5 Books to be released in February of 2022
I can’t believe January is almost over already! This month, without fail, always feels simultaneously like the longest and the shortest one. Not because it’s another 300 and something days to Christmas or anything like that. I genuinely couldn’t care less. There’s just a bit of a comedown from spending time with family, and in my case finally being able to travel home again, then having to go back to work and pick up things as normal.
Oh well - before things get too morose. Atleast this long month has given me enough time to read books, even some non-fiction ones. Shock! It also has gotten me excited for what is to come ahead, like the books below!
A River Enchanted - By Rebecca Ross
Release date: 15th of February 2022
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Synopsis:
‘Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.’
My thoughts:
Truth be told I’ve not read any of Ross’ YA works, and I was fairly unaware of this upcoming release as well until a friend recommended it to me. According to her the comparison to House of Earth and Blood is wildly of the mark and it is far closer to The Bear and the Nightingale and Outlander, both names that I am intrigued by. So there certainly is no harm in giving this one a go, at least in my eyes.
The Leviathan - By Rosie Andrews
Release date: 17th of February 2022
Publisher: Raven Books
Synopsis:
‘Norfolk, 1643. With civil war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper conduct with their widowed father. By the time Thomas returns home, his father is insensible, felled by a stroke, and their new servant is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft.
Thomas prides himself on being a rational, modern man, but as he unravels the mystery of what has happened, he uncovers not a tale of superstition but something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before.
Something has awoken, and now it will not rest.’
My thoughts:
Having read more historical fantasy / alternate history fantasy recently, this book immediately jumped at me. Add to that the fact the book is set in England (as opposed to the US as countless books tend to be) and sprinkle in some well-researched witchcraft hysteria and you have yourself a winner, in my book at least.
Scorpica - By G. R. Macallister
Release date: 22nd of February 2022
Publisher: Saga Press
Synopsis:
‘A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe.
Five hundred years of peace between queendoms shatters when girls inexplicably stop being born. As the Drought of Girls stretches across a generation, it sets off a cascade of political and personal consequences across all five queendoms of the known world, throwing long-standing alliances into disarray as each queendom begins to turn on each other—and new threats to each nation rise from within.’
My thoughts:
Last year I went on a bit of a rampage and attempted to mostly read stand-alone books. Naturally, I failed miserably at that, so much so that I have just started reading the Wheel of Times series - did anyone say 15 books? Now, seeing as I might as well jump back on the series/trilogies bandwagon, why not do so with a book that is given me some serious Priory of the Orange Tree vibes. Plus critics have likened it to Circe, which is another book I absolutely loved!
The Paradox Hotel - By Rob Hart
Release date: 22nd of February 2022
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Synopsis:
‘For someone with January Cole’s background, running security at a fancy hotel shouldn’t be much of a challenge.
Except the Paradox is no ordinary hotel. Here, the ultra-wealthy guests are costumed for a dozen different time periods, all anxiously waiting to catch their “flights” to the past. And proximity to the timeport makes for an interesting stay. The clocks run backwards on occasion—and, rumor has it, ghosts stroll the halls.
Now, January’s job is about to get a whole lot harder. Because the U.S. government is getting ready to privatize time-travel technology—and a handful of trillionaires have just arrived to put down their bids.
Meanwhile there’s a blizzard rolling in, and the timestream’s acting strange. Which means nobody’s leaving until further notice.
And there’s a murderer on the loose.
Or at least, that’s what January suspects. Except the corpse in question is one that somehow only she can see. And the accidents stalking their prestigious guests…well, the only way a killer could engineer those is by operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once. Which is surely impossible.
There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and forcing her to confront secrets of her own.
Because here at the Paradox Hotel, the past is waiting around every corner.’
My thoughts:
I am a sucker for a good ‘Whodunnit’. Knives out anyone? Throw that against a backdrop that wouldn’t have looked bad in some of the most recent Doctor Who episodes and I am curious.
The Justice of Kings - By Richard Swan
Release Date: 22nd of February 2022
Publisher: Orbit
Synopsis:
‘As an Emperor's Justice, Sir Konrad Vonvalt always has the last word. His duty is to uphold the law of the empire using whatever tools he has at his disposal: whether it's his blade, the arcane secrets passed down from Justice to Justice, or his wealth of knowledge of the laws of the empire. But usually his reputation as one of the most revered—and hated—Justices is enough to get most any job done.
When Vonvalt investigates the murder of a noblewoman, he finds his authority being challenged like never before. As the simple case becomes more complex and convoluted, he begins to pull at the threads that unravel a conspiracy that could see an end to all Justices, and a beginning to lawless chaos across the empire.’
My thoughts:
Let’s just call a spade a spade. More than likely this will be another for the long list of series that I will be reading throughout this year. Only to be crushingly disappointed to find out that the 2nd, 3rd or final book hasn’t been written yet and is years off from being finalized. Oh the despair!
What are your thoughts? Are you excited for any of the books on this list? Have you read other books by these authors and fallen madly in love? Do any of them sadly fall short of the hype? Let me know in the comment section below and, until then - just one more page!