I honestly can’t believe it is almost July, where has the time gone?! And I thought that July was a light publishing month based on my pre-orders but HAHAHA joke’s on me and my wallet. Thankfully I was able to request a couple for my local library, and I genuinely hope I find time to read all of these books in this lifetime.
Please excuse me while I wallow under the crushing weight of my TBR because at this point I will never be able to read everything and that is so sad!
📝 In case you are wondering how I manage to keep track of upcoming releases and choose the books I am most excited to highlight, check out my Edelweiss 2.0 Guide!
Source: Playbill on Tumblr
✨✨ July 2 ✨✨
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
by Maureen Callahan
True Crime, Murder, Serial Killers
A gripping tour de force of investigative journalism that takes us deep into the investigation behind one of the most frightening and enigmatic serial killers in modern American history, and into the ranks of a singular American police force: the Alaska PD
Most of us have never heard of Israel Keyes. But he is one of the most ambitious, meticulous serial killers of modern time. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as “a force of pure evil,” he was a predator who struck all over the United States. He buried “kill kits”–cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools–in remote locations across the country and over the course of fourteen years, would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger’s house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter.
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years–uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake–many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of on-the-ground interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes’s life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and the limitations of traditional law enforcement, in one of America’s most isolated environments–Alaska–when faced with a killer who defies all expectation and categorization.
This book is all Jess’ fault, and I have an eARC of it now and am looking forward to having the time for it because I need some true crime in my life right now!
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Lock Every Door
by Riley Sager
Adult, Thriller, Suspense
No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.
As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.
Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.
I love me some thrillers, especially during the summertime. I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied by this author last year and so I will probably pick this one up at some point!
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Priest of Lies (War for the Rose Thorn #2)
by Peter McLean
Adult, Grimdark Fantasy
Tomas Piety has been many things: soldier, priest, gangster…and spy. As Tomas’s power grows, the nobility better watch their backs, in this dark and gritty epic fantasy series.
People are weak, and the poorer and more oppressed they are, the weaker they become–until they can’t take it anymore. And when they rise up…may the gods help their oppressors.
When Tomas Piety returned from the war, he just wanted to rebuild his empire of crime with his gang of Pious Men. But his past as a spy for the Queen’s Men drew him back in and brought him more power than he ever imagined.
Now, with half of his city in ashes and the Queen’s Men at his back, the webs of political intrigue stretch out from the capital to pull Tomas in. Dannsburg is calling.
In Dannsburg the nobility fight with words, not blades, but the results are every bit as bloody. In this pit of beasts, Tomas must decide once and for all whether he is truly the people’s champion…or just a priest of lies.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Priest of Bones, and am looking forward to seeing what happens next for Tomas and the Pious Men.
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Immunity (Contagion #2)
by Erin Bowman
Young Adult, Science Fiction, Horror
Survivors of a deadly planetary outbreak take on a new, sinister adversary in the white-knuckle sequel to Contagion, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman called “gripping, thrilling and terrifying in equal measures.”
They thought their nightmare was over, but Thea, Coen, and Nova’s rescue was only the beginning. After being imprisoned on a ship they thought was their ticket to safety, it’s clear that the threat they left behind isn’t as distant as they’d hoped—and this time the entire galaxy is at risk.
Now that threat is about to be unleashed as an act of political warfare. To prevent an interstellar catastrophe, the survivors must harness the evil they faced on the planet Achlys and learn to wield the only weapon they have left: themselves.
The first installment in Erin Bowman’s duology earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called the plot “intricate and action-packed,” and fans of Jonathan Maberry, Rick Yancey, and Madeline Roux will relish in Bowman’s tense, high-stakes conclusion to the events of Contagion.
Contagion was one of my top five reads of 2018, and Immunity is one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year! I am so excited to see how this duology ends!
✨✨ July 9 ✨✨
Spin the Dawn
by Elizabeth Lim
Young Adult, Fantasy
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Pre-Order Incentive (International)
This book has been so widely loved by many of my blogging friends and I can’t wait to read it!
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Bethlehem
by Karen Kelly
Adult, Historical Fiction
With the writing chops of Ian McEwan and the story-craft of Lisa Wingate, Karen Kelly weaves a shattering debut about two intertwined families and the secrets that they buried during the gilded, glory days of Bethlehem, PA.
