some good K-pop groups to bop to so yay for that, too.
In any case, are there any books on this list that you find super interesting? If so, which ones and why? Do you also have a ARCs of your own that you need to read soon?
bookwormmuse 