This is my first ever Waiting on Wednesday, can you believe that? Today I’m going to share books I am looking forward to that release in October. September just feels too near. Plus I’m midway through reading my September releases, and I just need some distance haha.
October Releases!
Gravemaidens
The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land’s greatest honor…and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave.
In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame.
When Alu’s ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honor. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her.
But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is—a death sentence.
Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There she discovers more danger lurking in the sand-stone corridors than she could have ever imagined and that her own life—and heart—are at stake. But Kammani will stop at nothing to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if it means sacrificing everything…including herself.
I am all about the duologies recently, and talk about a story about a sister who is determined to save her sister – GIVE ME ALL THE SISTERS! I’m on the Street Team for this amazing debut, and so I got a sneak peek at the Preorder Goodies and believe me…you want this. Talk about mocktails, enamel pins, and stickers! Kelly has options for US, INTL, and Library Requests! Find Gravemaides on Goodreads!
The Light at the Bottom of the World
In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind wavers between fear and hope—fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.
When sixteen-year-old submersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.
Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.
Underwater submarine races, a future setting, and a quest for family. What book might I be talking about? The Light at the Bottom of the World! London is so sweet and this book is so underhyped! The world building comes alive on the page, I’ve read this one already and can tell you, GO GET IT! Find The Light at the Bottom of the World on Goodreads and on London’s website.
Jackpot
Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she–with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan–can find the ticket holder who hasn’t claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite…or divide?
Having read and really enjoyed Odd One Out and Dear Martin, I was so excited when I found a copy of Jackpot at BookExpo. Nic Stone is one of those authors who I want to keep reading. Find Jackpot on Goodreads.
A River of Royal Blood
Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood–a dark and terrible magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition. Living in Raina’s long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne–because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.
When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye–and it isn’t just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa’s death or her own.
Look, everyone and their whole family is excited about this new debut from Amanda Joy. I mean look at this cover?! I was so grateful when PRH Global sent me a copy of this ARC so I can read it and revel in the gorgeousness. Find A River of Royal Blood on Goodreads!
By Any Means Necessary
On the day Torrey officially becomes a college freshman, he gets a call that might force him to drop out before he’s even made it through orientation: the bee farm his beloved uncle Miles left him after his tragic death is being foreclosed on.
Torrey would love nothing more than to leave behind the family and neighborhood that’s bleeding him dry. But he still feels compelled to care for the project of his uncle’s heart. As the farm heads for auction, Torrey precariously balances choosing a major and texting Gabriel—the first boy he ever kissed—with the fight to stop his uncle’s legacy from being demolished. But as notice letters pile up and lawyers appear at his dorm, dividing himself between family and future becomes impossible unless he sacrifices a part of himself.
Having read Home and Away, I made sure to request this book from Page Street. It sounds like a very different book from the other I read by Montgomery, but I am so excited! Find By Any Means Necessary on Goodreads.