Away by Megan E Freeman

After an imminent yet unnamed danger forces people across Colorado to leave their homes, a group of kids including an aspiring filmmaker and a budding journalist find themselves in the same evacuation camp. As they cope with the aftermath of having their world upended, they grow curious about the mysterious threat.

And as they begin to investigate, they start to discover that there’s less truth and more cover-up to what they’re being told. Can they get to the root of the conspiracy, expose the bad actors, and bring an end to the upheaval before it’s too late?

Happy #BookBirthday! 16 Jan 25

Happy Thursday! This week there are FOUR books on our lists publishing!

Blog tour: Same Page by Elly Swartz

Bess Stein is more than ready to be 6th grade class president. She’s got tons of ideas—including a book vending machine—and her new friend June is beside her as vice-president. Together, they’re unstoppable.

But when the books the girls want included in the vending machine come under fire, Bess is stunned. How can one person believe they have the right to decide what other people can read? It turns out that June’s mom is leading the fight, and now everything’s a mess.

Bess misses June—but she wants to make sure kids who might like these books get the chance to read them, even if it means she and June can’t be friends. With such different opinions, will they ever be on the same page?

Royal Heirs Academy by Lindsey Duga

For fifty years, King Leander Eldana has ruled Ashland without naming an heir to the crown. After sending away his grandchildren to be raised out of the public eye, it’s finally time to secure his nation’s future by appointing one definitive heir. The best way to appraise his successor? In the halls of Almus Terra Academy, a boarding school infamous for breeding the world’s next generation of leaders—and liars.

Titus Eldana has always known he’d inherit Ashland’s future. Now he must prove he has what it takes. Alaric Eldana was not raised with a silver spoon. His secondhand clothes might not be fit for a king, but he knows how to rule: with his fist. Emmeline Eldana only wants to please her neglectful parents. If that means securing the crown, she won’t hesitate to destroy anyone in her way. Sadie Aurelia has no idea why she’s been given a chance to bring new blood to the throne. With nothing left to lose back home, she’s ready to take it.

Filled with competition, secret alliances, enemies-to-lovers romance, and cunning revenge, Royal Heirs Academy is a breathless, entertaining read set in modern-day.

The Morrigan by Kim Curran

They called me The Morrigan. I was magnificent. I was multitudes.

They twisted my story, stripped me away. But I will tell it now in my own voice.

It begins, as all the best stories do, in darkness.

From an ancient, storm-tossed sea, a tribe of gods reach the rocky shores of Ireland. Among them, a strange, hungry, red-haired girl. A girl who can change shape, from bird to beast to goddess. A girl who dreams of battle, of blood, of death and power.

She does not know yet that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger – or that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her.

She does not know that one day love will burn so deep in her heart that its scars will never heal. That she will know pain so raw and pure it will almost tear her apart.

She does not know that her journey will take a thousand years. That her name will be remembered for a thousand more.

She is The Morrigan, and she is a girl with rage coiled in her chest. Beautiful, powerful, ravenous rage. A rage that will live forever.

An electric debut retelling of Ireland’s mythic goddess of war, from a bold and powerful new voice.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

An unprecedented condition is on the rise. It behaves like a virus, with the first symptom being a fever, but those who contract it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

Almost everyone revels in this mass unburdening. But people in power—who depend on malcontents tuning into their broadcasts, prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince people they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Soon, campaigns start up convincing people that being happy all the time is dangerous. There’s even a vaccine developed to rid people of their inner peace and get them back to normal because, surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their own agendas, and two teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in different ways by the virus find themselves enmeshed in the center of a dangerous power play. Can they reveal the truth?

Happy #BookBirthday! 9th January 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing - but it's a fantastic one!

A Wolf Called Fire by Rosanne Parry

The stand-alone companion to Rosanne Parry’s New York Times bestseller A Wolf Called Wander tells the wilderness survival story of the wolf pup known as Warm and is illustrated in black and white throughout. This Voice of the Wilderness Novel features extensive back matter, including a map.

