Category + bookish meme

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021

Jun 29, 2021

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This weeks topic is...

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2021


I feel like I've mentioned some of my top anticipated releases for the later part of the year in the past few Top Ten Tuesday posts already, so for this post I decided to highlight other titles I'm also highly anticipating for the remainder of the year!


top ten most anticipated releases of 2021

The Tangleroot Palace: Stories by Marjorie M. Liu (June 15)
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle (October 5)
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull (September 7)
The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed (September 30)


top ten most anticipated releases of 2021

It All Comes Back To You by Farah Naz Rishi (September 14)
Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee (September 7)
The Crossing by Manjeet Mann (June 3)
Sway With Me by Syed M. Masood (November 2)
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (November 9)


Let's chat! What books are you anticipating
for the second half of the year?


🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month! This month and every month, let's uplift, support and amplify the LGBTQ+ community. One way to support is to call on your lawmakers to ensure safety protections and equality for queer folks, and another way to support is to donate to LGBTQ+ orgs if you can! ♥ Feel free to let me know of other LGBTQ+ orgs to add onto this list.
 

For U.S., use this call script from 5Calls.org to urge your reps to pass the Equality Act of 2021, and take action and get involved with Human Rights Campaign. Don't forget to continue to show up for LGBTQ+ rights and community every day!

Stop Asian hate in the U.S. and around the world by contacting elected officials, donating, signing petitions, volunteering, attending bystander intervention trainings, supporting Asian businesses/creators, reporting anti-Asian hate crimes near you, and more: Stop AAPI Hate, Stop Asian Hate carrd, Anti-Asian Violence Resources carrd, Asian American Commission, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Asian Mental Health Collective, and this comprehensive list of Asian-led orgs and resources via NYMag. More resources in the sidebar as well. ➔


Help raise awareness and free Palestine from apartheid and settler colonization by protesting, donating to Palestinian mutual aid and recovery funds, demanding your elected officials to cut ties with Israel and to pass H.R. 2590 (for U.S.), get involved in the BDS movement, and educate yourself and family members via DecolonizePalestine. More ways to help on palestinematters.carrd.co and free-palestine.carrd.co

Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help: worldissues.carrd.co | issuesintheworld.carrd.co | getinformed.carrd.co | currentinfo.carrd.co | dotherightthing.carrd.co

If you've found this post helpful, please kindly consider buying ya fellow queer Asian girl a ko-fi. Any tip or shares are greatly appreciated. 💛

Top Ten Books on My Summer 2021 TBR

Jun 15, 2021

top 10 books on my summer 2021 tbr

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is...

🌞 Top Ten Books on My Summer 2021 TBR 🌞



      

The Oldest Dance by Misba (August 2021)
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (June 30, 2021)
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach (September 14, 2021)
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (September 7, 2021) 🌈
Bacchanal by Veronica Henry (May 25, 2021)


      

The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale (September 7, 2021)
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson (July 6, 2021) 🌈
Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko (August 17, 2021) 🌈
Darling by K. Ancrum (June 22, 2021) 🌈
The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley (September 7, 2021)


Lets chat!
What books are on your TBRs this summer (or winter)?


Stop Asian hate in the U.S. and around the world by contacting elected officials, donating, signing petitions, volunteering, attending bystander intervention trainings, supporting Asian businesses/creators, reporting anti-Asian hate crimes near you, and more: Stop AAPI Hate, Stop Asian Hate carrd, Anti-Asian Violence Resources carrd, Asian American Commission, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Asian Mental Health Collective, and this comprehensive list of Asian-led orgs and resources via NYMag. More resources in the sidebar as well. ➔


Help raise awareness and free Palestine from apartheid and settler colonization by protesting, donating to Palestinian mutual aid and recovery funds, demanding your elected officials to cut ties with Israel and to pass H.R. 2590 (for U.S.), get involved in the BDS movement, and educate yourself and family members via DecolonizePalestine. More ways to help on palestinematters.carrd.co and free-palestine.carrd.co

Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help: worldissues.carrd.co | issuesintheworld.carrd.co | getinformed.carrd.co | currentinfo.carrd.co | dotherightthing.carrd.co

Top 20 Books on My Spring 2021 TBR

Mar 16, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is...

