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Month: December 2020
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122120-TheInfluencer-Giveaway
We’re giving away 100 copies of The Influencer by Alex Grass to 100 lucky Riot readers!
Enter here for a chance to win, or click the image below!
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Here’s what it’s all about:
A Romanian sorcerer. A nudist limo driver obsessed with Back to the Future. A ten-foot-tall vigilante who mutilates their victims.…and one old man who has been keeping a secret for half a century. Out in the desert, a chasm opens that glows crimson below. The possessed, cellphones drilled into their heads, run wild through the streets of New York. And, a 24-hour MDMA-fueled dance party surrounding a site of ancient evil. All this and more in The Influencer!
Walter Mosley Adaptation Starring Samuel L. Jackson
Walter Mosley’s novel The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey will be a limited, six episode series at Apple TV+ with Mosley writing the screenplay and executive producing. Samuel L. Jackson is also an executive producer and will star in the series as the 91-year-old main character, Ptolemy Grey, who uses his gift of regaining his memories (a break from his dementia) to solve his nephew’s murder.
Bookstores Are Relying On GoFundMe Campaigns To Stay In Business
The American Booksellers Association’s recent survey revealed an average of one bookstore closed a week this year. Many bookstores have needed donations in order to stay in business during the pandemic, and Publishers Weekly has rounded up the amount that some bookstores have raised using GoFundMe campaigns.
Star Wars Novelization Authors Say Disney Stopped Paying Royalties In 2012
Authors of Star Wars novels say that Disney stopped paying them their royalties properly ever since 2012 when it absorbed Lucasfilms. They, along with other authors from properties Disney has purchased, like Indiana Jones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, are going public with their claims.
6 Famous Libraries That Were Tragically Destroyed
Six libraries through history that have been destroyed and the history behind them.
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Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!
Sponsored by LitNuts.
Book Riot is teaming up with LitNuts for a chance to win a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited!
Hello, lovelies! This is the last Tuesday we will be spending together in 2020, which is wild to think about. WHAT A YEAR. And while I feel that the changing of years is arbitrary in respect to a lot of things, it does feel good to think of it as hitting COMMAND + SHIFT + REFRESH on the universe. And I am never not excited to roll my book count back to zero on January 1st. So I wanted to do something special for this week’s newsletter, so I thought I would list several of the books I am anticipating in the new year that I haven’t read yet!
Before I get to that, I want to remind you that one of my favorite books of the year, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg, is out next week. It gets all the heart eyes from me! (If you’d like to see my favorite books of 2020, I collected them in an Instagram post.)
Also, this weekend I finally read The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, and it is also swoon-worthy. And for this week’s episode of All the Books! Patricia and I discussed some of our most anticipated books of 2021, such as The Rib King, Dial A for Aunties, Harlem Shuffle, and more.
And now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite gameshow: AHHHHHH MY TBR! Here are today’s contestants:
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Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters (January 12)
A look into the lives of three women, trans and cis, as they navigate family, sex, and love in 21st century America.
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (January 19)
An alien artifact turned Fatima into Death’s daughter, giving her the ability to kill with one touch. Now she searches the lands, with her pet fox by her side, hoping to find the artifact once more.
Annie and the Wolves by Andromeda Romano-Lax (February 2)
A modern-day historian’s obsession with the infamous Annie Oakley costs her her job, her doctorate, and her fiancé. But when she unearths what appear to be Oakley’s secret midlife journals, it may have all been worth it.
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell (February 2)
The Emperor’s least favorite grandson is brought before the Emperor and commanded to repair relations with another planet by marrying a count, a recent widower of that planet’s royal prince.
Land of Big Numbers: Stories by Te-Ping Chen (February 2)
A debut collection of incendiary stories about the people of China, past and present, and their history, their government, and their land.
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Let’s Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih (February 16)
An examination of queer friendship and queer love, told through the lives of two classmates who reconnect ten years later at a wedding in Washington, D.C.
Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?: Essays by Jesse McCarthy (March 9)
McCarthy, an exciting new voice in criticism, examines everything from “Ta-Nehisi Coates’s case for reparations to D’Angelo’s simmering blend of R&B and racial justice.”
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge (March 30)
Inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the United States, Libertie is about a free-born Black girl in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn who goes against her mother’s wishes in her search for her own future.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (April 20)
A fictional oral history of a beloved rock ’n’ roll duo whose rising star quickly explodes and plummets at the height of their fame.
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Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala (May 4)
A young woman who moves home to help save her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant finds herself a suspect in a murder when a local food critic (and ex-boyfriend) is murdered.
The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy (May 18)
A business woman who has lost everything because of trolls and her oldest childhood friend run a rehabilitation community for toxic men at an abandoned summer camp.
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (May 25)
I don’t have any details about this one, but I loved The Book of M, so you can bet your sweet bippy I’m going to read it as soon as it’s available.
The Witch King (The Witch King #1) by H.E. Edgmon (June 1)
The first in a new duology about a trans witch who must face his past and return to the fae kingdom (and the royal fiancé) he left behind in order to save his people.
The Hidden Palace: A Tale of the Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (June 8)
Yes, it’s finally happening: We get to join Chava and Ahmad from The Golem and the Jinni for an epic new adventure!
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Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (July 6)
The author of the runaway 2020 hit Blacktop Wasteland returns with a new story of two fathers working together to get revenge on the people responsible for the murder of their sons.
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo (September 7)
A space opera set at a restaurant on the edge of the galaxy. The blurb calls it “Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off” and I WANT THIS SO BAD.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (September 14)
Whitehead released the info on this book himself last week. It’s set in the 1960s and is about an upstanding Black salesman who falls on hard times, so he returns to his family-taught tricks of heists, shakedowns, and rip-offs.
In Open Country: A Memoir by Rahawa Haile (September 14)
Haile uses “her 2016 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail to explore what it means to move through America and the world as a black woman.” (FYI: This release date has been moved a couple times already.)
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (September 24)
A ghost refuses to cross over to the other side after he falls in love with the ferryman. (Also, this is your reminder that The House in the Cerulean Sea is the most delightful book I read in 2020.)
Alecto the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Trilogy Book 3) by Tamsyn Muir
I have no information on this one yet, not even a release date. All I know is that it is for sure-probably-most likely being released in 2021. I guess I’ll have to read Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth again while I wait…
Thank you, as always, for joining me each week as I rave about books! Despite the entire world being over a Hellmouth this year, the love and kindness and creativity you have all shared has meant everything to me. Happy holidays to you and the ones you love, and be safe, friends. – XO, Liberty
Sponsored by the audiobook edition of Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
The Stormlight Archive saga continues in Rhythm of War, the eagerly awaited sequel to Brandon Sanderson’s number one New York Times best-selling Oathbringer, from an epic fantasy writer at the top of his game. After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move. Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation.
Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and today I come bearing indie books rather than new releases, because we are truly in the part of the year where publishing just… shuts down. As a head’s up, this is also the last newsletter of the year–we’ll pick back up on January 5, 2021.
It’s sure… been a decade of a year, huh? I offer a hearty good riddance, don’t let the door hit ya where the gods split ya to 2020. In all truth, writing this newsletter twice a week has helped me not fall apart this year, because it was a regular schedule, and I enjoy talking with y’all about books. I hope maybe it helped you out, too.
Here’s hoping 2021 will treat us all a lot more gently. And while I know the holidays are uniformly rough this year, I hope you can make the most of the season, have some cookies and an appropriate beverage, and kick back with the books. Because at least it’s been one heck of a good year for those. It’s not too late to go full Icelandic and have your own book flood!
Stay safe, keep sailing, and I’ll see you next year!
Indie Book Celebration!
There isn’t much in the way of new releases between now and December 31, so let’s do one last round of indie SFF that came out over the last year! If you want to check out more SFF indie goodness, look at these replies over on Twitter.
