01 Skyhunter by Marie Lu
My copy of the book unfortunately does not have this gorgeously mesmerizing cover. But I'm still excited to read Marie Lu's latest young adult science fiction/fantasy book, the first in the Skyhunter series.
Lu offers a story about refugees desperately trying to escape becoming conscripted into the Federation army; elite Striker fighters trying to salvage society despite the Federation's widespread and evil efforts; and the demonization of the "other." When a mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, our main protagonist Talin must figure it out before things potentially unravel for her and her fellow warriors.
Lu has written the Legends, Young Elites, and Warcross series.
02 The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy
The Skylark's Secret has a dual timeline; the story is set in rural Scotland during World War II and decades later.
Flora and her village are supporting the war effort, temporarily taking in children from Great Britain's cities, driving supplies and ambulances, knitting, and anything else a scrappy community can do to help. Flora's brother as well as their childhood friend, the laird's son, are both serving in the military, and as luck would have it, they're both stationed nearby to make use of their familiarity with the area.
The more modern storyline concerns Flora's grown daughter Lexie, whose London stage career has ended suddenly and her mother has died. Now Lexie is returning to the village with a bairn of her own. She's eager to learn more about her mother's wartime history, yet desperate not to be defined and constrained by the small town she was once determined to escape.
I love love love this so far--Valpy's detailed setting and character development are wonderful.
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review.
03 Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Casey is an aspiring writer struggling with her novel, her mother's recent death, crushing financial debt, and a love life that's in upheaval.
King must be a former waiter; Casey's experience working in a restaurant and the twisted community forged in the stresses and frantic pace of that world feel so familiar and real.
Casey is in the awkward, sometimes painful age and stage of shifting from young adulthood to being a grown-up, with all of the complicating pushes and pulls on her attention, emotions, and energy.
I'm listening to this as an audiobook, and it's flying by so far.
What are you reading now?
Last week I offered a roundup of Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism; this week I'm bravely branching out a little more, although I'm still in an odd pandemic-era, post-election stage when I want all the books to have happy endings, and I have some doubts about Writers & Lovers.
What's working (or not working) in your reading life right now?