Books I'm Squeeing About in August

We're already at August and this year is just flying by. Luckily we've had lots of incredible books to keep us going over the last seven months and this month is now exception. There's a wonderful mix of contemporary and fantasy hitting out shelves that I cannot wait to get stuck into, and some books that I've already read and loved and can't wait to see what you guys make of them!
So without further ado, here are the books that I am squeeing about in August!

1st August - The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks
Annabelle Aster doesn’t bow to convention—not even that of space and time—which makes the 1890s Kansas wheat field that has appeared in her modern-day San Francisco garden easy to accept. Even more peculiar is Elsbeth, the truculent schoolmarm who sends Annie letters through the mysterious brass mailbox perched on the picket fence that now divides their two worlds.Annie and Elsbeth’s search for an explanation to the hiccup in the universe linking their homes leads to an unsettling discovery—and potential disaster for both of them. Together they must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and yet somehow already did.

This blurb was so brilliantly strange that it immediately caught my interest. Combine that with the mouthful of a title and whilst this wasn't my usual type of book, ever since Outlander I have been curious about reading more time travel books.
Keep an eye out for my review!
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!
Check back on August 14th for a guest post from Scott Wilbanks himself!


4th August - As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka
After a harrowing summer in Prague, Lumikki Andersson is back in Finland at her prestigious art school, concentrating on graduation. She lands the lead role in the school’s modern-day adaptation of “Snow White” and finds herself facing a new distraction—Sampsa, the boy playing the role of the huntsman, who has an undeniable allure that makes Lumikki conflicted about what, and who, she wants.
As Lumikki starts falling into something more than just her role on stage, a shadow is cast over the production when she begins receiving creepily obsessive love notes. Lumikki can’t ignore the increasingly hostile tone of her admirer’s messages, and when the stalker threatens mass violence at the play’s premiere, Lumikki knows she must discover who is behind the menace and stop the person at all costs.
With a foe who has a heart as black as ebony, does Lumikki have any hope of saving those she loves?

I loved the first book in the series, a tragically under-rated and unknown book translated into English from Finnish and with a tense thrilling story at its heart. The second book didn't grab me in quite the same way and had a few issues with translation, but that didn't diminish my excitement for the final installment in the trilogy, which stormed along at a terrific rate and left me breathless with fear at points!
You can read my review here
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!

13th August - Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home. 
But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.
Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince... but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

A re-telling of Cinderella with a heroine who isn't just waiting for a Prince to sweep her off her feet and make everything better? A heroine who creates her own identity and empowers herself rather than relying on a man to do it for her? Sign me up, immediately. I can't wait to read this one!
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!

20th August - The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de BodardParis has survived the Great Houses War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.
House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, a alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

This blurb was basically all I needed to have this book shoot straight onto my wishlist. I'm loving reading books set in France at the moment, and a war torn Paris with magic and warring houses?! This just ticks all of my bookish boxes and leaves me desperate to get my hands on it!
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!

25th August - Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman
Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.
Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to newcomer Katerina, who must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But Kat’s first love, Jacob, will go to unthinkable lengths to win her, even if it means competing for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince. And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet fiancée, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.
Weaving fantasy with the salacious and fascinating details of real history, New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known: Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

Finally! The time has come! I have been excited about this book since the start of the year, and with a blurb like that can you really blame me? Brutal, brilliant and oh so exciting, I cannot wait to dig into this book.
Keep an eye out for my review later this month!
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!

27th August - One by Sarah Crossan
Tippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends... even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.
Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it’s normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. The two sixteen-year-old girls have two heads, two hearts, and each has two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.
But the girls’ body is beginning to fight against them. And soon they will have to face the impossible choice they have avoided for their entire lives.

This book is stunning. Beautiful, raw and simplistic prose, written in free verse and utterly engrossing, this is one of the best books I've read so far this year. It's an incredible story and Crossan has pared down the writing to the very bare bones needed, which makes the story even more powerful and engaging. I loved Tippi and Grace, I fell into their lives and their choices and crept through their thoughts and hopes and dreams. This is an incredible book, I cannot recommend it enough.
Keep an eye out for my review later this month!
Pre-order this book on Amazon now!

So there you have the books I can't wait to get my hands on this month. Are they any you think I've missed? Or books that I've popped onto your radar? Let me know in the comments below, and tell me what you're hoping to read!

Books I'm Squeeing About in August

July has been an utterly hideous month, yet has contained some truly awesome books. A trend that I'm hoping is going to continue into August. Looking at the titles I'm squeeing about I have no doubt that this is going to be a truly spectacular month for books, including the much hyped 'Throne of Glass' by Sarah J Maas, and a book I've been waiting for (not particularly patiently) all year 'Unspoken' by Sarah Rees Brennan finally gracing our shelves!
So without further ado, here are the books I'm squeeing about in August!