Warm is the smallest pup, the one his father calls the heart of the pack. But all Warm sees is his bigger brothers Sharp and Swift, even his sisters Pounce and Wag, winning all the wrestling matches. Just as Warm is finding his place, enemy wolves destroy and scatter the pack. Warm helps lead the pups away from the fight, only to find himself alone with four pups to defend and feed. Can he be both the heart and the head of a new pack? Does he have to choose the aggressive leadership style of his father and brothers? Or is there another way?

A Wolf Called Fire is a stand-alone companion novel to A Wolf Called Wander . It’s inspired by Wolf 8, a real Yellowstone wolf who was the smallest of his pack and constantly bullied by his bigger brothers. Wolf 8 survived a tumultuous first year and grew up to be a different sort of leader—one who fought many rival wolves to submission but never killed any. He had a rare talent for mentoring young wolves and became the patriarch of the largest and most successful pack in Yellowstone by choosing a more collaborative and generous leadership style. Features black-and-white illustrations throughout and extensive back matter, including a map.

Blog Tour: Five Reasons to read The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold

The world is about to end. Again.

It’s been a year since a devastating storm ripped Liz’s world apart. Haunted by the memories of those she couldn’t save, Liz holes up in the only place she felt safe before her world fell away: the bookstore where she used to work. Now she spends her days trading books for supplies and collecting stories from the remaining survivors who pass by.

Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.

Enter Maeve, a spiky out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. When Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives and asking themselves one big question.

As the end of the world approaches, is there time for one final love story?

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen. High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart, and at the centre of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything.

Dark Nation bks 1 - 6 by Grace Hamilton

An EMP devastates the world. And the battle for survival begins…

When a powerful EMP blast knocks out power across the country, schoolteacher Molly, former Marine Colton, and the five students they’re supervising on a trip are trapped inside a prison. Surrounded by hardened criminals and with no safe exit, it doesn’t take long for a riot to throw everything into chaos.

Meanwhile, Deb, Colton’s ex-wife, is lucky enough to fall in with a group of determined survivors. But her good fortune quickly turns into a nightmare when her people are captured by human traffickers, led by a vicious madman.

Molly and Colton must escape to safety with their students, while Deb is forced to lead her fellow survivors in a daring revolt. But in this savage new world, danger lurks around every corner. Is there any hope for safety as what’s left of society collapses?

Loyalties are tested, new bonds are forged, and survival is a daily battle in this dying world.

This boxset contains books 1-6 of the Dark Nation series, a thrilling post-apocalyptic EMP saga.

Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith

When Fran, Tom, Maddy and Gilbert the dog stay with Professor George Kirrin for the holidays, they soon find themselves caught up in a robbery of a top-secret treasure map. Professor George will have to tell them about an old case of the Famous Five if they're ever going to catch the thief and rescue the forgotten treasure...

The Famous Five by Enid Blyton was one of Chris Smith's favourite series as a child. Now, this bestselling author weaves the action, adventure and danger of this thrilling and exciting world into a brand-new story, perfect for every generation of readers. Join the adventure!

Can the new Famous Five catch the thief and find the forgotten treasure before it's too late? Join the original Famous Five and a new group of children in this exciting new adventure by bestselling author Chris Smith, inspired by Enid Blyton.

Buffalo Flats by Martine Levitt

Based on true-life histories, Buffalo Flats shares the epic, coming of age story of Rebecca Leavitt as she searches for her identity in the Northwest Territories of Canada during the late 1800s.

Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada, where her father and brothers are now homesteading and establishing a new community with other Latter-Day Saints. Rebecca is old enough to get married, but what kind of man would she marry and who would have a girl like her—a girl filled with ideas and opinions? Someone gallant and exciting like Levi Howard? Or a man of ideas like her childhood friend Coby Webster?

Rebecca decides to set her sights on something completely different. She loves the land and wants her own piece of it. When she learns that single women aren’t allowed to homestead, her father agrees to buy her land outright, as long as Rebecca earns the money —480 dollars, an impossible sum. She sets out to earn the money while surviving the relentless challenges of pioneer life—the ones that Mother Nature throws at her in the form of blizzards, grizzles, influenza and floods, and the ones that come with human nature, be they exasperating neighbors or the breathtaking frailty of life.

