Showing posts with label Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Waiting on Wednesday #782, May 6th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver
Expected Publication: June 1st, 2026
From Goodreads:
A young girl who claims to remember a past life draws a psychologist into a decades-old mystery in a haunting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver.

Kate Willis, consultant for the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, is tasked with interviewing six-year-old Henley Haskell about the girl’s alleged past-life recollections. The evaluation also marks a return for Kate to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and to troubling recollections of her own.

Here, twenty-four years ago, Kate’s friend Becca McGuire vanished from her bunk at a now-shuttered summer camp and was never seen again―presumably drowned in Lake Sauquamet. But the mystery of her disappearance is only deepening. Because Henley’s memories of her “other life” are ones that could only belong to Becca.

For Kate, Henley’s recurring, suffocating nightmares, and her disturbing illustrations of places she has never been, seem to spell out the unbelievable. Somewhere, somehow, the truth about what really happened to Becca is locked inside this little girl. As Henley’s uncanny memories surface, so do old secrets―each one drawing Kate inexorably back to that terrible long-ago summer by the lake.

Shattered Gods by Katee Robert
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
She was Olympus's Queen. Its sacrifice. Its savior. Its destruction.

Long ago, Circe was Hermes' entire heart. The two women lived on the outskirts of Olympian society, content with a quiet life away from the spotlight. Then Circe caught the eye of Zeus…and was forced into a marriage that would take her freedom, her future, and in the end, her life. In the wake of the tragedy, gossip swirled about the woman Zeus married and (allegedly) murdered…but in time, everyone forgot about beautiful, tragic Circe.

Everyone but Hermes, who vowed on that day to bring Olympus to its knees.

Now, fifteen years later, a new Zeus rules the city, a new Hades protects his people, a new hope dawns…and Hermes has begun to think there may be things about Olympus worth saving. With Atalanta by her side―and slowly rebuilding her heart―Hermes may finally be ready to set aside her fury and seek the city's rebirth instead of its total annihilation. But there is a beautiful devil on Hermes' other shoulder: a devil who rose, blood-soaked, from where Zeus left her for dead years ago. A devil who has waited all this time to have her revenge.

And no matter their past, no matter the desperate love they once shared, no matter the complicated triad forming between the three women, Circe will not rest until all of Olympus lays shattered at her feet…and the gods help anyone who gets in her way.

A scorchingly hot modern retelling of Hermes and Atalanta and Circe.

Father Material by Alexis Hall
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...what was that, exactly?

Luc and Oliver have been through it all: fake dating to save Luc's career, I-guess-this-is-actually-for-real dating when all of that blew up spectacularly, (briefly) breaking up over irreconcilable differences, (definitively) getting back together over perfectly reconcilable everything else, (almost) getting married, (finally) moving in together, and ultimately celebrating years of perfect domestic bliss.

But as all their very grown-up-now friends begin reaching new life milestones, advancing careers and having babies, Luc and Oliver decide it's time to open their hearts and lives to something new: a tiny, squirming, adorable bundle of furry joy named Spud.

And maybe now that hearts-and-lives are already open, there's room for someone else. Something more. Something that may require them to find in themselves a little father material.

Lore Olympus: Volume 10 by Rachel Smythe
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
Hades and Persephone get a modern, romantic reimagining in Lore Olympus, a gorgeously illustrated, Eisner Award-winning comic—now including a never-before-seen bonus short story!

“The Mortal Realm—it’s dying.”

After years of yearning, the big day has finally arrived: Hades and Persephone are getting married! It’s the ceremony of the century, and practically all the gods are invited to celebrate the happy couple. The wedding, full of love and joy, provides a much-needed respite for the pantheon . . . but the newlyweds have no time for a honeymoon.

The king and queen of the Underworld begin unprecedented dives into the dream world to find the god that Kronos took hostage—and, hopefully, to get answers on defeating the furious titan once and for all. During their explorations, they begin to suspect that Persephone’s powers over spring may have been altered. Their theory is proven correct with deadly consequences: When Persephone returns to the Mortal Realm, she ushers in not the regular change of seasons, but a never-ending winter.

