Waiting On Wednesday: Random House Summer 2017 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the Random House Summer 2017 Catalog:

No Good Deed by Kara Connolly
Date: July 18, 2017

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Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.
Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?
Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.

No Good Deed has kind of a silly premise - an Olympic archer ends up back in time in the Middle Ages and assumes the role of Robin Hood - but honestly, I'm into it! I haven't seen any early reviews for it yet though, so I will wait and see how it is received before choosing whether to read it myself.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
Date: August 29, 2017

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She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .
Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

OMG YES!! Everyone who's read Leigh Bardugo's books knows she's a tremendously talented writer. I really cannot wait to see her try her hand at some superhero lore in Wonder Woman: Warbringer!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Random House Summer 2017 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Random House Summer 2017 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?

Muggle Monday: Fantastic Beasts Audiobook Review

It's time for Muggle Monday, in which I highlight a significant piece of news from the Harry Potter franchise. This is somewhat inspired by the Mundane Monday posts by The Mundie Moms.

But let's be real as to why I made up this feature: I just want the opportunity to post something about Harry Potter.

This week, my thoughts on the updated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them audiobook:

Publisher: Pottermore
Published: March 14, 2017
Pages: 128

A set textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the wizarding world. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books - the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur magizoologist. Dip in to discover the curious habits of magical beasts across five continents …

When it was announced that Newt Scamander actor Eddie Redmayne was going to record the audiobook of the updated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them novella, I knew that was something I needed to experience. I absolutely loved Eddie as Newt in the Fantastic Beasts movie and so he has very much become the voice of Newt for me. It was fun to have him narrate this while in character - every mumbling, beast-passionate bit of him. Extra sound effects are added into this audio (beast noises and the like), which, while unnecessary, are nevertheless fun.

In this updated version of the classic Wizarding World novella, an intro from Newt himself has been
added (providing some curious tidbits about his backstory), as well as a handful of new creature descriptions not included in the original book (primarily the Ilvermorny House Beasts). Sadly, gone are the original scribblings by the Trio throughout the novella (the original book was presented as though it was Harry's actual textbook), which were brilliantly in character and SO fun.

A sample of the Trio's scribblings from the original Fantastic Beasts novella (2001)

If you already own the original book that was released in 2001, then I can't say it's entirely worth it to buy this new edition as it is almost entirely the same (and also, I suspect that this won't be the absolute final edition of this novella... Newt himself reveals that there may be more beasts to be revealed later), but I would still recommend checking it out from the library to read the new bits. And if you do wish to purchase this edition, then at least you'll be supporting Jo's human rights charity Lumos as 15% of the proceeds will go to the foundation.

Waiting On Wednesday: HarperCollins Summer 2017 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the HarperCollins Summer 2017 Catalog:

Wicked Like A Wildfire by Lana Popovic
Date: August 15, 2017

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All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love.
But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?

Would you LOOK at that insanely gorgeous cover?! I know I can't stop looking at it anyways. The one time I was able to draw my attention away from the cover to read the synopsis for Wicked Like A Wildfire revealed a pretty intriguing premise too!

All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis
Date: August 29, 2017

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Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks ("Sorry" is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She's been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can't begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she's unable to afford.
But when Speth's friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family's crippling debt, she can't express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech, rather than say anything at all, she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth's unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them.

All Rights Reserved takes place in a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted and costs money (and where people have first names like "Speth"). Sounds bizarre and nonsensical - but colour me curious nonetheless!

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett
Date: September 5, 2017

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Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.
But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer every known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister, Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means cimbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then, Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.
The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and other dangers at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth about their mission and her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.

This one is set in a fictional Himalayan kingdom - a setting I can honestly say I've never come anywhere close to reading about. I've also been interested in the area since my dad climbed Mount Everest a few years back. So I can't help but be intrigued by Even the Darkest Stars!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these HarperCollins Summer 2017 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the HarperCollins Summer 2017 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?