Buffalo Flats is inspired by true-life histories of the author’s ancestors. It is an extraordinary novel that explores Latter-Day Saints culture and the hardships of pioneer life. It is about a stubborn, irreverent, and resourceful young woman who remains true to herself and discovers that it is the bonds of family, faith, and friendship—even romance--that tie her to the wild and unpredictable land she loves so fiercely.

The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow by Kristen Martin

The real history of being an orphan in America is nothing like the myth, and nothing like the American dream.

The orphan story has been mythologized: Step one: While a child is still too young to form distinct memories of them, their parents die in an untimely fashion. Step two: Orphan acquires caretakers who amplify the world’s cruelty. Step three: Orphan escapes and goes on an adventure, encountering the world’s vast possibilities.

The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow upends this. Pairing powerful critiques of popular orphan narratives, from Annie to the Boxcar Children to Party of Five, journalist Kristen Martin explores the real history of orphanhood in the United States, from the 1800s to the present. Martin reveals the mission of religious indoctrination that was at the core of the first orphanages, the orphan trains that took parentless children out West (often without a choice), and the inherent classism and racism that still underlies the United States’ approach to child welfare.

Through a combination of in-depth archival research, memoir (Martin herself lost both her parents when she was quite young), and cultural analysis, The Sun Won’t Come out Tomorrow is a compellingly argued, compassionate book that forces us to reconsider autonomy, family, and community. Kristen Martin delivers a searing indictment of America’s consistent inability to care for those who need it most.

From Below by Darcy Coates

No light. No air. No escape.

Hundreds of feet beneath the ocean’s surface, a graveyard waits…

Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course…a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean’s surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life.

Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia’s rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished.

But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

Manga Biographies; Charles M Schultz by Yuzuru Kuki

Charles M. Schulz is the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, and many more wonderful characters who inhabit the world of Peanuts. Now, learn how a shy, young Schulz first became a cartoonist and how he spent nearly 50 years drawing the beloved newspaper comic strip which has captivated the hearts of readers worldwide.

The Manga Biographies series explores the fascinating lives of legendary figures who accomplished extraordinary feats, all told through the fantastic lens of Japanese manga storytelling.

Planet Perfect by Amy Bearce

Fourteen-year-old Meg knows aliens are real. Everyone does. But she's not happy with them. Extraterrestrials landed on Earth twenty years ago and took off fast. They didn't leave behind advanced science or miracle cures. Instead, they delivered an alien reality TV channel. Beamed to the whole galaxy, Planet Perfect is Earth's obsession. But no Earthling has ever been invited--until now. 

Meg wants to fight climate change, not play games. But when she is one of two Earth teens invited to Planet Perfect, she agrees to go. Planet Perfect makes its own clean energy with zero waste. Such knowledge could save Earth. Meg needs to stay in the competition so she can figure out this technology. 

But the show is harder than expected. The host demands almost impossible tasks with lots of drama. And when Meg finds out that Planet Perfect has a secret that threatens Earth, she realizes she has to win to prove her planet deserves a seat at the intergalactic table.

The Way Up is Death by Dan Hanks

When a mysterious tower appears in the skies over England, thirteen strangers are pulled from their lives to stand before it as a countdown begins. Above the doorway is one word: ASCEND.

As a grieving teacher, a reclusive artist, and a narcissistic celebrity children’s author lead the others in trying to understand why they’ve been chosen and what the tower is, it soon becomes clear the only way out of this for everyone… is up.

And so begins a race to the top, through sinking ships, haunted houses and other waking nightmares, as the group fights to hold onto its humanity, while the twisted horror of why they’re here grows ever more apparent – and death stalks their every move.

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy

When an American-style residential camp is set up in the grounds of an English stately home, the teenage camp counsellors are looking forward to a fun summer of activities.

But right from the outset, things don’t feel quite right at Camp Miller. Rumours circulate of a tragedy that took place in the grounds and there are unexplained sightings of a ghostly presence.