A young woman arrives at the grand ancestral home of her husband’s family, hoping to fortify her cracking marriage. But what she finds is not what she expected: tragedy haunts the hallways, whispering of heartache and a past she never knew existed.
Inspired by the true titans of the steel-boom era, Bethlehem is a story of temptation and regret, a story of secrets and the cost of keeping them, a story of forgiveness. It is the story of two complex women—thrown together in the name of family—who, in coming to understand each other, come finally to understand themselves.
There are a few tropes and settings that are almost guaranteed to make me want to read a book, and the 1920s & 1930s are one of those for me. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but most of it is set in this period haha.
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Wilder Girls
by Rory Power
Young Adult, Horror, Mystery
Debut Author
It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.
It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.
But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.
——
Please see author’s website for trigger and content warnings.
I love infection stories and this debut novel sounds absolutely creepy with an amazing cover to boot!
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The Storm Crow
by Kalyn Josephson
Young Adult, Fantasy
Debut Author
In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life…until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.
That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother’s death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.
But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.
I am not sure what drew me to this one, it could have been the cover, but I am really looking forward to reading it! I am intrigued by the Crows and how the world will be set up.
✨✨ July 16 ✨✨
This is How You Lose the Time War
by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Adult, Science Fiction, Time Travel
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
And thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more.
Except discovery of their bond would be death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That’s how war works. Right?
Read my Full ARC Review Pre-Order Incentive (US & Canada)
I am going to be honest: I almost didn’t give this book the time of day. The cover didn’t draw me in but because it was listed on Bookish First I actually READ the title and was like “time war?!” Because we all know how much I love time travel. I read the 6-page excerpt and was hooked, and was fortunate enough to win a physical ARC!
✨✨✨
The Phantom Forest
by Liz Kerin
Young Adult, Fantasy
Debut Author
Every tree in the sacred Forest of Laida houses a soul. Though each of those souls will return to the mortal world for many future lives, not all of them deserve to.
Seycia’s father told her this story as a child — a story of the most holy place in the Underworld, The Forest of Laida, where all souls go to rest before embarking on a new life. But Seycia’s father is dead now, and his killer has put a target on her back.
After being chosen for her village’s human sacrifice ritual, Seycia is transported to the Underworld and must join forces with Haben, the demon to whom she was sacrificed, to protect the family she left behind from beyond the grave. In this story of love, survival, and what it means to be human, Seycia and Haben discover that the Underworld is riddled with secrets that can only be unlocked through complete trust and devotion, not only to their mission, but also to one another.
I love exploring concepts of reincarnation and what it means to be human, and that is why I included The Phantom Forest in my NOvel19 class. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Liz and I honestly can say I enjoyed her debut novel a bunch, and can’t wait for it to be out in the world!
✨✨ July 23 ✨✨
Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Adult, HIstorical Fantasy, Mythology
The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.
YES YES YES! This Jazz Age-inspired cover drew me in and the synopsis got me hook, line, and sinker. I need this book in my hands now, please.
✨✨ July 30 ✨✨
The Merciful Crow
by Margaret Owen
Young Adult, Fantasy
A future chieftain
Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.
A fugitive prince
When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
A too-cunning bodyguard
Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?
Read my Full ARC Review Pre-Order Incentive (International)
This book sounds really cool and the cover is awesome. Plus it seems like there will be some morally grey characters for me to love, and I am all for that!
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Are any of these books on your TBR? Have you read any of them yet? What are the July releases that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Let’s go on another adventure together!
I think it is safe to say that I only got a flesh wound from this post as most of these are already on my TBR apart from one (which is waddling onto it now, thanks btw). So I escaped this round, but was not unscathed! Great list Kal!
I will have to try harder next month, but I am glad you didn’t come out unscathed MUAHAHAH
I love your new blog design, it’s gorgeous!!!
Thank you very much, Cristina!
A lot of these made my list too! I can’t wait to get my hands on Wilder Girls. I hadn’t heard of Bethlehem though–looks interesting.
I hope you enjoy Wilder Girls!!!
