Seeing as we have little else to do in April as the whole world shuts down for quarantine, it’s excellent time to get onto some of these new releases! I am personally quite excited for the all the reading time I’m going to have!

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FANTASY

Incendiary | Zoraida Córdova

RELEASE DATE: 28 April
This is set in a kingdom that has magic and the main character is a rebel spy working against the crown. One of her group is captured by the Prince and the person who is captured is the one person she really cares about. A disastrous rescue attempt results in her having to go on an undercover mission in the palace itself. This sounds like a great, if stressful, time.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires | Grady Hendrix

RELEASE DATE: 7 April

So this is here mostly as a joke, I will probably never read this but I think the title is brilliant and funny. We have a main character who is part of a book club and most of her life is uninspiring. Naturally, a stranger moves into town and there’s a lot of speculation about his. I’m pretty sure this man is going to turn out to be a vampire and that sounds like a wonderful twist to an otherwise dull storyline.

The Girl and the Stars | Mark Lawrence

RELEASE DATE: 30 April

So this sounds like it’s a planet where there’s an eternal winter? And you cannot survive the dark cold alone. Though, perhaps it is simply a country that has a long winter, I’m unsure. ANYWAY, the main character finds herself in a ‘new world’ away from everything she’s ever known. This just sounds like a straight-up good self-discovery fantasy adventure.

Don’t Call the Wolf | Aleksandra Ross

RELEASE DATE: 28 April

In this book we’ve got a Golden Dragon that descends on the forest of the main city/town/thing and also brings monsters. An excellent start. We have a forest queen who rescues the last dragon slayer and they agree to work together. I assume this will end in angst, disaster, broken promises and maybe a slain dragon. Can’t wait.

Queen of Coin and Whispers | Helen Corcoran

RELEASE DATE: 23 April

Enter: a bankrupt kingdom. Also a spymaster – all words I enjoy. A teenage queen inherits the throne and a plot to avenge the king’s murderer is born. Obviously there’ll be a forbidden love between the queen and the spymaster – WE KNOW IT, THEY KNOW IT – and that means there’ll be draaaamaa.

Chosen Ones | Veronica Roth

RELEASE DATE: 7 April

Who could resist checking out a new Veronica Roth book? Not me. We have five teenagers, who ten years ago, defeated the Dark One which brought death and destruction to Chicago (idk why this is set in Chicago lol). Now, they’re celebrities and one of the five dies – at their funeral they discover something that rattles them all to their bones.

Crave | Tracy Wolff

RELEASE DATE:  7 April

Again, another vampire release – how unusual! Vampires are so not vogue anymore. However, I thought it was novel enough to be worth sharing so here we are. I really don’t like that the blurb is in first person. It’s about an academy and all the students in it are odd – monsters. And the MC has to work out how to fit in. This both looks and sounds like it was heavily inspired by Twilight.

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SCI-FI

The Loop | Ben Oliver

RELEASE DATE: 2 April
I really like the sound of this sci-fi! It is set in a prison under the control of AI. The MC is set to die in this prison but can delay his execution if he agrees to medical experiments. Escape is an no-go: there’s an automated detonator in his heart. Then it talks about government-issued rain stopping falling (I assume literal rain) and breaking out might be the MC’s only chance of survival as the world turns to chaos.

Repo Virtual | Corey J. White

RELEASE DATE: 21 April

This is set in a city of many realities – augmented and virtual spaces. This sounds a bit like Ready Player One but those who aren’t in the war of the virtual city are scrounging on the streets below in poverty. Of course, the MC is hired to steal an unknown object from a tech billionaire. This is sounding really like Ready Player One now, actually.

The Book of Koli | M.R. Carey

RELEASE DATE: 14 April

There are two ‘eco-thrillers’ coming out in April and I’m excessively excited for them. We have deadly plants. DEADLY PLANTS. I LOVE. People live in a village near a deadly forest and the first rule is to Not Venture Beyond the Walls. Who wants to bet what will happen?

Eden | Tim Lebbon

RELEASE DATE: 7 April

And now I present to you, the second eco-triller. We have more of a global warming spin to this and where the land was given back to nature it became primeval and nature is no longer humanity’s friend.

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HISTORICAL FICTION

Conjure Women | Afia Atakora

RELEASE DATE: 7 April
This is set in Southern America (like, the southern states) just before and after the Civil War. The story spans the lives of multiple generations, focussing on three women and their lives during this period. This is supposed to be a really good story and I’ve never read much on the American Civil War, it’s not usually an era of history that interests me much, but I wouldn’t mind learning more!

The German Heiress | Anika Scott

RELEASE DATE: 7 April

I never can turn down historical fiction like this. I enjoy them so much – I must secretly be 50. This is set in Germany just after WWII and is about a woman who operates her family’s ironworks empire. This is a story about the MC, who was left with nothing but this empire, after the war trying to find out more about her family’s past.

Sin Eater | Megan Campisi

RELEASE DATE: 7 April

This book is about a young girl who receives a life sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. She become a ‘sin eater’ whose fate is to hear the final confessions of the dying. She is under the watch of an older sin eater who she cannot talk to. After a turn of events, her oversee is killed for refusing to do her duty and eat food that represents the sins of the dead. Then it becomes a vengeance story.

The Queen’s Secret | Karen Harper

RELEASE DATE: 14 April

I am all down for a story about the Royal Family because I enjoyed The Crown so much. I find myself excessively intrigued and awed by Queen Elizabeth so this story, about the Queen Mother, definitely has me hooked.

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CONTEMPORARY

All Boys Aren’t Blue | George M. Johnson

RELEASE DATE: 28 April

And LGBT+ release for April! I love the title for this one. We have an LGBTQ+ activist’s memoirs (as in, the activist is the author). This is his story about growing up as a queer black teen and I think it sounds really interesting!

The Book of Longings | Sue Monk Kidd

RELEASE DATE: 21 April

I don’t know if I’ll read this but it certainly seems like it’s an interesting concept. This is set back in Jesus’ time and is about his wife (a fictional addition). I like that someone has actually reimagined this to explore this story another way – it’s very unique!

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And that’s a wrap!

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~~ Kirstie ~~

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