January 2024 Book Recs - With a Twist!
Hello everyone and welcome back!
If you read last week’s post, you know we’re going big and bold in 2024.
And that is going to start with shifting—slightly—how we do the book recommendations on this blog! And I need your help to do it.
I’ve always loved putting together the list of books coming out, getting to show you all the new and exciting things publishing this month—and we’re going to continue to do that—but I’ve wanted to also be able to take the time to review books with you as well!
This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, but I know it is going to be a time commitment that is going to be tricky to keep up with some months, while balancing everything else I’m editing at the time.
But like we talked about—we’re going strong in 2024, pushing our reach. We’re doing it!
So here’s where your help comes in. In addition to talking about the awesome books coming out each month, you are going to help me choose what I should be reading and reviewing next!
I’m going to pull some options from NetGalley, and then you can comment down below on what you would like to see reviewed.
I’m committing to one book review, but if I have time, I’ll do more, so feel free to let me know if several interest you. I certainly had a hard time narrowing down the list, as you’ll see.
I’m excited! So let’s dive into what books you should be on the lookout for this month, and at the end, I’ll put up the options for next month’s book.
January Book Recs
Midnight by Amy McCullouch
This book basically sounds like if you mixed the Titanic with a one-room (or, more accurately, one boat) murder mystery thriller and it sounds amazing!
Midnight tells the story of actuary Olivia Campbell who has been given the opportunity of a lifetime by her boyfriend—a trip on a luxury liner to Antarctica. A dream come true for her, worth every risk.
That is, until things start to go horribly awry. When the first bodies are discovered, it's easy enough for Olivia to write it off as a terrible accident. But as the situation heats up and the temperatures continue to plummet, she begins to wonder whether she might have booked a one-way ticket to her own demise.
Since this book came out on January 2nd, you can grab it now, just like I did!
Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher
This book is another of Red Tower’s Romantic Sci Fi/Fantasy line-up, which also has included massive hits like Fourth Wing and Star Bringer. It is definitely on my TBR, but I’ll say I’m 50/50 on this one.
Not a norm for me when it comes to fantasy romance, so I’m still going to give it a go because I think it might just be a victim of lackluster back cover copy (which happens to the best of us). The copy feels very vague and general, even for all the details it gives.
It has drama and all your typical romantic fantasy top hits, but it feels general and I still don’t really know what’s happening. Very odd.
But, with that said, like I mentioned, it still hits all my fantasy romance buttons—enemies to lovers, hidden identities, and forbidden magic.
So I’m excited to see how the book actually plays out. If you end up reading it, you’ll have to let me know what you think as well.
This published on January 9th, so you can check it out now!
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
This Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who is forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland.
This book caught my eye for two reasons. First, while I adore fantasy that has romance, I’m also a massive sucker for well-done family relationships. The dynamics can be so powerful and relatable. This book especially sounds like it is going to be awesomely gut-wrenching.
And second, this book actually takes place after the main character has already “saved the day.” This story shows what happens after you’ve won the war and everyone has gone home. And how that isn’t just the peaceful, happily ever after that you’d hope for.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.
When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, to form an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or for the gods to claim the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.
This wild ride comes out on the 16th!
And finally, A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
Pitched as a “romantic fantasy of manners” this feels like if you took Bridgerton and gave the characters magic, and I’m here for it.
Niamh Ó Conchobhair (NEEV) has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.
But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.
This is at the top of my TBR, I have to tell you. It came out on January 2nd, and I can’t wait to sit down with a cup of tea and a blanket and dive in.
What are you reading this month? Let me know in the comments if there is anything else I should be adding to my TBR.
Picking a February Review
But before you go and dive into all these great books, help me decide what I should read for next month!
Now, I know what you’re thinking—why not one of the ones I just mentioned? I thought of that and might add that later, but part of the goal of these recommendation videos is to give support to authors around publication month. So with that in mind, I’ve listed a few below that I pulled from NetGalley that are coming out in February, so we can help boost the authors as they publish!
And I’m warning you ahead of time, the books are a bit all over the place in terms of genre, but you know that is how I roll. I’ve put the links for all these books below, so you can read more about them if you want as well before deciding.
So let’s dive in!
#1 – Switched by Sarah Ready
This is an opposites attract rom com mixed with Freaky Friday, and it sounds hilarious! I’m not quite sure how Sarah is going to pull it off, so I’m very intrigued. This is option one!
#2 – You’ve Been Summoned by Lindsey Lamar
This is a ‘50’s murder mystery choose your own adventure! I haven’t read a choose your own adventure since the old Goosebumps, but I adored it then and I am excited to see the adult version.
#3 – The End of the World by H.S. Gilchrist
A tech world mixed with ancient fantasy ruins, this sounds like a cool mix of both with an awesome adventure plot.
#4 – Grieving Gold by Daniel McDaniel
This multi-POV epic fantasy has everything I love – dark gods, long forgotten but returning, warring brothers, orphans, and hunters. It feels like all my favorite tropes mashed together, which could be an awesome thing or overwhelming, so I’m tempted to see which way it leans.
But the biggest thing for me is that it is a fantasy world that has the lingering shadows of tech and the old world. So a bit post-apocalyptic fantasy which can add for a fun twist on the above.
What do you think? Comment below, or reach out, and let me know which I should review next month!
And until next time, keep reading!