New Releases I'm looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2020

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Work has slowed a bit but I've been crazy busy trying to catch up everything else that fell to the side when things were super nuts, including my breath. Spring semester is over but summer semester has now started so I'm still trying to get a feel for how busy that will be. In other words, I've stretched myself thin again and am still desperately trying to find time for reading with everything else I'm trying to do. I really need more hours in my days.

In A Peculiar Peril, Jeff Vandermeer has created new worlds attached to our own through doorways in the basement of newly orphaned Jonathan Lambshead which must not intrude upon our own. The first in a YA duology, I have no doubt that the worlds will be rich, the characters intriguing, and highly unusual things will be afoot.

Release date: July 7

Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter is the 5th book in the Soulwood series, a spin-off from the Jane Yellowrock. I really enjoy the Jane Yellowrock series and I have the first few in the series but haven't yet had time to read them. Rick and Nell have a new team member, they are on a case in Tennessee where dead bodies are decaying at a rapid pace, and someone at the FBI doesn't like paranormals. All the shit seems to be going down with this one.

Release date: July 27

The second of Carrie Vaughn's Robin Hood duology, The Heirs of Locksley, looks to be a fun imagining with the children of the famous outlaw and his nemesis, Prince John. Still need to read the first one though.

Release date: August 4

I enjoyed Binti by Nnedi Okorafor and have been trying to find time to read more of her work as the story synopsis are generally intriguing.  Ikenga is her first foray into writing for a middle-school audience with the main character, 12-year old Nigerian boy Namdi, gaining superpowers after the death of his father.  

Release date: August 18

Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm behind in the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews. I think I've only read the first book which was delightful bubblegum and that is definitely about the speed my brain can handle right now so I think I need to get caught up so I can read Emerald Blaze. It looks like the series has moved away from the original power couple and I know it's on the paranormal romance side so I'm not sure if  it's going to be like their The Edge series where the main couple changes every book.  Either way, I'm sure it's going to be fun.

Release date: August 25

My oldest got into the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne several years ago and I've recently read the first book in that series for my book club and enjoyed it. I'll definitely we working my way through all of them so I'm definitely interested in Ink & Sigil which is set in the same world with some cross-over characters while looking to be very much it's own thing.

Release date: August 25

For me, September with new releases has come to be synonymous with the newest October Day book coming out.  These books always have enough high stakes to make me bite my nails until I'm sure everything is going to be ok because sometimes they aren't and characters die or are wounded in ways that are not easily mended and I think my heart would break if something actually caused the break-up of Toby and Tybalt. In A Killing Frost, they are moving closer to their wedding when they are told that by Fae tradition, Toby's mother's husband is considered her legal father and must be invited to the wedding.  That same man would be the one who trapped Toby as a fish for 12 years and who just recently lost all the progress he made towards becoming less of an asshole to everyone. Yeah, that sounds like just the way to fuck with Toby and Tybalt's marriage that Seanan would come up with.

Release date: September 1

83:100 Urban Enemies Anthology by Various Authors

We finally get to hear from stories from the Villains point of view in this new anthology.  17 of them in fact.  These are all from existing series with established worlds, most of which I didn't know previously or only in passing.  I bought it primarily for the stories from Kelley Armstrong and Seanan McGuire with interest in the ones from Jim Butcher,Kevin Hearne, Carrie Vaughn, and Faith Hunter and because I will usually get introduced to at least one or two new authors that look interesting.

To that end, I really enjoyed the two stories that I bought it for.  I felt that they did a great job of giving stories that enriched the worlds but at the same time served well as stand-alone introductions to them.  Butcher's didn't fare so well as even though I have read all the Dresden files books, I could barely remember this villain and didn't care about him or this story that much.  Kevin Hearne's from the Iron Druid is with characters that are later in the series than I have read but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the tale.  I enjoy the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn and maybe this serves a nice intro to newbies of the series but it just fell flat for me but really enjoyed Leo's story from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series.  However, I do feel that one might be harder for readers not familiar with the world to get into.

The new author that stood out to me from this anthology was Diana Pharoh Franics with a tale from her Horngate Witches series.  Never heard of the author or the series before but definitely want to check it out based on this story. 

Other than these, none of the other stories really stood out for me.  Many of them were simply meh and just didn't interest me at all, some were total slogs to finish, and a few were ok but not interesting enough to me for me to go out and read more by that author.  So in all, 5 of the 17 were worth the price of the book, a few more were fun, but I'd say that at least half of the book was just not my cup of tea which was definitely disappointing.

63:100 Hounded by Kevin Hearne

First book in the Iron Druid series.  Atticus O'Sullivan is one of the last Druids and currently enjoying a quiet life in Arizona.  Unfortunately for him, there is an ancient Celtic god who has wanted the sword that Atticus wields for centuries and has found him now so this the time to make his move and get his hands on it.  Seriously, even against a god, what Druid is going to stand for that?!

My oldest enjoys this series and it's been in my to-read pile for a while but other things kept getting pushed in front of it until it got picked for my book club.  If you enjoy Dresden, you'll enjoy this one.  Same snarky main character but on the Celtic mythos side of things.  There are some rough spots in the writing but I believe this was the author's first book so it makes sense and I'm guessing it will smooth out in future ones.  I do plan to find out.



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