I had the pleasure of signing up for ARC August for the first time last year and loved it! I actually won an ARC of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows through this challenge and it ended up being one of my favorite books. Hosted by Read.Sleep.Repeat, ARC August is designed to help bloggers get in gear and tackle all those ARCs they’ve been accumulating (and maybe avoiding). There is also a chance to win some incredible ARCs this year, so check out the post here for more info, the final day to sign up is the 31st. I wasn’t sure if I was going to sign-up for this challenge this year, but there are a few ARCs I’d like to read before the end of August, so I thought I might as well join. I know, such enthusiasm. I’m listing six ARCs for this challenge, but I’d be happy getting through three in August. Covers are linked to Goodreads if you’d like to add them to your TBR.
1. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Publication Date: September 6th 2016
“Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.
Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin.
The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…”
2. The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
Publication Date: October 4th 2016
“Seventeen-year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.
Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?”
3. The Iron Cast by Destiny Soria
Publication Date: October 11th 2016
“It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths—whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art—captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.”
4. The Graces by Laure Eve
Publication Date: September 6th 2016
“In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.
Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.”
5. One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards
Publication Date: October 4th 2016
“Murder, justice, and revenge were so not a part of the plan when Sera set out on her senior camping trip. After all, hiking through the woods is supposed to be safe and uneventful.
Then one morning the group wakes up groggy, confused, and with words scrawled on their wrists: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Their supplies? Destroyed. Half their group? Gone. Their chaperone? Unconscious. Worst of all, they find four dolls acting out a murder—dolls dressed just like them.
Suddenly it’s clear; they’re being hunted. And with the only positive word on her wrist, Sera falls under suspicion…”
6. The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart by Lauren DeStefano
Publication Date: September 13th 2016
“Lionel is a wild boy, who doesn’t much like to be around other people. He’d rather be a purring cat or a wolf stalking the woods.
Marybeth is a nice girl. She doesn’t need to be told to comb her hair or brush her teeth, and she’s kind to everyone at the orphanage . . . Lionel most of all.
Different though they are, Lionel and Marybeth are best friends in a world that has forgotten about them. So when a mysterious blue spirit possesses Marybeth—and starts to take control—they know they must stop it before the real Marybeth fades away forever.”
Have you participated in ARC August before? Are you doing so this year? Which ARCs are you most looking forward to? If you could have one 2016 ARC, which one would it be? Feel free to leave a link to your sign-up post and I’ll check it out.
A Kernel of Nonsense 