Barnes and Noble and Goodreads Mid-year Roundups

This is inspired by the Chinese legend of the moon goddess, which, if you haven’t noticed already, is totally my jam. Xingyin has grown up on the moon, hidden away from the Celestial Emperor because of her mother being exiled. When her magic flares, she’s no longer hidden and she has to leave her mother, and her home, behind. She’s forced to make her way towards the mystical Celestial Kingdom alone and afraid. Once she disguises her identity, she’s able to learn magic and archery with the emperor’s son and uses her new found skills to go on a quest, with all the romantic spice and mythological creatures, to save her mother.

This has been on my TBR for a hot minute and I’m so ready for it to wreck my life. Like, I know that this story will suck me in and have me in a vice grip after I’ve finished reading, and I’m here for that.

Book club bonus: Certain kinds of stories seem to get retold throughout human history, even by cultures that seemingly had no contact with each other. Discuss which stories the heroine’s journey reminded you of.

Holly Black has an extensive catalogue of dark YA fantasy, and this is her debut adult novel. In this world, people’s shadows hold a lot of weight. They hold the parts of yourself you want to keep hidden, but they can also be manipulated by others, causing your feelings and memories to be altered. The kind of magic this requires comes at a cost, though. Charlie Hall, a low level scammer, is working at a bar while trying to keep her nose out of dangerous shadow magic. When someone from her past reappears, her efforts go in vain, and she’s thrust into the chaotic world of dark magic, secrets, and murder where her survival isn’t guaranteed.

Book club bonus: Shadow work, where you work with your unconscious mind to uncover parts of yourself you keep hidden, is considered vital in some spiritual practices. Discuss this book’s shadow-based magic system, looking at it from a more spiritual and psychological/mental health perspective.

This was only included in the Goodreads list and not the B&N one, but I wanted to add it here since I have already mentioned other books in the B&N list.

Violeta del Valle is born on a stormy day in 1920 and goes on to live 100 years. This novel follows her journey through life as her and her family contend with the effects of the Great War and the Spanish flu, only to be hit with the Great Depression right after. Violeta recounts a life as full of tragedy and heartbreak as it is joy and passion in a letter she writes to a loved one.

Book club bonus: If you’ve read 100 Years of Solitude, how would you compare the two novels?