Recensione: Long Live Evil - Sarah Rees Brennan

Ciao a tutti. Continuano le recensioni delle letture del 2024 con questo fantasy a tema villain che ha scalato le classifiche US e di cui è già stata annunciata la traduzione in italiano: sto parlando di Long Live Evil di Sarah Rees Brennan.

TITOLO: Long Live Evil   

AUTORE: Sarah Rees Brennan

COLLANA: Orbit 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 16,99€

PREZZO (EBOOK):10,99€

TRAMA [ENG]: 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 charmingly homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation

Speciale Buchmesse2024 #1: Immortal Longings

Buongiorno a tutti! Dopo avervi parlato della Fiera del Libro di Francoforte, inizio a recensirvi anche qualche titolo di autore presente alla fiera. Iniziamo da Chloe Gong, il cui Immortal Longings, primo libro della trilogia Flesh and False Gods, verrà tradotto presto in italiano. 

TITOLO: Immortal Longings   

AUTORE: Chloe Gong 

COLLANA: Hodderscape

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 22,55€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 4,49€

TRAMA [ENG]: Romance, politics and power meld in this pulse-pounding, enemies-to-lovers epic fantasy romance retelling of Antony and Cleopatra, set amid a deadly city-wide Battle Royale game.

WIN, OR DIE TRYING.
Five years ago, Princess Calla vowed to tear down San-Er's tyrannical monarchy. First, she killed her parents. Now her sights are set on her uncle: the remaining, reclusive king. The only way to reach him is to enter his deadly games, and be crowned the winner by his hand.
Anton Makusa's childhood love lies in a coma, and he is deep in debt trying to keep her alive. His last chance at saving her is winning the games.
When the two form an uneasy alliance, victory is soon within their reach. But as their mutual attraction proves increasingly undeniable, Calla must decide what she's playing for ­- her lover or her kingdom.

Recensione: The God and the Gumiho - Sophie Kim

Ciao a tutti! Torno a recensire la backlist della Fairyloot Adult 2024: il titolo di oggi è The God and the Gumiho di Sophie Kim, un fantasy ispirato alla mitologia coreana incluso nella box di giugno. Molto molto carino: ha superato di parecchio le mie aspettative!

TITOLO: The God and the Gumiho

AUTORE: Sophie Kim 

COLLANA: Del Rey 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 18,00$ 

PREZZO (EBOOK): 11,99$ 

TRAMA: In this delightfully romantic Korean contemporary fantasy, a fallen trickster god must pair up with a coffee-slinging, shapeshifting fox to track down a demon of darkness before it devours the mortal world.

They'll do anything to outsmart each other. Anything, except fall in love.
Kim Hani - the once-terrible gumiho known as the Scarlet Fox - spends her days working at a café and trying not to let a certain customer irk her.
Seokga - a trickster god thrown from the heavens for his attempt at a coup - spends his days hunting demons and irking a particular gumiho.
When a demon of darkness escapes the underworld, and the Scarlet Fox emerges from hiding before quickly vanishing, Seokga is offered a chance at redemption: kill them both, and his sins will be forgiven.
But Hani is prepared to do anything to prevent Seokga from bringing her to justice, even trick her way into his investigation. Anything, that is - except fall in love . . .

Recensione: The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields

Ciao a tutti. Oggi vi parlo del libro del mese di maggio contenuto nella bookish box Fairyloot Adult: si tratta di The Honey Witch di Sydney J. Shields, un debutto con qualche ingenuità ma che comunque ho trovato godibile

TITOLO: The Honey Witch

AUTORE: Sydney J. Shields

COLLANA: Orbit

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 17,99€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 10,99€ 

TRAMA: The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who've tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn't believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can't resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home-at the risk of losing her magic and her heart..

Recensione: Fangirl Down - Tessa Bailey

Ciao a tutti. Oggi vi parlo di uno sport romance a tema golf ancora inedito in Italia e di un'autrice a cui ho voluto dare una seconda chance dopo un romanzo che mi aveva parecchio delusa. Sto parlando di Fangirl Down di Tessa Bailey, conosciuta in Italia per essere l'autrice di My Killer Vacation, edito Mondadori. 