Then the incidents begin – a near-drowning out on the lake, a fatal fall from a cliff-face … Are these tragic accidents or is there something more sinister going on at Camp Killer?

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and Manga Classics

Welcome to Les Misérables from Manga Classics! Victor Hugo’s classic novel of love & tragedy during the French Revolution is reborn in this fantastic new manga adaptation by Crystal S. Chan! In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever. “Les Mis” has been adapted for stage and screen, and loved around the world by millions of readers. The gorgeous art of SunNeko Lee brings to life the tragic stories of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, and the beautiful Fantine, in this epic Manga Classics production of Les Misérables!

After Life by Gayle Forman

One spring afternoon after school, Amber arrives home on her bike. It’s just another perfectly normal day. But when Amber’s mom sees her, she screams.

Because Amber died seven years ago, hit by a car while on the very same bicycle she’s inexplicably riding now.

This return doesn’t only impact Amber. Her sister, Melissa, now seven years older, must be a new kind of sibling to Amber. Amber’s estranged parents are battling over her. And the changes ripple farther and farther Amber’s friends, boyfriend, and even people she met only once have been deeply affected by her life and death. In the midst of everyone’s turmoil, Amber is struggling with herself. What kind of person was she? How and why was she given this second chance?

This magnificent tour de force by acclaimed author Gayle Forman brilliantly explores the porous veil between life and death, examines the impact that one person can have on the world, and celebrates life in all its beautiful complexity.

The Revenge by Hannah Jayne

After a bad breakup, Tony's ex-girlfriend Hope embarrasses him in front of the whole school and spreads vicious rumors. Tony is devastated and in a moment of revenge, he makes the location on her phone public. But a week later, when Hope calls Tony and begs him to stop the prank, he hears a shriek and a car door slamming. Then the call is dropped.

Too late, Tony realizes that he may have put Hope's life in danger. Can he trace Hope's movements and save her before time runs out?

North is the Night by Emily Rath

With the dark, mythical magic of the Winternight trilogy, and the slow-burn romance of Spinning Silver, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is a feminist fantasy adventure that shows the power of female friendship and how love -- both romantic and familial -- can conquer even death itself.

In the harsh interior of the Finnish wilderness, best friends Aina and Siiri are inseparable despite their opposite natures: Aina is gentle and cautious while Siiri is headstrong and brave. But their friendship is put to the test when Aina is kidnapped by a death goddess and taken to the mythical underworld Tuonela.

Determined to save her friend, Siiri embarks on a dangerous journey north to seek out Vainamoeinen, the only mystical shaman to travel to Tuonela and return alive. As the dark winter looms, Siiri uses all the strength she possesses to survive her journey, which is plagued by trappers, a band of roving wolves, and a cunning snow witch with her own quest for power. But finding Vainamoeinen is only the beginning. Siiri must convince him to share his magic so she can sneak into Tuonela and save Aina.

In Tuonela, Aina is forced to play the sadistic games of Tuonetar, the cruel queen of the underworld, alongside other captured maidens. But Aina's kindness allows her to make allies in the dark, harsh environmen. She soon discovers that Tuoni, the god of death and king of Tuonela, is also a victim of Tuonetar's spells that can only be broken when he remarries. To save him and the other girls, Aina offers herself as his bride.

As she spends more time in the underworld, Aina falls in love with Tuoni and must make a decision that will alter the course of her fate forever . . . not knowing her fearless friend is on the way and plotting a daring escape.

An extraordinary story of love, of courage, of friendship and of magic, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is the stand-alone first novel in an incredible duology.

Happy #BookBirthday! 12 Dec 25

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

The Party by Natasha Preston

ARE YOU INVITED?

In the heart of the English countryside, Bessie and her closest friends gather at a remote castle for a secret party destined to make this the best spring break ever. But when one of them dies, the party takes a lethal turn . . .

Trapped inside as a deadly storm rages, it soon becomes clear Bessie and her friends are being stalked by a killer. As the body count rises, and secrets about the past unravel, Bessie begins to suspect that she doesn't know her friends quite as well as she thought.

But as the party turns into a hunt, can Bessie make it out alive?