And while the gods worry about the total annihilation of the Mortal Realm, Apollo uses the chaos as cover for an attempt to kill Zeus. He claims his dying father’s throne and decrees that the only way to save the Mortal Realm is if Persephone—and her power—belong to him. The others reject his outrageous demand, proposing instead that whoever can fix the failing seasons will be named interim ruler of Olympus. Hope now rests with the struggling goddess to find a way to stop the treacherous Apollo and save humankind—or else be separated from Hades forever.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 234–260 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
A mystery about five teen geniuses, their billionaire father, and the investigation into his murder.
Five prodigies, one dead father, a mansion full of suspects…

Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.

These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies—child geniuses—the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father's impossibly high standards.

Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.

Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them—each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren't the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies. . .

The Dawn Thorne by Tara Sim
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
In this thrilling new installment of the Dark Gods Saga, each of the heirs are left to put the pieces of their lives back together. But gods don't stay defeated for long, and soon an enemy arises to threaten the very existence of their realms.

In the aftermath of the chaos and tragedy of Godsnight, the heirs find themselves struggling to recover and determine their next moves. But when Phos, the god of light, stages an attack on their realms in a bid for cosmic control, the heirs decide to take the fight to Phos in Solara, the realm of light. 

But once in Solara, they discover a realm terrorized by the myth of the Sunslayer who has been targeting those in Phos's bloodline. In order to forge a delicate truce in an attempt to buy time, Nik, Rian, and Julian set off to capture the Sunslayer, while Angelica, Risha, and Dante remain in the city to search for a way to defeat Phos for good.

The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
From award-winning, critically acclaimed crime writer Lev Rosen comes a punchy, hilarious mystery-thriller. Meet the disaster They're messy. They're queer. And they're about to solve a murder… Or die trying.

Brandon is a hopeless romantic. So when a handsome stranger named Jon checks in at the hotel he works at and invites Brandon to his room, Brandon ignores the advice of his crew—a group of loveable and messy queer twenty-somethings—and accepts. What follows is a tale as old as they hook up, Jon promises to text, Brandon falls in love, and Jon ghosts. Case closed—or is it? 

When Jon checks out early, leaving behind a bag of belongings and his cellphone, Brandon takes the phone and sets out to find him, thinking that this must at last be his Cinderella story. 

But he gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a murder—and sees Jon fleeing the scene. 

Determined (and not in over their heads whatsoever), Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide to solve the mystery of the murder and uncover Jon's true identity…they just have to figure it out before a target falls on their own backs.

The Children by Melissa Albert 
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2026
From Goodreads:
The haunting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Melissa Albert, in which the estranged adult children of a legendary author, written into their dead mother’s beloved fantasy series, must contend with the vine-like creep of legacy, memory, and magic
Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.

In one, she and her brother, Ennis, live in the wooded shadow of their family's isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of their mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. 

In reality, Guinevere's childhood isn't the enchanted idyll her mother’s readers she and Ennis are growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed, escaping each day to the wild woods they’ve made their playland. As Edith Sharpe’s books explode into epic popularity, the threats of a rural childhood give way to the escalating perils of fame—until the night it all goes up in flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.

Now an adult coasting on her mother's name, Guinevere is mid-promotion for a ghostwritten memoir when her estranged brother, an artist who has until now spurned his family's legacy, announces an upcoming installation titled, simply, Mother. As rumors swirl around a death connected to his last show, unsettling recollections from Guinevere’s childhood begin to surface. Her public facade starts to crack, forcing her to confront the questions she's spent the last twenty years running What really happened the night of the fire? And what dark history lies behind their mother’s fantasy world?

The Children is wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, and the way our most beloved stories grow up with us. It's for anyone who's ever revisited an old favorite and found its pages cast in a darker light, the line separating magic from reality blurring as we discover the books that once comforted us carry shadows of their own.