TITOLO: Fangirl Down 

AUTORE: Tessa Bailey 

COLLANA: Avon 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 12,50€ 

PREZZO (EBOOK): 3,00€ 

TRAMA: Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

Recensione: Yellowface - R. F. Kuang

Ciao a tutti. Prima recensione dell'anno: l'uscita italiana di Yellowface è stata annunciata nei "fuochi d'artificio" di fine anno di Oscar Vault ma, avendolo letto in lingua originale, vi propongo la mia recensione prima che la versione tradotta sia disponibile sugli scaffali.

TITOLO: Yellowface

AUTORE: R. F. Kuang

COLLANA: William Morrow

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 15,00€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 14,99€

TRAMA: Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable

RARE #12: The Stars are Dying - Chloe C. Peñaranda

Ciao a tutti. Qualche giorno fa sul blog ho postato le foto di questo libro per spiegarvi perché per me è stata una mezza delusione. Ora vi lascio anche il parere dettagliato!

TITOLO: The Stars are Dying

AUTORE: Chloe C. Peñaranda

COLLANA: Nyrefall Press

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 20,37€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 4,99€ 

TRAMA: In a world abandoned by the celestial guardians and left to suffer a tyrant king’s reign, all Astraea knows is safety in seclusion. With fragmented memories of only five years of her life, she’s determined to discover more about her past, even if that means fleeing the cruel arms that hold her safe from the wicked vampires rumored to roam the land.

But when Astraea stumbles upon the mysterious Nyte, she soon realizes determination alone isn’t enough to guard her heart. He lingers like the darkness that expands between the stars, and soon she discovers her captor’s wicked means of control weren’t based on a lie to keep her under locks after all. In her desperation, Astraea accepts Nyte’s help before she can decide if she might have sold her allegiance to one of the bloodthirsty beings the people of her world fear.
Once their bargain is struck, Astraea’s chance to escape comes in the form of accompanying her best friend Cassia to the King’s Central. There on royal territory it’s the centenary of the Libertatem, a succession of trials hosted by the king in which five human lands compete for a cycle of safety from the vampires seeking blood, claiming souls, and savaging after dark. So when tragedy strikes, Astraea must decide if taking the place of a murdered participant for the safety of her kingdom is a ruse is worth dying for, or if protection—and the answers to her past—really are her strongest desires.

Recensione: Our Crooked Hearts - Melissa Albert

Ciao a tutti. Concludo il mese di novembre con una recensione che ho preparato qualche tempo fa di un libro uscito da pochissimo (o che uscirà a breve) in italiano per Rizzoli, ma che io ho letto in inglese. È Our Crooked Hearts di Melissa Albert

TITOLO: Our Crooked Hearts 

AUTORE: Melissa Albert 

COLLANA: Flatiron Books 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 9,72€ 

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,07€ 

TRAMA [ENG]: SECRETS. LIES. SUPER-BAD CHOICES. WITCHCRAFT. This is Our Crooked Hearts - a gripping mystery crossed with a pitch-dark fantasy from Melissa Albert, global bestselling author of The Hazel Wood.

In our family, we keep our magic close, but our secrets closer . . .
Ivy's summer kicks off with a series of disturbing events. As unnatural offerings appear on her doorstep, she's haunted by fragmented memories from her childhood, suggesting there's more to her mother, Dana, than meets the eye.
Dana's tale starts the year she turns sixteen, when she embarks on a major fling with the supernatural. Too late she realizes that the powers she's playing with are also playing with her.
Years after it began, Ivy and Dana's shared story will come down to a reckoning between a mother, a daughter and the dark forces they never should have messed with.

Review Party: Gilded - Marissa Meyer

Ciao a tutti. Nell'attesa che la Oscar Vault pubblichi i Draghi delle Cronache Lunari (e magari traduca anche novelle e spin off) vi recensisco il nuovo romanzo di Marissa Meyer, primo volume di una dilogia ispirata alla fiaba di Tremotino. 