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

Annie is nine months pregnant.

She’s shopping for a crib at IKEA.

That’s when the massive earthquake hits.

There’s nothing to do but walk.

Annie is 37 weeks pregnant, standing in IKEA, finally about to take home the crib she should have bought months ago. That’s when it happens – the long-anticipated Cascadia Earthquake, dismantling Portland and the entire Pacific Northwest in a matter of minutes.

Propulsive, disruptive, funny, terrifying, Tilt is a novel about how the foundations of our lives are built and shaken. About a woman trying to walk back to the husband she’s long been pushing away. About put-off dreams and inevitability and what makes us keep moving forward.

Graffiti Girls by Elissa Soave

(This book was due to publish in November, but has been moved to March, and there's no cover image yet.)

A sharp, empowering novel about a group of women who refuse to go quietly when society tells them they’re no longer valuable beyond the age of 40, from the author of Ginger and Me.

Amy, Carole, Lenore and Susan have been best friends since school. Back then they couldn’t wait for the future, for the amazing lives they’d have.

But things haven’t worked out how they expected. Now in their forties, they’re fed up with being taken for granted by their families, being passed over for promotions at work and being told that they’re past their best. And they’re not going to go quietly anymore.

Fuelled by female rage and their charismatic leader Amy, the four embark on a campaign of graffiti in their hometown of Hamilton, scrawling feminist slogans on the walls of local buildings.

But is Hamilton ready for the feminist revolution the Graffiti Girls have in store?

The Doomsday Club by Kevin Moran

Conan swallowed hard. The creature stood taller than the archway, a silhouette of darkness against the spiral of light behind it … And it looked directly at him.

Jack and Conan's friendship is officially dead. Stuck in detention with Yash and Jerry after an all-out brawl in the toilet, it’s a terrible start to sixth class. And that’s before they witness a monstrous beast step out of a portal outside their school. When it wanders into the crumbling mansion across the road, where the sinister Mr Kilroe lives, the boys follow. They have to investigate, right?

Unlocking Mr Kilroe’s secrets is only the beginning. Because there’s more than one otherworldly horror hiding in that house and confronting it will put Jack and Conan in mortal danger – that’s if they don’t kill each other first!

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

'I did an evil thing to be put in here, and I’m going to have to do an evil thing to get out.’

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. There, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to keep her baby and escape to a commune. Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby’s father. And Holly, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Every moment of their waking day is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid . . . and it’s usually paid in blood.

The Great Irish Biodiversity Book by Éanna Ní Lamhna and Barry Falls

Join much-loved wildlife expert Éanna Ní Lamhna as she takes us on a trip through Irish wildlife habitats – from bogs to beaches and woodland to grassland. Discover how habitats work and which creatures and plants to look out for in each one, from the very rare to the most common, all brought to life with amazing illustrations by Barry Falls.

The latest book in the bestselling and award-winning Gill Books series of big topics tackled by experts, this beautifully illustrated guide introduces Ireland’s plants, animals, trees and insects to readers of all ages.

Ireland's Wild Beauty by Carsten Krieger

From mountain to sea and bog to forest, this perpetual diary shows the ebb and flow of life on our beautiful island.

Alongside Carsten Krieger’s photographs of spectacular landscapes, flora and fauna from across the country, the reader has space to mark birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates or simply journal their thoughts as the seasons change.

From the author and photographer behind many books including Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Islands, Ireland’s Ancient East and this year’s Wild Ireland: A Nature Journey from Shore to Peak.

Blog Tour: The Fortress by T A Styles

We are the fortress, and the fortress is us.

Sim was a teacher in his old life. Now he's the savior of orphans.

He isn't their father. God knows he has already failed in that role. But he is their guide. And the kids? They are his penance. His redemption.

For three years Sim has prepared his orphans for the hard realities of life after the plague that wiped out most of the global population. Theirs is a life without laws or creature comforts. He has trained them to forage and grow their own food, to be vigilant, and to protect themselves and each other by any means necessary. In building a fortress of brick and mortar, they've become a fortress of flesh and blood.

