June Hype Post!
Honestly, it’s unfair how fast time passes these days. I feel like I’m prepping next month’s hype post as soon as I publish one! Nevertheless, June has many great offerings as well, and I’m thrilled to shout about some of them. Do check out our 2022 overview HERE as well for more suggestions what to read – this is a brilliant year for books, and June is an especially good month, with titles like Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane (I’m reading this right now and it’s so good) or Ava Reid’s Juniper & Thorn!
The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings is out from Orbit on June 23rd and presents a magical New Orleans. A debut novel and testament to the stellar lineup that Orbit have coming this summer, this is set in a city both familiar and foreign. This Nola is a place where haints dance the night away, Wise Women keep the order and songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. And Perilous Graves, failed magician, calls it home. But then, nine songs of power escape from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat – and life. And Perry and his sister unexpectedly are put in the position of having to save the city… This sounds hilarious and absolutely charming, bonkers in the very best way. YES PLEASE! Pre-order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).
I am always up for fun YA fantasy. And if it’s inspired by medieval legends or literature, even more so.The Song That Moves the Sun by Anna Bright is out on June 28th, and partly inspired by the work of Dante Alighieri – which is not seen very often! It also has an absolutely gorgeous cover which makes me covet the physical object rather than just listening to it on audio… This is a standalone contemporary fantasy romance, though with a focus on complex female friendship as well, which I appreciate. At the centre of the story stand best friends Rora and Claudia, who feel like their lives are spiraling out of control. When they meed Major and Amir, two boys who hail from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of astrology, they find out that chaos is spreading everywhere. Rora and Claudia embark on a whirlwind journey to discover the source behind it, the truth about themselves and the world around them, and find the story of Dante and Beatrice, two long-ago explorers following this path… Pre-order a copy via Bookshop here (affiliate link).
Clementine by Tillie Walden is out on June 28th from Image Comics. I got to read an early ARC of this – my review will be out over on Grimdark Magazine very soon. I love Tillie Walden’s art and approach to storytelling, and so I absolutely adored this too. Clementine is set in the universe of The Walking Dead, though it does not require any prior knowledge (we all know I don’t have any!), and it will appeal to fans of Walden’s work, graphic novels and coming of age stories alike. It is a gritty story about survival, but also a tender story about friendship, self-discovery and love in unfortunate circumstances. It’s not always an easy read, but it is a heart-felt one, never losing hope in a grimdark world. More of this please, even if zombies usually really aren’t my thing! Pre-order a copy of Clementine via Book Depository here.