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Showing posts from October, 2024

Those We Drown

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 By: Amy Goldsmith Location: FIC GOL Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water? Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water? It should have been the trip of a lifetime. When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard luxury cruise ship The Eos for a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will offer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex–best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their friendship changed forever. But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how far in over her head she is. With Will, with the rest

Held

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By: Anne Michaels Location: FIC MIC Genre: Fiction, Literary Fiction,  Historical Fiction Shortlisted for the Booker prize 2024. Review If I don’t make this brief, I’ll go on till next week. When a book leaves me breathless and smashed, shattered and hopeful, enters my dreams, epic it seems, I just can’t stop praising and raising it up for all eyes, to see, to touch, to hear, to succumb to its delicate beauty, woven with universal themes, of what it means, to be human, in life or demise. What you believe, it’s here in these pages, it took me ages to turn its leaves, I read every passage and then read it again. And again. However much agony, you survive, you die, but “We know life is finite. Why should we believe death lasts forever?” And that’s just the start. Even the white spaces damaged me, in all the best ways. It’s a lot. Like all Anne Michaels, you are changed by her story. I think I’ll go back, and begin the book again . 1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in

I'm Afraid Youve Got Dragons

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 By: Peter S. Beagle Location: FIC BEA Genre; Dragons! THE ART!!!!!!!!  OH MY-  ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN! If you judge a book by the cover, this would have to be in everyone's top 10! From the  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Last Unicorn  comes a new novel with equal amounts of power and whimsy in which a loveable cast of characters trapped within their roles of dragon hunter, princess, and more must come together to take their fates into their own hands. Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, coming in sizes from mouselike vermin all the way up to the fabled Kings, which haven't been seen in an age. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) has recently inherited his deceased father's job as a dragon exterminator, a career he detests with all his heart. Things turn from bad to worse when Robert is hired by the royal family to disinfest the entire castle, as Princess Cerise is de

Ashlords

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 By: Scott Reintgen  Location: FIC REI Genre: Fantasy, Mag ic COVER ART!!!!!!! A page-turning inferno of a book. -- Stephanie Garber Red Rising  meets  The Scorpio Races  in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire. Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races. Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossibl

Tokyo Ever After

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 By: Emiko Jean Location: FIC JEA Genre: Romance, Young Adult A combination of Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izumi soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between

Wrath becomes Her

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 By: Aden Polydoros Location: FIC POL Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Jewish Mythology and that is a LOT of Genres Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City BeautifulVera was made for vengeance.Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns t

Bone Talk

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 By: Candy Gourlay Genre : Historical Fiction, Philippians,  Colonization Location: FIC GOU A wonderful novel... will stay with me for a long time.’ Elizabeth Laird More than a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili. And he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with. His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – but she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior. But everything changes when a new boy arrives in the village. He calls himself Samkad’s brother, yet he knows nothing of the ways of the mountain. And he brings news of a people called ‘Americans’, who are bringing war and destruction right to his home . . . Young Samkad is desperate to become a man. His father is a valued and respected warrior within the Bontoc community, and, to Samkad, the epitome of what it means to be a man. If only Samkad

Totally Deceased

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 By: Sue H Cunningham Location: FIC Cun Genre: Mystery, Thriller      An awesome premise! This book was unputdownable from start to finish. Great characters, amazing tension throughout, brilliantly written and hilarious! Arden  "Funny, heartfelt and I loved the mystery" - Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls Seventeen-year-old Jess wakes from an emergency heart transplant to discover she's being haunted by the disgruntled ghost of her donor - teenage socialite, Tilly. And she won't leave Jess in peace until they unravel the mystery surrounding her death. Their investigations take them deep into Tilly's luxurious heiress life - from private schools to Swiss banks and high-end hotels. But the clues lead somewhere darker than either of the girls could have imagined. And if Jess can't solve the murder in time, her own life may be at risk... A hilarious, heart-racing murder mystery like no other.

Two Sides to Every Murder

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 By: Danielle Valentine  Location: FIC VAL Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Slasher Karen M. McManus meets Holly Jackson From the author of  How to Survive Your Murder  comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to the site of the famous murder case that sealed their fates. Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake. Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name. Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Ca