TITOLO: Gilded 

AUTORE: Marissa Meyer

COLLANA: Oscar Vault

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 24,00€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 12,99€

TRAMA: C'era una volta la figlia di un mugnaio... Colpita dalla maledizione di Wyrdith, dio delle storie e della menzogna, Serilda ha sviluppato un incredibile talento per il racconto: quelle con cui incanta i bambini del villaggio sono vicende intriganti, bizzarre, e soprattutto non contengono un briciolo di verità. O almeno così credono tutti. Ma una delle sue storie attira l'attenzione del mostruoso Erlking con i suoi cacciatori non-morti. E così Serilda si ritrova prigioniera in un luogo sinistro, dove si aggirano ghoul, fantasmi e ripugnanti corvi senza occhi. Chiusa nelle segrete del castello, la ragazza è costretta a dimostrare di saper trasformare la paglia in oro - come ha affermato - o sarà uccisa per aver mentito. Disperata, Serilda ha una sola possibilità: accettare l'aiuto di un ragazzo che le è misteriosamente comparso davanti. E che vuole qualcosa in cambio. Presto Serilda si accorge che le vetuste mura del castello celano molti segreti, compreso un antico maleficio. Dovrà trovare il modo di spezzarlo se vuole riuscire a fermare il dispotico potere del re e la sua feroce Caccia una volta per tutte.

Recensione: Rule of Wolves - Leigh Bardugo

Ciao a tutti. Ho visto che la recensione di King of Scars è uno dei post più letti del blog, con una crescita esponenziale avvenuta nel mese di aprile di quest'anno. Ora vi lascio anche la recensione del seguito, Rule of Wolves, uscito a marzo in lingua. Preparatevi però perché anche una garanzia come Leigh Bardugo può dimostrarsi una delusione... 

TITOLO: Rule of Wolves   

AUTORE: Leigh Bardugo  

COLLANA: Orion

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 18,50€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,50€

TRAMA: The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm - and even the monster within - to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.
The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.
The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.
King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

Recensione: Bone Crier's Moon - Kathryn Purdie

Ciao a tutti. Torno sul blog dopo un periodo di pausa sia fisica (causa influenza), che mentale (causa crisi sul blog, Instagram, video e reel... è una cosa che ho spiegato meglio nelle Stories). Tuttavia sono qui e sono tornata, per non perdere il mio "invidiabile record" sul blog (almeno un post al mese dal luglio 2014!!!). La recensione di oggi riguarda un carinissimo fantasy americano, Bone Crier's Moon di Kathryn Purdie, inedito in italiano. Il libro è il primo volume di una dilogia la cui conclusione verrà pubblicata a fine mese. Non c'è ancora nessuna news sulla sua traduzione: spero che una CE italiana se ne interessi presto (più che Oscarvault questo lo vedo meglio nel catalogo Fanucci o, soprattutto, HarperCollins Italia).

TITOLO: Bone Crier's Moon 

AUTORE: Kathryn Purdie 

COLLANA: Katherine Tegen Book  

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 15,41€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,44€

TRAMA [ENG]: From New York Times;bestselling author Kathryn Purdie comes a high-stakes fantasy duology flush with doomed romance and macabre magic, perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Roshani Chokshi. Bone Criers are the last descendants of an ancient famille charged with using the magic they draw from animal bones to shepherd the dead into the afterlife&;lest they drain the light from the living. Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become their matriarch, but first she must complete her rite of passage: to kill the boy she&;s destined to love. Bastien&;s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he&;s been seeking revenge ever since. Now his vengeance must wait, as Ailesse&;s ritual has begun and their fates are entwined&;in life and in death.

Recensione: The Midnight Lie - Marie Rutkoski

Buongiorno.
In questi giorni sto alternando le letture di classici, ai libri arretrati a delle nuove uscite, di cui però ancora non conosco la data di pubblicazione, ma di cui vi parlerò di certo in futuro.
Oggi però, spazio alla nuova recensione di un libro uscito da poco in lingua originale: sto parlando di The Midnight Lie di Marie Rutkoski.

