May Hype Post!
SO MANY fabulous books that are coming out in May. For reasons of space I’m not going to be talking about any that are in my 2021 post (which you can find here) or ones that I’ve reviewed (such as Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, review here) or that I will be reviewing in the next couple of weeks (such as Illusionary by Zoraida Cordova). This is entirely based on the books I can’t wait to read.
First on my list is Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. I’ve heard loads of good things about this one, and I might have been begging publicists for this one… But alas, I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet. It sounds like an epic fantasy romp, with a misfit band of heroes, treating the fine line between YA tropeyness and Grimdark tones. This will be the perfect escapist book to read in May. It’s out on the 4th, and copies are available on Bookshop here (affiliate link).
I’ve you’ve been following me for a while, you might have noticed that I have a thing for books based on medieval legends (such as in this post on Arthurian retellings). So it goes without saying that I’m excited for Laure Eve’s Blackheart Knights. An Arthurian-inspired novel, using motorbikes instead of horses and set in a modern world. From the blurb, because that team managed to write it better than I ever could: Imagine a city where a young, magic-touched bastard astonishes everyone by becoming king – albeit with extreme reluctance – and a girl with a secret past trains to become a knight for the sole purpose of vengeance. […] Imagine Camelot but in Gotham: a city where knights are the celebrities of the day, riding on motorbikes instead of horses and competing in televised fights for fame and money. It sounds brilliant, and I’m looking forward to my review copy – I’ll probably be reviewing it over on Grimdark Magazine though. This is out on the 27th, and you can order your copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
I really enjoyed Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, once I got over myself, thinking that I wouldn’t like it because it’s contemporary romance. But it was such a soothing, wonderful audiobook that I’m now very excited for their next book, One Last Stop. It’s a new adult f/f romance, with a speculative twist, about two girls who meet on the subway – but one of them is from the present day and the other from the 1970s! It sounds funny and cute, and might be just what I need these days. It’s out on May 6th, and you can get a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link) – though I’ll probably get the audio!
I’ve really been getting back into mysteries recently, and as someone who LOVES food, I’m very excited for Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. Deeply rooted in Filipino culture, this is the story of Lila, who is trying to save her Tita’s restaurant when an ex-boyfriend suddenly drops dead. As she’s the cops’ only suspect, Lila decides to take the investigation into her own hands. This sounds like a wonderful escapist read, and I can’t wait. It’s out on the 4th, and you can get a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link).
Hi, my name is Fab and I’m a Rick Riordan fangirl. And that includes the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, which lets authors write about the mythology of the culture they’re closest to. And so I’m naturally very excited about The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim. Based on Korean legends, and featuring witches, this is the kind of middle grade the world (and I need). It centres Riley, a girl in a powerful clan of healing witches, but without power of her own as she is adopted. When she and her sister attempt a spell to share her sister’s magic, all hell breaks loose. It sounds cute and compelling, and I’m excited. Out on the 4th of May, you can get a copy from Amazon here.