Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading This Spring? (March-May)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THIS SPRING? (MARCH-MAY)

I don't know if I'll ever get around to buying all these books or when, since 1) early reviews and excerpts might cause me to change my mind in the future, and 2) given my current situation (see: unemployment status), book money is scarce...(...also, I only got two of these in eARC form). Anyhow, I wanted to give a bit of exposure to all the spring books that caught my eye, so here's my list (complete with pub dates)...            

MARCH

10th. Seanan McGuire: Butterfly Effects (Adult)

Sarah Zellaby is a Johrlac, a member of a species of psychic ambush predators colloquially referred to as “cuckoos.” Eight years ago, she survived the difficult, painful process of becoming a cuckoo queen…although not without costs. In the wake of her transformation, the man she loved was entirely erased from his own mind, forcing her to reconstruct him from the memories of the people who knew and loved him.

Sarah has been struggling to come to terms with her actions ever since. But there's no one else on the planet with the power to hold her accountable―until the Johrlac authorities show up. It’s time for her to stand trial for what she's done, something which can only happen on Johrlar, home world of her species, where the population is controlled by a system of unyielding hiveminds and crime is punishable by erasure.

With Sarah’s life on the line, her family will need to find a way to cross dimensional borders and survive a hostile, telepathic world in order to get her back―before the Sarah they know ceases to exist.

But no matter what happens, actions have consequences... and Sarah Zellaby is about to learn that lesson the hard way.

Note: Book 15 (!!!!!) in the InCryptid series, which you HAVE to read if you're even remotely a fan of urban fantasy. Alas, the only time I got an ARC for an installment in this series was when Book 13 came out (I still can't wrap my head about it), but I'm buying all these anyway...Also, this one puts one of my favourite characters (maybe my absolute fave at this point) front and center again, and I'm giddy!

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10th. Damien Ober: Voidverse (Adult)

When the Sinker was a child, all she knew was violence. To survive, she fled into the Void—a seemingly infinite nothingness where people live on “rocks,” individual lands spread out in all directions, floating in the vast empty space. Some rocks are giant magnets, others burn with eternal flame, and some are influenced by seemingly magical anomalies with such great powers that evil forces would stop at nothing to possess them. And while most are afraid of traveling through the Void, the Sinker is not. With a sword on her back, she speeds through the darkness, running from a past that is quickly gaining on her.

Emery only knows the comfort of Fairviel, but when her son falls ill and the Sinker arrives on her doorstep, she ventures into the Void in search of a cure. When she returns, Fairviel is destroyed. With no home, Emery begins to sink, chasing a recurring dream that feels bigger than a dream, that feels like the key to everything.

But they are not alone in the Void. Mercenaries rise and fall around them, princes and kings guard their kingdoms, and a great machine fuels its ascent by consuming all in its path. With the Void destabilizing, Emery and the Sinker find themselves at a turning point in history, a moment when everything could collapse or realign, and the only thing that may save them exists at the bottom of it all. Or so legend says…

Note: OK, this sounds a little out of my wheelhouse because of its fantasy accents, but I'm intrigued...Alas, I was denied an ARC both on EW and NG, but I'm keeping the book on my radar.

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APRIL

7th. Dana Mele: The Beast You Let In (YA)

There is no one Hazel trusts less than her self-centered twin, Beth. Like when Beth storms out of a party, abandoning Hazel when she didn't want to attend in the first place. Rather than chasing after her, Hazel throws herself into flirting and telling ghost stories over a Ouija board. She might not be the popular twin, but she can be fun too.

Except Beth doesn't come home that night, and Hazel's anger morphs into anxiety. It only sharpens when Beth reappears a day later, disoriented and claiming to be Veronica Green, a teen who was murdered in their small town years before. If it isn't a possession, Beth is really good at faking it. Did they accidentally release a vengeful horror during the party?

Hazel must uncover what happened to Veronica all those years ago if she's going to save Beth. But the truth may destroy them both—if they don't destroy each other first.

Note: This one was Read Now on NG, and I jumped at the chance. I enjoyed it enough, but in my opinion, the second half was much stronger than the first. Mini review already posted (a bit ahead of pub date, but I never know when I might feel in need of a hiatus...).

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MAY

7th. Frances White: The Bone Door (YA)

When Hop awakens in an ancient labyrinth, he has no memory of his life or how, indeed, he got here.

He does not recognise the mysterious girl trapped with him.

And he certainly cannot identify the shadowy figure stalking him, whispering terrible things...