TITOLO: The Midnight Lie

AUTORE: Marie Rutkoski 

COLLANA: Hodder & Stoughton 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 17,54€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,49€

TRAMA [ENG]: 'Rich characterization, exquisite worldbuilding and rock-solid storytelling make this a fantasy of unusual intelligence and depth . . . Breathtaking, tragic and true' Kirkus on The Winner's Curse Set in the world of the NYT-bestselling Winner's Trilogy, The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us - and the lies we tell ourselves. Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society's pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colours. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest. But then she encounters is, a rakish traveller from far away, who whispers rumours that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

Recensione: The Guinevere Deception - Kiersten White

Ciao a tutti. Da oggi vorrei iniziare a pubblicare le recensioni dei libri (molti in inglese e inediti) che mi stanno tenendo compagnia in questa lunga, lunghissima quarantena.
Iniziamo dunque da una piacevole sorpresa: il semisconosciuto, almeno in Italia, The Guinevere Deception di Kiersten White.

TITOLO: The Guinevere Deception

AUTORE: Kiersten White 

COLLANA: Delacorte Press

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 18,95€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 9,87€

TRAMA [ENG]: A new fantasy series set in the world of Camelot that bestselling author Christina Lauren calls "brilliant," reimagining the Arthurian legend . . . where nothing is as magical and terrifying as a girl.
Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself? *THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*

Recensione: Wicked Saints - Emily A. Duncan

Ehi! Sono in pieno trasloco eppure ho avuto il tempo di ripescare una recensione di un libro letto nel dicembre 2019, che, nonostante le recensioni così così e il trash dilagante un po' ovunque nel racconto, mi ha sorpreso, prendendomi come pochi altri libri. 

Si tratta di Wicked Saints di Emly A. Duncan, per ora disponibile solo in lingua inglese. 

TITOLO: Wicked Saints 

AUTORE: Emily A. Duncan

COLLANA: Wednesday Books 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 18,47€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 8,43€ 

TRAMA [ENG]: “Prepare for a snow-frosted, blood-drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your heart and love ends up being the nightmare.” - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves and The Star-Touched Queen
A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.
A prince in danger must decide who to trust.
A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.
Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.
In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.
“This book destroyed me and I adored it.”- Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

Recensione: Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

Ciao a tutti. Oggi vi parlo di Ninth House, l'ultimo libro di Leigh Bardugo, uscito in inglese a ottobre e che verrà tradotto in italiano da Mondadori nei primi mesi del 2020. 

Non è un libro per tutti: ci sono scene esplicite, di violenza, anche sessuale, ed è comunque destinato ad un pubblico adulto, ma se sapete già che il genere fa per voi, sono sicura che saprete apprezzarlo. 

Leigh Bardugo è sempre una garanzia! 

TITOLO: Ninth House

AUTORE: Leigh Bardugo

COLLANA: Gollancz

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 16,45

PREZZO (EBOOK): 7,46

TRAMA: The mesmerising adult debut from Leigh Bardugo. A tale of power, privilege, dark magic and murder set among the Ivy League elite. Alex Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime - the last thing she wants is to cause trouble. Not when Yale was supposed to be her fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world's most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch. Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale's secret societies - societies that have yielded some of the most famous and influential people in the world. Now there's a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won't accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined.They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living . . .

Recensione + Rant: Aurora Rising - Amie Kaufman e Jay Kristoff

Ciao a tutti. Ci saranno ad occhio e croce 35 gradi e io sono costretta a stare a casa a fissare per ore e ore il computer per portare avanti la mia tesi che, allo stato attuale delle cose, è ancora piuttosto incomprensibile. Help me!

Intano vi lascio la recensione di Aurora Rising, nuova fatica della coppia Amie kaufman - Jay Kristoff: il romanzo ha fatto molto parlare di sé e ancora mi chiedo perché la Oscar Vault non ne abbia annunciato la pubblicazione... 

TITOLO: Aurora Rising

AUTORE: Amie Kaufman e Jay Kristoff

COLLANA: Random House

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 14,80€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 8,50€

TRAMA [ENG]: The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch . . .

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates 
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy's biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who's totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty's squad isn't even his biggest problem--that'd be Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley, the girl he's just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler's squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
NOBODY PANIC.