2^nd– Turf by John Lucas

Jay's life seems pretty sorted: 15 years old and already a rising member of the notorious Blake Street Boyz gang, he takes his lessons from the street. With a knife in his pocket and his best friend Milk by his side, their days are spent fiercely defending their turf.
When Jay gets the chance to step up and become a senior of the Boyz, he faces the biggest decision of his life: he must stab and kill a classmate - and rival gang member - or face the consequences.
It doesn't take long for Jay's world to spiral out of control. As the line between right and wrong begins to fade, he finds no escape. Jay has to act, but at what and whose cost?
Set against the backdrop of London's inner-city tower blocks, in a world where killing can be easier than choosing what chocolate bar to eat, Turf is a story of intense friendship and brutal gang violence, of loyalty at any cost - even to the price of your own soul. 
It's the kind of story that continues to dominate front page headlines (see attached) and this powerful novel shows us just how violent life can be for people living under street gang rule.

Utterly harrowing, at times funny and beautiful and completely heart breaking, TURF is an incredible book that came out of nowhere and swept me away. I didn’t expect it to truly make the gang life and idea seem real without making  an unintentional mockery, but Lucas’s skill with words utterly blew me away. I was completely engrossed in Jay’s life, in the choices and decisions that shaped him, and the impossible situation he found himself in. Not at all my usual type of book, but I am so glad I read it, it turned out to be a very thought provoking read.

2^nd– Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Throne of Glass is everywhere at the moment. Everyone is buzzing and talking about it, and no wonder, it is one of the best young adult fantasy books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. Maas has quickly flown up onto my list of authors to watch with an incredibly strong debut with a fantasticly kick ass heroine that I had no trouble cheering on. You can read my review of the book here.

2^nd– Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again, just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother's betrothed. If only these things were not so tempting. When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor's twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from which they may never return.

Oh wow. ‘This Dark Endeavour’ was a dark, terrifying and utterly brilliant look at a young Victor Frankenstein, and the world and events that shaped him into the man we know in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein.’ And now we’re back for another dose! After the harrowing events of the first book Victor pushes the boundaries further, explores deeper, and the events get even darker than before… Utterly delicious and terrifyingly brilliant, the second book manages to more than keep up with the high standard set by the first.

14th - The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.
Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.
As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

There has been a serious hole in my life since the end of Gail Carriger’s ‘Parasol Protectorate Series’ finished earlier this year, and I’m hoping that this new YA Steampunk book might go some way to easing the pain. I’m a sucker for covers and this one has well and truly caught me. Now to see if the book lives up to the prettiness!

20^th– The Vampire Diaries Season 3 DVD Release

So ok, this one isn’t *technically* a book, but I’m so excited about it that it had to make it onto the list anyway… I love this series, it is one of the best things on TV at the moment, and series three is no exception, I can’t wait to re-watch the series in preparation for the start of Season 4, and to see what extras and commentaries will be included!

30^th– Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton

Paranormal romance fans who are looking to up the ante will be drawn to this tale of horror, fantasy, and romance. For Mab Prowd, the practice of blood magic is as natural as breathing. It's all she's ever known. Growing up on an isolated farm in Kansas with other practitioners may have kept her from making friends her own age, but it has also given her a sense of purpose—she's connected to the land and protective of the magic. And she is able to practice it proudly and happily out in the open with only the crows as her companions. Mab will do anything to keep the ancient practice alive and guard its secrets. But one morning while she is working out a particularly tricky spell she encounters Will, a local boy who is trying to exorcise some mundane personal demons. He experiences Mab's magic in a way his mind cannot comprehend and is all too happy to end their chance meeting. But secrets that were kept from Mab by the earlier generations of blood magicians have come home to roost. And she and Will are drawn back together, time again by this dangerous force looking to break free from the earth and reclaim its own dark power.

I loved ‘Blood Magic’ last year, it was a fantastically strong debut from Gratton and left me desperate to see what she’d produce next. And that was all the encouragement I needed to get this book onto my wishlist. I can’t wait to see where she takes me in this next book.

30^th– Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met... a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

You guys, this is one of the biggest excitements of the year for me. I love Sarah Rees Brennan’s books, they are some of the funniest, most fantastic young adult books out there. So this new series is the icing on my book year cake. And the cherry. I can pretty much garuantee that if you like witty dialogue, fantastic characters and a brilliant plot, this is a book you will love. So go out and pre-order it now! Because the best is most definitely being saved until last this month.