Bookish News: April/May 2018 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Releases to Get Excited About

 
 

Guess what everyone? This is my first upcoming releases post! I’ve seen them around a lot, and they seem like fun, and I like getting excited for upcoming books, so I thought I’d give it a shot 😉 You’ll have to bear with me while I experiment and figure out exactly how, and how often, I want to do these. Also, since I’ve always liked to support self-pub/indie authors, I’m going to try and make these posts a mix of books from self-published authors, small presses, and big publishers.

So, without further ado, here are some April/May 2018 releases—some of which I’ve had the chance to read already, some of which I haven’t—that sound great and that I think you all might be interested in too!


The Devil’s Standoff by V.S. McGrath

The Devil's Standoff by V.S. McGrathBlurb:

Welcome to the birthplace of the Devil’s Revolver, where magic is draining from the land and untold danger lurks for our truly unforgettable gunslinger heroine, Hettie Alabama. The second book in the Devil’s Revolver series follows Hettie and her crew south of the Wall into Mexico, where they must unmake the Devil’s Revolver while confronting a magic- and land-hungry army and a monster from hell drawn to the infernal powers of Hettie’s mage gun.

My Thoughts:

This sequel to The Devil’s Revolver is a fun combination of Wild West and magic with quite a few surprises thrown in!

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 

The Blood Curse by Annette Marie

The Blood Curse by Annette MarieBlurb:

When Clio conned her way into the Underworld to steal magic from the notorious spell weavers of Chrysalis, she thought she was helping protect her homeland.

Instead, she exposed Lyre’s most calamitous spell, and now her half-brother Bastian plans to wield it against the powerful Ra family. Clio and Lyre have to stop him before he can unleash it, but Bastian isn’t their only adversary.

Chrysalis wants the shadow weave—and they want Lyre dead. And this time, they aren’t trusting mercenaries to get the job done. Lyre’s father is coming for him, and no magic can defeat the most lethal weaver in the three realms.

From the scorching deserts of Ra to the darkest corner of the Underworld, Clio and Lyre must chase the shadow weave as both the hunters and the hunted. To make it out alive, they’ll need magic more devious and dangerous than either of them alone possesses, and if they fail, the realms will pay the price.

My Thoughts:

If you haven’t started this series yet, you’re missing out. This final book in the trilogy is gripping from start to finish.

Goodreads | Amazon | Author Website

 

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Sleight by Jennifer SommersbyBlurb:

Growing up in the Cinzio Traveling Players circus, Genevieve Flannery is accustomed to a life most teenagers could never imagine: daily workouts of extravagant acrobatics; an extended family of clowns; wild animals for pets; and her mother Delia, whose mind has always been tortured by visions—but whose love for Geni is unwavering. In a world of performers who mystify and amaze on a daily basis, even Delia’s ghostly visions never seemed all that strange . . . until the evening Geni and her mother are performing an aerial routine they’ve done hundreds of times before, and Delia falls to her death.

That night, everything changes.

Already reeling from the tragedy, the Cinzio Traveling Players have even more to adjust to when the circus falls under new ownership. Though the new benefactor seems incredibly generous, Geni suspects his motives are much darker. And when the owner’s son, Henry, starts taking an interest in her, is it actual attraction, or an attempt to get her to lower her guard so his father can secure what he’s really after?

Suddenly swept with the terrifying visions that plagued her mother, Geni’s no longer sure who she should trust or love. And, worst of all, she’s starting to question whether she can trust her own mind.

Sommersby blends teenage drama, sizzling romance, ancient lore, and dangerous magic, against the bewitching backdrop of the circus in this atmospheric, lushly-written tale.

My Thoughts:

This one has got likeable characters, magic, an intriguing mystery, and a dash of romance!

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 

School for Psychics by K.C. Archer

School for Psychics by K.C. ArcherBlurb:

An entrancing new series starring a funny, impulsive, and sometimes self-congratulatory young woman who discovers she has psychic abilities—and then must decide whether she will use her skills for good or…not.

Teddy Cannon isn’t your typical twenty-something woman. She’s resourceful. She’s bright. She’s scrappy. She can also read people with uncanny precision. What she doesn’t realize: she’s actually psychic.

When a series of bad decisions leads Teddy to a run-in with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes. He invites her to apply to the School for Psychics, a facility hidden off the coast of San Francisco where students are trained like Delta Force operatives: it’s competitive, cutthroat, and highly secretive. They’ll learn telepathy, telekinesis, investigative skills, and SWAT tactics. And if students survive their training, they go on to serve at the highest levels of government, using their skills to protect America, and the world.

