Title: The Iron Will of Genie Lo Author: F.C. Yee Genre: YA Fantasy Publisher: Amulet BooksPublication date: January 14 2020Hardcover: 304 pages Genie Lo thought she was busy last year, juggling her academic career with protecting the Bay Area…
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Title: Foul is Fair Author: Hannah Capin Genre: Contemporary YA Thriller Publisher: PenguinPublication date: January 16 UK / February 20 US 2020Hardcover: 336 pages Four girls seek revenge on the boys who wronged them, golden boys beware. Jade and…
Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
It’s that time of the year when I go all “but where has the year gone” etc. You know the drill. This year, I started commuting pretty much 5 hours a day and that means I read SO MUCH.…
Book Reviews Non-Binary Authors To Read Smuggler Army
Non-Binary Authors to Read November/December 2019
Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place for their work. L.X. Beckett is a Toronto-based author, and my recommended starting place for their work is…
Title: Queenie Author: Candice Carty-Williams Genre: Fiction Publisher: Orion Publishing Publication date: March 19 2019Hardcover: 330 pages Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for…
Two more short reviews of two horror reads this Halloween season. Between NOW and THEN: the same family, the same home, different ghosts. Back in 1976, Loo and Bee are the two closest sisters in a family of five…
6 Rated Books 7 Rated Books Book Reviews
Halloween Reads: Bad Institutes for Gifted Children (THE INSTITUTE by Stephen King, INSPECTION by Josh Malerman)
It’s officially Halloween season, which means I’ve been diving deep into the horror canon–this spooky season, I found myself drawn to two different novels about gifted children and the adults experimenting on them: Josh Malerman’s Inspection and Stephen King’s…
A gravedigger, a mapmaker and a fiercely protective dead goat go on a dangerous quest to save the(ir) world. In the small, remote village of Colbren, seventeen-year-old Ryn is a gravedigger, her profession by blood and by heart. She…
Three Horror books for this Halloween season, all three featuring twins, queer girls, witches, and a plethora of monsters. In Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin, twins Mae and Rossa spend some time with their aunt Rita…
Title: Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All Author: Laura Ruby Genre: Magic Realism, YA. Publisher: Balzer + Bray Publication date: October 1 2019Hardcover: 384 pages When Frankie’s mother died and her father left her and her siblings at an…
Title: The Twisted Ones Author: T. Kingfisher Genre: Horror Publisher: Saga PressPublication date: October 1 2019Hardcover: 400 pages When a young woman clears out her deceased grandmother’s home in rural North Carolina, she finds long-hidden secrets about a strange…
Title: Steel Crow Saga Author: Paul Krueger Genre: Epic Fantasy Publisher: Del ReyPublication date: September 24 2019Hardcover: 528 pages Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and…
5 Rated Books 7 Rated Books Book Reviews
Two Books: Jelly by Clare Rees and The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes
These books could not have been more different from one another but you know I like some variety in my book diet. First up, Jelly by Clare Rees has the most ridiculous premise imaginable and I loved it for…
Title: The Swallows Author: Lisa Lutz Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery Publisher: Ballantine BooksPublication date: August 13 2019Hardcover: 368 pages What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want? It starts with this simple writing prompt from…
Title: Gideon the Ninth Author: Tamsyn Muir Genre: Science Fiction + Fantasy + Murder Mystery Publisher: Tor.comPublication date: September 10 2019Hardcover: 448 pages The Emperor needs necromancers.The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and…
Title: The Liars of Mariposa Island Author: Jennifer Mathieu Genre: Historical YA Publisher: Roaring Book PressPublication date: September 17 2019Hardcover: 256 pages From the author of Moxie comes a stunning novel told in three voices about the lies families tell to…
Title: Missing Person Author: Sarah Lotz Genre: Thriller Publisher: Mulholland BooksPublication date: September 3 2019Hardcover: 480 pages Reclusive bookseller Shaun Ryan has always believed that his uncle Teddy died in a car accident twenty years ago. Then he learns the truth: Teddy fled…
Title: To Be Taught, If Fortunate Author: Becky Chambers Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton UK / Haper Voyager USPublication date: August 8 / September 3 2019Hardcover: 135 pages In her new novella, Sunday Times best-selling author Becky Chambers imagines a future…
It’s Friday and we are over at Kirkus – for the last time. Kirkus are launching a new website and they will be discontinuing the columns. It’s been a huge pleasure to work with them for the past 7…
I’ve been busy this summer, reading thrillers – most of them, I am happy to report, fantastic! I’ve listened to the audiobook of Something in the Water, written and narrated by Catherine Steadman and right off the bat, I…
Title: All the Bad Apples Author: Moïra Fowley-Doyle Genre: YA, Magical Realism Publisher: Penguin UK / Kathy Dawson Books USPublication date: August 1 / August 27 2019Hardcover: 352 pages When Deena’s wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears – presumed dead – her family…
It’s Friday and we are over at Kirkus – Ana read the debut novel by Arkady Martine, A Memory Called Empire. She loved it! Go over there for the full review.…
5 Rated Books 7 Rated Books 8 Rated Books Book Reviews
YA Round-up: The Best Lies, The Kingdom and Girls with Sharp Sticks.
TW: abuse, rape. Debut YA thriller The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu is a portrayal of a toxic friendship, abuse cycles and the frayed, complex in-betweens. It opens with the death of Remy’s beloved boyfriend Jack. Remy is a…
Title: Wilder Girls Author: Rory Power Genre: Horror, YA Publisher: Delacorte Press Publication Date: July 7 2019 Hardcover: 368 Pages It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and…
