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
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang weaves an ambitious novel that follows two men's red strings of fate as they're reincarnated across a millennium. The book is divided by three storylines: - Dong Xian, a low-level clerk who aims to work his way up the imperial palace's ranks - He Shican, an innkeeper who is roped into helping a fox spirit procure a rare ingredient. - River, a college student who meets a mysterious stranger at a rave. I have to warn that this is a book the requires patience. Because the story follows multiple timelines, it does take longer for the story to take shape and find its rhythm. Also, maybe it’s because I'm a historical girlie at heart, but I found the modern-day storyline the least compelling of the bunch. The conniving fox and the scheming court intrigue storylines were far more interesting to me, but that might partly boil down to personal preference. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for providing me w