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR



Of course, I couldn't stick to only 10 so here's 20 books on my Spring TBR (sorry not sorry)! There's so many books releasing this spring that sounds absolutely fantastic. I hope this helps add a few new books onto your tbrs. If any of the titles below interests you enough, support an author by pre-ordering their book or adding it on goodreads, storygraph, or book hype. Enjoy!
 

top 10 books on my spring tbr



Renegade Flight by Andrea Tang (March 23, 2021) | Viola Park's life is over. She's gone from planning her future as a pilot-in-training to resigning herself to life on the ground. And it's all because she made one tiny, not-altogether-legal maneuver on the prestigious GAN Academy's entrance exam. It's bad enough that she didn't get into the Academy, but getting caught cheating? It's probably the worst thing Vi could imagine. Set fifteen years after Prudence Wu took flight in Rebelwing, a new generation of scrappy young pilots challenge corruption, competition, and more dangerous mechs than ever, as they redefine what it means to be a revolutionary.


Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur (April 27, 2021) | A genre-defying, continents-spanning saga of Korean myth, scientific discovery, and the abiding love that binds even the most broken of families. Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she's put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she's run from all her life. But it isn't long before her childhood imaginary friend—an achingly familiar, spectral woman in the snow—comes to claim her at last. 

Years ago, Elsa's now-catatonic mother had warned her that the women of their line were doomed to repeat the narrative lives of their ancestors from Korean myth and legend. But beyond these ghosts, Elsa also faces a more earthly fate: the mental illness and generational trauma that run in her immigrant family, a sickness no less ravenous than the ancestral curse hunting her. From Sparks Fellow, Tin House alumna, and Harvard graduate Angela Mi Young Hur, Folklorn is a wondrous and necessary exploration of the myths we inherit and those we fashion for ourselves.


The Force of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta (May 18, 2021) | Pinki hails from a long line of rakkhosh resistors, demons who have spent years building interspecies relationships, working together to achieve their goal of overthrowing the snakey oppressors and taking back their rights. But she has more important things to worry about, like maintaining her status as fiercest rakkhosh in her class and looking after her little cousins. There is also the teeny tiny detail of not yet being able to control her fire breathing and accidentally burning up school property. 


The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis (May 18, 2021) | In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters - a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová-- a widow with secrets of her own. 


Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (June 1, 2021) | The start of an exciting new historical mystery series set in 1920s Harlem featuring Louise Lloyd, a young black woman caught up in a series of murders way too close to home... 

Harlem, 1926. Young black girls like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead. 

When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore--several local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a local police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or let a judge make an example of her.


Bacchanal by Veronica Henry (May 25, 2021) | Evil lives in a traveling carnival roaming the Depression-era South. But the carnival’s newest act, a peculiar young woman with latent magical powers, may hold the key to defeating it. Her time has come. 

Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.





Queeroes by Steven Bereznai (April 6, 2021) | What happens when a closeted jock, a scrawny, out and proud nerd, and a pair of bratty cheerleaders develop superpowers in a small-town high school? Can they stop a pair of super-powered classmates hellbent on reshaping the student body in a darker image? Or will teen angst, jealousy, and ill-timed romance doom them all? Fast, fun, and sexy, Queeroes is where unlikely teen heroes must face their darkest fears to become their truest selves.


Grace and Glory by Jennifer L. Armentrout (June 1, 2021) | Trinity Marrow has lost the battle and her beloved Protector. Even with both demons and Wardens on her side, Trin may not win the war against the Harbinger. 

Bringing Lucifer back to the world to fight the Harbinger is probably a really, really bad idea, but they’re out of options—and the world’s ultimate fallen angel is the only being powerful enough to impact the outcome.


Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal (April 27, 2021) | Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease during her sophomore year sends her back to her loving but overbearing family in New Jersey—and leaves her wondering if she’ll ever be able to return to the way things were. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones,” a virtual support group that meets on Discord to crack jokes and vent about their own chronic illnesses. 


Southern Sun, Northern Star by Joanna Hathaway (April 20, 2021) | Reeling from the tragedy that beset her family, Princess Aurelia has joined the resistance in Havenspur, spying on the Northern leaders who were once her allies and determined to stop her uncle's machinations for war. Meanwhile, her beloved pilot Athan leads his squadron into battle as the Safire wage a losing war abroad and combat growing unrest back home. 