Elemental: Shadows of Otherside by Whitney Hill
Urban fantasy where elves, vampires, and djinn rub elbows in North Carolina. In this world, PI (and sylph) Arden Finch just wants to practice her forbidden magic and live her life. Too bad the elves have a bounty out on elementals like her… and then one of them accidentally hires her. There’s a second book in the series, too: Eldritch Sparks!
The Lost Signal by J.S. Fernandez Morales
A human scientist, in collaboration with a mysterious counterpart he’s never seen, designs a warship that the government immediately orders him to dismantle. But his collaborator reveals that aliens are coming to conquer humanity, and the ship is what they need to survive. (The second book is out, too: The Last Guardian.)
Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction From Africa and the African Diaspora edited by Zelda Knight and Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald
An anthology of stories and poetry written entirely by authors of Africa and the African Diaspora. Just check out the author list–it’s strong as heck.
Bloodsister by Al Hess
The author describes this series as “cozy, optimistic apocalypse.” It focuses on humans doing their human thing, surviving and figuring out how to thrive after the end of the world. In this installment, Jack needs to search for a cure for his three-year-old found sister, Poppy, when her weakened immune system gets hit with an aggressive virus. The answers are out in the wasteland.
Machinations by Hayley Stone
Rhona has been battling the malevolent AI that wants to wipe out humanity for as long as the war has been going… until it kills her. Now she’s back, new body, same personality, minus some very important memories. She needs to figure out how to reshape her life and find her way–and get back in the fight.
Murder in Esterloch and Other Short Stories by S.S. Long
A collection of seven short stories in which a mated pair of dragon-shifters have adventures that include an egg hunt, illness, and even a murder investigation.
Conviction by Glynn Stewart
Kira didn’t exactly expect a medal for her wartime heroics, but assassins out for her blood when her government betrays her as part of their surrender terms is exponentially worse. She and her comrades are forced to flee to the edge of civilized space, where they try to build new homes and new lives. But their enemies have a long reach…
Ghost Bus – Tales from Wellington’s Dark Side by Anna Kirtlan
A collection of paranormal humor and horror short stories with a New Zealand twist.
Threading the Labyrinth by Tiffani Angus
An American leaves her failing gallery behind and moves to England after inheriting a manor house in Herfordshire… from a relative she’s never heard of. Soon she’s immersed in the 400-year history of the crumbling house and its overgrown garden, and in that long past, she may at last find herself.
News and Views
The Carl Brandon Society has named its winners for the Parallax and Kindred Awards
SFWA has released the Nebula Awards Showcase 54, edited by Nibedita Sen
MIRA books has two new titles coming from Mike Chen
This thread of Lord of the Rings characters as dogs
Another really great thread calling out awesome science news from this year that you probably missed because of *gestures vaguely at everything*
Ursula Vernon: History, Discovery, and the Quiet Heroics of Gardening
The BBC will be doing Katherine Atkinson’s Life After Life as a 4-part mini series.
Happy Christmas! Tor.com has ranked the killer santa movies
On Book Riot
10 space books to read so the Galactic Federation will talk to us
Read Harder: An SFF anthology edited by a person of color
This month you can enter to win a $100 Books-A-Million Gift Card and a 1-year Kindle Unlimited subscription.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.
Sponsored by Bad Kitty Goes On Vacation by Nick Bruel.
Kitty does not have it easy. She’s always being bothered, Puppy is in her space (and drooling on her), and her plans for world domination seem to be at a standstill. So when she gets the opportunity to go with her very favorite, generous, kindhearted Uncle Murray to LOVE LOVE ANGEL KITTY WORLD, how on earth could she refuse? Kitty is so excited—this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!
Hey readers! I’m back for the last children’s new releases newsletter of 2020. I’ll be back in January with more, but until then, enjoy this week’s picks, and I wish you happy holidays.
Curls by Ruth Forman and Geneva Bowers
This is a fun and simple board book about four friends celebrating their very different hair styles.
Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller (Backlist Bump)
In this fun picture book Aria is tired of everyone always trying to touch her hair. It doesn’t matter where she goes, whether it be to space, or under the sea, someone always wants to touch it, and Aria’s had enough.