One Knight Stand by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Expected Publication: June 4th, 2026
From Goodreads:
Saddle up your dragons, the ladies are going on tour! The sapphic love story continues in the sequel to joyful medieval romp LADY’S KNIGHT from NYT bestselling duo, Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner. Perfect for fans of Gwen and Art are Not in Love and My Lady Jane.Dearest reader… let me catch you up.

Gwen, our lady knight.

Isobelle, our knight’s lady.

They fight monsters, and they’re in love. Well, they fought one monster, once. And while they are in love, they haven’tdiscussed that fact with each other, and neither wants to be the first to bring it up. This is going to be fine.

This story

Seaside mysteries
Brooding redemption arcs
A cursed town
A sea monster
Medieval tourist attractions
An evil sorceress
A crumbling dark tower
Moonlit magical rituals (Ignore all the tentacles, everything is definitely fine…)

White Lights by Lauren Kate
Expected Publication: June 4th, 2026
From Goodreads:
When mysterious Rafe de la Cruz rolls into Desdemona’s life to recruit her to the elite film school Acheron, Dez has no reason to trust him—and no other option. A violent attack has just put her brother in the hospital…and Dez is the only suspect. Guilt-ridden and grieving, she finds herself running from the law to chase her longtime dream of making movies, at a school she’s never heard of. Soon, she’s dropped into Acheron’s cutthroat world of seductive intrigue, power on an otherworldly scale, and deadly competition.

Acheron may seem like the ticket to a future Dez has always wanted, but as she delves deeper into the secret work being done there, she finds herself trapped in an existential conflict on a cosmic scale—with more than her heart on the line.

June is starting off with some really fantastic reads, I want them all to be out, I love these authors and series! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Week 36 Review: The White Guy Dies First

From Goodreads:
This program features multicast narration as well as an author's note and acknowledgements read by the author.

13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR. 13 TIMES WE SURVIVED... THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First includes thirteen scary stories by all-star contributors and this time, the white guy dies first.

Killer clowns, a hungry hedge maze, and rich kids who got bored. Friendly cannibals, impossible slashers, and the dead who don't stay dead....

A museum curator who despises "diasporic inaccuracies." A sweet girl and her diary of happy thoughts. An old house that just wants friends forever....

These stories are filled with ancient terrors and modern villains, but go ahead, go into the basement, step onto the old plantation, and open the magician's mystery box because this time, the white guy dies first.

Edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker, including stories from bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming contributors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H. E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Terry J. Benton-Walker.

A collection you'll be dying to talk about… if you survive it.

Full narrator list: Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, André Santana, Angel Pean, Joy Ofodu, Kausar Mohammed, Nicky Endres, Samara Naeymi, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Torian Brackett

My Review:
I had such a great time reading this anthology! That there was a bit of a story before and after, that these stories were written and associated with a filmmaker, 13 unreleased movies and 13 missing/dead male actors...yeah, that was so cool! Plus it was another horror anthology poking at the tropes of horror, this time with the white guy dying first! 

This anthology was bookended by this story that set up the premise of the anthology, that there was this filmmaker who made a bunch of movies that were never released about these storie where the white guy dies first, and then all these male actors had been found killed, and these stories are somehow related to what was going on (I had this in audio, and I think I missed if these were the written form of the movies, or related stories in the same vein.) Which was a really interesting premise for this anthology! 

One thing that this collection solidified for me, is that I like happy ending horrors, where the protagonist gets out of whatever horrifying situation that they were in ok. Because a few of the stories here weren't, they lost to the horror that they were facing. 

I support women's rights, and women's wrongs, including in this story, like All Eyes of Me, and The Golden Dragon, that the girls come out on top! Wasps, absolutely infuriated me that it came to that, but loved how it turned out! All of the stories in this anthology were entertaining and raised my emotions, good and bad, but I really enjoyed these 3!

Loved reading this collection of stories, and I'm so glad that it exists! 