WOW, OKAY! Please tell me how you got these boxes for scrolling because this is amazing! Also I have ARCs of the first two, and really need to read them. They sound good, but my TBR is bananas! I reeeeally want Wilder Girls so bad!
I am using a plugin for the scrollboxes now, but before I moved to self-hosted I was able to do it with CSS. I am not sure that there’s code that is compatible with free wordpress, unfortunately. Good luck reading and Wilder Girls will be here SOON! (also my tbr is bananas too)
Oh SHOOT, This is How You Lose the Time War is coming in July??? Gotta make a library request, brb. I loved the first book of Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence (still need to read the rest, oops), and I’ll probably end up picking up everything he has a hand in eventually. And yes to The Storm Crow, Wilder Girls, and The Merciful Crow!! I’ve read the first two as ARCs and loved them, and I’m dying to read TMC. 😭
I think I’ve got to add Gods of Jade and Shadow to my list too, because I’m such a sucker for stories about humans teaming up with gods, even if they’re not REALLY on the same side. 👀
IT DOES! I am picking up This Is How You Lose the Time War next from my ARC pile and am really excited to read it based on the first chapter excerpt that I read on Bookish First. It’s my first book he has been involved in, if I love it please send me more recs. I’ll be reading The Storm Crow next & I am glad you enjoyed it!!!
You know what? I also am a sucker for humans & gods teaming up.
I really hope you like it! Everything about it just sounds SO GOOD.
I don’t make the rules, I just tell it like it is, and that’s PEAK team dynamics, putting gods and mortals in the same boat.
Aahh, I hope you love Spin the Dawn! I read it in May and it was absolutely breathtaking. Such a gorgeous book inside and out! And Wilder Girls is definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year, it looks so intriguing and f/f thrillers will never be something I’m not interested in!
I am so glad you loved Spin the Dawn, May! I requested the book from my library and am waiting anxiously to read it. I didn’t enjoy Wilder Girls as much as I expected (or as much as everyone else), but I sincerely hope you love it when it comes out on Tuesday!!
Spin the Dawn is on my July TBR too 🙂 I hope we both love it as much as our other friends loved it 😀
I hope we both love it!!!!
I actually had to work myself up to click on this. I knew it was only going to special trouble, but for once i was relieved as most of these are already on my tbr, I expected to come out a sobbing mess as I added books frantically to my list, instead, I’m only adding like two, I feel freakin accomplished. WHERE’S MY TROPHY. Great list though!! (One I’m really excited for is Pan’s Labyrinth <333)
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Congratulations on only adding 2 titles this month, I will have to try much harder! I forgot about Pan’s Labyrinth, it looks interesting but I am a little scared it won’t be as good as the film!
I’m so excited for The Storm Crow and The Merciful Crow. (Should I be concerned about this ominous goth crow theme I have going??? *emo hair flip*) And I just finished Spin the Dawn and it’s sooo good! I hope you love it too 😄
Don’t you dare be concerned about the goth crow theme, I am here for it and my emo black heart has begun beating again! I’ll be starting The Storm Crow in the next week if everything goes according to plan, and I am so glad you enjoyed Spin the Dawn!
Yay, I’m literally anticipating all of these! and you introduced me to so many cool new books! it’s nice to now that I’m at least winning at drowning in my tbr… American Predator sounds so interesting though! a friend of mine also recently loved This is HOw You Lose the Tine War and that’s what has gotten me so hyped to read it! I was also lucky enough to read an earc of spin the dawn, and it was so good! i definitely don’t think it’ll disappoint you :>>
SO MANY GREAT BOOKS, so little time! *throws you a tbr life boat* no drowning! AMerican Predator was chilling and creepy, but really interesting to read.
American Predator, Bethlehem and Wilder Girls sound amazing! Especially that last one, I had no idea it was a infection story. I’m reading The Dreamers, which is also an infection story, and absolutely loving it. I got an ARC of Gods of Jade and Shadow because I was HOOKED to its cover and jazz-appeal from the moment I read the synopsis. Not to mention the Latin America setting and the magical realism hints! I hope to love it when I pick it up 💙
Oooh!!! I read The Dreamers and didn’t really enjoy it that much, but I am really glad you did! Crossing fingers you love Gods of Jade and Shadow when you do pick it up, and thanks for stopping by!
so many books I’m excited for!! I totally forgot Spin the Dawn is coming out on my birthday!! And Kal, thanks again for getting me to read The Phantom Forest, it was truly amazing and I will forever take your recommendations <3
What a great birthday present!!! YOU’RE WELCOME and I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! xoxo
So many amazing books to pick from! I’m so excited for July and being able to wind down with a book over the summer break but at the same time it’s now the end of June and this year is going by so quickly!