The breathtaking finale to a legendary series. Part war drama, part romance, Southern Sun, Northern Star is the epic conclusion to the Glass Alliance series.


Hana Khan Carries On by Umza Jalaluddin (April 6, 2021) | Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she’ll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.


Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (April 4, 2021) | The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer.... 

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.





Blackout, edited by Dhonielle Clayton (June 22, 2021) | Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark. 

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks… 

Beloved authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon—celebrate the beauty of six couples and the unforgettable magic that can be found on a sweltering starry night in the city.


Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (May 11, 2021) | A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy. 

Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke and moving back to Malaysia, a country she left when she was a toddler. So when Jess starts hearing voices, she chalks it up to stress. But there's only one voice in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. In life Ah Ma was a spirit medium, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she's determined to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god--and she's decided Jess is going to help her do it.


The One's We're Meant to Find by Joan He (May 4, 2021) | One of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turner YAs you’ll read this year—We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli. 

Cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and Cee needs to find her.


The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (June 10, 2021) | Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother. 


A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna (June 1, 2021) | War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake.


Blade of Secrets by Trisha Levenseller (May 4, 2021) | A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made. 

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.


Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (May 25, 2021) | Everyone likes Humaira "Hani" Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita "Ishu" Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she stands a chance of being elected head girl. 

Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But relationships are complicated, and some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after.


Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (April 20, 2021) | Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance. 

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power. 

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths they will go to win this game. 

This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes.



♥ Are y'all excited for any of these titles?
What's on your TBRs this spring (or autumn)?
Let me know and share your links in the comments below! ♥



Friendly reminder that Black lives still and will always matter -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely (more protest tips here and here), emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the BLM movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree, blacklivesmatter.carrd.co, and blmsites.carrd.co. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔  

Philippines was devastated by multiple typhoons a few months ago, destroying thousands of homes, displacing thousands of Filipinos, and leaving many without running water or electricity. Please consider donating to relief and recovery efforts if/when you're able to. Info and safe places to donate to PH victims + families can be found on RescuePH carrd, RescuePH int'l carrd, BangonPH carrd, Youth Rise PH Linktree, PH Red Cross, Kaya Natin! Movement, book drives, and watch these YouTube ads at no cost to you. Also worth adding: continue to help PH #JunkTerrorLaw + end police brutality with junkterrorlaw.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co

Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help: worldissues.carrd.co | issuesintheworld.carrd.co | getinformed.carrd.co | currentinfo.carrd.co | dotherightthing.carrd.co | allcards.carrd.co


Top Ten Books on My Fall 2020 TBR

Sep 22, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is...

Top Ten Books on My Fall 2020 TBR



I'm such a mood reader that I don't really have much of a Fall TBR aside from a compilation of books to read for Latinx Heritage Month and a few spooky Halloween reads. So, for this post I will list the books that releases this Fall that I am looking forward to reading as soon as they come out (or as soon as they're available on cloudLibrary or Kobo Audio). Enjoy! 😊


god storm coco ma
God Storm by Cocoa Ma


Everything has a price. 

In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness has fallen. After defeating the evil mother who summoned an immortal demon to kill her, newly coronated Queen Asterin Faelenhart should have every reason to celebrate. Her kingdom is safe, forbidden magic eradicated, and her friends are alive. Except Asterin’s triumph has come at a devastating cost - forced to choose between a lifelong friend and true love, she’s lost both. But the shadows in Axaria have begun to stir once again, and no one is more starved for vengeance than Asterin....

But in a world of magic, not everyone is always as they seem. When shocking discoveries threaten everything and everyone Asterin has sworn her life to protect, she won’t be the only person forced to make a choice...a choice that will change the mortal world forever. 

And maybe even destroy it.

I absolutely enjoyed the first book Shadow Frost and am so excited to see what happens in this sequel!

the ever cruel kingdom rin chupeco
The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco 🌈


After a treacherous journey and a life-shattering meeting with a twin neither knew they had, Haidee and Odessa expected to emerge from the Great Abyss to a world set right. But though the planet is turning once again, the creatures of the abyss will not rest until they have tasted another goddess’s sacrifice. 

To break the cycle, Haidee and Odessa need answers that lie beyond the seven gates of the underworld, within the Cruel Kingdom itself. The shadows of the underworld may hunger to tear them apart, but these two sisters are determined to heal their world—together.