These allegiances and ideals are put to the test when a man named Zagan, who believes himself to be on a mission for the devil to bring about the destruction of civilization's remains, gathers hundreds of marauders and confronts Sim and his orphans in a merciless siege.

Will the fortress hold... Or will it collapse under the pressure of evil?

The Tinker's Daughter by Josephine Angelini

She thought she'd won a pig... but this wasn't that kind of lottery...

Jonara had been a good girl her entire life, and that’s what nearly gets her killed. Being the only virgin for miles made her the perfect candidate for a sacrifice to the village dragon. But lucky for Jonara, this dragon is different, off virgins entirely, opting for a pescatarian diet instead.

Being the resourceful young woman that she is, Jonara uses the opportunity to enlist the dragon’s help in her quest to defeat Asphodel, an evil sorcerer who has decimated town after town in his march south to claim the throne vacated by the newly dead king.

With the help of her dragon, Jonara gathers an army against Asphodel and his dark forces. But this dragon has a secret, one which holds the key to their success. And like with most things in Lucitopia, it also comes at a price, one which Jonara may be unwilling to pay.

Aftermath: Into the Unknown by Lena Gibson

Robin dreamed of attending Yale and using her brain. Kory lived on the streets of Seattle and relied on his brawn. Without the asteroid, they never would have met.

For three years, Robin and her grandfather have been hiding, trusting no one. When a biker gang moves into town, Robin can no longer scrounge or tend her garden. Because her grandfather is dying, he urges her to join her extended family—800 miles away in a bunker city in South Dakota, but she doesn't want to leave.

Desperate, her grandfather disappears to force Robin into action and meets Kory, who’s with the bikers but disillusioned. Seeing a man who likes to read and could protect his granddaughter, he convinces Kory he can start over and accompany Robin on the long journey.

Unaware of her grandfather’s plan, Robin exposes her hiding place searching for him, and Kory saves her. On the run, they battle the elements and survivalists, learning to trust each other. If they can't reach the safety of Vita xTerra, they won't survive long enough to have a future together.

Prepare for another non-stop, post-apocalyptic road trip in Aftermath: Into the Unknown as they fight for love and survival.

Cave-in by Pam Withers

Hudson Greer and his caving partner, Jett, are determined to become teen legends who discover a long-sought passageway that connects two giant cave systems in their little mountain town. But they’re haunted by the history of a giant sinkhole that opened up and swallowed the town’s fully-packed church, steeple and all. Dozens were killed, including Hudson’ s grandfather. Hudson knows it’s in danger of happening again; he just doesn’t know when or where.

Can his caving instincts and science knowledge predict or prevent the next disaster? Are the shoddy logging practices of the town’s main employer tempting fate? And who’s on whose side when business and political shenanigans mix with evaded environmental codes?

Nothing less than the lives of the townspeople are at stake — and it’s up to Hudson to separate myth from fact, and get key players working together, before it’s too late.

Happy #BookBirthday! 21 Nov 24

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich

Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he’s perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth emerges: he's the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country, and the press is ready to expose this secret to the world. An invitation to spend the summer in his father's palace arrives, giving Jamie a chance to get to know the man he never thought he’d meet.

Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Von Rosenborg, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country’s spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation.

At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them—one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a choice: follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost.

Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph

Tom's family has moved into their dream home. But pretty soon he starts to notice that something is very wrong - there are strange messages written on the wall and locks on the bedroom doors. On the OUTSIDE.

The previous owners have moved just across the road and they seem like the perfect family. Their daughter Amy is beautiful and enigmatic but Tom is sure she's got something to hide. And he isn't going to stop until he finds the truth behind those locked doors. . .

Will their dream home become a nightmare?

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone—or something—new.

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

I, Maggie Banks, solemnly swear to uphold the rules of Cobblestone Books.

If only, I, Maggie Banks, believed in following the rules.

When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

And in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything.

Maggie will have to decide what's more important: the books that formed a small town's history, or the stories poised to change it all.

Happy #BookBirthday! 14 Nov 24

Happy Thursday! This week there are FIVE books on our lists publishing!

