October Book Haul

 I got so many new books this month I'm excited to read! About half of the books I got were graphic novels because I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately.

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith

Act Cool is a recent release that looks so good!

Goodreads synopsis:

Aspiring actor August Greene just landed a coveted spot at the prestigious School of Performing Arts in New York. There's only one problem: His conservative parents won't accept that he's transgender. And to stay with his aunt in the city, August must promise them he won't transition.

August is convinced he can play the part his parents want while acting cool and confident in the company of his talented new friends.

But who is August when the lights go down? And where will he turn when the roles start hitting a little too close to home? 

A Tale of Sorcery by Chris Colfer

Though I'm so excited to read the last book in the Tale of Magic series, I am a little sad that Chris Colfer is taking a break from writing.

Goodreads synopsis:

Brystal Evergreen is running out of time. It's been almost a year since she made a deal with Death to find and destroy the Immortal in exchange for her life. But she still hasn't found a single clue about who or where the Immortal is. To make matters worse, something dark and malignant has risen from deep within the earth, threatening life as we know it. To stop this new evil, the fairies and witches must work with all the kingdoms and territories including the Righteous Brotherhood and their Army of the Dead. But is this threat more familiar than they expected? And why are a secretive group of Sorcerers convinced Xanthous Hayfield is connected to it?

Snow in July by Kim Iverson Headlee

A few weeks ago, I went to a Renaissance fair where I got to meet Kim Iverson Headlee. I got Snow in July signed!

Goodreads synopsis:

Sir Robert Alain de Bellencombre has been granted what every man wants: a rich English estate in exchange for his valiant service at the Battle of Hastings. To claim this reward, the Norman knight must wed the estate's Saxon heiress. Most men would leap at such an opportunity, but for Alain, who broke his vow to his dying mother by failing to protect his youngest brother in battle, it means facing more easily broken vows. But when rumors of rampant thievery, dangerous beast, and sorcery plaguing a neighboring estate reach his ears, nothing will make him shirk duty to king and country when people's lives stand at risk. He assumes the guise of a squire to scout the land, its problems, and its lady.

Lady Kendra of Edgarburh has been granted what no woman wants: a forced marriage to an enemy who may be kith or kin to the man who murdered her beloved brother. Compounding her anguish is her failure to awaken the miraculous healing gift bequeathed by their late mother in time to save his life. Although with his dying breath, he made her a promise to seek happiness above all, Kendra vows that she shall find neither comfort nor love in the arms of a Norman... unless it snows in July.

Alain is smitten by Lady Kendra from the first moment of their meeting; Kendra feels the forbidden allure of the handsome and courtly Norman "squire." But a growing evil overshadows everyone, invoking dark forces and ensnaring Kendra in a plot to overthrow the king Alain is oath-bound to serve. Kendra and Alain face a battle unlike any other as their honor, their love, their lives, ad even their very souls lie in the balance.

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle

One of the few books on this list that I already read was Squad. This is definitely my favorite graphic novel.

Goodreads synopsis:

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she's worried she's not going to fit in. To her surprise, she's immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca's new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca follows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But things get complicated when Arianna's predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack beings to buckle under the pressure- and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier- Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline

Another recent release that I have is Hunting by Stars. This one was as great as I was hoping it would be. The majority of this book was pretty boring. 

Goodreads synopsis:

Years ago, when plagues and natural disasters killed millions of people, much of the world stopped dreaming. Without dreams, people are haunted, sick, mad, unable to rebuild. The government soon finds that the Indigenous people of North America have retained their dreams, an ability rumored to be housed in the very marrow of their bones, Soon, residential schools pop up or are re-opened- across the land to bring the dreamers and harvest their dreams.

Seventeen-year-old French lost his family to these schools and has spent the years since heading north with his newfound family: a group of other dreamers, who, like him, are trying to build and thrive as a community. But the French wakes up in a pitch-black room, locked on and alone for the first time in years, and he knows immediately where he is- and what it will take to escape.

Meanwhile, out in the world, his found family searches for him and doges new dangers- school Recruiters, a blood cult, even the land itself. When their paths finally collide, French must decide how far he is willing to go- and how many loved ones is he willing to betray- in order to survive.

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Janson Reynolds & Jason Griffin

I received a lot of ARCs this month so the rest of the books on this list haven't come out yet! The first ARC I got was Ain't Burned All the Bright. I'm expecting this book to be so deep and full of emotion.

Release date: January 11, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to the word, especially NOW.

And so for anyone who didn't really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breath, for generations, now you know. ANd those who already do, you'll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

Messy Roots by Laura Gao

Release date: February 15, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars- at least until 2020 when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name.

In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as the girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.

Insightful, original, and hilarious, toggling seamlessly between past and present, China and America, Gao's debut is a tour de force of graphic storytelling

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Release date: January 4, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure every person would be seen and heard, no matter who rich or poor...

Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life- apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility's most infamous playboy brings. Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him chose his own future and finally meet hs Kindred face-to-face.

Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne... and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he's dead, which means they'll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steel a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal... and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal- and a love- that may decide the future of the galaxy.

From Dust, A Flame by Rebecca Podos

Release date: February 8, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

Hannah's whole life has been spent in motion. Her mother has kept her and her brother, Gabe, on the road for as long as she can remember, leaving a trail of rental homes and faded relationships behind them. No roots, no family but one another, and no explanations.

All of that changes on Hannah's seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror- the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn't return, they realize it's up to them to find the truth. 

What they discover is a family they never knew, and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed- one that stretches back to her grandmother's childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family's secrets- and confront her own hidden legacy in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Only a Monster is the first book in a trilogy that seems like it's going to be really good!

Release date: February 22, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren't just eccentric: they're monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn't just a cute boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She'll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story...

...she is not the hero.

Tidesong by Wendy Xu

Tidesong is my latest read. This graphic novel is by the same author as Mooncakes (I love that book!). This was such a cute middle-grade graphic novel.

Release date: November 7, 2021

Goodreads synopsis:

Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy- the best magic school in the realm- even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she's never met.

Cousin Sage and Great Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.

Lir is trapped on land and can't remember where he came from. Even so, he's everything Sophie isn't- beloved by Sophie's family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir's attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she's doing is wrong, but without Lir's help, can she prove herself?

Squire by Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas

Release date: February 1, 2022

Goodreads synopsis:

Born a second-class citizen, Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire and as a member of the Ornu people. her only path to full citizenship.

Now, ravaged by famine, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again. This means Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

The camp is nothing like she imagined. Hiding her Ornu status in order to blend in. Aiza must navigate friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the merciless General Hende. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her and that the recruits might be in more danger than she ever imagined.