Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

May 12, 2020 ~ 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 haven’t preordered a ton of debuts this year, but one that I absolutely could not pass up was Roseanne A. Brown’s A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. I am itching for more diverse fantasy and love the sound of this one. It also features the enemies to lovers trope which is my ultimate favorite. I recently heard Brown talk about all the things she loves about this trope and it has me so excited to read this one. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
Author: Roseanne A. Brown
Series: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, #1
Pages: 480
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
Release Date: June 2, 2020

“The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?”

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: We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

April 21, 2020 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 11 Comments

Jenny Torres Sanchez wrote one of my favorite books long ago and I am hoping to jump back into her novels with her upcoming release We Are Not From Here. This one deals with immigration and found families and I know it’s going to be a really impactful novel. I also heard there are magical realism elements which I always love. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: We Are Not From Here
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Series: N/A
Pages: 326
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: May 19, 2020

“A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña have no false illusions about the town they’ve grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Though their families–both biological and found–create a warm community for them, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the three teens know they have no choice but to run: for the border, for the hope of freedom, and for their very lives.
Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico with their eyes on the U.S. border, they follow the route of La Bestia, a system of trains that promise the hope of freedom–if they are lucky enough to survive the harrowing journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and the desperation that courses through their very veins, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know that there’s no turning back, dangerous though the road ahead might be.
In this powerful story inspired by real–and current–events, the plight at our southern border is brought to painful, poignant life..”

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: Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova

April 14, 2020 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 17 Comments

I am totally cheating with this week’s Can’t-Wait Wednesday post because I have already read today’s book, but during this time, I really want to make sure I give attention to books who might need the extra boost. I am a big fan of Zoraida Córdova’s Brooklyn Brujas’s series and am really excited for her newest fantasy series. I have read the eARC and am just so delighted that this one is coming out soon and I can get my hands on a finished copy. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: Incendiary
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Series: Hollow Crown, #1
Pages: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: April 28, 2020

“I am Renata Convida.
I have lived a hundred stolen lives.
Now I live my own.
Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata’s ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.
Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown and helping the remaining Moria escape the kingdom bent on their destruction. The Whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred–or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she turned “hollow” during her time in the palace.
When Dez, the commander of her unit, is taken captive by the notorious Sangrado Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the Whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez’s top secret mission. Can Renata convince her former captors that she remains loyal, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.
But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end the war that has cost her everything.”

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: The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext Edited by Felicia Rose Chavez, José Olivarez, and Willie Perdomo

March 11, 2020March 10, 2020 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 9 Comments

I finally read José Olivarez’s poetry collection, Citizen Illegal, and fell so much in love with it. The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext was on my radar but shot up to the top of my TBR list after reading Citizen Illegal. If you are looking to diversify your poetry collection, I’d recommend looking into The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, edited by Felicia Rose Chavez, José Olivarez, and Willie Perdomo and the books that precede it. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext
Edited by: Felicia Rose Chavez, José Olivarez, and Willie Perdomo
Series: BreakBeat Poets (Book 4)
Pages: 225
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Release Date: April 7, 2020

“In the dynamic tradition of the BreakBeat Poets anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT celebrates the embodied narratives of Latinidad. Poets speak from an array of nationalities, genders, sexualities, races, and writing styles, staking a claim to our cultural and civic space. Like Hip-Hop, we honor what was, what is, and what’s next.”

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!