An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmaster Compendium

How many eggs have been broken in the making of this programme? What is the worst thing Alex has eaten? Are you more likely to win Taskmaster if you wear a hat? Why is the Taskmaster always right?

This hilarious compendium celebrates a decade of Taskmaster's inspired chaos. Relive the most outrageous tasks, iconic meltdowns, and ingenious victories from your favourite contestants.

Inside you'll find:

- Unforgettable challenges: From the brilliantly bizarre to the wonderfully pointless, revisit the tasks that left us howling with laughter.

- Comedy gold moments: Contestant blunders, inspired madness and Greg Davies' withering put-downs

- Behind the scenes: Get the inside scoop on the show's creation, meet the show's creators and find out which tasks nearly set the Taskmaster house on fire.

- Statistical analysis: 17 series, 85 contestants and thousands of smashed eggs - what's the best star sign to be if you want to win?

This is the ultimate gift for any Taskmaster fanatic. So grab a cup of 'warm milk' (or something stronger) and relive ten years of comedic chaos!

The Boy who Lived by D. N. Moore

Seventeen-year-old Oliver Mc’Neil has never been outside. Like everyone else in the Fifth City in the year 2085, he and his mother live in an apartment where the air and water are sterile, their food is couriered to them, and all their activities—work, school, exercise, entertainment—are done indoors on sims, machines that simulate life using computer monitors, virtual reality headsets, and holograms.

When Oliver wakes up in the middle of the woods drugged and delirious, he has no idea how he got there, but he is certain it is a death sentence. He is taken in by the rugged and beautiful Autumn, whose family is loud, rambunctious, and three children over the legal birth limit. They are outlaws, living with thousands of others in a network of underground caves, where modern technology is forbidden and secrecy is paramount. Oliver must learn to survive in a land that is wild and dangerous, while battling voices in his head that haunt him day and night. He doesn’t know if the hallucinations are due to withdrawals from the mind-numbing medication he has taken every day of his life, or if he truly is the monster he appears to be. One thing he is certain of: he will do whatever it takes to protect Autumn, the girl who saved his life.

Cave sentries begin to go missing, leading to a series of disasters and growing suspicion about Oliver’s appearance in the caves. Now his choices will either save or endanger his friends. Will he ever be able to trust himself in this strange new life?

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher

A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.

Fated Winds and Promising Seas by Rose Black

When a promise is made, a fate is woven.

Imprisoned for a crime he cannot remember committing, Lucky is more comfortable with the four walls of his cell than the world outside. That is until he's ripped free from his prison and swept out into the ocean. . . and rescued by The Dreamer.

But The Dreamer is no ordinary vessel, with its crew of outcasts and heretics who possess the ability to manipulate water. Lucky is taken under the protective wing of a sailor named Gabriel, but when he recognises Gabriel from his past, Lucky suspects it may not be a simple accident that threw them together.

To understand their connection and prove Lucky's innocence, they must navigate treacherous waters, avoid giant Leviathan, and outwit those seeking to arrest them. But some memories hide secrets that could destroy all that they love. And with the tides of fortune ever-changing, the quest for freedom is just the beginning.

The Love Interest by Helen Comerford

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray has just been saved by the world's newest superhero, Blaze. And, in the eyes of the public, that means one thing: Jenna Ray has been cast as the Love Interest.

No. Not happening. Not if Jenna has anything to say about it (even if Blaze is actually quite sweet and cute).

But her plans to defy the HPA (the Heroics and Power Authority) and turn down this new role are thwarted when the Villains begin to take an interest in her and offer a life-changing proposition; become Blaze's Love Interest, while avoiding catching feelings for him, to uncover the HPA's secret plans and find her missing mum.

To make matters even more complicated, just as Jenna starts to embrace her new-found career, she discovers she might be more on the side of the superheroes than she ever imagined …

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans

We Called Them Giants is a story of communication across a chasm at the end of the world.

Lori wakes to find the streets empty. Everyone has gone. Or at least, nearly everyone. She’s thrown into a world where she has to scrape by in the ruins of civilization, nearly starving, hiding from gangs when …

They arrive.