Also, I LOVE your new blog design and banner, so gorgeous!
I know, I honestly am shocked at how fast the year is going by! But the summer is nice for reading, I’ve already had a couple of days this month where I sat and read a book in one sitting! Happy reading to you, Darina!
Thank you so much, I love it too 😭
I’m noticing a pattern with your choices being mostly thrillers and/or mystery novels. Spooky!! I’ve heard of a few of these in the booktube/blogosphere worlds. 🙂
I am not sure what you mean, only one of these books is a thriller – the list is overwhelmingly fantasy and science fiction. But thanks for stopping by, Danielle!
American Predator, Lock Every Door, Wilder Girls and a few others are mystery/thrillers, aren’t they? Or maybe I’m reading into these summaries lol
Summaries can be misleading, hehe! American Predator is true crime (nonfiction), and Wilder Girls is more science fiction/dystopia.
You always have so many books in your list! I only have one book and I’m not even sure if I’m going to get it.
I wish I only had one book, my TBR wouldn’t be plotting my demise right now! 😛
HAHA MY TBR AND I ESCAPED UNSCATHED. but only because these books all fell into one (or two) of three categories:
1) not in a genre that I usually read
2) I got an ARC
3) already on my TBR
but more seriously, there are some really awesome books on this list. I just finished Spin the Dawn a few days ago and I already need the sequel; Para’s review in particular got me interested in Time War, and I have a feeling it was the SOC fandom that put the two Crow books on my radar but they do both look really good!
I will have to try harder, then! Muahahaha! I am really excited to read Time War, it’s my next ARC! Happy reading!
Waaah! Great post! I myself have a few books on this list that I’m looking forward to as well!
Priest of Lies is a book that I’m super looking forward to, even though I have to read the first book still, haha. I’m also excited forSpin the Dawn, The Storm Crow, and The Merciful Crow.
I really enjoyed the first book in the Rose Thorn series, I don’t read a lot of grimdark fantasy though so it might be awhile before I get to it. Happy reading, Adele!
I’m really excited for Spin the Dawn, This is How You Lose the Time War, and Gods of Jade and Shadow! I see a few others there I may have to check out. Ahhh, my TBR pile groans. 😉
Muahahaha, another TBR victim! I hope all of these books knock our socks off, Lisa!
Me too!
I’m not sure how I missed this post, but you and I have some similar books on our lists. I also won This is How You Lose the Time War from Bookish First, although I hate to admit I’m struggling to get into it (even though I enjoyed the excerpt). I’m pushing through though. All I see on GR are 5 star reviews so now I’m worried about myself, lol😁
Oh no, I am sorry to hear you’re struggling with This is How You Lose the Time War! At least it’s a novella if you wind up not enjoying it as much as anticipated, but it is never fun being the lone dissenter in a sea of 5 stars (sighs about Wilder Girls). I am picking this one up next
I also had a little trouble with This Is How You Lose the Time War, but I finished it this morning and it was a unique experience to say the least! The excerpt was really gripping, but it is obvious soon after that point that the book isn’t about the world & understanding it but about the characters. It was hard for me to suspend my need to understand everything, but once I resolved to just let the poetic prose flow over me, I enjoyed it a lot. I hope you can finish it!
This is such a wonderful post, Kaleena! I just recently finished Spin the Dawn, and I really enjoyed it! I’m super excited to read the Storm Crow (will definitely be looking out for that review of yours when you write it! 😉 ), and Gods of Jade and Shadow sounds quite interesting! I hadn’t heard of it before hand, but I’ll definitely be keeping it in mind. <3
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed Spin the Dawn, and I LOVED The Storm Crow (but I am sure you know this already because I am so backlogged on comments again oops).