Another sequel I'm looking forward to this Fall is The Ever Cruel Kingdom, and I can just feel that Rin is going to hurt our faves and our feels in this one. I can't wait. (Also appreciate kingdom being in the title. No, I am not at all biased 😉)

the ikessar falcon by k. s. villoso
The Ikassar Falcon by K.S. Villoso


"The stunning sequel to The Wolf of Oren-yaro where the queen of a divided land struggles to unite her people. Even if they despise her. K. S. Villoso is a "powerful new voice in fantasy." --Kameron Hurley

The spiral to madness begins with a single push.
Abandoned by her people, Queen Talyien's quest takes a turn for the worst as she stumbles upon a plot deeper and more sinister than she could have ever imagined, one that will displace her king and see her son dead. The road home beckons, strewn with a tangled web of deceit and impossible horrors that unearth the nation's true troubles - creatures from the dark, mad dragons, and men with hearts hungry for power.
To save her land, Talyien must confront the myth others have built around her: Warlord Yeshin's daughter, symbol of peace, warrior and queen, and everything she could never be.
The price of failure is steep. Her friends are few. And a nation carved by a murderer can only be destined for war.

Last of the sequels on this list, I promise lol. I've heard from trusted blogger friends that The Ikessar Falcon will absolutely ruin us, and I'm equally afraid and excited to see where Kay takes these characters we've grown to love to hate and hate to love.

lies like poison chelsea pitcher
Lies Like Poison
by Chelsea Pitcher 🌈


Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan: petals of poppy, belladonna, and lily in her evening tea so she’d never be able to hurt Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart.

Now, everyone has something to lose and something equally dangerous to hide. And when the tangled web of secrets and betrayal is finally unwound, what lies at its heart will change the group forever.


master of one jaida jones dani bennett
Master of One by Jaida Jones, Dani Bennett 🌈


Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any other. 

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer. 

With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other.


Yes, Master of One is on yet another TTT post of mine and I have no shame about it. I'm so flippin excited for this one!

sweet on you carla de guzman


All’s fair in love and prank wars 

For barista and café owner Sari Tomas, Christmas means parols, family and no-holds-barred karaoke contests. This year, though, a new neighbor is throwing a wrench in all her best-laid plans. The baker next door—“some fancy boy from Manila”—might have cute buns, but when he tries to poach her customers with cheap coffee and cheaper tactics, the competition is officially on. 

And Baker Boy better be ready, because Sari never loses. 

It’s winner takes all this Christmas. And more than one competitor might just lose their heart for the holidays.

I received an advanced review copy (thanks, Carina Press!) of this Filipino romance from one of my favorite authors, Carla de Guzman, and I am so excited to dive into this holiday romance.

a curse of roses diana pinguicha


With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies. 

There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic—her curse—has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain. 

If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers…into food. 

Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty…


ana on the edge a.j. sass


Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season's program will be princess themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success. 

Once Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy new to the rink, thoughts about the princess program and gender identity begin to take center stage. And when Hayden mistakes Ana for a boy, Ana doesn't correct him and finds comfort in this boyish identity when he's around. As their friendship develops, Ana realizes that it's tricky juggling two different identities on one slippery sheet of ice. And with a major competition approaching, Ana must decide whether telling everyone the truth is worth risking years of hard work and sacrifice.


beyond the ruby veil mara fitzgerald


A dark, queer YA fantasy that's perfect for fans of the Three Dark Crowns series and Wicked Saints. After Emanuela Ragno kills the one person in Occhia who can create water, she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst. 

Emanuela Ragno always gets what she wants. With her daring mind and socialite schemes, she refuses to be the demure young lady everyone wants her to be. In her most ambitious move yet, she's about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in Occhia. Emanuela doesn't care that she and her groom are both gay, because she doesn't want a love match. She wants power, and through Ale, she'll have it all.


the thirty names of night


The author of the “vivid and urgent…important and timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut The Map of Salt and Stars returns with this remarkably moving and lyrical novel following three generations of Syrian Americans who are linked by a mysterious species of bird and the truths they carry close to their hearts. 

Five years after a suspicious fire killed his ornithologist mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. He has been unable to paint since his mother’s ghost has begun to visit him each evening. As his grandmother’s sole caretaker, he spends his days cooped up in their apartment, avoiding his neighborhood masjid, his estranged sister, and even his best friend (who also happens to be his longtime crush). The only time he feels truly free is when he slips out at night to paint murals on buildings in the once-thriving Manhattan neighborhood known as Little Syria.


and one more, as a treat...