Together by Charles Fuge
In this sweet book perfect for bedtime, a polar bear parent and their cub spend some quality time together.
Warriors in Winter by Mary Pope Osborne (Backlist Bump)
Now in paperback is this wintry entry in the Magic Treehouse series where Jack and Annie are swept back in time to a Roman camp where they learn what it takes to be a good Roman soldier.
Table at Trouble 5: I Can’t Feel My Feet by Tom Watson and Marta Kissi
This illustrated early chapter book is a fun take on the cold walk to school. With temperatures dropping, Rosie, Molly and Simon have to figure out some way to make the trek without freezing their feet off.
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (Backlist Bump)
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Princess Diaries, a rerelease of the first three books in the series. A little warmhearted nostalgia might be nice now, or to introduce this new generation to Mia Thermopolis when she discovers she’s princess of Genovia.
See you in 2021!
Chelsea
Sponsored by tonies®, your lovable storytime companion
The Toniebox is an imagination-building, screen-free digital listening experience that plays stories, songs, and more. Designed for little listeners ages 3+, it’s the perfect storytime companion for tiny hands and active imaginations. The Toniebox comes to life when paired with our whimsical collection of Tonies, hand-painted characters with hours of stories to tell, worlds to explore, and songs to sing. Whether educational content, audiobook or sing-along songs, each hand-painted Tonie figurine is a unique listening experience. From beloved classics to modern favorites, where will Tonies take you?
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This is going to be the last issue of Check Your Shelf until after the New Year, so I’m just going to say GOOD RIDDANCE 2020, YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED. And since this hasn’t been my greatest year in terms of reading and books, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the little (non-bookish) things that got me through this year. So here’s a shoutout to all of the episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax that I watched over and over, the True Facts guy on YouTube who kept me entertained while I struggled through basic household chores, and the Chicken Lemon Orzo soup at Corner Bakery when I needed to eat but couldn’t fathom making anything for myself. Also, here’s possibly the cutest photo we’ve taken of Houdini to date.
So now, let’s talk books!
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
Publisher’s Weekly names “The Book Business Worker” as its 2020 Person of the Year.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation launches a new publishing imprint with Random House.
A look at some of the biggest publishing news stories in 2020.
New & Upcoming Titles
Colson Whitehead’s next book, Harlem Shuffle, will be a heist novel!
Elizabeth Warren’s new book, Persist, will be out in April of next year.
Titan Books is publishing an anthology of stories inspired by Shirley Jackson, which will include submissions from horror authors like Paul Tremblay and Josh Malerman.
New books about artificial intelligence.
9 new poetry collections that highlight the diversity of Latinx identity.
Some of the best recent sci-fi and fantasy novels in translation.
Weekly book picks from Booklist Reader, Bustle, Crime Reads, New York Times, and Shelf Awareness.
Best books of December from Bitch Media (feminist picks), and Tor.com (horror/genre bending novels).
Most anticipated books of 2021 from Amazon, BuzzFeed (historical fiction), Epic Reads, The Rumpus, and USA Today.
Best Books of 2021
The ULTIMATE Best Books List of 2020.
Best books of 2020 from the Asian American Writer’s Workshop, AV Club, Book Marks, (fiction and nonfiction), BookPage, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, Jezebel, Lit Hub, Town & Country, USA Today, Vox, Vulture, and Wired.
Best mystery & crime books from Book Marks and Crime Reads (noir fiction, debuts, gothic fiction, psychological thrillers, true crime, and espionage fiction).
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
A Certain Hunger – Chelsea G. Summers (LA Times, Washington Post)
Red Hands – Christopher Golden (Washington Post)
Worked Over: How Round-the-Clock Work is Killing the American Dream – Jamie K. McCallum (Washington Post)
Stakes is High: Life After the American Dream – Mychal Denzel Smith (Washington Post)
Expedition Deep Ocean: The First Descent to the Bottom of All Five Oceans – Josh Young (Washington Post)
On the Riot
13 great Fall 2020 books in translation.
