Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes

August 27, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 19 Comments

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings where bloggers share which upcoming releases they’re most looking forward to. Join us every Wednesday and watch your TBR list multiply.

I talked a lot over the last year or so about how much I loved Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda and one of the reasons is that it starred a Latina in space. Ever since then I have been craving more Latinx in space books, but they are few and far between. I am so excited for Valerie Valdes’s Chilling Effect which featured Latinx characters and a found family which is one of my favorite tropes. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: Chilling Effect
Author: Valerie Valdes
Series: N/A
Pages: 448
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: September 17, 2019

“A hilarious, offbeat debut space opera that skewers everything from pop culture to video games and features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her motley crew, strange life forms, exciting twists, and a galaxy full of fun and adventure.
Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister Mari is kidnapped by The Fridge, a shadowy syndicate that holds people hostage in cryostasis, Eva must undergo a series of unpleasant, dangerous missions to pay the ransom.
But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship’s hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead after she rejects his advances, and her sweet engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.
To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she’s built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down. “

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite

August 13, 2019August 15, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 18 Comments

The cover for Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite is so vibrant and I have the best feeling that I’m going to end up loving the protagonist. I’m really looking forward to the interesting mother-daughter dynamic in this one and absolutely love that this debut was written by sisters. Love all of these novels by Latinx authors where it feels like the MCs are finally coming home. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
Author: Maika and Maritza Moulite
Series: N/A
Pages: 384
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: September 3, 2019

“Quick-witted high school journalist Alaine Beauparlant gets booted from her elite private school after an intricate prank goes cruelly awry. She warily accepts an invitation from her aunt to spend her suspension at the family’s estate in Haiti–where her estranged mom is recuperating from a political fiasco. In her homeland for the first time, Alaine is immediately put to work at her aunt’s start-up helping native children in need. Alaine meets locals, interacts with kids connected to donors, and is shown the ropes by Jason, a fellow intern whose charming ways are making work a bit more challenging. What she doesn’t expect to find are letters, articles, emails, and diary entries that she compiles into a final project that will not only save her academic standing in school, but also help her finally know the mother she’s never really understood.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud

June 18, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 14 Comments

I feel like I’ve been neglecting the contemporary genre as of late, so today I’m featuring Debbie Rigaud’s Truly Madly Royally. This one sounds so cute and it’s giving me major Hallmark-movie vibes. I can’t way to be utterly charmed by this one. Cover is linked to Goodreads. Also I just saw the price drop on Amazon if anyone was thinking about preordering.

Title: Truly Madly Royally
Author: Debbie Rigaud
Series: N/A
Pages: 304
Publisher: Point
Release Date: July 30, 2019

“Fiercely independent and smart, Zora Emerson wants to change the world. She’s excited to be attending a prestigious summer program, even if she feels out of place among her privileged, mostly white classmates. So she’s definitely not expecting to feel a connection to Owen, who’s an actual prince of an island off the coast of England. But Owen is funny, charming…and undeniably cute. Zora can’t ignore the chemistry between them. When Owen invites Zora to be his date at his big brother’s big royal wedding, Zora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, along with her family and friends. Everyone is talking about her, in real life and online, and while Owen is used to the scrutiny, Zora’s not sure it’s something she can live with. Can she maintain her sense of self while moving between two very different worlds? And can her feelings for Owen survive and thrive in the midst of the crazy? Find out in this charming romantic comedy that’s like The Princess Diaries for a new generation.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

June 11, 2019 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 20 Comments

So technically I just started an eARC of this, but this post has been sitting in my drafts for a while. I meant to post it before I started it (the publication date was moved up unexpectedly), but it didn’t work out and I still really want to showcase this novel, so here it is. I am a big fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work and have really been looking forward to her newest novel, Gods of Jade and Shadow. This fantasy is rooted in Mayan mythology and takes place in 1920s Mexico. The cover is stunning and I can’t wait to hold the finished copy in my hands. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Series: N/A
Pages: 352
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 23, 2019

“The Mayan God of Death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore, for readers of The Song of Achilles and Uprooted
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!