But there is one thing he is certain of.

He must escape.

The only way out of the labyrinth is through The Bone Door. But it lies behind a series of locked doors hidden across an array of realms.

As Hop travels deeper into the maze, he discovers that he and his companions may be more connected to the place and its horrors than he could ever imagine.

Note: I got an ARC! This one has a familiar premise - The Maze Runner series, anyone? - but the synopsis intrigued me...also because, unlike the aforementioned series, TBD seems to have a multiverse setting...I haven't started it yet, but I plan to at the beginning of the month.

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12th. Cale Plett: The Saw Mouth (YA)

When Cedar was a child, fragmented, tortured souls woke up in the world's most complex machines, destroying them and pushing technology back decades. A fall. The Fall, some said, and they called it Autumn.

Ten years later, following a family tragedy, Cedar moves to the nowhere town of Sawblade Lake only to find something hunting them. A long, bent shadow that reeks like rot and has the mouth of a deep crevice. It's after Cedar, and it’s willing to go to any lengths to break them, including preying on Cedar’s new queer family.

The closer it circles, the more it seems to weave through Cedar’s whole life. It might stretch back to their mother’s gruesome, inexplicable death, to the murk of their missing family, to the house they grew up in. Back and back and back to the first day of Autumn.

Cedar thought they understood how their world had changed, but they’re far from dredging the bottom.

Note: "Wish for it!" on NG, request still in limbo on EW. But it sounds wild and I'll definitely keep it on my radar!

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12th. Rachel Reiss: Seconds to Spare (YA)

Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Werth is trapped in what feels like a never-ending nightmare. She's the only person onboard Aloha Airways Flight 1333 who’s stuck in a 28-minute time loop, one that repeats over and over again. During each loop, four things always happen:

1. The Internet goes out and the pilot warns of upcoming turbulence.

2. There are five minutes of moderate shaking.

3. A woman in the very last row collapses.

4. The plane tilts forward and begins to nosedive.

When Orion James –the cute boy who's been asleep the entirety of each cycle– wakes, it triggers an alarming change in the events Evelyn has come to count on. As the two grow closer and learn to trust each other, they discover there’s more to the loop than they initially realized. They must discover the hidden clues, piece together the moving puzzle, and save everyone onboard –before it’s too late.

Note: I could only "Wish for it!" on NG, and I've already been denied an ARC on EW. The romance hint has me a little worried, but I love the time-loop and locked-room mystery aspects...

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26th. Keala Kendall:: That Which Feeds Us (YA)

For the world’s wealthiest, Kōpaʻa Island Resort is more than a destination. It’s the ultimate escape. With no cell service or Wi-Fi, the Hawaiian island is a coveted wellness retreat renowned for its persimmon orchard and promises of rejuvenation.

But their dream vacation is Lehua’s nightmare. When her twin sister, Ohia, goes missing, Lehua follows her trail to Kōpaʻa to find her. Instead, Lehua is cut off from civilization—and help—after the island’s boat leaves without her, stranding her with the resort’s lavish guests and enigmatic staff.

As Lehua investigates Ohia’s disappearance, she discovers her missing sister isn’t the island’s only mystery. Kōpaʻa’s rich exterior and sweet persimmons hide its dark plantation past. And Lehua can’t ignore the dreams haunting her each night—nor the warning telling her to leave the island at once. To uncover what happened to Ohia, Lehua will have to unearth the island’s bloody history and face the horrors that lurk within its sugarcane fields—or risk being consumed by them.

Sharply observed and gorgeously written, That Which Feeds Us explores the true cost of paradise as Lehua must fight to reclaim the land, the stories, and the very souls of her people.

Note: I wished for it on NG (HAHAHA) and requested it on EW.  As one does. I mean...I do get Penguin Random House ARCs from time to time, but only from their UK branch. We'll see....

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Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of March:

• March 3rd: Which made-up thing do you badly wish was real? (a question I submitted)
• March 10th: If you could have any celebrity be your best friend, who would you pick? (a question I submitted)
• March 17th: Do you prefer single narrator, duet/dual narration, full cast, or "graphic audio" audiobooks?
• March 24th: What’s your go-to coffee/tea order?
• March 31st: What's your favourite colour? (a question I submitted)

I'll be back for the meme on March 31st, with a recap post where I'll reply to all the March questions in brief, copying Karen's idea. But in the meantime, I'll visit your blogs and read/comment on your answers!

Now tell me something...which spring books are on your TBR list?