Best positive thinking books of 2020.
Dark mood reading that’s working for this reader.
All Things Comics
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf is named the best graphic novel of the year by Publishers Weekly critics.
Best-reviewed graphic literature of 2020 from Book Marks.
Audiophilia
Best audiobooks of 2020 from Slate and Washington Post.
5 family mystery audiobooks to share.
Great holiday audiobooks for young readers.
8 audiobooks you’ll love as much as their adaptations.
Audiobooks with animal narrators.
On the Riot
8 of the best audiobooks narrated by Emily Woo Zeller.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
8 interactive books to entertain your restless young reader.
14 YA releases to catch up on before their sequels drop in 2021.
The ultimate cozy YA books for cold winter days.
Adults
22 authors on the books that gave them hope in 2020.
USA Today contributors list the books that got them through this year.
23 modern SFF twists on classic stories.
5 books about the world after the end of the world.
On the Riot
15 great English/Spanish books for kids.
Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020.
Read Harder: A SFF anthology written by a person of color, a middle grade mystery, a fat-positive romance, a work of fanfiction, a genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author.
8 gritty thrillers to keep you turning the pages.
11 of the best holiday horror novels.
15 books like Taylor Swift’s Evermore for your winter reading list.
15 of the best historical fiction series.
10 space books to read so the Galactic Federation will talk to us.
8 intergenerational family sagas to dig into this winter.
5 memoirs in verse by amazing women writers.
8 books about magical and mysterious libraries.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in Library Reads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
I have to believe that 2021 will be better than this year. Stay safe and healthy this holiday, and I will see you all in January!
Categories
Operation Ride a Raindeer
Sponsored by the new novel To Steal a Heart from historical romance author Jen Turano.
Gabriella Goodhue had put her past as a thief behind her, until a woman in her boardinghouse is unjustly accused and she is caught gathering evidence by Nicholas Quinn, a fellow street urchin against whom she holds a grudge. Nicholas refuses to lose her twice and insists they join forces—but their feelings are tested when danger follows their every step.
It’s the last Monday of KB for 2020 (there’s one more coming on Thursday before Book Riot goes on break until the new year). I started watching Chicago Typewriter, which is about a grumpy writer and a haunted typewriter (and so much more) and I’m going to have to find something to read about people’s past lives that wasn’t written by Jude Deveraux.
Let’s talk about book stuff! Hopefully we won’t get some kind of world-changing explosion on Christmas Eve this year. *fingers crossed* *knocks on wood*
News and Useful Links
If you missed it last week, the full Bridgerton trailer is out! And the Bridgerton Twitter account is amaze, so even if you don’t plan to watch the show, enjoy that bit of joy.
There’s still time to vote for the readRchat best books of the year.
And time to nominate books for the Swoon Awards.
What academics can learn from romancelandia.
And work from academics who are romancelandia!
Check out this interview with Denise Williams, author of How to Fail at Flirting.
Speaking of interviews, here’s one with Talia Hibbert.
Nicola Davidson showed us the cover of her next book, Wicked Passions.
And here’s the cover of Jasmine Guillory’s upcoming book, While We Were Dating. (And a bonus interview with her, too!)
Roxane Gay is starting a book club, and looksee whose book is on it!
There’s still time to check out some wishlists.
And romance adjacent: There’s a new trailer for season two of A Discovery of Witches!
Deals
Ho! Ho! Ho! by Rilzy Adams
If you’re looking for a short, sexy read that is more “set during” the winter holidays than “about” the winter holidays, this book is well worth the 99 cents. A woman on the verge of divorce spills her heart out to a bartender and then never sees him again. At least until the next year, when they run into each other on the sidewalk. He’s the one that got away, but she’s spent her year acting upon her post-divorce goals, in what she titled Operation Ride A Reindeer. He, being perfectly secure in his own amazingness, asks her to tell him about it over dinner. (Note: this book includes detailed sex scenes between the female protagonist and people who are not the male protagonist.)
Recs!