In class, Teddy befriends Lucas, a rebel without a cause who can start and manipulate fire; Jillian, a hipster who can mediate communication between animals and humans; and Molly, a hacker who can apprehend the emotional state of another individual. But just as Teddy feels like she’s found where she might belong, strange things begin to happen: break-ins, missing students, and more. It leads Teddy to accept a dangerous mission that will ultimately cause her to question everything—her teachers, her friends, her family, and even herself.

Set in a world very much like our own, School for Psychics is the first book in a stay-up-all night series.

My Thoughts:

Maybe it’s just because of my recent Harry Potter hangover, but I’m totally into the whole “school for people with supernatural abilities” thing! And I like that this is about twenty-somethings rather than teens since I’m a twenty-something myself.

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 

Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman

Unbury Carol by Josh MalermanBlurb:

Carol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times . . . but her many deaths are not final: They are comas, a waking slumber indistinguishable from death, each lasting days.

Only two people know of Carol’s eerie condition. One is her husband, Dwight, who married Carol for her fortune, and—when she lapses into another coma—plots to seize it by proclaiming her dead and quickly burying her . . . alive. The other is her lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When word of Carol’s dreadful fate reaches him, Moxie rides the Trail again to save his beloved from an early, unnatural grave.

And all the while, awake and aware, Carol fights to free herself from the crippling darkness that binds her—summoning her own fierce will to survive. As the players in this drama of life and death fight to decide her fate, Carol must in the end battle to save herself.

My Thoughts:

I do like my sci-fi/fantasy westerns 😉 This one is a strange, twisty kind of book.

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 

The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan CampBlurb:

The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters.

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son.

My Thoughts:

New Orleans, gods, and a grifter main character with the supernatural ability to find lost things. Sounds like an amazing combination!

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 

Dead Hunter by Lee Hayton

The Last Zombie Hunter by Lee HaytonBlurb:

On her twenty-first birthday, Natalia became one of the living dead.

As the daughter of a Fae and a Zombie, Natalia Hunter has never fit in anywhere—a trend that worsens when she wakes up as a mobile corpse. Luckily, her father also gives her a powerful amulet that will stop her body rotting. With it strung around her neck, she might survive as a zombie for another eighty years.

But when an evening celebration turns into a fight for survival, Natalia wakes in hospital to discover the amulet is gone. If she can’t retrieve it, then within a few days her body will begin to fall apart.

Her only clue leads her to the abandoned zone outside the city—a place where slave traders replaced law and order long ago. Natalia must wager her freedom if she’s to stop her decay.

If you like The Walking Dead or iZombie, then you’ll enjoy the new Dystopian Adventure from USA Today bestselling author Lee Hayton.

My Thoughts:

A zombie-fae hybrid??? Yes, please! I’m always thinking about how I want more hybrid paranormals, and this odd combo sounds so interesting!

Goodreads | Amazon | Author Website

 

Hell Divers III: Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Hell Divers III: Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury SmithBlurb:

Left for dead on the nightmarish surface of the planet, Commander Michael Everhart and his team of Hell Divers barely escape with their lives aboard a new airship called Deliverance. After learning that Xavier “X” Rodriguez may still be alive, they mount a rescue mission for the long-lost hero.

In the skies, the Hive is falling apart, but Captain Jordan is more determined than ever to keep humanity in their outdated lifeboat. He will do whatever it takes to keep the ship in the air—even murder. But when he learns the Hell Divers he exiled have found Deliverance, he changes course for a new mission—find the divers, kill them, and make their new ship his own.

In the third installment of the USA Today bestselling Hell Divers series, Michael and his fellow divers fight across the mutated landscape in search of X. But what they find will change everything.

My Thoughts:

The first two books in this series were amazing and intense, so I am very much looking forward to jumping back into this series and seeing how things turn out for the characters!

Goodreads | Amazon | Publisher

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

What April/May 2018 book releases are you looking forward to?

 
 
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  1. Greg

    There’s a ton of awesome stuff coming out, seems like. Sleight looks promising, we need more magical circuses. School for Psychics as well… what is it about schools? And yeah twenty- somethings are a nice break from the usual teen protags- we need more of that too.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, there is! I mean, I guess I actually do read a lot of books about 20-somethings actually lol, but they often feel more like they’re older, I guess? They’re usually all settled into jobs and stuff, so School for Psychics was different in that regard.

  2. Lorna

    I’ve not heard or read anything about these, although Dead Hunter looks pretty amazing to me. Unique. I think you are doing a good job for this to be your first time posting these!

