It has been AGES since I did a book haul post. Ages like as in last October…for books I’d hauled last August. I’d promised a post about my September hauls and never got around to it. Or any others since then for that matter.
One of my blogging goals for 2020 was to be to be more intentional about Book Haul posts and I’d like to continue that this year. I realize we are a quarter of the way through the year and this is the first one but better late than never. I’m also still aware that it’s possible nobody cares about the books I’ve bought or received, but I kinda like when bloggers post these because it not only puts new books in front of my eyeballs that I might not be aware of, but they also give me an idea of the blogger’s tastes. For my purposes a Book Haul post can include any book I’ve come to possess, not just those I buy, so arcs requested or just sent from publishers will be listed as well.
I don’t plan to recap all the books I’ve hauled so far this year, I’m just gonna start with March. So here we go…
ARCS RECEIVED
City of Shattered Light, by Clair Winn
Flux
“As darkness closes in on the city of shattered light, an heiress and an outlaw must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other.
As heiress to a powerful tech empire, seventeen-year-old Asa Almeida strives to prove she’s more than her manipulative father’s shadow. But when he uploads her rebellious sister’s mind to an experimental brain, Asa will do anything to save her sister from reprogramming—including fleeing her predetermined future with her sister’s digitized mind in tow. With a bounty on her head and a rogue A.I. hunting her, Asa’s getaway ship crash-lands in the worst possible place: the neon-drenched outlaw paradise, Requiem.
Gun-slinging smuggler Riven Hawthorne is determined to claw her way up Requiem’s underworld hierarchy. A runaway rich girl is exactly the bounty Riven needs—until a nasty computer virus spreads in Asa’s wake, causing a citywide blackout and tech quarantine. To get the payout for Asa and save Requiem from the monster in its circuits, Riven must team up with her captive.
Riven breaks skulls the way Asa breaks circuits, but their opponent is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The A.I. exploits the girls’ darkest memories and deepest secrets, threatening to shatter the fragile alliance they’re both depending on. As one of Requiem’s 154-hour nights grows darker, the girls must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other before Riven’s city and Asa’s sister are snuffed out forever.”
Goodreads Synopsis
I was sent a copy of this ARC but I’ll let you in on a little secret. Well it isn’t really a secret. I’ve already read this book. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of beta reading City of Shattered Light back in 2018. At the time it had a different title and the story has gone through some revisions, but I’m told the core story is still there. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have been waiting and watching for updates from Claire Winn as she and her book have progressed through the publishing maze. Now that it is set to release in October I can’t wait to dig into it once more and share it with you all.
City of Shattered Light is a YA novel and outside my normal wheelhouse but I’m working this year to try to correct that. So this will also be a good opportunity to read more YA and open myself up to some new experiences. From what I remember it has cyberpunk thrills with LGBTQ+ protagonists, A.I. viruses, one father who needs some lessons on proper parenting, and an intense fight/brawl in a nightclub that I really hope made it through final edits. I’ll be reviewing it at some point so be on the lookout. Oh…as far as I know it is still available on Netgalley if you’re interested in requesting it.
PURCHASED
Legacy of The Brightwash, by Krystle Matar
Tainted Dominion #1
Self-Published
“Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?
Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack.
Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.
Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her?
Why was he the only one who cared?
Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?”
Goodreads Synopsis
I’ve been following Krystle Matar in Twitter for a little while now and was aware she’d been working on this book. I’d read little things here and there from others that this might be something really good. Then just before release date Krystle asked if I’d like to read a review copy to which I said “Hell Yes!” So she sent me one. I knew due to other review commitments it would be a little while before I could read it and review it which was fine. So I sat on it and slowly got caught up with other books.
Then the reviews started coming in. And they’ve raved about this book. They seem to indicate it is 662 pages of pure book goodness. So I decided you know what? I’m gonna take a chance and just buy the thing. I always prefer physical copies anyway, if there’s maps it’s easier to refer back to them while I read, and I love supporting indie/self-published authors with actual purchases (well all authors not just self-pub). I’ve still got a couple books to read in front of this one but I’ll be getting to it soon. I can’t wait to experience it for myself.
Tower of Mud And Straw, by Yaroslav Barsukov
Vestige
“THE QUEEN RUINED HIS LIFE. HE WOULD DO ANYTHING TO RECLAIM IT… OR SO HE THOUGHT.
Minister Shea Ashcroft refuses the queen’s order to gas a crowd of protesters. After riots cripple the capital, he’s banished to the border to oversee the construction of the biggest anti-airship tower in history. The use of otherworldly technology makes the tower volatile and dangerous; Shea has to fight the local hierarchy to ensure the construction succeeds—and to reclaim his own life.
He must survive an assassination attempt, find love, confront the place in his memory he’d rather erase, encounter an ancient legend, travel to the origin of a species—and through it all, stay true to his own principles.
Climbing back to the top is a slippery slope, and somewhere along the way, one is bound to fall.”
Goodreads Synopsis
This is a book that kind of snuck up on me all of a sudden. A few bloggers I follow have reviewed it and said it was great. Then all of a sudden it is nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novella 2020. As I understand it, Tower of Mud And Straw was first released in serial format in a magazine and then compiled into book form and released once completed.
Everything about this book that I’ve come across, from the synopsis to the reviews, to the Nebula nomination has me feeling like I’ll love it. I hope that pans out. I’m also excited to get another novella read in because I haven’t read one yet this year.
Siege And Storm, by Leigh Bardugo
The Shadow And Bone Trilogy #2
Square Fish
“Darkness never dies.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.”
Goodreads Synopsis
I picked this one up because I recently finsished reading Shadow And Bone and want to continue the series before watching the upcoming Netflix show of the same name. I know I won’t have this trilogy or the follow-up Six of Crows duology read before the show starts but I want to get them read as quick as I can so I don’t delay my Netflix binge.
I enjoyed Shadow And Bone but didn’t love it. I’m hoping the pace picks up a bit with this next book and I’ve been told Six of Crows is fabulous so I’m looking forward to what I hope are great things. We’ll see. If Siege And Storm keeps the same level of quality as Shadow And Bone that’s just fine too. Like I said, I enjoyed the book and wasn’t disappointed.
CLOSING
Well that was my haul for March. Have you read any of them? If so what were your thoughts? Are any on your want list? If so what put them there? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. And hopefully I’ll do a better job of getting these Book Haul posts up a little more often.
Off The TBR 
The Barsukov is part of my Nebula reading list. I hope to make it!
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I’m still behind on last year’s nebula and Hugo reading. But yes I’m excited to read this one for this year too.
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Shadow & Bone is a fun book, and, like you said, it’s mostly fine, but I LOVED Siege & Storm. This is largely in part to a new character that’s introduced that has a duology later on, but he really does elevate the whole thing. Even beyond that, the conflict between Alina & the Darkling reaches a fever pitch, and it ends up being a pretty solid middle book.
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