This is our last Monday together which means it’s my last time doing recs! Thanks so much to those of you who reached out with well wishes and to tell me your favorites. I’m so glad to have been able to introduce so many of you to some of my favorite authors and stories.
Syncopation by Anna Zabo
Syncopation brought me (and many others!) into the world of Anna Zabo and the Twisted Wishes trilogy. While it’s not their debut, it was the book that brought them on my radar. And I haven’t turned around since. It was my first romance ever featuring an aromantic romantic lead (and yes, it works), and I love how Anna makes their relationship work for allo/aro couple.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Talia’s first traditionally published romance made a heck of a splash with readers, whether they read primarily tradpub or were familiar with her indie work. Get a Life introduces us to the Brown sisters (and is fabulously narrated by Adjoa Andoh if you go that route). Chloe is fat and Black and has fibromyalgia. She has lived her life very sheltered, but realizes that there is more to life than what she currently allows herself to see. I am more partial to Dani, her pink haired, bisexual academic sister, but every book a reader, amirite?
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
My favorite thing to see over the past few years has been “thanks for introducing me to [author]” no matter who the author was. But the number of times Alyssa’s name made it into my inbox particularly delighted me! I have been spreading the good news for what feels like decades but it has actually been less than five years since I first read one of her books. I’m so glad that out of all the authors whose books I’ve been pushing, Alyssa has been able to meet so many different romance needs, whether you’ve been looking for contemporary, spec-fic, or historical.
I’d love to keep hearing from you about your favorite romance books and news! Catch me on Twitter @jessisreading or Instagram @jess_is_reading, or send me an email at wheninromance@bookriot.com if you’ve got feedback, bookrecs, or just want to say hi!
Sponsored by LitNuts.
Book Riot is teaming up with LitNuts for a chance to win a 1-year subscription to Kindle Unlimited!
Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!
This week’s pick is a book that has absolutely been recommended to me no fewer than 50 times over the years, but I FINALLY read just this year and wow, people were not wrong when they said it was amazing!
Content warning: bullying, violence, talk of child death (but not on the page)
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Sunny is a Nigerian-American girl who has just moved back to Nigeria with her family. She’s also albino, which means that she must stay out of the sun and she looks different from her peers and family. She’s grown used to the bullying because of the way she looks and her American tendencies, but one day a run-in with bullies leads to a tentative new friendship…and that friendship leads to a shocking revelation: Sunny is one of the Leopard People, those who possess magical abilities. But because no one else in her immediate family has magic, she’s known as a “free agent”–and she needs to learn how to get her powers under control quickly.
I really enjoyed the magic system in this book, and how the magical society secretly coexists with the “real world” that Sunny has always known. Sunny and her new friends and fellow students Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha must learn how to maintain secrecy while attending school, going on outings, and dealing with Sunny’s protective parents. Training is essential, which is where Sunny begins to learn more about her abilities and limitations from an instructor who sends the four teens out on increasingly dangerous and eye-opening outings. The stakes always felt high in this book, but they ratchet up even more so when the teens learn that the serial killer known as Black Hat that’s been plaguing their communities and worrying their parents isn’t just a regular murderer–he’s a dangerous magic user who is killing to gain power, and only Sunny, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha can stop him.
This is an imaginative book where the world building is carefully thought out, and many mysteries and secrets (large and small) unfold between the pages. I loved following along as our four main characters learned about their abilities and discover their place in this exciting and confusing magical world–getting up to a bit of mischief along the way–and I thought that Okorafor did such a wonderful job of creating a unique and exciting fantasy world that I felt immersed in from the beginning. I can’t wait to get my hands on Akata Warrior next!
Bonus: I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Yetide Badaki, which was really engaging, and the performance was beautiful!
Happy reading!
Tirzah
Categories
122120-HachetteDec20Sweepstakes-RR
Sponsored by Hachette Book Group
New Year, New Reads Sweepstakes
Start your New Year with bestselling fiction. Enter for a chance to win a New York Times bestselling novel from Hachette Book Group.