Authors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H.E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, Terry J. Benton-Walker
Read: September 4th, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really good and had authors that I love, and it's a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: July 16th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Monday, April 1, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #669, April 1st

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #668
Teaser Tuesday #676
WWW Wednesday #676
WOW #672
Will the Time Come #669
Third Sentence Thursday #659
Random Reads #645
First Lines Friday #672
Book Blogger Hop #338
Monthly ARC's Update 66
The Reward Challenge Update #654
Wheel of TBR #201
How Well I Stuck to It #506
Wrote that Review Update #503

Week 13 Reviews:
Empire of the Damned 


OK, so I got 49 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty great week, I read some great books, I had a great time, and I can't wait for next week, I've had Friday, and today off, which is nice, plus I have Jax for most of this week-more time to get him and Holly used to one another so they can get along! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want! 

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Week 13 Review: Ace of Spades

From Goodreads:
An incendiary and utterly compelling thriller with a shocking twist that delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism, from an exceptional new YA voice.

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...

My Review:
This was such a great and infuriating book, because I could see this easily happening in reality, and that's such a horrible thought. I really enjoyed her other book and I was excited to read it. And I had a really great time even though it was hard at points.

Chiamaka and Devon are the only black students at their prestigious school. They're in their final year, they're close to graduating. But things are going wrong, this texter named Aces is airing their secrets for the school to see, which is a pretty terrifying and awful experience. 

I do think that I enjoyed her second book just a little bit more, because the anxiety that this book raised in me, the fear for these characters, who were in a tough situation and I wanted them to get out of it okay, but the odds kept getting worse. It was still a fantastic read, don't get me wrong, but the second was just a little bit easier on my nerves. 

When they figure out what was going on? Yeah, that was extremely shocking, about just how far the rot went, how deep and wide. The extent that these people were going, just to ruin a couple of students lives? Like, that's a horrible thing to do, there's basically anything better to do with your time. One of the lines was about deserving this education, and I was like, all of you, doing this, you're not deserving of it. It was so infuriating, and that ending was pretty darned satisfying, especially that epilogue! 

This was a really fantastic read and I can't wait to read more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé!

Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Read: March 25th, 2024
Source: Library
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book and a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: June 1st 2021
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Week 12 Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie

From Goodreads:
In Where Sleeping Girls Lie ― a YA contemporary mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, the New York Times-bestselling author of Ace of Spades ― a girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.

It's like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again. To make me remember. But the switch isn't there. Was it there before?

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she's not sure what will happen. What she doesn't expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade's first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the 'Unholy Trinity' – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to - playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn't help that she's already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead.

The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there's more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a great read! I loved getting Sade's story, of this time spent at this boarding school, the friends she made-and dealing with the school politics. Between the Unholy Trinity, and the boy's swim club espcailly, there was a lot going on! 

We knew that Sade was dealing with he past, that she was seeing a ghost, a echo, a memory, but we didn't know who-just that they thought that Sade shouldn't be there. And the reveal of who it it was, and how that was connected to the plot, that hurt! 

I really enjoyed the way that this story was told, mainly in the present from Sade's perspective, but then we'd we get key points from various characters about events in the past, and it all came together so well! And boy where there twists and reveals! 

There was so much in this book that made me enraged, that girls were treated like that, and shrugged off, because it might hurt the boy, so who cares about the actual crimes that they're committing, they're bright young lads. And oh, that ending, was so true to life, and I wish it could be better in both! 

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé! 

Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Read: March 20th, 2024
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved her first book and it sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: March 19th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

WWW Wednesday #675, March 20th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme! And thanks now to Taking on a World of Words for reviving it! 

I'm currently listening to Where Sleeping Girls Lie and I'm loving it!
I'm also reading Crowbones, and I'm loving it again!
I read Lake Silence and it was so good again!

I'm going to be reading Wicked Sexy Liar, and I can't wait to finally finish this series!




What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Author Page

The Story: I saw Ace of Spades around and it got a lot of hype, but I didn't pick it up. Now Where Sleeping Girls is coming out, and I want to read it, so I'm going to read Ace of Spades first! 

Website

Stand Alone's: Ace of Spades and her site, my review, Where Sleeping Girls Lie and her site, my review, The Heirs and her site, my review.