These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong


Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. 

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. 

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal. 

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

As a member of the #ScarletGang, it is my duty to tell you that you must add These Violent Delights to your TBR. And await to meet Juliette and Roma, and pick which you gang you fight for come November 17: the Scarlet Gang or the White Flowers. Choose wisely.


In true EK fashion, I didn't stick to 10 books on
yet another TTT post. What are on your Fall
(or Spring if you're in the Southern Hemisphere)
TBR?

Top Ten Stunning 2021 Book Covers

Sep 15, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is...

Cover Freebie


so I chose to feature stunning book covers for 2021 titles


gearbreakers by zoe hana mikuta

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta


Publication date: June 29, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Taj Francis

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose—and falling for each other—in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series.

We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead...

The shadow of Godolia's tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolian overlords.


honey girl by morgan rogers sapphic f/f wlw bipoc rep

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers


Publication date: February 23, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

Note: Honey Girl is an Adult contemporary romance, not YA (although it would appeal to fans/readers of YA). I've had the opportunity to read this wholesome sapphic romance and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend for those who love sapphic BIPOC rep with found family theme.

firekeeper's daughter by angeline boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley


Publication date: March 2, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Moses Lunham, Rich Deas

Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.


wings of ebony by j. elle black girl magic

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle


Publication date: February 23, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

In this riveting, keenly emotional debut fantasy, a teen girl from Houston has her world upended when she learns about her godly ancestry—and with evil sinking its claws into humans and gods alike, she’ll have to master her abilities to save both her worlds.

Rue’s family is her whole life, and East Row, the Houston neighborhood she calls home, is her world. But then the unthinkable happens. Rue’s mom is murdered, and a father she’s never met snatches her away from her sister. Now Rue is far away from everything she knows, trapped in her father’s home, Ghazan, a secret country of gods.


witches steeped in gold by ciannon smart black girl magic

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart


Publication date: April 20, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Ashley Straker

Divided by their castes. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.


when night breaks by janella angeles

When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles


Publication date: June 8, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Kerri Resnick, Micaela Alcaino (Illustrator)

In Janella Angeles's When Night Breaks, the dramatic last act of the Kingdom of Cards duology, the stage is set, the spectacle awaits… and the show must finally come to an end.

The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for who is now lost to this world and in the hands of a dangerous magician. Daron is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Even if it means embarking on a dark and treacherous journey, risking more than just his life, with no promise of return.


cazadora by romina garber lobizona

Cazadora by Romina Garber


Publication date: August 17, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Kerri Resnick, Daria Hlazatova

In Cazadora, the follow-up to Lobizona, Romina Garber continues to weave Argentine folklore and real-world issues into a haunting, fantastical, and romantic story that will reunite readers with Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.




we free the stars by hafsah faizal we hunt the flame

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal


Publication date: January 9, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Simon Prades, Elizabeth H. Clark, Erin Fitzsimmons, Ray Shappell

The sequel to the New York Times–bestselling We Hunt the Flame, Zafira and Nasir must conquer the darkness around—and inside of—them.

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.


the descent of the drowned by ana lal din

The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din


Publication date: March 15, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Unknown

She is bound to serve. He is meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon.

As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.


the gilded ones by namina forna

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna


Publication date: March 2, 2021

Cover designer/artist: Tara Josu

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.


I've read an advanced review copy of The Gilded Ones a few months ago, and it is just absolutely amazing and well-written. The worldbuilding. The characters. The nuanced cultural influences. I absolutely enjoyed it so much. If you liked A Song of Wraiths and Ruin or Raybearer, then this one is for you.


Not only am I 😍 over these gorgeous covers, but I am also excited for these books as well! Shoutout to authors and publishers who credit their cover artists/designers/illustrators on their websites. It made it so much easier to give them their due credit. And shoutout to the amazing and talented artists who created these beautiful book covers. Be sure to check out their portfolios!


♥ What are your favorite book covers ever?
What book covers did you feature in your TTT?
Share in the comments!
Also, if it's not too much to ask, if you know the cover designer/artist
for books I have as "unknown", please drop their names in the comments below!
Thank you! ♥
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