The award-winning team behind dark fantasy smash DIE release their first stand alone original graphic novel.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Asylum by Una McCormack

A new Star Trek adventure based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV seriesStar Trek: Strange New Worlds!

When Una Chin-Riley and Christopher Pike meet at Starfleet Academy after one of his lectures, they immediately become friends. A stellar student, Una is the “poster girl” of her class, and Pike is determined to become a Starfleet captain with his own ship, rhetorically assembling his dream crew. As their friendship evolves, Pike also suspects Una is involved with the Euxhana, a Chionian cultural minority, who are seeking asylum in Federation space, leading to more questions than answers.

Twenty-five years later, Una and Pike are working together on the USS Enterprise to settle a Chionian trade agreement when a pro-Euxhana saboteur launches a terrorist attack. When the suspect is taken into custody for interrogation and is discovered to have a history with Una, her past associations resurface, threatening to expose a secret she’s been harboring all these years…

Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke

The podcast, Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, has delighted millions of listeners for years with tales of the wonderful, astounding, and downright bizarre people, places, and things throughout history. Now, in Cabinet of Curiosities the book, learn the fascinating story of the invention of the croissant in a country that was not France, and relive the adventures of a dog that stowed away and went to war, only to help capture a German spy. Along the way, readers will pass through the American state of Franklin, watch Abraham Lincoln’s son be rescued by his assassin’s brother, and learn how too many crash landings inspired one pilot to leave the airline industry and trek for the stars.

For the first time ever, Aaron has gathered scores of his favorites in print, and curated them into a beautiful, topical collection for devoted followers and new fans alike.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The Sunflower House is a meticulously-researched debut historical novel that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.

Happy #BookBirthday! 31 Oct 24

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing!

Getting Away with Murder by Kathyrn Foxfield

Cabin in the Woods meets Squid Game - a girl playing a game with a supercomputer unwittingly traps her sister in a deadly escape room. When Saffron is forced to do work experience at a tech company, she gets into an argument with her supervisor over which high school stereotype would survive the longest in a horror film: the sports star? The queen bee? The swot? The drama girl? The class clown? The rebel? Unbeknown to them, the AI robot she is working on at the time decides to determine the answer by testing it out for real. It designs an algorithm to search social media and school records to find the best examples of each stereotype from the neighbouring towns, and the invitations go out - six people, including Saffron's perfectionist sister Georgia, will be trapped in a series of deadly escape rooms and only one will survive the night...

At the End of the World by Nadia Mikail

With the world about to end, Aisha and her family undertake a road trip to find her estranged sister in this blazingly original and wonderfully affecting young adult debut.

When the world is ending, what matters most to you?

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn't seen her sister June for two years. She has no idea where she is, but that hasn't stopped her from thinking about her every day and hoping she's okay.

But now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months' time, she and her mother decide that it's time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. They don't have any time to spare—if they don't resolve their issues now, they never will.

Along with Aisha's boyfriend Walter and his parents (and a stray cat named Fleabag), the group embarks on a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future, even with the world about to end.

Silver by Olivia Levez

THEIR LOVE WILL SET THE STARS ALIGHT . . .

Silver has been trained since birth for her mission: collect data on the humans to test if Earth is viable for her home ship, Charybdis, to colonise. The only rules are that she must feed back the data she collects to the ship, and at all times follow the Mantra: To touch is agony. To feel is pain.

So when Silver inhabits the body of a young woman and infiltrates the house she is staying in, she must learn to pass as a human without revealing her true identity. But she isn't prepared for how the humans will get under her skin. And she definitely isn't prepared for Finch, the boy she starts to fall for. Especially when he touches her - and it doesn't hurt.

It is not how Charybdis said it would be.

Have they been lying all along?

Conflicted by the war between her growing feelings for Finch and her allegiance to her ship, Silver must decide who to stand by and who to betray.

#Twas the Match Before Christmas by Julianne McKeigue

’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Croke Park

It was quiet and peaceful; the great pitch was dark ...

But not for long!

As the clock strikes midnight, there's a magical surprise: Santa, his elves and reindeer arrive for a night of mischief, mayhem and football.