Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft & Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlight is:

The Hog King by Josiah Bancroft
 Publication Date: January 22nd, 2018

Orbit 
608 pages

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository 

From Goodreads: 

"Fearing an uprising, the Sphinx sends Senlin to investigate a plot that has taken hold in the ringdom of Pelphia. Alone in the city, Senlin infiltrates a bloody arena where hods battle for the public's entertainment. But his investigation is quickly derailed by a gruesome crime and an unexpected reunion. 

Posing as a noble lady and her handmaid, Voleta and Iren attempt to reach Marya, who is isolated by her fame. While navigating the court, Voleta attracts the unwanted attention of a powerful prince whose pursuit of her threatens their plan. 

Edith, now captain of the Sphinx's fierce flagship, joins forces with a fellow wakeman to investigate the disappearance of a beloved friend. She must decide who to trust as her desperate search brings her nearer to the Black Trail where the hods climb in darkness and whisper of the Hod King. 

As Senlin and his crew become further dragged in to the conspiracies of the Tower, everything falls to one question: Who is The Hod King?"

608 pages? That's almost two hundred pages more than either of the first two books, so I'm really excited to see what is going to be in all of that. I've been really enjoying this series, so the fact that this is out in about two months is extremely exciting.

             and...

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
 Rick Riordan Presents

304 pages

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository 

From Goodreads: 

"Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee’s space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her. 

To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds. 

When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name. 

Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams. 

This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination."

This sounds like a ride and I am here for it. I love that this is a sci-fi mixed with Korean mythology influences because that's not something that I think I've seen, and it sounds wonderful.

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

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Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson

Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Orbit, 2018

Paperback. 464 pages.

About Rosewater:

"Tade Thompson's Rosewater is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction's most engaging new voices. 

Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious alien biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless—people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumored healing powers. 

Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn't care to again—but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realization about a horrifying future."

This was a fascinating book! However, this has proven to be a difficult review to write because it's hard to fully explain how things in this world work without writing pages and pages of information, but I'll do my best to discuss the structure itself and give you an idea of what to expect.

Rosewater is one of those books where the reader is thrown into things without a lot of explanation. As the novel progresses, the author slowly unfolds more and more information about both what is occurring in the present timeline as well as what occurred in the past that has built up to present events. I'm often mixed on my opinion of books that throw the reader into too much without providing much background information about anything that's going on, largely because I then often find myself focusing too much on being lost and not the story itself--but not so in this case. To prevent this, Thompson feeds the reader just enough information to keep them grounded without ever giving away too much or overwhelming the reader. Even though I felt a bit confused or uncertain at times, I was surprised at how sucked into this story I was--I didn't want to put the book down, and whenever I did I was yearning to pick it back up again and find out hat was going on in this crazy story.

The protagonist, Kaaro, is the sole perspective to tell the story, which I was very thankful for--sometimes I just get tired of multi-perspectives in fantasy and sci-fi an prefer to stay with one person. However, the chapters do alternate between various times in Kaaro's past and the present, and it is done so in a way that melds together really well and lets the story unfold at solid, steady pace. Kaaro is a character that I really grew to love throughout the story. He first came across as someone who is a bit indifferent to the world around him, but as the story gained momentum and more about his past and current life were explored, his personality really started to show through. He's someone with a rather dry humor that adds subtle personality to an otherwise potentially mundane world; he's both reckless and careful, which makes for a thrilling combination.

Thompson's writing style is what I think made this book the most engaging for me. It's mostly a rather blunt, simple style, but it has a certain amount of deftness and precise storytelling that makes it something surprisingly compelling. I could never quite put my finger on what it was about this book that made it so captivating, but Thompson somehow continuously touches on deep, thoughtful topics in a simple way, then sprinkles in a bit of dry irony or humor and suddenly I'm glued to the pages.  He can take the complicated and write it in a simple way that is excessively readable. I also really liked the detail that was seemingly paid to each and ever word and sentence in this book. I felt as though there were a lot of very subtle references, metaphors, or other meaningful phrases and ideas that were quietly sneaked into the book. 

As I mentioned before, the pacing was really well done. There's enough intensity to keep the reader engaged, but it also moves at a somewhat slower pace at times that gives the reader a chance the get their bearings and better understand what is going on. There was no excessive info-dumping, but I always felt as though I had enough information at each given scene. The last third or so of Rosewater really picked up speed and that was where things really started to get crazy. I did find myself feeling a bit lost at various points near the end, but I can't tell if that was just me or if other people might also find themselves a bit confused and it was purposefully that way. Despite that, the ending was still extremely well done and has left me dying for a sequel.

