With 2024 just around the corner, we have a whole new batch of book releases to look forward to. The lineup looks stacked and it was difficult to narrow my list down, but here are some of the SFF, horror, and historical books that I'm most excited to read. This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer Release: January 16, 2024 This trip is going to be Dylan’s big break. Her geologist friend Clay has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan’s boyfriend Luke, Dylan is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing. Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed. But Dylan is s
Blessed by Death, Ruying tries to hide her abilities from the Roman invaders who have conquered her planet of Pangu. However, after she accidentally reveals her powers during an altercation with a guard, she becomes captured by the enemy prince. She then is left with an impossible choice: to either become a weapon for the Roman Empire or die. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang weaves a confusing dark science fantasy that left me somewhat baffled. At a sentence level, yes, the writing is lush and lyrical and I really liked Ruying’s death-based magical abilities. However, it’s the worldbuilding that was hard for me to wrap my head around. For starters, the story itself is inspired by real-life atrocities (i.e. The Opium Wars and Unit 731), but it changes the perpetrator to a high-tech version of the Romans. Why not use a sci-fi analog of Imperial England or Japan? Moreover, the huge technology gap between the Romans and Pangu (a Chinese-inspired planet) felt strange to me. The Ro