Or should it be long term book tempting?

Thought a nice blog feature every few weeks would be what books have been received to give you advance notice of what to look out for. Especially since the months of everchanging publication dates are stabilising. An interesting selection has arrived that you should see in the reviews

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso – published by Orbit £8.99 paperback Out Now

'Guard the tower, ward the stone. Find your answers writ in bone. Keep your trust through wits or war--nothing must unseal the door.'

Deep within Gloamingard Castle lies a black tower. Sealed by magic, it guards a dangerous secret that has been contained for thousands of years.

As Warden, Ryxander knows the warning passed down through generations: nothing must unreal the Door. But one impetuous decision will leave her with blood on her hands--and unleash a threat that could doom the world to fall to darkness.

Melissa Caruso is an author who I’ve been meaning to read every for ages and it feels appropriate to finally read their work. Dark secrets and dark towers do speak to me 😉

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H G Parry – Published by Orbit £8.99 Paperback – 25/6

It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. 

But amidst all of the upheaval of the enlightened world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilisation into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to chaos.

One of my favourite debuts this year was Parry’s The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heap and its always interesting to see the second novel from an author is doing something quite different. I’m particularly interested in how Mike Chen says this is a mix of Neverwhere and Penny Dreadful – I also do like a revolution!

We Ride The Storm by Devin Madson – Published by Orbit £8.99 Paperback – 25/6

AS AN EMPIRE DIES, THREE WARRIORS WILL RISE. THEY MUST RIDE THE STORM OR DROWN IN ITS BLOOD.

The kingdom of Kisia is divided, held together only by the will of the god-emperor. When an act of betrayal shatters an alliance with the neighbouring land of Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down.

Now, as the fires of war spread, a warrior, an assassin and a princess must chase their ambitions, no matter the cost.

War built the Kisian Empire. And now war will tear it down.

Originally this volume was self published and was widely acclaimed. Now an expanded and improved version arrives ahead of the rest of the trilogy. . It feels epic and Devin is a delight on twitter – where you should check out the book trailer. No expense was spared….but ahead of this I’ll be on the book tour 25/6

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill – Published by Titan £8.99 paperback - 30/6

Noah Turner's family are haunted by monsters that are all too real, strange creatures that visit them all: His bookish mother Margaret; Lovecraft-obsessed father Harry; eldest sister Sydney, born for the spotlight; the brilliant but awkward Eunice, a gifted writer and storyteller - the Turners each face their demons alone.

When his terminally-ill father becomes obsessed with the construction of an elaborate haunted house - the Wandering Dark - the family grant his last wish, creating themselves a legacy, and a new family business in their grief. But families don't talk about the important things, and they try to shield baby Noah from horrors, both staged and real.

As the family falls apart, fighting demons of poverty, loss and sickness, the real monsters grow ever closer. Unbeknownst to them, Noah is being visited by a wolfish beast with glowing orange eyes. Noah is not the first of the Turners to meet the monster, but he is the first to let it into his room...

Moving from fantasy to literary horror and the description and reception for this novel makes me very curious. I shall definitely be looking at this soon

Sparks by Kit Mallory – self published £3.99 Kindle eBook – 3/7

It’s 2034 and the United Kingdom is no more. Now there is only North and South, and the vast concrete Wall that separates the two.
A group of misfit outcasts have saved the North from annihilation – and started an unwinnable war with the brutal, totalitarian Board. Two months later, as the future grows ever bleaker, a mysterious international agency offers a final glimmer of hope.

But the Agency may not be all it seems, and the gang are still reeling from the fallout of their original mission as they wrestle with old demons and fraying loyalties. Plus there’s still the small matter of having a government to overthrow…

It turns out starting the fight is one thing. Finishing it is a whole different story.

Kit Mallory’s Blackout I think was my first ever self-published author reviews and was one of those gambles I never regretted – and proved to me that self published doesn’t mean a drop in quality. A truly dark timeline for the UK that I felt captured the zeitgeist of the last few years merged with a wonderful duo of women working together and falling in love too. I am extremely interested to see how the story moves on

Grave Secrets by Alice James – Published by Solaris £8.99 paperback – 3/9

Toni Windsor is trying to live a quiet life in the green and pleasant county of Staffordshire. She'd love to finally master the rules of croquet, acquire a decent boyfriend and make some commission as an estate agent. All that might have to wait, though, because there are zombies rising from their graves, vampires sneaking out of their coffins and a murder to solve. And it's all made rather more complicated by the fact that she's the one raising all the zombies. 

Oh, and she's dating one of the vampires too. It can't be the best decision she's ever made, but he's so pretty. Really, what's a girl meant to do? 

Rebellion always do interesting books and a mix of Agatha Raisin and Sookie Stackhouse UK style sounds a bit different and its always good to see yet more necromancers!! This time though in Staffordshire not space.

Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt – Published by Solaris £8.99 paperback – 29/10

A dead man, walking between the worlds, foresees the end of the gods. A survivor searching for a weapon releases a demon from fiery Muspelheim. A village is slaughtered by Christians, and revenge must be taken. 

The bonds between the gods and Midgard are weakening. It is up to Hilda, Ragnar, their tribesmen Einer and Finn, the chief's wife Siv and Tyra, her adopted daughter, to fight to save the old ways from dying out, and to save their gods in the process. 

Being of the North the title appealed but this is sounding a bit more meatier than Coronation Street. Plus while Neil Gaman and Joanne Harris are acclaimed at Norse myth the author here is a Viking herself!!

The Once and Future Witches- Published by Orbit £14.99 hardback – 15/10

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote - and perhaps not even to live - the sisters must delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

As luck would have it for Subjective Chaos I’m currently reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January and it is GOOD! But now I’m getting witches and suffragists and sisters working out their relationships. Can I have an ooooh?

Anything catch your eye?