My ARC Addiction: August Edition
- Jul 23, 2024
- 6 min read
I've got a problem (okay, fine, I've got a bunch of problems), but the one we're focusing on today is my addiction to requesting ARCs. Bored? Request an ARC. Feeling down? Request an ARC. Hungry? You guessed it—request an ARC. Are you sensing a theme here?
The great thing about ARCs is they're free (unlike my other addiction, buying shiny new books). Plus, you get to be one of the first to read and review upcoming releases. The downside? They come with deadlines. By then, you’re supposed to have read, reviewed, and taken a glamorous photo to post on review platforms and social media.
I'm no superhero; I read at a normal pace, have a day job, and am currently dealing with chronic pain and fatigue. If you're not seeing the issue yet, let me spell it out: reading 150 ARCs a month (slight exaggeration) isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to share the once I’ve been granted to read and review this August.
Long Live Evil
Publication date: Aug 01, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: Time of Iron #1
Pages: 464
From: Netgalley
About | Goodreads:
A tale for everyone who's ever fallen for the villain...
When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.
She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.
So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.
This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain's shoes, for an adventure that is both 'brilliant' (Holly Black) and 'supremely satisfying' (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue's gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.
Bound by Gravity
Publication date: Aug 06, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 474
From: The Nerd Fam
About | Goodreads:
They were never meant for happily-ever-after. They fell in love anyway.
She thought he was dead. Four years after the disappearance of her beloved prince, Lady Allette Rittey returns to the fae realm to find Prince Senan very much alive—and on the verge of marrying a bloody princess.
Desperate for answers, Allette poses as a servant to gain access to his castle. But the wedding bells are ringing, and she’s running out of time before she loses him forever. Prince Senan Vale has problems. A lot of them. Most pressing, an arranged marriage not to the woman he was meant for, but the princess of a neighboring kingdom. When the king refuses to call off the engagement, Senan loses all hope. Then his long-lost love returns from the grave. Senan and Allette learn the truth of what kept them apart, discovering they have been betrayed by those closest to them. The only way to be together is to flee the kingdom. But first they must escape a castle full of traitors.
The Girl With No Reflection
Publication date: Aug 08, 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 496
From: Netgalley
About | Goodreads:
A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.
Princess Ying Yue believed in love...once upon a time.
Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared.
Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things. Movements in the corners of her mirror. Colorful lights upon its surface. And when, on the eve of her wedding, she unwittingly tears open a gateway, she is pulled into a mirror world.
This realm is full of sentient reflections, including the enigmatic Mirror Prince. Unlike his real-world counterpart, the Mirror Prince is kind and compassionate, and before long Ying falls in love—the kind of love she always dreamed of.
But there is darkness in this new world, too.
It turns out the two worlds have a long and blood-soaked history, and Ying has a part to play in the future of them both. And the brides who came before Ying? By the time they discovered what their role was, it was already too late.
The Mistress of Lies
Publication date: Aug 15, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Romance
Series: The Age of Blood #1 Pages: 432
From: Netgalley
About | Goodreads:
FATE IS A CRUEL MISTRESS
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he's drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he's worked so hard to avoid - and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan's plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
Year One
Publication date: Aug 20, 2024 (New Limited Edition, first published March 31, 2021)
Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Romance
Series: King Makers #1
Pages: 432
From: Netgalley
About | Goodreads:
Bound by blood, torn by love…
In the shadowed halls of Kingmakers, a ruthless mafia university, the offspring of the world's most feared families come to master the dark arts of influence and intimidation.
Leo, unwaveringly loyal to his childhood friend, Anna, follows her into a world where love is a weapon, trust is a casualty, and survival is the only victory that matters.
But the greatest danger comes from Dean Yenin, a Bratva heir with a vendetta as cold as his heart. Dean plans to destroy Leo and take everything he holds dear, starting with Anna.
Can Leo win back his soul mate? Or is Anna lost forever?
The Last Witch In Edinburgh
Publication date: Aug 20, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 384
From: Netgalley
About | Goodreads:
In an alternate Edinburgh of 1824, every woman lives in fear that she will be the next one hanged for witchcraft. All it takes is invoking the anger, or the desire, of the wrong person. Nellie Duncan, beautiful and unwed, keeps to herself until she encounters the Rae Women’s Apothecary. There, fiery Jean Rae and the other women provide cures and teach others that they too can aid the winter deity, the Cailleach, embracing her characteristic independence, agency, and craft, in turn becoming witches themselves.
Nellie finds a place and a purpose at the shop, and a blossoming romance with Jean, as she learns about nature-based craft and a witch’s ability to return to life after death. But the Cailleach has an ancient enemy intent on stripping the power of the deity and all her witches, leaving a wake of patriarchal violence and destruction.
When heart-breaking disaster strikes, Nellie flees and spends the next two centuries hiding from the world—until love gives her the courage and the motivation to come back. Nellie’s past is waiting for her there, and hanging witches is no longer the only means of oppression. But this time, Nellie refuses to run—either from her foes, or from her resolve to awaken others to the unimaginable power that can come with fighting the patriarchy in its many forms—and finding one’s own magical inner-strength.
Any of these on your radar?
Answer below! I’m curious to know if you’re excited about any of these. I'm genuinely excited for each and every one of these. Do you think I’ll be able to read them all before the end of next month? I must admit I have my doubts. I'm a terrible mood reader, so sticking to a schedule is not really working for me. But I’ll give it my best shot, so keep an eye out for my reviews! Next month, I promise to try harder to resist that tempting request button. Do you want to see more of these? Let me know!
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