Last year, I fell in love with Zoraida Córdova's writing, reading three of her novels back-to-back in an August whirlwind. I was excited when she released a new anthology of short stories, Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space. Zoraida Córdova edited the anthology, which also features stories from other young adult latine... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I was happy to read Gurzil by I, Anonymous. The first in the Wars of Wrath series, it ended on a cliffhanger, so I was eager to see what would happen next. The second installment is Badon Hill, a transitional book that sets up what is sure to be an exciting end.... Continue Reading →
Ever since I first saw the cover for Veronica G. Henry's debut novel, Bacchanal, I've been eager to read it. With Spooky Season well underway, I thought now was the perfect time to dive into this magical story of evil and mystery set the American South in the 1930s. Summary Eliza Meeks was abandoned by... Continue Reading →
T. Kingfisher is an author I've been meaning to get into. Her 2020 novel The Hollow Places is on my bookshelf, eyeing me impatiently, and I have an ever-growing list of her other books I'd like to read. This year, I decided to finally start with a novella that's been all the rage: What Moves... Continue Reading →
For months, I was looking forward to Sign Here, the debut novel by Claudia Lux. Apart from its eye-catching cover, the synopsis sounded wholly original: A guy working in Hell? That could be both fun and horrifying! I was thrilled to get an advance copy of this novel, even if it turned out to be... Continue Reading →
I've become a big fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia in the past few years. By now, I've read most of her novels, but before I catch up on the three still on my TBR, I wanted to dive into her shorter fiction, too. Earlier this year I enjoyed her short story, The Tiger Came to the Mountains, and... Continue Reading →
I love retellings, and though I've never read the Ramayana, I was excited for Vaishnavi Patel's debut novel, Kaikeyi. Here, the infamous queen gets to tell her side of things, offering a more sympathetic perspective than she usually receives. Summary Kaikeyi is the only daughter born to the kingdom of Kekaya, and although she seems... Continue Reading →
One book that's been getting a lot of buzz lately is The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi. Her debut novel, this is the first in her Ending Fire trilogy. This fantasy novel is inspired by Ghanaian folklore and Arabian mythology, where people are divided based on the color of their blood and where secrets about... Continue Reading →
In late 2020, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was part of a book club I was in, and all of us loved the novel. So I was excited to learn of his newest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, and even more thrilled when I was approved... Continue Reading →
A debut novel that instantly piqued my interest this year was When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo. The cover is stunning, and I was excited to read a book set in Trinidad, especially since June is Read Caribbean Month! Summary When We Were Birds follows two protagonists. One is Yejide, whose mother has... Continue Reading →
Over the past several months, I've connected with a new author known as I, Anonymous. I was honored when he offered me an ARC of his new book, Gurzil, the first in the Wars of Wrath series. Gurzil just came out two weeks ago, and it's a book I wholly recommend, whether you're an avid... Continue Reading →
Since it came out in 2019, I've only heard good things about Ta-Nehisi Coates's novel, The Water Dancer. I was excited to finally read it, and wow, what a stunning book this was! In the mid-1800s, Hiram Walker was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia. He can't remember his mother, who was sold... Continue Reading →
I loved Carlos Ruiz Zafón's entire Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, and I was so sad to hear about his passing in 2020. His final publication is The City of Mist, a brief collection of short stories that harkens back to the setting and themes of that series. Highlighting new characters and real historical figures... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, my sister took a trip to Bucharest, Romania. She picked up some souvenirs while there, and knowing how much I love books, she decided the perfect gift for me would be a book translated from Romanian. She selected Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Pârvulescu, first published in 2009 before its... Continue Reading →
It was March 2020 when I became enchanted by The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. Book of the Month offered it as one of their add-on selections that month, and although it hadn't previously been on my radar, it immediately went right into my box. Finally, just after reading another book about Mozart (The... Continue Reading →
It was almost exactly one year ago when I read Isabel Ibañez's debut novel, Woven in Moonlight. Its sequel, Written in Starlight, was one of my most anticipated books of January 2021. I was determined to read it before this year ends, and in these final weeks of 2021, it was exactly the book I... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of May was A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. Although this is the first full-length novel in the Dead Djinn Universe series, it was preceded by three novellas. (I haven't read them yet, but they're on my list now.) In the end, I picked up the audiobook... Continue Reading →
It was a little over a year ago when Cemetery Boys, the debut novel by Aiden Thomas, came out. It was a book I was looking forward to, but although I bought it pretty quickly, I've held off on reading it. Until now, that is. This seemed like the perfect book for early October: both... Continue Reading →
I first discovered Silvia Moreno-Garcia through her novel Gods of Jade and Shadow two years ago when it was a Book of the Month selection. I loved it, and last year, I loved Mexican Gothic just as much. This year, her fans have been quite spoiled: In addition to her brand new novel, Velvet Was... Continue Reading →
I was thrilled when Zoraida Córdova's new book, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, was selected as one of Book of the Month's main August picks. Her adult debut, this novel doesn't publish more widely until September 7th, so I was excited to read it early. In fact, I've been on a bit of a Zoraida... Continue Reading →
Four days ago I finished Zoraida Córdova's Incendiary, the first in her Hollow Crown duology. I really enjoyed it, and with that cliffhanger ending, I couldn't waste a single moment before diving right into its sequel, Illusionary. I flew through it and actually loved it even more than the first book! I'm still swooning over... Continue Reading →
In the past couple of years, I've been getting more into both fantasy and YA fiction. I've also been drawn to books by Latinx authors (partly because my husband is Peruvian) and am always excited to read books set in my favorite country, Spain. So all of those facts combined led me to the perfect... Continue Reading →
Last September I read (and adored) You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. It's the first in her Primas of Power series, and I'm eagerly awaiting its second installment, A Lot Like Adiós, due out in two months. Luckily, the countdown was made a bit easier with the release of her new novella, What the... Continue Reading →
Let me preface this review with a confession: I was really excited when A Witch in Time, the debut novel by Constance Sayers, was about to be published in February 2020. Then I was ecstatic when I won it in a Goodreads giveaway! But the version I won was an ebook, and I've never been... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 