Recensione: To best the boys - Mary Weber

Ciao a tutti. Oggi è il primo di giugno, qui è finalmente arivato un tempo decente e si può andare al mare. Sì, io appartengo a quella schiera di persone che odia pioggia, grigio e inverno, e il mio umore per tutto maggio è sempre stato sotto i piedi... finalmente però arriva anche la mia stagione!

Tornando al post, la recensione di oggi riguarda To best the boys di Mary Weber, fantasy ya autoconclusivo contenuto nella FairyLoot di marzo. Dicono che spesso i libri contenuti nelle box siano tanto belli esteticamente ma che il loro contenuto lascia un po' a desiderare... sarà questo il caso?

TITOLO: To best the boys

AUTORE: Mary Weber 

COLLANA: Thomas Nelson Inc

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 12,70€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,38€

TRAMA [ENG]: In a thrilling new fantasy from the bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, one girl makes a stand against society and enters a world made exclusively for boys. Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see if their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition. With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze. Welcome to the labyrinth.

Recensione: The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

Ciao a tutti. La lettura di oggi è una delle uscite più attese di questa prima parte di 2019: si tratta di The Priory of the Orange Tree di Samantha Shannon, pubblicata in inglese a fine febbraio e la cui traduzione italiana è stata annunciata per Natale 2019. 

Si tratta di una belva di più di ottocento pagine, scritte in piccolo e corredate da mappe, appendici e persino un'illustrazione che vi mostro dopo. Io l'ho letto in inglese, avendone ordinata una copia grazie alla Virtual Signing che Illumicrate organizzò a fine 2018 (un'iniziativa che permette di ordinare copie autografate e personalizzate senza incontrare direttamente l'autore): quando lo preordinai conoscevo a malapena titolo e due righe di trama, ma nei mesi successivi questo romanzo ha generato sul web un hype assurdo, complici le bellissime recensioni di chi ha ricevuto le copie staffetta. Ma ne sarà valsa la pena?

Preparatevi: è una recensione lunghissima, ma assolutamente spoiler free! 

TITOLO: The Priory of the Orange Tree

AUTORE: Samantha Shannon

COLLANA: Bloomsbury Circus

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 16,61€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 11,64€

TRAMA [ENG]: A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction - but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep

Recensione: King of Scars - Leigh Bardugo

Ciao a tutti. Tra i miei obiettivi di quest'anno c'è anche quello di leggere di più in inglese. Pertanto, oggi vi lascio la recensione di un libro che, almeno per ora, è uscito solo in lingua (ma credo che, dato che la traduzione di Six of Crows è prossima, vedremo presto anche questo in Italia): si tratta di King of Scars di Leigh Bardugo, primo libro di una duologia dedicata a Nikolai. 

TITOLO: King of Scars

AUTORE: Leigh Bardugo

COLLANA: Orion

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 14,99€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,38€

TRAMA [ENG]: Face your demons . . . or feed them. Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country's bloody civil war - and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka's coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren't meant to stay buried--and some wounds aren't meant to heal.

Recensione: Catwoman Soulstealer - Sarah J. Maas

Ciao a tutti. E' appena uscito Regina delle Ombre, traduzione italiana del quarto volume della serie Il Trono di Ghiaccio, ma in patria Sarah J. Maas continua a sfornare romanzi. Questo scritto per una serie sui DC Comics e dedicato a Catwoman è, a mio avviso, uno dei meglio riusciti forse perché non vengono distrutti personaggi maschili solo per cambiare l'interesse amoroso della protagonisti

TITOLO: Catwoman Soulstealer

AUTORE: Sarah J. Maas

COLLANA: Penguin 

PREZZO (CARTACEO): 17,95€

PREZZO (EBOOK): 6,99€

TRAMA [ENG]: When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Gotham City looks ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove that as Batwing he has what it takes to help people. He targets a new thief on the prowl who has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Together, they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman is clever--she may be Batwing's undoing.
In this third DC Icons book, Selina is playing a desperate game of cat and mouse, forming unexpected friendships and entangling herself with Batwing by night and her devilishly handsome neighbor Luke Fox by day. But with a dangerous threat from the past on her tail, will she be able to pull off the heist that's closest to her heart?