Overall, I've given Rosewater 4.5 stars! I was so close to giving it five stars and there is a high likelihood that after I eventually re-reading this I might just raise it to that five.

*I received a copy of Rosewater courtesy of Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the novel.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

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The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. Balzer and Bray, 2013. 464 pages. Ebook.

I've had this book sitting in my Kindle for quite a while now, and I can't believe I didn't read it sooner.

 I subscribe to daily Bookbub alert emails, which sends daily or weekly digests that highlight Kindle books that are on sale for $2.99 or less (I actually recommend it if that's something you're interested in). Now, you do have to sift through these sometimes to find the real gems, but when you do, it's totally worth it. For instance, The Madman's Daughter.

Just the summary alone had me hooked. It's an enticing story inspired by H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, and boy, did it deliver. There were so many parallels to the original, yet also so many differences that that made it an absolutely perfect balance overall. I thought this brought a delightful twist to Wells' original haunting page-turner, and I had a hard time putting it down.

The story follows Juliet Moreau, whose father is the infamous Dr. Moreau. Dr. Moreau has been driven out of the country after his controversial experiments become public and he faces great public shame and potential legal conflicts. Juliet is left alone - her mother eventually dying of illness - and is forced to find work wherever she can take it, as her father's disgrace has also left her in disgrace and ill favor of society. Through unexpected events, she ends up on her father's island with Montgomery, her childhood friend and servant, and Edward, a shipwrecked man they take aboard on their journey to Dr. Moreau's island.  Once on the island, Juliet discover that her father has not discontinued his experiments, but is still working steadily away at things she never imagined...

Simple put, Megan Shepherd is master storyteller. Though the plot was somewhat predictable at times, it was also done so in a way that was almost unpredictable. I know, you probable think I sound rather contradictory, but hear me out: have you ever read something that seems familiar, yet is entirely new, or you feel like something is going to happen, but you don't know how or when? That's how I often felt while reading this, and it was perfect. I felt so engaged and enjoyed every gory and unnatural twist and turn that Shepherd threw at me.

It definitely had its gruesome moments, but they weren't excessive or unwarranted; they fit perfectly in each place and brought just the right amount of creepiness and horror to the narrative. This is a psychological journey as much as it s a battle for survival on this island filled with unnatural beings.

I found Juliet's personality quite likable; she was headstrong and determined in a way that I don't often see. She may have turned a blind eye in the beginning to what her father was doing, but once she was faced with facts, she accepted them and acted accordingly. Though Juliet did make a few impulsive moves (what main character doesn't?), she didn't do anything exceptionally stupid, which often frustrates me with headstrong, stubborn female protagonists. I found her incredibly intelligent, and I absolutely loved the internal struggle between giving into her scientific-minded side versus her more rational, ethic-oriented side. I thought it brought up an important topic and discussion on the morals of science - how much is too much? at what point does science cross a 'moral' line? is there a line if it's all for the sake of knowledge and advancement?

Montgomery and Edward were also two captivating gentlemen, and I enjoyed slowly unraveling their personalities and actions to find out more about them and how they became the men they are. The romance between Montgomery and Juliet as well as Edward and Juliet was a bit strong and it could have easily been removed, but it was an interesting element that created a more developed and complex storyline among the characters - though it did create the dreaded love triangle.

We also have Juliet's father, the madman himself. I actually don't want to discuss him too much because I feel as though he is one of those characters that you really have to experience yourself. However, I will say that Shepherd did exceptionally complex work in creating his character: he is at first  depicted as a loving father enraptured in science, but slowly revealing his true, inner nature and inability to deduce when science goes too far.

This ended up being the perfect Halloween read. It was truly spooky, and I found myself becoming so absorbed in the creepy, unexpected happenings of the story that I hardly noticed the time fly by - though I did, however, notice when absolutely anything around me moved or made an unnatural sound; it's very easy to get sucked in, and I certainly noticed an eerie atmosphere surrounding me as I read it.

Overall, I am giving The Madman's Daughter the big five stars! I had such a great time reading this, and I was absorbed from page one: the plot was intriguing and complex, the characters were well-developed, and it kept me both entertained and in suspense.

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