  3. suz

    I’d not heard of any of these but Sleight looks interesting and has a great cover. Will add to my TBR list 🙂

  4. Lola

    I always like seeing these new releases posts. I like seeing which books you picked for this post and it’s fun hearing why you’re looking forward to these books. The cover for Dead Hunter I’ve seen somewhere before this week I think. I am not a fan of zombies tough, but it does sound unique.

    School for psychics sounds interesting. I kinda like school or boarding school themes and still like to pick one of those up now and then.

    I have the first book in that series by Anette Marie on my wishlist. I am looking forward to read your review of the last book.

    Oh and the City of Lost Fortunes makes me curious too with that set-up of him finding lost things.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! I’m pretty sure I preordered Dead Hunter since I think it was $0.99, and I couldn’t resist the hybrid combo lol.

      You should really try the Annette Marie books! My review is already up 🙂 I’m also curious about City of Lost Fortunes and how his ability will work and whatnot.

  5. Let's Get Beyond Tolerance

    Yay, I love these type of posts because I can usually always find something new I want to read. I already have Unbury Carol on my list (I loved his book Bird Box), but I’m now super curious about Sleight and School for Psychics. Thanks for sharing!!

    -Lauren

  6. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I wasn’t that interested in City of Lost Fortunes until I saw it takes place in New Orleans – I’m a sucker for that setting. It’s one place I’ve always wanted to visit as well. Dead Hunter sounds good as well. I swear I’m going to have to do an urban fantasy month soon because I miss it so much but then never make time to read any of it.

    1. Kristen Burns

      City of Lost Fortunes does seem like one you might be interested in. And New Orleans always makes for such a great setting! I love the idea of Dead Hunter, I think I’ve already preordered it. You should def have a UF month!

  7. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer

    I couldn’t get into the Unbury Carol. Maybe I should try again. I added The Night Realm to my wishlist..because I simply need to add another series to my bulging tbr pile *rolls eyes* I was gifted the 3rd Hell Divers audio. I guess I need to grab book one. Darn it, Dead Hunter looks good too!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Tbh it wasn’t my favorite either, but it’s one that I feel like other people might enjoy. The Night Realm series is a great one! Of course you need more books for your tbr 😉 Yeah, I’d rec starting with Book 1 in Hell Divers. And Dead Hunter does look good, right?!

  8. Olivia-Savannah Roach

    I don’t really keep up with new releases in a vain attempt to curb my ever-growing TBR. So I really don’t recognise a lot of these books. But City of Loss Souls sounds and looks so good to me! I love the cover, and then I also really enjoy books set in New Orleans. Looking forward to looking into that one a bit more.

  9. Stephanie Jane

    Unbury Carol looks like a wonderfully quirky plotline! And yay for picking a Lee Hayton. I’ve enjoyed her crime novels, but haven’t tried a fantasy one yet.

  10. Luna & Saturn

    There’s always so many cool new books coming out. We haven’t read any of these books (though we’ve know of The Blood Curse) so it’s amazing how you’re always introducing new reads. We would’ve never realised it was your first time posting this type of post if you didn’t mention it. Unbury Carol definitely seems right up our alley, its premise sounds so unique.

    ~ Luna & Saturn @ Pendragons

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! I’m just still trying to figure out exactly how I want to format these posts and whatnot. But there are a lot of great books coming out soon! Unbury Carol is a really unique one 🙂

  11. Daniela Ark

    YA! I AM SO HAPPY so decided to join us the new releases lunatics 🙂
    I’m pretty sure new releases is the high of my blogging month 🙂
    AND
    O
    M
    G
    Look who is here!
    I have like 4-5 posts drafted just for HD3 LOL
    Ask the author, Author interview, HD2 review, HD3 reiew LOL
    I think Iike that series 😉
    Thank you for featuring it my love! 🙂 xoxo

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol this new release post was fun, I’m glad to be one of you now 😛

      Of course I had to include Hell Divers! I can’t wait to see your interview!!!

  12. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    There are totally books on here I’ve not heard of but I am loving the covers. Is it wrong to want to buy books because of a cover alone? Do I care? I’m a little interested in Sleight from the summary, but it’s mostly the title which grabbed my attention. Can I just say the cover The City of Lost Fortunes is absolutely stunning? And it’s set in New Orleans which is like my bookish kryptonite. I love that city and I’ve only been once, I am totally adding that to my TBR. School for Psychics also looks cool but I think City of Lost Fortunes has just hooked me and I am making grabby hands at my screen. Thank you for putting that on my radar!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Nope, totally not wrong 😉 City of Lost Fortunes does have a great cover! And New Orleans is such a great setting. I’ve been once, but I was just a kid, so I don’t feel like I fully appreciated it. Hopefully City of Lost Fortunes will be good!